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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870 Vol. 150, No. 24
16 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
June 17, 2021
www.bridgton.com
(USPS 065-020)
95¢
K9, Warden locate missing man
NEW TOWN MANAGER Tony Ward makes a public appearance at Casco Town Meeting on June 9. Ward is seen here with former town manager Dave Morton. (De Busk Photo)
New manager has local ties
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — For most people landing a new job feels like embarking on an adventure. For Tony Ward, starting his job as the Casco Town Manager has been more like a homecoming. After all, Ward grew up in Harrison, one of the towns which shares a border with Casco. Therefore, transitioning from working for the Town of Sabattus to being employed in Casco places Ward closer to his old stomping grounds. Ward graduated from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. That is where he met his wife. They started out as high school sweethearts, and have been married for 34 years now. The couple has two grown children. Ward’s favorite pastimes are golf and kayaking. One of his favorite kayak spots is Parker Pond, which is almost a stone’s throw from the Casco Community Center. Last weekend, Ward and his wife went out in the kayaks and saw an abundance of wildlife, including several deer and an eagle. So he is happy to be in a location with so many ponds, lakes and rivers. “My wife would love to buy some waterfront property. Obviously, Casco would be my first choice. Today’s housing market could make it more challenging” to move from Gray, he said. Ward seems to be traveling down a familiar career path. He took on the role of Sabattus town manager six years ago. Prior to that, he was the police chief in Portland. He earned his degrees at the University of Southern Maine: a Bachelor’s in Applied Technical Leadership and a Master’s in Public Policy & Management. Ward took time during his first few days as Casco Town Manager to answer a half-dozen questions for The Bridgton News so that people in the community could get to know him a little bit better. B-News: When did you initially apply for the Casco Q/A, Page 3A
K9 Breezy and Maine Game Warden Lucas Bellanceau located a missing 77-year-old Sunday night in Bridgton. Clarence Taylor, who lives at an assisted living center in Bridgton, went missing at around 3:30 Sunday afternoon, June 13. After the initial searchers were unable to locate Taylor, who suffers from dementia, the Maine Warden Service brought a K9 team to assist in the search. After starting their search a little after 9:30 p.m., K9 Breezy and Warden Bellanceau began searching a field after completing a search through the woods near the assisted living center. Upon entering the field, K9 Breezy picked up a scent and took off toward an abandoned truck at the edge of the field, and K9 Breezy found Taylor sitting on the other side of the truck at approximately 10:40 p.m., over 600 feet
Clarence Taylor from the assisted living center. Taylor was unable to stand but was alert and could talk. Medical personnel were able to get an ambulance close to Taylor, where he was loaded into an ambulance and transported to Bridgton Hospital. The Maine Warden Service was assisted in the search by the Bridgton Police Department, Maine State Police, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and GOOD TEAM — Maine Game Warden Lucas a Windham PD detective. Bellanceau and his partner, K9 Breezy.
