Garden Scene Village Folk Festival writer Nick Chalmers makes farm stops in Harrison, Lovell Page 6A
Week in Sports
Inside News
Sterling efforts on the track; FA softball bounces back; LR ends Greely’s diamond run
Calendar . . . . . . 8A, 10A Classifieds . . . . . . 6B-7B Country Living . . . 5A,8A Directory . . . . . . . . . . 7B
Page 1B
Obituaries . . . . . . 8B-9B Opinions . . . 5B, 7B, 9B Police/Court . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . 1B-4B Student News . . . . . . . . Games . . . . . . . . . . . 11B Weather . . . . . . . . . . 10B
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 146, No. 19
24 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
May 7, 2015
(USPS 065-020)
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
It’s very, very dry
Fire torches woods, tire pile, debris
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer A South Bridgton resident was summonsed by the Maine Forest Service for failure to extinguish a fire after a pile of scrap material ignited Tuesday and spread to woods and a nearby tire pile. Jesse Allen, of 183 South Bridgton Road, may also be facing fines for having an unlicensed junkyard, said Bridgton Fire Chief Glen Garland. The fire destroyed a truck and camper on his property, but Allen’s home and garage was spared. Allen told Maine Forest Service Ranger Matt Bennett he had been burning scrap wood on his property on Friday but had not been doing any burning on Tuesday when the fire erupted. Garland said Bennett did not have a fire permit. The fire occurred on what’s called a Red Flag Day, when no outdoor burning whatsoever is allowed. The Maine Forest Service has declared fire danger in the state as very high, which means The winning ticket has been drawn, the $500 prize has been awarded — it’s official — ice is out! Steve Collins of Bridgton is the winner of the 2015 Ice Out Contest on Moose Pond that serves as a fundraiser for the Bridgton Community Center. For 10 years, Steve led the Bridgton Community Center as its board president. His wisdom and cool demeanor were the guiding light for the organization in its early years. The Ice Out platform on Moose Pond was the design of Fred Hammerle, with assistance from Steve. Over the years Fred and Steve have implemented many adjustments and improvements to the platform. A big thank you to Steve for the $250 donation he made to the BCC from the Ice Out winnings.
fires can start easily, spread rapidly and quickly increase in size. It’s one step below the most serious condition of extreme. A large black plume of smoke filled the air above Allen’s mobile home at 183 Bridgton Road at just before 10 a.m. South Bridgton Fire Captain Paul Field, who works at Everlast Roofing just up the road, was first on the scene after Allen called 911. Field said it was possible that the burning Allen had been doing late last week had not been fully extinguished. “That’s why it’s important to get a permit, and make sure every single ember is extinguished” by using extra large amounts of water, Field said. The fire spread from the tire pile to around 50 feet into the woods separating Allen’s property from a neighbor. Field estimated that between 50 and 100 tires were in the pile that burned. A north-facing banking helped prevent the fire from spreading further into the wooded area, and firefighters
also stationed a truck in the next driveway above. Assisting Bridgton were firefighters from Standish, Denmark, Sebago, Harrison and Naples, Field said. “We were preparing for the worst,” he said, although as it turned out the fire was knocked down in short order. Garland said that despite the large snowfall last winter, the ground is extremely dry. Gusting winds of late have exacerbated the fire danger. “Until it gets green and the trees leaf out, there’s no way anyone should be doing any burning. Absolutely not,” Garland said. He said conditions should begin to ease up by the weekend, and it’s possible burn permits will be allowed by early next week. “I realize everyone is anxious to get their yards cleaned up after the winter, but it’s just way too dry right now,” he said. If found guilty of failure to extinguish a fire, Allen could face a fine and be required to pay for the cost of the fire suppression efforts.
Bridgton: Regional food hub?
