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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 146, No. 22
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
May 28, 2015
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Source of leak
Hole in Town Hall roof
PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE FALLEN — Harrison saw a strong turnout for Monday’s Memorial Day services as veterans, family, friends and community members honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice in support of their country. More photos inside this edition. (Rivet Photos)
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton has filed an insurance claim after an inspection found a visible hole in the roof of the Town Hall. Town Manager Bob Peabody said Tuesday Bob McHatton Jr. found the hole a few weeks back while conducting an inspection of water damage at the building. Meanwhile, the Board of Selectmen voted to hold a special meeting next Tuesday, June 2, at 4 p.m. to award the contract for the $400,000 stabilization project approved by voters last year. The meeting will come just one week
before voters decide on a citizens’ petition that would require no funds to be spent on the Town Hall until all repair costs are known and decided on by voters. McHatton’s inspection found areas of rot on sill plating, wet plaster and lathes and a small area of flooring, all on the Bridgton side of the building. His recommendation is that the walls be opened up to inspect for mold and wet insulation, and to see if there’s been further rotting of sills. Anne Krieg, Director of Planning, Economic and Community Development, said the inspection of the
inside of the building by Eric Dube of Casco Engineering, including a mold inspection, is not yet complete. She said, in a separate phone interview, that part of Dube’s report will include an analysis of repair costs of any interior damage found. Krieg said the hole was very small, yet visible, and located near some flashing. She did not know why the hole was not discovered during Dube’s exterior study done last year. Peabody said the town’s insurance company has sent an adjustor, but he doesn’t know whether all the damage ROOF, Page 8A
Voters passed the $29,831,066 SAD 61 school budget Tuesday by a 532 to 226 margin. The budget validation vote in each of the four district towns was as follows: Bridgton — 108 yes, 43 no
Casco — 90 yes, 36 no Naples — 280 yes, 120 no Sebago — 54 yes, 27 no Voters also agreed to purchase 3.79 (plus or minus) acres abutting Songo Locks School in Naples for $70,000. Money will be taken from the Capital Reserve Fund (which
came from the undesignated fund balance). The measure passed by a 481-275 margin. Here’s how each town voted: Bridgton — 104 yes, 46 no Casco — 83 yes, 42 no Naples — 251 yes, 148 no Sebago — 43 yes, 39 no
SAD 61 budget passes
Bus ridership low, but officials expect growth
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Officials representing the Lakes Region Bus came Tuesday to the Bridgton Selectmen, armed with some hard numbers about ridership that the board had been seeking.
Leasing land, buying storage on Naples town meeting warrant
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The final public hearing on the proposed amendments for the light manufacturing district ordinance did not draw anyone from the public. The Naples Planning Board meeting lasted 15 minutes. According to Chairman Larry Anton, the light manufacturing ordinance only applies to a few areas of town: Route 302 from Kansas Road to the Bridgton town line; Route 11 from Roosevelt Trail to the Casco town line; and a stretch of Songo School Road. One the possible changes is
that this type of business could occur on two acres of land, instead of five acres as the most recent ordinance stated. The light manufacturing ordinance amendment is one of 64 Warrant Articles that residents will consider during the Naples Town Meeting, which is scheduled for this coming Monday, June 1. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Town Gymnasium. As always, people pay attention to the budget and to any increase in their property taxes. For the Town of Naples, the total proposed budget (rounded to the nearest thou-
sand) is $3,268,000, which is an increase of less than 5% compared to last year’s budget. A mil rate has not yet been set. While the municipal budget is more than $3 million, the taxpayers are also responsible for the town’s $7 million share of School Administrative District No. 61 budget as well as less than half a million dollars in Cumberland County taxes. According to Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak, some of the changes in the Naples municipal budget occurred because a few items were removed from the administrative budget, and relocated
