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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 150, No. 20
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
May 16, 2019
www.bridgton.com
(USPS 065-020)
95¢
‘Scape’ sticker shock
Still hoping for an answer
Project bid leads to rethinking
7,300 days have passed since Ramona and Narciso Torres saw their middle Angel ‘Tony’ Torres son, Angel, known to Missing since 1999 many in the area as Tony. This Tuesday marks the 20th anniversary of Tony’s disappearance. The couple hopes someone has a clue that will solve a heartbreaking mystery: On May 21, 1999, Tony boarded a bus in Boston, Mass., stepped off it in Biddeford, and hasn’t been seen since. This year marks 20 years since he disappeared without a trace. Our names are Ramona and Narciso Torres. Our family has been living in Denmark since 1985. It’s where we relocated from New York City to raise our three boys in what we felt was a safer, more wholesome environment. Tony attended grade school in Denmark and graduated from Fryeburg Academy in 1996. At the time of his disappearance, he was enrolled as a junior at Framingham State University. Since his disappearance in May of 1999, we have met frequently with our son’s investigative team. They tell us they have done the best they can and are still investigating his case, but we still have questions we may never know the answers to: Was Tony involved in a drug deal? Was he the victim of a hate/racial crime? Or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? The hardest part is not knowing. We have had our son’s death certificate for the last 15 years. What we do not have is closure. We believe our son’s case has gone cold and so have the leads that have been received over the last 20 years. Despite that, we feel certain our son was murdered and someone knows who did it. As his mother, I can’t help wondering what Angel would look like at 41 years of age, which he would have been on April 1. Mother’s Day has taken on a whole new meaning for me, given that Tony’s last trip home was on Mother’s Day, May 9, 1999. A photo of the two of us, Tony with his beautiful smile and arm wrapped around me, is a daily reminder of our loss. He should be a father by now and we should be celebrating our grandchildren’s birthdays. Instead, there is an everpresent pain in my heart that is impossible to describe. Not a day goes by without missing Tony and wishing he were here with us. TORRES, Page 6A
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer A robust economy is good for contractors, but apparently bad news for municipalities and school districts. Last week, SAD 61 officials voiced concerns about possible high bids for the Crooked River School renovation/addition project after seeing a Portland school come in $3 million over estimates. Bridgton felt sticker shock Tuesday night when Colin Dinsmore of HEB Engineers discussed bid figures for the streetscape project. A pre-bid meeting held in April brought six contractors to the table, but when bids were due, only one was submitted — J Pratt Construction of Hebron. When asked why just Pratt submitted a bid and others did not, Dinsmore said the company is finishing up a similar project in Biddeford, and Bridgton’s timeline likely fell in line with the contractor’s schedule. While the streetscape bid was 3.6% higher ($119,387.11) than
HEB’s estimate, the overall bid still was close to what the town has for available funding. The bid has three components — streetscape, sewer and water (district upgrades). HEB estimated streetscape work at $3,317,040.50, while the Pratt bid came in at $3,436,427.61. The water bid came in $7,020 higher, estimated at $20,150 to real number of $27,170. The eye popper was sewer work. HEB projected a cost of $649,250, while Pratt bid $1,358,600 — an overage of $709,350 (109%). Town Manager Robert Peabody pointed out that funds for some sewer work that is part of the streetscape plan would be drawn from the $23 million targeted for the sewer expansion package. “I am not happy,” said Board of Selectmen Chairman Lee Eastman, who noted Dinsmore was asked several times during the discussion phase if he was confident with estimates that had been created, and ultimately figures that were pre-
sented for taxpayer approval. One wild card that likely pushed the contractor’s bid to the high side is the possibility of ledge. “We don’t know what’s there,” Peabody said. More discussion will take place between the town, Pratt and Dinsmore to get a better understanding of the sewer bid portion. Selectman Bear Zaidman raised the thought of rejecting Pratt’s proposal and putting the project back out to bid. Peabody said selectmen could do so, but there is a risk that the figure could actually rise, while right now, the bid is within a range that the town could fund. Officials did note that municipalities face a daunting task to get good value during strong economic times since contractors know how much money towns have to spend, since those figures are public information. Peabody said the only real chance that towns have of receiving low bids is if several firms compete for the project. Selectmen decided to wait for BRIDGTON, Page 3A
Need for two votes questioned
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Exactly a week before the school budget vote at the ballot, a Casco selectman spoke about his personal take on the budget approval process — which requires both town-meetingstyle voting and a trip to the ballot box. “Is it okay if we have an opinion to have an on the confirmation vote? Can we talk about that meeting we went to last Tuesday,” Selectman Grant Plummer said. That public hearing is an opportunity for public to amend or possibly change the budget of School Administrative District
