Fun in fundraiser
BN Index
Sports scene
Benefit to help Naples woman seeking lung transplant raises $3,900
Calendar . . . . . . . 4B-8B
Laker softball ‘rocks’ Yarmouth, Raiders roll past GNG; H.S. scoeboard
Page 6A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 7B Country Living . . . 5B-6B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 4B
Page 7A
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 3B Opinions . . . . . . . 1B-4B Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . 7A-8A Student News . . . . . . 6A Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870 Vol. 152, No. 17
16 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
April 28, 2022
Legal Notices . . . . . . . 2B
www.bridgton.com
(USPS 065-020)
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Pay-Per-Bag dumped to Nov. By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer The Pay-Per-Bag question scheduled for the June town meeting warrant has been dumped. Selectman Robert McHatton Tuesday night said after meeting with members of the Recycling Advisory Committee and “strong consideration,” the group feels more time is needed to educate taxpayers on the financial and environmental advantages of making the change. McHatton said a new member to the Recycling Committee brings “a background in the field” and could aid in the public awareness effort. He asked that the question be removed from the June warrant, and be added to the November ballot. The board unanimously supported the motion. Later in the night, McHatton noted he supports the PayPer-Bag initiative, and then asked fellow board members, “How do you feel about it?” Selectman Bear Zaidman supports the approach, feeling taxpayer money can be saved and ultimately those resources can be applied to other town infrastructure improvements, such as paving more roadway. “Pay-Per-Bag is a way to go give people choice to help recycle or pay to get rid of trash they produce,” he said. “I strongly feel when the town recycled, we did a better job for the environment and the town.” Zaidman felt the town did a better job recycling when materials were actually separated here and then sold to recycling companies. He asked if an analysis could be done comparing figures when the town did its own recycling compared to what has happened since when Bridgton PPB, Page 5A
REMEMBERING A PIECE OF BRIDGTON’S PAST — A proposed mural for the outside wall of Ricky’s Diner on Depot Street would feature the old Narrow Gauge. Building owner Justin McIver sought Board of Selectmen comment Tuesday night on two proposed murals.
Murals capture past & present
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Justin McIver is always looking for ways to “show what Bridgton is all about.” He helped organize and deliver the popular Music on Main concert series, taking one of his vacant lots and turning it into a social hub. When he recently purchased property along Main
Street — which houses Ricky’s Diner and the new location of the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce — McIver saw blank wall space as potential canvases capturing Bridgton’s past and present. The local developer held somewhat of a “reveal” at Tuesday night’s Bridgton Board of Selectmen’s meet-
ing, displaying two possible mural designs for the site and seeking feedback from town officials. One recaptures a piece of Bridgton’s history — the Narrow Gauge, being admired by two youngsters, which would appear on the Ricky Diner’s wall along Depot Street — where the railroad once pulled up and unloaded raw materials dur-
ing Bridgton’s developmental year and later passengers looking to spend their time in this quaint little community. The second promotes Bridgton’s treasured natural resources and a destination point for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors. This mural will be seen as travelers approach the MURALS, Page 3A
remove all the sand and salt from the shed and inspect and improve the brick walls. “The plan is to empty the shed, have the foundation sprayed and walls and the floors,” he told the board. What alerted the town to the salt-in-water issue has been ruled out as the root reason that salt has been seeping into the well water. “What prompted the most recent round of testing the
water for salt was a flood in the basement at the fire station back in October,” Hawley said. “A corroded waterline fitting let go in the basement. The water caused the brine tank on the filtration system to tip over and all that salt water went through the infiltration system— elevating the drinking water’s salt content.” A test proves that the salt levels had increased to the
point of not being safe. “Ward Water tested the water at the time of the incident, and the sodium level was at 351 parts per million,” Hawley said. Between November and January, the salt levels were tested monthly, and those dropped. On Nov. 8 it was 314 ppm; on Dec. 13 the salt measured at 163 ppm; and by Jan. 12 the sodium had decreased to 116 ppm, he said. “Those tests were con-
