Graduation Day Lake Region bids farewell to the Class of 2016. Photos and scholarship awards inside Page 1C
Heartbreakers
Inside News
Laker girls lose lacrosse playoff game 7-6; Raiders drop 4-1 tourney game to Greely
Calendar . . . . . . . 4B-6B Classifieds . . . . . . 4D-5D Country Living . . . 1B-8B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 3D
Page 6C-7C
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 6D Opinions . . . . 1D-3D, 7D Police/Court . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . 6C-8C Student News . . . 1C-5C Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 5C Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 147, No. 24
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
June 16, 2016
(USPS 065-020)
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Zaidman wins; sewer & pantry articles pass By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Selectmen race: one seat Zaidman — 534 Murphy — 307 Hawkins — 198 After a vigorous last-minute campaign, write-in candidate Glen “Bear” Zaidman won a seat on the Bridgton Board of Selectmen Tuesday by earning 534 votes, easily surpassed incumbent Selectman Ken Murphy’s 307 votes and the 198 votes garnered by newcomer Karen Hawkins. The outcome may have been foreseen by Murphy
following the publication of several strong letters of support for Zaidman and a large ad in The News last week. “Whatever happens, I want to thank this board for the opportunity to serve these past three years,” Murphy said during selectman’s concerns at Tuesday’s regular board meeting, just before polls closed. “It’s been a real fun time, and in three years I’ve learned a lot.” Offering some parting thoughts that may have been directed at Selectman Greg Watkins, he added, “I’ll say this: I’ll never micromanage the per-
son in charge.” Watkins and Selectman Bob McHatton had just finished a sparring match over Watkins’ self-described “fact-finding” e-mails to Town Manager Bob Peabody regarding a policy Watkins had brought forward in open meeting two weeks earlier, which the board failed to support. McHatton said selectmen “just can’t be bogging the town manager down” by tracking down answers to questions after meetings “if the three of us go against what you want to do.” Watkins, one of the letter-
writers supporting Zaidman, said he has the right to seek post-meeting clarification with the manager, particularly after being “discouraged to have a long list of selectman’s concerns” at meetings,
when the answers might not be immediately known. Turnout was about on par with 2015 elections, when Murphy’s brother Robert P. Murphy lost by one vote to McHatton in a three-way race
for two open board seats. Watkins came in first with 475 votes. Along with Watkins’ letter of endorsement, Zaidman’s write-in campaign was supBRIDGTON, Page 3A
Casco town hall project running under budget
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — The Town Hall construction project is coming in at a lower cost than originally anticipated. “We are about 20 percent under budget,” according to Casco Town Manager Dave Morton, adding that most of the expenses are accounted for since the town has lined up contractors to do different phases of the job. The groundbreaking happened on May 9, and Morton projected that the building could be completed in late August or early fall. “It looks like we are about 20 percent under budget. That is about $30,000 less,” he said. During Town Meeting in 2015, voters approved $600,000 to build a new town office on the existing property. On Tuesday, the Casco Board of Selectmen gave the authorization for the town to apply for a one-year Bond Anticipation Note (BAN). “It’s only for the town office. The BAN is for $600,000, and if we don’t spend that, we will use funds to repay it when the bond comes due,” Morton said.
“We are doing this rather than a full bond (because) we aren’t certain what voters will do,” Morton said. “We don’t have time to do a full bond.” At Casco Town Meeting, which takes place after The Bridgton News goes to press, there are several Warrant Articles involving proposed 10-year bonds to complete road reconstruction and replace the Pleasant Lake-Parker Pond Dam. If one of the bonds passes, “we would wrap this into that. It would give us a better basis for borrowing long-term. We would get a better rate,” Morton said. “The BAN is timed to allow us to go and do a full bond. It will give us time to arrange for long-term financing for town projects,” he said. The Town of Casco needs the approved funding in order to pay contractors for work so far. “As you can see, we are into the project” of constructing the new town office, Morton said. “Now, we need the money,” he said.
Valedictorian Keyana Prescott
UNDER MY UMBRELLA — Katie, Liam and Anne Neault sit in the outdoor amphitheater during a ceremony to rename the bridge in Naples the Robert Neault Memorial Bridge. (De Busk Photo)
Bob’s bridge
‘Spirit’ present in ceremony
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Anne already thinks of her husband Bob Neault every time she crosses the bridge on the Causeway.