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — The selectmen of the towns of Casco and Otisfield want to make sure that the public is provided with a boatload of information about the Pleasant Lake-Parker Pond dam that is in need of repairs or replacement. The selectmen also want to “be in the same boat” when it comes to understanding and sharing the information about the dam when the expense appears as a warrant article at town meetings. For one, the dam is failing. While it isn’t likely to cause flooding or property damage downstream, the uncontrolled flow of water might temporarily reduce water levels on the lakes. So, the dam must be repaired or replaced to be in
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton Selectmen are backing a study to see if Bridgton can support a regional Food Hub that will help local farmers find markets to distribute their products. Anne Krieg, Director of Planning, Economic and Community Development, told the board April 28 that a Bridgton Food Hub could benefit not only small farmers, but also restaurants, institutions and commercial food suppliers such as local supercompliance with Department markets. of Environmental Protection “Food production is one of (DEP) regulations, and to protect the waterfront property owners and recreation-based businesses, the selectmen said. The best approach is a twophase project. This year, at town meetings, the residents of the two towns will be asked to fund the official engineer’s package, which should include permitting, Computer Assisted Drawings (CAD), and hydrological studies. The engineering job could go out to bid if the money is approved. Then, next year, with the engineer’s proposal in hand, the towns could approve funding for replacement or repair of the dam. That construction phase COST, Page 2A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Vicki Toole’s cheeks were flushed from that evening’s exercise class when she slipped into the meeting room. When she left the Naples Town Hall, she was glowing because she would still be able to offer half-priced Zumba classes in the outdoor setting of the Causeway amphitheater. The Naples Board of Selectmen had voted to waive the street vendor fee, and to accept the $100 application fee, which Toole has already paid. Although for-profit vendors can be charged up to $2,000 a season, the selectmen can adjust that fee. That is stated in the public land use ordinance, also known as the street vendor ordinance. During the meeting on Monday, the board discussed a fee of $100 to $150 as a
fair range since there is a cost to participants in the Zumba classes that would take place on public land. Toole charges $5 and, on average, eight people attend the outdoor class each week, she said. The Zumba classes at the Amphitheater will take place on Thursday evenings from June through September, she said. In the end, the selectmen decided to waive the cost, primarily based on two things. One: Toole does not teach Zumba classes on the Causeway to make a profit. Secondly, Toole volunteers her time to the community and helps with nonprofits like Project Graduation. Last summer, she provided free Zumba classes on the Causeway to help out Naples Main Street. Also, the Zumba classes draw the attention of passersby who stop and watch or even FEE, Page 2A
Towns seek dam repair cost range
the largest growing industries in Maine,” said Krieg, adding that it only makes sense for Bridgton to explore actively supporting that industry. Krieg will be applying for a grant of around $13,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Production Program. The funds would pay for a feasibility study that would test the viability of a Food Hub serving Bridgton and 12 other towns in the Lake Region. The study would analyze: • How many prospective wholesale customers there are for the food, especially retail outlets and institutional
food service provides such as the SAD 61 School District and Bridgton Hospital. • The number and characteristics of rural food producers and food entrepreneurs, and their capacity to provide products such as fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat. • How many acres of production that growers could supply or add in the next five years and what their interest might be in expanding production to new or different products. • What the Food Hub would look like as a business, whether owned privately or publicly, or cooperatively-
owned by producers. • Where the facility for the Food Hub would be located, as well as its size and storage needs. • What economic benefits it would provide to the region in terms of jobs, added production and multiplier effects on the local economy. The idea of a Food Hub arose from Krieg’s work with the Bridgton Hunger Task Force, which has been studying food insecurity issues in Bridgton since July of 2010. A leading member of the Task Force has been the Rev. Craig Hacker of St. Peter’s FOOD, Page 3A
Fee waived for volunteerism
HEAVY MACHINERY stands still after Chaplin Logging cleared the lot, which was purchased by the Town of Naples last autumn. The lot may be used for storing vehicles and parking. However, there are no construction projects on the horizon, according to Town Manager Emphrem Paraschak. (De Busk Photo)
Lot clearing: ‘No conspiracy’
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — A logging crew has cleared the townowned lot next to the Naples Fire and Rescue Station. Currently, viable logs are being loaded onto trucks and sold to a local buyer. However, other than cleaning up the land that was purchased from the Begin estate last fall, no construction will be taking place, according to Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak. “We would like to see the property improved,” he said.
“We are not building a new fire station or a public works department. There is no conspiracy going on,” he said for the benefit of the public during Monday’s Naples Board of Selectmen meeting. Still, the activity has triggered the public’s curiosity, and almost caused a few fender-benders. “It is amazing how many cars almost run into each other,” he said, advising people to pull into the fire station parking lot to get a better view of the operation.
“The objective was to clear the front lot,” he said. Chaplin Logging, which is based in Naples, has been doing the work, he said. He did not yet know how much money might be generated from sale of the timber.
“It depends on what is harvested. You get a ball park figure,” he said. The revenue “might go back to general fund, or (toward) making improvements to the property,” he CLEARING, Page 3A
The Bridgton News Established 1870
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com