bn20051712

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Time to build?

Helping the hungry

Officials will recommend to Sebago voters to build a new fire and rescue facility

Inside News

As part of their World Studies class, two Lake Region students will conduct a local food drive

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Calendar . . . . . . . 6B -7B Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 4D Country Living . . . 4B-7B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 3D Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 6D Opinions . . . . 1D-3D, 5D Police/Court . . . . . . . . 6A Sports . . . . . . . . . 1C-7C Student News . . . . . . 8C Arts & Entertainment . 8B Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 4D

www.bridgton.com Vol. 143, No. 20

Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. 32 PAGES - 4 Sections

Bridgton, Maine

May 17, 2012

(USPS 065-020)

SIXTY CENTS

Budget passes; concerns over loss of teachers By Lisa Williams Ackley Staff Writer NAPLES — Over 100 people attended the annual budget meeting for School Administrative District 61 Tuesday night, passing a budget that is $14,177 more than the $26,104,903 proposed budget recommended by the Lake Region School District’s Board of Directors. The total amount approved, as amended at the May 15 budget hearing, is $26,119,080. Now voters from Bridgton,

Casco, Naples and Sebago will go to the polls in their respective towns from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 22 to validate the budget by referendum. It took just over two hours Tuesday evening for all 20 warrant articles to be discussed and approved. Several speakers addressed the $8,899,592 amount proposed for the Regular Instruction K-12 cost center, with Grant Plummer of Casco making a motion to add $30,000 to that line item of the budget.

Excitement builds for bridge opening

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES – Not unlike the flurry of the birds and the bees that arrives with spring, the Naples community is chirping and buzzing with the excitement of tomorrow’s ribbon cutting ceremony for its new bridge. Everywhere in town, residents are speaking words of praise about the bridge that has been built. Locals have been brimming with excitement as they nail down their part in the plans for Friday’s ceremony. (It’s been a long haul to May 18, 2012, from the public-input meetings that started five years ago.) The state’s resident engineer on this project isn’t as interested in the impending fanfare as he is focused on getting those big rigs, recreational vehicles, heavy duty American-made trucks and hundreds of gas-efficient cars rolling on down Route 302. “I can’t wait to put traffic up on the bridge here,” Craig Hurd, the resident engineer with Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), said on Monday afternoon. “Four more days — I can’t wait. They are putting in curbs today, the granite curbs up over

could be reinstated, rather than having two Ed Tech IIIs. Requesting they “reallocate” the $55,000 for the Ed Tech IIIs and add the $30,000 for that purpose, Sally Plummer asked the board members to honor their request, “so we can educate our kids in a manner they both need and deserve.” Lisa Magiera of Casco, the mother of two students at Songo Locks School, spoke in favor of reinstating the teacher’s position at SLS, saying it “would be unthinkable to handicap” these

students “at a pivotal time in their education.” Referring to the directive by the school board to the SAD 612 Leadership Committee to keep the budget at “level funding,” Kelly Clavette of Naples bluntly told the school board members, “So, you’re essentially replacing teachers with ed techs to save money.” Clavette went on to say that increased class sizes “hinder a teacher’s ability” to be as effective as possible and also makes students have to deal with the

change to a larger class size. “Fifth grade is an important year, when teachers are preparing students for a major transition to middle school,” said Clavette. “I don’t agree with increasing any class sizes...and an ed tech is not a replacement for a teacher...it’s $30,000 (requested) in a $26 million budget...This affects 84 kids — that’s $250 per child.” She then asked the school board to accept the $30,000 request in order to show “you believe in SAD 61, Page A

The schedule What: The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Bay of Naples Bridge. Where: On the Causeway, at the site of the old and new bridges. When: Friday, May 18, 2012, beginning at 1 p.m. Then: Appetizers and conversation to be served at the Village Green. the bridge,” he said. Two weeks ago, the construction project passed a slight bump in the road — when rain held up paving the thoroughfare that crosses over the bridge. But, once paving started, the job was done in less than a work day, according to Hurd. “They paved. We were done in six hours. We just needed a sunny day or a dry day. It took a while, but we finally got one,” he said. “Everybody is pretty excited about this thing,” Hurd said of the countdown to the ribboncutting event. At a recent workshop meeting of the Naples Board of Selectmen on May 4, both BRIDGE, Page A

Avesta unfamiliar with ‘preference’ By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer None of Avesta Housing’s 1,800 or so affordable apartments in Southern Maine give preference to local residents, Avesta President and Chief Executive Officer Dana Totman said Tuesday. “Our experience is that people choose housing based on wanting to be in the community,” because of familial or workrelated ties, she said, responding to news that Bridgton is considering drafting a local preference ordinance for future affordable housing projects. As of Tuesday, Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz had not heard back from the town attorney regarding the legal risks of adopting such an ordinance, which was suggested by Community Development Committee member Mark Lopez at the Bridgton Board of Selectmen’s last meeting. In cases nationally, civil rights groups have challenged local preference ordinances for affordable housing, saying they violate fair housing laws and constitutional law. Lopez said he had developed affordable housing projects in Massachusetts where local preference ordinances allowed 70% of the units to be targeted for local residents.

