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www.bridgton.com Vol. 142, No. 25

Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. 40 PAGES - 4 Sections

Bridgton, Maine

June 23, 2011

(USPS 065-020)

SIXTY CENTS

Town budget just over $6 mill

CREATING HIS OWN WAKE — Nick Mozzicato of Harrison and Acton, Mass. creates quite a spray during a waterskiing clinic held last week on Crystal Lake in Harrison. This was Nick’s second year taking part in the two-

day clinic, which was led by national waterskiing champion April Coble Eller. See story in the Sports Section. Maybe this is a sign that summer has arrived in the Lake Region. (Photo by Brad Bradstreet)

Milfoil program faces funding shortfall By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer NAPLES — Lakes Environmental Association is “doing the best we can with the resources available,” but could use some financial help from the business community in its efforts to prevent the spread of milfoil into the upper Songo River and Brandy Pond, Executive Director Peter Lowell said Monday. “We’ve had some luck with landowners, but we’ve not had any luck raising money from the business community,” Lowell said, as LEA gets ready to beef up its patrols this summer at the ever-popular Songo Lock. Lowell estimates it’s going to take $15,000 to $20,000 in

donations from the private sector to conduct the necessary work this summer, both at the lock and at the marinas along the Causeway. Last summer, LEA Courtesy Boat Inspectors checked more than 4,400 boats at the lock, the majority of which were headed upstream to the upper river, Brandy Pond and Long Lake. LEA has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past six years to clear this area of milfoil, and fears the infestation at the lock will cause the plant to spread out of control. LEA, along with an informal group of business owners, Chamber officials and others have been considering a plan to

dredge the worst area of milfoil infestation around the lock. LEA has done some transects of the shoreline near the lock to help to estimate the volume of material that will need to be dredged. But Lowell said LEA is not driving the dredging plan — the business community is. Kent Uicker, owner of the Songo River Queen II, said Al Frick, a permit specialist from Frick Associates, is putting together a permit by rule to submit to the Department of Environmental Protection. The difficulty, he said, is that most all of the businesses are very busy right now as the summer season is getting into full swing. “It’s a slow process, and

unfortunately, now, it’s been slowed even more. We’re all volunteers and we’re in the midst of our busiest time of the year,” said Uicker Uicker said the marina owners and businesses are still awaiting an answer from the commissioner of the state Department of Conservation on their request that lock fees be increased this year from the $6 per trip cost. The extra revenue would be earmarked to support the dredging. Lowell said that the dredging is far from certain, so his crew is concentrating on handpulling plants below the lock as in past years. They’ve also increased boat inspections;

there will be two Courtesy Boat Inspectors on duty during the peak boating times of the season, he said. “We really feel like our traditional message” of hand-pulling, suction harvesting and benthic barriers is all LEA can do this season with the available funding,” Lowell said. The Portland Water District has contributed $2,000, landowners have kicked in another $2,000, and the town of Naples has contributed $5,000 to battle milfoil. Most of that money goes toward the harvesting and boat inspections, Lowell said. “The plant harvesting needs people to step up and support it,” said Lowell.

Harrison voters fly through budget

By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer HARRISON — A new bookkeeping format that better tracks the actual costs of running town departments helped Harrison town meeting voters fly through a 25-article warrant in just over a half hour last week. Had it not been for several questions posed by former

Selectman Henry Hudson, Rep. Rick Sykes and a few other residents, the meeting would have been even more brief, as hands were raised without comment after each question was moved by the gathering of around 60 people at Harrison Elementary School. The 2012 budget of just under $6 million passed by voters will