ducted by Ward Water, but due to the expense of the tests, $400 each, we purchased a sodium monitor and continued testing,” he said. “In March, we noticed that salt content had gone back up” to 350 ppm, Hawley said. “Keep in mind, this is all on the downhill side of the salt shed. In February, I received a call from Great Northern Docks, and the had tested their wells.” WELL, Page 6A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — The more, the merrier might be a good mantra for the comprehensive plan process. Certainly, the comp plan process could be more fun and more energizing with more people involved. But, more importantly, the comp plan will benefit from more collaboration because NAPLES RESIDENTS Dr. Burton Rankie and Amanda Rankie show off their free that will provide an accurate T-shirts as they prepare to do some trash cleanup on Saturday. (De Busk Photo) representation of the townspeople’s opinions, priorities
and beliefs. “The best comprehensive plans are the ones that have been crafted by the biggest number of people,” according to Vanessa Farr, the Senior Planner with Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG). “People know their town best, and everyone has ideas about how things are now and how they’d like them to be in the future. This is Casco’s opportunity to come together PLAN, Page 5A
Town monitors salt in Naples Fire Station well
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The well drinking water is off limits at the Naples Fire Station. The salt levels are too high. The town is still trying to determine the exact cause. If the salt levels do not get back to a safe number, a remedy will be necessary and that might include drilling a new well uphill of the town’s sand shed, according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley. The town has been testing the water for sodium since January when a monitor was purchased for that purpose. For now, the town will continue to test and record salt levels, Hawley said. The town manager brought the news to the Naples Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting on Monday. “Without further monitoring, it is difficult to know if the salt concentration in the wells subsides during the time of the year that we are not moving salt around on the property,” “In the meantime, we are testing all the other wells on
our property and will continue to monitor the Great Northern Dock well,” he said. “We are going to continue to monitor. If we have high concentrations of salt, we are going to have to do something,” he said. “The earliest thought is to drill a new well on the uphill side” of the town’s lot, he said. The town will follow through with plans to
More, merrier for Comp Plan
‘ED’ effort: ‘It is much needed’
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — For some people, picking up trash on Earth Day combines both global thinking and community pride. Meanwhile for the younger crowd, it is just plain fun to use the litter grabbers. Four-year-old Hunter Carlson could barely stay still for a photo. In an instant, he was on the move, looking for more trash to pick up with his grabbers. His dad Evan Carlson, of Casco, said that being part of the CascoNaples Earth Day Cleanup has become a family tradition. On Saturday morning, Evan and his son were working near the Plummer Memorial Field. “It might not seem like there is much trash over here by the sport fields, but we found quite a bit,” he said. It is satisfying to see how much trash they found and removed as the bags got filled, he said. “And, we are instilling good habits in our children,” Evan said. Meanwhile, 10-year-old Brendon joined his dad on the Naples Causeway. “We didn’t have a reason to not do it. It helps out the earth, and it’s Earth Day,” Brendon said. John said they learned about the organized cleanEARTH DAY ’22, Page 2A
P.O. holds lease leverage
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Plans for a proposed Naples town hall and community center became less expensive by eliminating the space for the U.S. Post Office. Recently, the Town of Naples notified the U.S. Postal Service that its lease would be extended by only two years instead
of the usual five. The representatives responded, saying the contract does not give the town with an option to stop leasing the space until 2027. That might prove a problem since the proposed building bond is going to the ballot this November. If the bond is OFFICE, Page 4A
The Bridgton News Established 1870
PICKING UP THE PACE — Evan Carlson and his son Hunter worked quickly, using litter grabbers and picking up trash by the Plummer Memorial Field. The Carlsons participated in the Casco-Naples Earth Day Cleanup over the weekend. (De Busk Photo)
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com