Board member Phil Shane of Casco asked, “What’s the $30,000 for?” “It’s for the reinstatement of a full-time position at Stevens Brook Elementary School, a fourth grade teacher, and a fifth grade teacher at Songo Locks School,” said Grant Plummer. Sally Plummer stepped to the microphone next, saying, “My understanding is there is $55,000 (budgeted) for two Ed Tech positions.” She suggested that by adding $30,000 more to the $55,000 the two teachers

Totman said his agency would “comply with the law, if it’s legal,” should Bridgton adopt a local preference ordinance for affordable housing. He said the state Attorney General’s office may need to rule on the issue, adding that the Maine Human Rights Commission may also want to weigh in. “It’s more of a human rights issue,” Totman said. The Fair Housing Act prohibits public housing agencies from denying housing to a person based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap. “I’ve never heard of any (local preference ordinance) in the country that has restricted housing to a particular group,” said Totman. Avesta has an option on the former Chapter 11 property on Main Street, in the heart of downtown Bridgton, and has received state and federal funding to build 21 units of subsidized housing for the elderly and disabled there. The agency had hoped to formally submit plans by now, but has held off to await outcome of town votes in June and November that would impact the project. The June vote would require the first floor of the project to be used for business, office or profesAVESTA, Page A

COUNTDOWN FOR THEIR CUTS — Stevens Brook Elementary School fifth graders (left to right) Olivia Thompson, Abby Bricault and Brenna Barboza prepare for their class’ big moment — a haircut to benefit the Wigs for Kids program. Teacher Allison Sands and several of her students will shed their locks to help others next month. Before that happens, all three girls pictured will play roles in the school’s upcoming production of “Cinderella” with Brenna taking on the lead character. (Rivet Photo)

Cuts for a good cause

New hairdos will help Wigs for Kids

By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Matthew Mayo always thought it would be cool to shave his head. “Then, I could look like my grandpa,” the Stevens Brook Elementary School fifth grader said. “I’ve had buzz cuts before.” Matthew’s parents nixed the idea until their son told them he had a very good reason for wanting to sport a bald look. “I think they thought I would look a little weird, especially since I am going to a number of sports camps this summer,” Matthew said. “A lot of sports athletes shave their heads, so I think it will be cool.” Next month, Matthew, along with several classmates and his teacher, Allison Sands, will be buzzing their heads and cutting their locks to benefit the Wigs for

Kids program. “I’ve had these students for the past two years. Last year, one of the students — Felicia Gesimondo-Granger — came to me and said she had a friend who cut her hair for Wigs for Kids. So, we decided as a class that we should do it too since we would all be together for two years,” Sands said. When children lose their hair, whether as a result of medical treatments, health conditions, or burn accidents, they don’t just suffer physically. The change in their appearance can drastically undermine their self-image and sabotage their self-esteem. To combat this additional trauma, Certified Cosmetic Therapist™ Jeffrey Paul founded Wigs for Kids, a nonprofit organization that has been serving children suffering from hair loss since 1981.

According to the Wigs for Kids website, the program is a cooperative effort among Certified Cosmetic Therapists™ throughout North America who share a common goal. “Children shouldn’t have to worry about how they look, especially when they’re in the middle of a health crisis,” Paul said. “We want to give these kids the opportunity to feel good about themselves again.” The “wigs” are custom-made hair replacements. “Each prosthesis is hand-tied and is made completely from human hair. We make sure they look just like a child’s own hair,” Paul said. “They won’t come off on the baseball field or in the playground. Kids can count on them. And because kids look just the way they did WIGS FOR KIDS, Page A

Pondicherry Park plan finalized

By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Pondicherry Park, the 65acre natural jewel of downtown Bridgton, will become an official town park — complete with a dog loop trail — next Tuesday, if Bridgton selectmen agree to accept three documents governing the park’s ownership, management and stewardship. The three documents were the result of carefully-crafted negotiations begun last fall between Loon Echo Land Trust and Lakes Environmental Association and the town, represented by Selectmen Bernie King, Doug Taft and Woody Woodward, with Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz serving as moderator. The negotia-

tions were part of a condition under which voters agreed last November to take over ownership of the park, made possible by over $700,000 in donations from 710 donors through the purchase of separate parcels over six years. On Tuesday, LELT Executive Director Carrie Walia, LEA Executive Director Peter Lowell and the three selectmen put the finishing touches on the three documents, which are as follows: • A Quit Claim Deed with Covenant Reserving a Conservation Easement, which conveys the property from Loon Echo Land Trust to the town. It also grants LELT a permanent conservation easement to

ensure that the park will remain forever wild, with no more than three miles of trails, for lowimpact pedestrian use during normal town park hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It also prohibits motorized vehicles, smoking, hunting, camping or open fires, and creates a Pet and Bicyle Area, defined by a loop trail accessible via the Bob Dunning Memorial Bridge on one end

and the park entrance on South High Street across from the First Congregational Church. Domesticated pets must be leashed, and waste picked up by their owners. • A Committee Agreement for a Pondicherry Park Stewardship Committee, to be comprised of one regular member each representing LEA and LELT, PARK, Page A

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


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