Clickers pick up meeting’s pace By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — It took less than one hour for Casco residents to approve the $4.7 million budget during an outdoor town meeting. One reason it might have gone so smoothly is that the attendance was low. Also, nothing controversial was being presented as a warrant article. Another thing that might have factored into speeding up the process — voters used handheld devices that electronically recorded the yeas and nays. Many of the selectmen said they appreciated the voting method. Meanwhile, new Town Manager Tony Ward commented. “Instead of doing it the old-fashioned way of counting votes. We had collectors that recorded the results right on the spot. It ended up being very useful,” Ward said. It wouldn’t have been possible without
Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), he said. Casco Annual Town Meeting was held June 9 — outdoors, under a tent pitched at Casco Days Park. Sixty-nine (69) residents registered to vote, and the group wrapped up the 2021 town meeting in 55 minutes. The 2021-22 budget was approved by the vast majority of the voters. The budget was $460,000 more than last year, and that increase was carried by a real spike in revenue. “As far as the meeting, having it outside under the tent, it might be one of the smaller meetings we have had for a town meeting,” Casco Chairman Tom Peaslee said. He estimated that there were about 50 voters but recommended asking the town clerk for an exact number. “It was a very small
Changes at Fryeburg Academy • New Trustees • New AD
FRYEBURG — Fryeburg Academy has hired alumnus John Gordon, a graduate in FA’s Class of 1980, to assume duties as the school’s new athletic director, beginning in July. He replaces Sue Thurston, who served as FA Athletic Director for 14 years. Thurston will be shifting her focus in the fall as she joins the school’s deans’ office as a gradelevel dean. Gordon is currently the director of programs and head wrestling coach at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, where he’s worked since 2015. As described in the position description, FA’s director of athletics is responsible for the school’s interscholastic athletic program, ensuring a student-athlete experience that is characterized by supportive, safe learning opportunities and is thus complementary to the Academy’s educational mission. The position requires active and visible leadership, collaboration with other school administrators and community
John Gordon
members, and regular interaction with students, parents, faculty, and staff. “I’m very excited about the experience and vision that John will bring to this role,” says Erin Mayo, Head of School at Fryeburg Academy. “We had an outstanding array of applicants and a strong, participatory hiring process. The depth of John’s career experience in independent schools as an educator, coach, and administrator equips him best to deliver on our athletic program’s needs.” DIRECTOR, Page 3A
FRYEBURG — The Fryeburg Academy Board of Trustees has appointed two new board members: Renee C. Thomas ’84, and Nicola Soares ’86. Both women hail from Bermuda and spent their Academy years as students in its boarding program. Renee Thomas resides in Bermuda, where she works as an assistant to the director of the Bermudian Government’s Department of Culture. Since 1989, Renee has served at the Department of Culture, formerly known as the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, the agency charged with preserving, celebrating, and educating about Bermuda’s rich cultural heritage, and promoting a shared cultural identity. Following study at Westbrook College in Maine (now the University of New England), Renee graduated from the American Business & Fashion Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I’m thrilled, honored, and humbled to become a Fryeburg Academy trustee,” TRUSTEES, Page 3A
TWO WOMEN demonstrate the handheld devices that were used for voting at Casco Annual Town Meeting on June 9. (De Busk Photo) turnout, considering that we how town meeting panned have 3000 registered vot- out. ers,” he said. “I thought it was great. Select-women Holly We usually have more peoHancock agreed the turnout ple, but I appreciate anyone was down. who comes out to attend “We didn’t have the town meeting because we number of people who are there for our residents.” usually attend. They died. “The clickers as I call Usually, people would ask them. Don [Gerrish, the questions, and we had folks Interim Town Manager] there that didn’t ask ques- called them ‘voting devictions,” Hancock said. es.’ That was great. It “The voters supported worked well — everyone every article. I think it went was quite pleased with the pretty well,” she said. clickers,” she said. Hancock was really Another reason to be impressed with the hand- pleased or smile: The revheld voting devices. It’ll enue stream was much betprobably be the way things ter than anticipated. are done in the future. “The surprise was that “I think they’re spectacu- revenues were up,” Peaslee lar. I think that we are going said. “When COVID-19 to do that from now on,” came, we asked: Do we she said. need to adjust anything for Vice-Chair Mary revenue? A lot of people Fernandes was happy with CLICKERS, Page 2A
Tax write-off angers official
Renee Thomas
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO —A tax bill of less than $200 angered one selectman. The incident caused the selectmen as a group to decide to put the issue of tax write-offs on the agenda. Also discussed was the idea of possibly working out an arrangement with campgrounds to notify the Town of Casco when mobile units disappear under the cloak of night —without paying the property tax bill. On Tuesday, the Casco Board of Selectmen was WRITE-OFF, Page 3A
The Bridgton News Established 1870
Nicola Soares
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com