Bn27 070716

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A busy Fourth Naples and Bridgton saw big crowds taking in July 4th parades. See photo layouts Pages 8B, 7D

Record finish

Inside News

Bridgton celebrated its 40th anniversary hosting 4 on the Fourth in grand fashion

Calendar . . . . . . . 6B-7B Classifieds . . . . . . 4D-5D Country Living . . . 5B-8B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 3D

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Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 6D Opinions . . . . . . . 1D-8D Police/Court . . . . . . . . 5A Sports . . . . . . . . . 1C-7C Summer Scene . . 1B-5B Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 7D

Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 147, No. 27

32 PAGES - 4 Sections

Bridgton, Maine

July 7, 2016

(USPS 065-020)

Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D

www.bridgton.com

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

Talks become a bit contentious

Little movement between SAD 61, Sebago Withdrawal Committee By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Negotiations between SAD 61 and the Sebago Withdrawal Committee regarding the elementary school’s future and whether the town will remain with the district ran the gamut of emotions — heated at times, confusion and hopeful. The two sides met a week ago as the Withdrawal Committee, headed by consultant Dr. Mark Eastman (a former superintendent of schools for SAD 17), raised various positions included in a proposed “draft agreement.” At the start of the meeting, SAD 61 Superintendent Al Smith set forth a few ground rules before the two sides started discussing Sebago’s “draft agreement.” “We are here for the right reasons to come to some type of resolution, if not, we’ll move toward the next steps in the (withdrawal) process,” he said. Dr. Eastman opened his presentation indicating the group had sent SAD 61 officials “an alternative” to withdraw. “There is a lot of interest in the Town of Sebago,” he said. “They are concerned about their school, but I don’t think their first priority is to withdraw. The alternative proposal was not intended to be a dictate, at all, but a conversation starter. We would like to walk through it and talk about what our thinking was, and make it very clear that it wasn’t the last word and are willing to talk about it, negotiate it.” He added, the group is interested in achieving a “positive

solution” for SAD 61 as well as citizens of Sebago. Stan Buchanan, a SAD 61 director from Casco, pointed out that the board has the interest of all students at heart. “When I first read the proposal, I took it as you were dictating what was going to happen, and it didn’t sit well with me,” he said. Some elements of the proposed agreement include: • The SAD 61 long-term capital plan will include an addition/ renovation plan for updating of the Sebago Elementary School (SES) facility and addition of a gymnasium to SES, to be completed no later than any other elementary school construction project within SAD 61. • The SAD 61 board agrees to keep SES open as a grade Pre K-6 school for a minimum period of 20 years from the date of this agreement. This agreement may only be reassessed in the following circumstances: The number of Sebago resident students educated by the district in grades Pre K-6 is less than 40; The State Board of Education approves a replacement school in Sebago with debt service qualifying for purposes of state subsidy (any replacement school shall be subject to approval of Sebago voters); The SAD 61 board determines that the school has been substantially destroyed by fire. • If a warrant for a referendum to approve funding for a reasonable construction project to address capacity issues in SAD

61 elementary schools is issued after a favorable referendum vote in the Town of Sebago, the board of selectmen and members of the Withdrawal Committee will not actively oppose the construction referendum. • In the event SAD 61 proposes to close SES for lack of need for the reason provided in section 6 (a), the SAD 61 board shall give at least one year advance notice to the town before initiating a school closing by filing the cost determination application with the Department of Education. • A school closing is subject to local referendum approval. The SES building shall be offered to the Town of Sebago at no cost if the building is no longer used to educate grade Pre K-6 students. • This agreement shall terminate if the Town of Sebago votes to withdraw from SAD 61. If an agreement is reached with the school district, the Withdrawal Committee would ask Sebago voters to rescind the withdrawal process. There was, however, no movement on the proposal. “Folks in Sebago believe returning the sixth grade to town would relieve some pressures at the middle school,” Eastman said. A major sticking point was the 40-student figure used as the trigger number for possible school closure. “We don’t have overcrowding at the middle school,” Smith first responded. “In regards to the 40-student cut-off point, the school already costs the district $12,000 to educate a student there. Sebago covers 14%, and the other towns pick up the remaining, which is fine, it’s what districts do. When you start TALKS, Page 3A

THEY WERE ALL WINNERS — Several records fell Monday as the Bridgton 4 on the Fourth, the area’s granddaddy road race, celebrated its 40th annniversary. Many past champions once again ran the four miler, and there were plenty of smiles of accomplishment, including some from (left to right) Kayla Lewkowicz, 24, and William Voigt, 25, both of Southborough, Mass. and Susannah Donoho, 20, of Wilmington, Del. (Rivet Photo)

BUSY IS THE WORD OF THE SUMMER for Casco’s Code Enforcement Officer Alex Sirois.