By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer It’s been over a year since McDonald’s Corp. announced plans they were coming to Bridgton. The news caused an uproar, and led to a protracted letter-writing campaign by persons both for and against the plans. Now, a group of residents are hard at work developing new standards for Portland Road, standards that will somehow allow for change and growth without sacrificing Bridgton’s small-town character. But before they can go any further, they need the public’s help — and they especially want to hear from seasonal residents. So, a first-ever Public Design Charette has been scheduled for Saturday, June 25 at Stevens Brook Elementary School, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “If the announcement last year of a McDonald’s coming

to Bridgton ignited your interest in Bridgton’s future development track… then you must join us and design the place called Portland Road,” said Alan Manoian, Bridgton’s Director of Economic and Community Development. Manoian said Saturday’s meeting is “a landmark opportunity for seasonal residents to join us as townspeople to design a better Portland Road corridor.” Obviously, year-round residents are encouraged to attend, he said, “but I really hope our seasonal residents can see this as an opportunity to connect with the community in this way,” by engaging in a hands-on process of deciding what standards should be placed in different sections of the corridor. The meeting will begin with a walking tour from 10 to 11 a.m., beginning at Pondicherry Square in front of the Big Kahuna buildDESIGN, Page 8A

HARRISON, Page 7A

Help design future of Portland Road

FLOATING FOOD STAND — Local businessman Jeff Pomeroy constructed a food stand to float on pontoons. His new business, The Black Ghost, is located at the Raymond Public Beach. By the Fourth of July weekend The Black Ghost will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (De Busk photo)

‘Ghost’ to float on Sebago

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer RAYMOND — Water in a glass is customary at a restaurant. It’s unusual when an eating establishment offers its patrons H2-O underfoot. Or, rather, under pontoon. But, that’s the idea a local businessman is putting afloat at this popular swimming and boating spot. It was more than the desire

for a new cash flow that by 30-foot floating kitchen to prompted Jeff Pomeroy to pur- the end of a newly built 116sue his concept of the dock- foot dock. side floating food stand. He FOOD STAND, Page 8A was inspired to do something to solve a problem in the town he cares about. Apparently, he is not the Established 1870 only one. P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. “A stream of people” have Bridgton, ME 04009 pulled into the parking area 207-647-2851 of the Raymond Public Beach Fax: 207-647-5001 during the week as Pomeroy bnews@roadrunner.com prepared to move the 30-foot

By Lisa Williams Ackley Staff Writer When it was all said and done, the 100 attendees at last week’s annual town meeting in Bridgton had approved a municipal budget of $6.17 million, in just over one hour’s time. The actual amount appropriated at the June 15 town meeting was $6,170,593, according to Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz, who said a little less than that will need to be raised in taxes, due to anticipated revenue from Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). The $6.17 million figure excludes the Sewer Account and Salmon Point Campground which are both enterprise, or self-sustaining, accounts, as well as the tax assessments from Cumberland County and SAD 61. Those wondering what Bridgton’s property tax rate will be will have to wait until after the next SAD 61 budget vote, which takes place later this month. The property tax rate is based on the municipal side of the budget plus the assessments from both SAD 61 and Cumberland County. So, the mil rate can not be calculated, Berkowitz said, until it is known what Bridgton’s assessment from SAD 61 will be. Therefore, in anticipation of not being able to set the tax rate until later than usual, town meeting attendees unanimously approved BRIDGTON, Page 7A

ATVer seriously injured

A 45-year-old man from Waquoit, Massachusetts was listed in critical condition at a Lewiston hospital late Wednesday morning, three days after he was involved in an all-terrain vehicle accident in Bridgton over the weekend in which investigators say alcohol was allegedly a factor. William Sturgis suffered severe head trauma, when his ATV rolled over in a ditch along a driveway on Lombardo Road just before 11 p.m. on June 18, according to Edie Smith, director of information and education for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Sturgis’ condition was initially listed as serious but stable, shortly after the crash, but it had been downgraded to critical condition, according to a spokeswoman for Central Maine Medical Center June 22. “Alcohol was a factor in the incident, and Sturgis was not wearing a helmet,” Smith stated in a press release. Maine Warden Service Sergeant Tim Place and Warden Kris Barboza responded to a call shortly after 11 p.m. on ATV, Page 8A

The Bridgton News


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