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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 144, No. 23
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
June 6, 2013
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Waste water division created
CELEBRATING A LONG AWAITED MOMENT — Bridgton Recreation Advancement Group members, past and present, were joined by other local dignitaries Saturday to officially open the Kendal and Anna Ham Recreation Sports Complex. The ribbon-cutting ceremony kicked off the
comprising tar sands oil are heavier than conventional crude, the residual effects of any pipeline leaks would be “devastating,” Morse said, because the oil would sink down into the leaf bed once the benzene or propane that it’s mixed with for transport has evaporated. The spill would naturally migrate into the oxbows and backwaters. The only way to clean the spill is by stripping off all trees and other groundcover, then removing the soil and replacing it with clean soil, using chemical processes that require enormous amounts of energy, Morse said. “The traditional usage of that river valley will be damaged for generations, and there’s a good possibility the Atlantic salmon would never recover,” he said, referring to one of the river’s most prized resources. Jon Chappell, one of TAR SANDS, Page A
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton Selectmen have created a new Waste Water Division within the Public Works Department as a first step toward becoming more organized and preparing for future expansion of the downtown sewer system. The vote followed a recommendation by the Waste Water Committee to have a designated person within town government they can work with, who would oversee all operational aspects of the 73-user system and the ordinance that governs it. The Waste Water Division will be staffed by a licensed sewer system operator who would act as the Sewer System Superintendant and report to Jim Kidder, director of public works. The person filling the full time position would spend much of the spring, summer and fall work hours working on sewer operations. During the winter, the person would perform other public works duties as needed. For years, the town has relied on Bridgton engineer George Sawyer, who designed the system, to provide oversight. Over the past year the town also enlisted Wright-Pierce Engineering to help resolve questions over the extent of inflow and infiltration into the system, and what steps need to be taken to repair those weaknesses. No decision has been made on who will serve as superintendant of the new division, but the board is hoping to hire someone as soon as possible. Once that person is in place, Sawyer has said he will step back from his role as the town’s contract engineer, according to Selectman Chairman Paul WATER, Page A
FRYEBURG — Voters will face several choices when they go to the polls on Tuesday, June 11. They will decide: Who will be their representatives? Fryeburg has contested races for a seat on the Board of Selectmen, as well as the SAD 72 School Board. Incumbent Richard Eastman is being challenged for a three-year seat by former selectman Cliff Hall. For SAD 72 school director, the race is between incumbent Anne Trumbull along with Cindy Alden and Christopher Mattei for two three-year seats. Who will enforce the law? Residents will express their view as to whether to keep the Fryeburg Police Department or disband the local law enforcement agency in favor of Oxford County Sheriff’s Department coverage.
The question was posed as the result of a citizens’ petition. At a public hearing on the issue, many residents voiced support to keep law enforcement control “local” by retaining FPD. There would be some cost savings by switching to the county. To keep similar coverage, the town would likely opt to a five-man plan. Sheriff Wayne Gallant said current FPD officers could join his department, if they met entry criteria. By hiring local officers, a concern regarding having “familiar” faces on patrol in Fryeburg would be eased, Sheriff Gallant said. The warrant contains two articles, one asking whether to disband the FPD. If the article is approved, then voters would be asked to raise money for the sheriff’s department. Will the Fryeburg Water District remain “active” or QUESTIONS, Page A
celebration, which went through the day, including youth sports games. Pictured left to right are: Paul Hoyt, Scott Finlayson, Lisa VonHasseln, Jon Evans, Laura Ordway, Bruce Chalmers, Bill Macdonald, Lyn Carter and Larry Carter. More photos on Page 2A. (Rivet Photo)
Foes: Tar sands transport not worth risk By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Voters in four western Maine towns — Bridgton, Harrison, Otisfield and Bethel — will decide next week whether to formally oppose any future plans by the Portland Pipeline Company to transport tar sands oil from Canada to Portland. Leading up to the vote, oil industry officials have mounted an all-out campaign to convince voters that tar sands oil, or diluted bitumen, poses no greater environmental risk than conventional crude oil — and that Portland Pipeline’s impressive safety record over the past 50 years has earned them the right to stay competitive in today’s energy marketplace. The campaign has emerged following passage of anti-tar sands resolutions at earlier town meetings in Waterford, Casco and Raymond. Both Bridgton and