Town Hall walls go up late July One on One with... Alex Sirois

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Now is the lull before the storm of activity. Both the electrician and the plumber have done what work they could before the Casco Town Hall structure takes shape. “The materials will be there sometime next week, and NEAL-CO will be starting work” on Monday, July 18, according to Casco Town Manager Dave Morton. NEAL-CO is a general contractor company owned by Seth Neal and based in

Wilton, according to the business website. “It’s a Lake Region company,” Morton said. “The electrician and plumber have been doing work, running conduits, pulling some wires. That’s on hold now until the building gets erected,” Morton said. The groundbreaking occurred on May 9, when R.N. Willey and Sons Excavation began the earth work. With the future town hall being built on the same property as the existing town hall,

it has been easy for Morton and town employees to monitor the progress on a daily basis. But, that progress is at a short-term standstill. “The first coat of pavement is done. The ground work is done except for loaming and seeding, and the landscaping,” Morton said, adding that those details will be taken care of once the structure is completed. The Town of Casco is acting as the general contractor during the town hall construction project. The expen-

diture of up to $600,000 for the town office construction was approved at Town Meeting in 2015. According to Morton, the project cost has been running about 15 to 20 percent less than predicted. During this year’s Town Meeting, residents approved the purchase of 11 acres adjacent to the town land off Meadow Road. The new acreage also has waterfront access to Parker Pond. However, people might want to hold off on planning WALLS, Page 2A

Cyclist dies, police search for car EFFINGHAM, N.H. — A 21-year-old Bridgton man died of his injuries following a traffic accident last Thursday night, June 30, on Route 25 near the intersection of Route 153 in Effingham, N.H. Jonathan Kauffman was traveling west on his 2014 Harley Davidson XL1200 motorcycle when it collided with a white sedan. Police are still looking for the woman who struck the man as he was riding his motorcycle. Kauffman, a Lake Region High School graduate, died due to his injuries at Maine Medical Center in Portland early Friday morning.

Described as a person with an “infectious smile” and a “lust for life,” Kauffman worked as a mechanic for the Lake Region High School Transportation Department. A celebration of life is scheduled for this Friday, July 8 at 6 p.m. at Lake Region High School (see obituary in this week’s edition). The New Hampshire State Police are still seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the white four-door sedan and other operator involved in this collision. At approximately 7:30 p.m. on June 30, the Effingham Police Department was notified of a serious motor vehicle crash on Route

25. When troopers and other emergency personnel arrived at the accident scene, they found Kauffman’s motorcycle in the middle of the westbound lane. Kauffman sustained serious injuries as a result of the collision and was transported to Maine Medical Center by DHART helicopter. Officials reported that it does not appear as though Kauffman was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Police say the other vehicle involved in the accident was a sedan bearing New York registration plates, an orange plate with black numbers. The operator was identified as a black female,

medium build with glasses and a ponytail. Based upon the initial onscene investigation, police say it appears that the sedan stopped suddenly in the middle of the westbound lane as the motorcycle was traveling westbound. The motorcycle was not able to stop in time, lost control and struck the back of the vehicle. The New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit responded to the scene, and was assisted by the New Hampshire State Police Troop E, the Effingham Police Department and the Effingham Fire/EMS CYCLIST, Page 5A

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Alex Sirois, the former assistant code enforcement officer in Poland, stepped aboard as Casco’s only CEO during the most hectic time of year. During a half-hour interview, office staff stepped in to check on the status of a residential septic system. “It’s a busy time of year. This would have definitely been easier to do in November, December or January,” Sirois said. During the course of one week, there are between 10 and 15 inquiries to the code enforcement department, not to mention building inspections that need to be scheduled. “If we can get through this month, we should be all set,” he said. Already, Sirois has been updating his department’s website to give people access to the answers of those most frequently asked questions. This was a project he undertook for the Town of Poland. “We will be redoing the website, the code enforcement part, to make it a lot more citizen friendly. The mindset is that if they can find the information on their own online, they won’t be calling or stopping by here,” he said. “And, that frees up time.” The website improvements “will be a work in progress whenever there is time,” he said. Sirois took some time to answer questions for The News on Wednesday morning. BN. How many years have you been in code enforceQ&A, Page 2A

The Bridgton News Established 1870

P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com


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