(SAD) 61, he said. “As I looked around the room, there were two members of the public there and the rest of the people there were either staff members or municipal officials. It seems to me that my first inclination is to vote, ‘no,’ on the confirmation vote. It would make residents focus closer on the first step of the process. “When we go to vote two weeks later, seeing how they are not participating in the first steps maybe a ‘no’ vote to the confirmation would cause” more people to attend the first vote, Plummer said. He reminded people that the elections are costly. The expenses of a duplication
vote at the polls is something taxpayers bear, he stressed. Prior to Plummer’s comments, Casco Town Manager Dave Morton had announced the polling place and voting hours for the election on Tuesday. Then, Morton had explained the referendum item that comes up every three years with the school budget vote. The referendum asks voters if they want to continue the budget approval process of voting twice on the budget. “There is a town-meeting-style gathering at the high school, where voters have the opportunity” to cut items out of the budget
or increase the budget for programs. During this vote, members of the public are allowed to amend the budget. “Then, within two weeks, there must be a confirmation vote, which is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote to the budget,” Morton said during his town manager’s report. After Plummer had spoken about the low turnout, Morton took the floor and responded to Plummer’s comments. “Traditionally, for the last couple years, we haven’t had as many people turn out on the confirmation votes,” he said. He said there was a cost VOTES, Page 7A
‘Main Street’ helps fund beach pavilion
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The Naples Town Beach continues to evolve and improve, increasing the number of activities residents can do there. Last month, the Veterans’ Memorial Monument was moved onto the hill above the beach. Now, not only are there plans to put in a pavilion, but also money is available to cover the costs of installing the pavilion before July 1. Dave Garcia, representing the Parks and Land Use DAUGHTER AND MOM Lynda MacNeil poses with her mom Sandra MacNeil. The Committee, told the Naples two dressed up for high tea on Mother’s Day. (De Busk Photo) Board of Selectmen about the plans for the pavilion at
Tea, high point on Mother’s Day
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer Having tea with mom is a pleasurable activity. What better day to do that than on Mother’s Day? And, what better place to go for tea than an English tea house? More than 50 people booked seats at the Clipper Merchant Tea House to have high tea on Mother’s Day this past Sunday. There were mothers with their adult daughters. There were groups of female friends, some with daughters joining them for cups of teas, finger sandwiches, and an array of
desserts. There was a preteen girl with her mom and her grandma — three generations represented, each woman wearing hats like those seen at the Kentucky Derby. The Clipper Merchant Tea House used to be in Limerick before relocating to Bridgton. Many customers remember the one in Limerick. Cynthia ChadwickGranger and her husband drove 1½ hours from Saco to spend this Mother’s Day at the tea house. This was her first time at the Bridgton
location. She made reservations a few months ago after researching tea houses led her back to the Clipper Merchant Tea House. Cynthia especially wanted to take the journey to the tea house on Mother’s Day as way of honoring her mom, Cathrine Rose, who passed away. “I feel like my mom is here. She loves tea houses. She loved the Clipper Merchant Tea House in Limerick,” Cynthia said. “My mom and my dad loved tea. They had tea and cookies every day at 2 p.m.
Every day, I have tea with cookies in the afternoon. I grew up with it. Certain things stay with you,” she said. Shortly after Cynthia said she could feel her mom, the music switched to a Scottish tune. Her husband drew her attention to it, saying that was something Cynthia’s mom would have listened to. “My mom was Scottish and Irish,” Cynthia said. She shared that she loves the rituals and the history of tea plus she collects tea pots TEA, Page 7A
Kent’s Landing. The pavilion will measure 24x40 feet. It will be placed on a concrete pad. It will have 10x10 foot posts and a metal roof. Garcia said It will be very similar to the pavilion put in at the Memorial Field off Route 11 in Casco. Garcia said the pavilion would get plenty of use during the summer. It could be used for the free lunch program “when we feed the kids at noon,” he said. “Who knows what the other uses could be? There will be birthdays parties, weddings,” he said. The board asked about electricity to the pavilion. Garcia guessed they could add solar lights. “This was first time we set a budget for Parks and Land Use,” Garcia said, explaining that $50,000 was approved by voters at Town Meeting. He broke down the costs of items: $30,000 for the pavilion at Kent’s Landing; $15,000 for adult exercise equipment on walking trails near the Trickey Pond boat
launch area; and $5,000 for picnic tables at various town-owned green spaces. “The budget was passed. Naples Main Street had some money for us to use for the pavilion. They gave us an additional $30,000. It covers the pavilion,” Garcia said. “The beauty of that is the town cannot allocate any money [from the budget] until July 1,” he said, adding that the financial donation from Naples Main Street could be used immediately. It would be ideal if the pavilion could be completed before July, he said. The parks committee now has the money to pay a contractor to complete the project, he said. “We have the blueprints. We are getting ready to send out bids. We have money to build the whole thing,” he said. “This is the first time we have had money for the parks,” he repeated. The board made a motion and voted to approve the upcoming project. PAVILION, Page 7A
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