in the budget as individual line items. At a May 18 meeting of the Naples Board of Selectmen, Paraschak went over a draft of the budget. “The administration went down” despite “a 1.7% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for employees, recommended by the government,” Paraschak said. However, the decrease happened because the salary of other personnel or contracted positions such as “part-time maintenance and mapping and assessing — those were put in their own articles,” he said. WARRANT, Page 5A
Taking breath for new adventure
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Lori Galford misses riding motorcycles with her husband as much as he longs to take to the open road with her. Markius Galford also misses fishing excursions with his best friend, and having the endurance to go hunting with buddies in his home state of Maine. He is looking forward to again being able to play rough and tumble outdoors games with his grandsons, who already frequently spend time with him. For the past two years, Markius has been on oxygen, and unable to do those things he most enjoys. “He has been on oxygen 24 -7 for two years, and is now up to six to eight liters depending on what he is doing,” his wife Lori said. But, he has not let that fact get him down. “Markius has the best outlook,” she said. Now, an upgrade in his status as a lung donor has given the couple — and their family and friends — a breath of relief. “He says this will start a new adventure for us,” she said. Almost 10 years ago, Markius and his wife learned that he had Alpha One Antitrypsin deficiency, which is a rare genetic disease passed down from the biological bloodline. After three years of being on the lung donor list
What: Fundraiser for Naples resident Markius Galford Where: The American Legion Post No. 155 When: Saturday, from 5 to 7 p.m. Why: After three years, Galford is number one on the list to receive a lung transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital. The only financial needs are for expenses involved with his aftercare during their stay in Boston, which includes paying for a place to stay and basic living expenditures for that duration. at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Galford family learned that Markius has been moved to number one. “We have been very patient but we are ready for this next step,” Lori said. “He has not been able to go fishing with his best friend, go hunting or play for two years. These are a few of the things he misses most. I miss being able to go on a motorcycle ride. We used to do that a lot and can no longer do that,” she said. The next step toward a lung transplant could not have been taken without the acts of kindness and concern shown to the longtime, long-married couple by the community members around them. On Saturday, the American Legion Post #155, to which the Galfords belong, will hold a fundraiser on Markius’ BREATH, Page 2A
It was primarily the lack of ridership numbers that led the board to recommend against funding for the Portland to Bridgton bus service. The service could begin as early as July if each of the towns of Bridgton, Naples, Casco, Raymond and Windham kick in $9,656 toward the service’s $139,000 annual operational costs. From January 2014 to April 2015, there was an average of five Naples riders per day since the Portland to Naples route began service as a pilot project of the Regional Transportation Program, according to Planner Rick Harbison of the Greater Portland Council of Governments. He said the one rider per day figure cited in last week’s Bridgton News was incorrect. RTP bus manager Corey Gagnon said the numbers fluctuated depending on the time of year. Of the other towns along the route, the average daily ridership Monday through Friday was two from Raymond, five from Windham, one from Westbrook and 12 from Portland. He said it was possible some riders travelled from Bridgton to catch the bus at its Naples stop at the American Legion on Route 11. If funded, the bus would
“I don’t want to lose this valuable service – even if I don’t use it often now, the idea of not having the option is not acceptable. We need public transportation and the ridership numbers will go up as the service grows...
— comment made by Lakes Region Bus survey respondent add the Bridgton Community Center to its route. Gagnon said other stops could be added along the route, such as Food City in Bridgton and the Naples and Raymond Shopping Centers. It’s just a matter of those establishments agreeing to serve as a pick-up and drop-off point, he said. “There are many hot spots BUS, Page 8A
Race for BOS
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer It’s a four-way race for two open seats on the Bridgton Board of Selectmen, with two newcomers trying to oust two longtime incumbents. Doug Taft, a nine-year board veteran, and Bob McHatton, who has served on the board off and on for 26 years, are being challenged by Greg Watkins and Robert Murphy. Taft is running as a write-in candidate, so voters will need to pencil in his name if they so choose, RACE, Page 3A
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