Salutatorian Lily Charpentier
One on One with...Lake Region’s best
Keyana Prescott
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer For as long as Keyana Prescott can remember, the moment she got off the school bus each day, her grandpa had her sit down and do her homework. “If it weren’t for you (grandpa) enforcing that habit, I would not have the work ethic I do now,” Keyana told her classmates Sunday during her speech (which can be read in its entirety in Section C this week) at Lake Region High School’s graduation ceremony. “I appreciate you being my number one fan for the last 18 years more than you will ever know.” Valedictorian of the Class of 2016, Keyana recapped the accomplishments, obstacles, victories and defeats endured over the last four years and closed out her comments by saying, “The possibilities we are given are endless, and it is simply what we make of it.” The News went One on One with Valedictorian Keyana Prescott this week: BN. People often wonder, how does a student become the tops in their class? What has it taken for you to achieve this incredible honor? KEYANA: It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to your studies as well as becoming involved in extracurricuKEYANA, Page 8A
Lily Charpentier
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Like many of her classmates, Lily Charpentier really couldn’t remember much about her first day of school. So, she pulled out an old picture. “In my picture, I have a pink bow at the top of my ponytail, my backpack is just about as large as I am, and I have a card hanging around my neck,” she told her classmates during Lake Region High School’s graduation ceremony Sunday. “Now that was an important card. It was in the shape of a crayon box and had my bus number and classroom written on it. It told me exactly where I needed to go that day.” As salutatorian, Lily told members of the Class of 2016 (her speech can be read in its entirety in Section C) they no longer have cards dangling from their necks telling them where to go. The decision is now theirs to make. “Our life isn’t mapped out for us, and it may be difficult to find our own path. But now we have the freedom to go out and dictate our own futures,” she said. “…No longer will our parents be holding our hands as they did on that first day of school. We now have the responsibility of leading our own lives and that’s exciting.” The News went One on One with Salutatorian Lily LILY, Page 8A
Now his name will be forever linked to that bridge. The Bay of Naples Bridge was renamed in honor of Robert Neault in a ceremony held Saturday at the outdoor amphitheater. It was an amphitheater that Neault had envisioned and had championed for. It is fitting that the new bridge is now named after Neault — the person who had stepped forward as a leader during the time period when people were still divided between a fixed bridge and a swing bridge. As the only chairman of the Causeway Revitalization Committee (CRC) for almost four years, Neault was tenacious about getting a superb product for the people of Naples from the Maine Department of Transportation. During the construction peri-
od from September 2010 through September 2013, Neault shifted his focus and a lot of hours from his law practice to being an active part of the process of replacing the bridge and breathing new life into the surrounding public space known as the Causeway. “He really put his heart and soul into the bridge project,” Anne said. “Bob spent an enormous, enormous amount of time with the bridge construction,” she said. “When the bridge opened” in May 2012 “and we went to the community celebration, it felt like an accomplishment not just for him, but for us.” “Naming the bridge after him — it is more of an emotional thing than a logical BRIDGE, Page 5A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — By the time the clock struck seven, only 35 residents were seated in the gymnasium for the Naples Town Meeting. It’s not uncommon for voters to arrive at the last minute, and a trio of women walked through the gym doors and over to the table to pick up their voting cards. On Wednesday evening, about 10 residents sat in front of the room, representing the Naples Board of Selectmen and the Naples Budget Committee. The town meeting turnout of 53 people this year was about two-thirds smaller than a year ago. In 2015, approximately 150 people participated at the annual event with half leaving before the ballot-
style tax levy limit vote. It seemed that more people were eating dinner at local restaurants in Naples than voting at annual town meeting. The extremely low turnout is troubling, especially compared to the crowd that showed up last year, according to resident Jim Grattelo, who thought the Town Meeting could have been better publicized on the town’s website and at the town office. “The turnout was terrible, just terrible,” resident Roger Clement said. According to Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak, there has been a steady decline in town meeting turnouts over the years. But, the attendance seems to NUMBERS, Page 7A
Turnout shrinks at Naples meeting
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