Harrison will vote by referendum on Tuesday, June 11. Bridgton’s resolution has already been written; in Harrison, voters will give their selectmen authority to “issue a resolution stating their concerns and opposition to any form of processed tar sands being piped through the Town of Harrison.” Bethel’s June 12 Town Meeting will consider overturning the anti-tar sands resolution voters passed in February, with its petitioners arguing that the vote was unfair because pipeline officials weren’t allowed to speak. Also, they say, the resolution was passed at a special town meeting rather than the more widely-attended annual Town Meeting. Statewide, the Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee recently rejected imposing a moratorium on tar sands oil transport, reasoning
in part that such a move could conflict with federal law. And nationally, a draft report on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries has found that “oil sands are no different than conventional crude oil” in terms of safety risks. However, a final ruling has yet to be issued. Last week, Portland Pipeline officials gave a detailed Powerpoint presentation in Otisfield, with particular emphasis on the company’s rigorous pipeline maintenance and monitoring programs. But in Bridgton, it was supporters of the antitar sands resolution who held sway, sparring with the pipeline’s marketing consultant Dan Demeritt, the only person attending who spoke in favor of tar sands oil transport. Risks outweigh benefits Earl Morse of Waterford
began the two-hour discussion by saying that the Portland Pipeline was constructed as a wartime emergency during World War II to deliver crude oil from Portland to Montreal, Canada. Unfortunately, the shortest route also takes the pipeline through some of the most environmentallysensitive areas in Maine and Vermont, he said. That’s certainly true in terms of the Crooked River, he said, a Class AA “pristine” river which has an abundance of “permanently flooded oxbows and backwaters” along as much as 80% of its 50-mile length. “The Portland Pipeline has a pretty good safety record, I have to say,” said Morse. But there have been spills — around 1,000 barrels in 1960, near a Waterford pumping station, and another 1,000-gallon spill in 2003 in Harrison. Because the molecules
Loon Echo asks for Casco help By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Two years ago, the Town of Casco was one of the first major donators to the land-conservation project to purchase for public access a 27-acre parcel on Hacker’s Hill. The mountain is located off Quaker Ridge Road in Casco. At that time, residents voted to put $75,000 toward the Hacker’s Hill Campaign, which was being handled by Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT). On Wednesday during Casco Town Meeting, residents will decide whether or not to dedicate another $25,000. According to the Warrant Article 17, that money would come from a fund already set aside for land preservation purchases. LELT’s Executive Director Carrie Walia hopes that residents will continue their conservation-minded actions, and back the Hacker’s Hill purchase with another sum of money. “Casco residents overwhelmingly supported contributing to the Hacker’s Hill project in 2011 when the campaign had just begun. Their gift fueled the start of the project; now we are at the tail end and need their support once more,” Walia said. “I call this a community-inspired project since dozens of Casco families came to Loon Echo and asked us to save ‘the Hill’ from a private sale and eventual closure. Loon Echo had always wanted to see the land protected, but our board didn’t believe it had the means to do so until we saw the wave of public support in late 2009 through 2010,” she said. Loon Echo, which serves as a steward of the multiuse public land, completed the purchase in July 2012 by taking out a one-year mortgage. “The repayment on that mortgage is due in July,” Walia said. “The town’s contribution would pay off the mortgage balance,” she said. “Thankfully local families and businesses, most recently Hancock Lumber and Migis Lodge, have stepped up with generous contributions to pay down this debt,” she
Loon Echo Land Trust Executive Director Carrie Walia enjoys the view from Hacker’s Hill in mid-May while her two-month-old son, Grayden, rides along in a front pack. (Photo Courtesy of Carrie Walia) said. “But the last bit is tough to find, so we’re really leaning on Casco to save the day,” Walia said. That is one of the decisions that will be made at Town Meeting, which will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the HACKER’S DEBT, Page A
Fryeburg voters face key questions
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