Bn28 070915

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Summer Scene Return of Music Festivals; Susie Pepper at Deertrees; Jesus Christ Superstar at DAC Section B

2,000 strong

Inside News

Fourth of July four miler nears capacity field; Kentucky runner wins in 20:19

Calendar . . . . . . . 4B-5B

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Classifieds . . . . . . 4D-5D Country Living . . . 6B-8B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 3D Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 6D Opinions 1D-3D, 6D, 8D Police/Court . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . 1C-8C Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 5D

Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 146, No. 28

32 PAGES - 4 Sections

Bridgton, Maine

July 9, 2015

(USPS 065-020)

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

www.bridgton.com

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

Boat dumps septic waste in Brandy Pond

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES – Naples resident Dan Craffey and his wife had just finished eating dinner, and were heading home across Brandy Pond when they saw something that turned their stomachs. “We came across toilet paper and (human) waste floating in the water. So,

someone had dumped their holding waste tank from one of the cruisers,” Craffey said. “It was pretty disgusting.” “There was about seven to eight feet of it all together. I’m guessing it had happened about an hour earlier because it hadn’t dispersed yet,” said the former local marina owner. The amount of excrement

was such that he believes it came from a cruiser; and since it was in the middle of the lake, it was unlikely to have come from shore. He came across the contents of a boat’s holding tank around 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. on Saturday night, which was the evening of the Fourth of July. It was about an hour before sunset, with twilight

occurring around 9 p.m. The incident is extreme, and one Craffey had never encountered. “It was pretty disheartening,” he said. “I have never seen something like that before. I’ve been on the lake 40 some years, and I have never seen that act of disrespect. And, I hope to never see that again.”

Additionally, with the increased boat usage this summer, Craffey has seen more litter floating in the water – items like plastic bottles and paper products. Other residents of Naples and Casco have also commented that they have seen more trash in the lakes than in years past. Not littering and not

Lawsuit heads to mediation

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — A lawsuit involving the Town of Naples and American Holdings Inc., which operates the Sunnyside Village, should be headed to mediation after a months-long battle in the Maine Business and Consumer Court. The company’s co-owner Barbara Klimek spoke at the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting on June 29. “We want to go to mediation on the remaining disputes with the town,” she said. “We are asking as many as possible of the selectmen to attend the mediation to finally hear both sides of the case,” she said. Klimek had been prepared to put on her calendar a firm

dumping a boat’s septic tank in the lake are part of taking care of the water, Craffey said. “I look at the water as our industry,” he said. “There are so many dollars” tied to the tourism in the Lakes Region.” “The lakes are our industry. It is so important for us to keep our lakes and ponds WASTE, Page 8A

date to sit down for the mediation. She said her intentions were thwarted in June when the town’s attorney filed another motion in court. Then, on July 1, the town’s attorney filed a notice to appeal a judge’s ruling that was decided in mid-March, Klimek said. According to Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak, “The Town of Naples filed a notice of an attempt to appeal.” “Again, we haven’t appealed. We have filed a notice to appeal. The selectmen, after meeting with the town attorney, decided to go forward with this,” he said. The meetings were in executive session; and therefore, Paraschak was not at LAWSUIT, Page 5A

THOSE RIDING FLOATS in Saturday’s Bridgton Fourth of July parade had lots of fun either squirting the crowd along Main Street sidewalks, tossing candy to highly motivated youngsters quick to swoop in for free treats or waving wands to create colorful bubbles. More photos of Bridgton and Naples parades inside. (Rivet Photo)

Study: Full-time chief needed

NEW PARK RANGER Evan Sanborn, left, poses with Bridgton Police Officer Phil Jones on the Bob Dunning Bridge, at the entrance to Bridgton’s Pondicherry Park. (Geraghty Photo)

Ranger patrols parks, beaches

By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Folks in Bridgton will see a new presence patrolling town parks and beaches this summer, on a bike, in a bright yellow shirt. He is Evan Sanborn, a June graduate of the Law Enforcement Program at Lake Region High School. Sanborn, the son of Trina and Mitch Sanborn of Bridgton, has been hired part-time as the town’s first paid Park Ranger. “He’s a community resource, and is perfect for what we need right now” to ensure that the rules are followed and people feel safe enjoying the town’s recreational resources, said Bridgton Police Officer Phil Jones. Although littering, vandalism, and disruptive behavior can and does happen from time to time on town property, Jones said, “There isn’t a specific problem that prompted us to create this program. It’s more of a need to be a proactive presence in town.” Jones said the department’s current eight-person force doesn’t allow officers the time or resources to interact with the public as much as they’d like, and Sanborn’s patrols will help in that regard. Using a department pickup to ferry a donated police bicycle from place to place, Sanborn will spend 30 hours a week checking on conditions at Pondicherry Park, Highland Lake Beach, Woods Pond Beach, Sabatis Island on the Moose Pond Causeway, Stevens Brook Trail, the Powerhouse RANGER, Page 8A

By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton needs a fulltime fire chief, but that’s not the biggest news contained in the long-awaited Fire Department Study by the Public Safety Strategies Group. The study found “a distinct feeling of us vs. them” that is hindering efforts to decide the future direction of the department. Some rank and file members, discouraged by recent budget cuts, are low on morale and motivation, spotty on attending required trainings or responding to fire calls, the study found. In fairness to the 50-member department, the study

noted that “many members believe the current structure does not reflect the community needs. Members expressed that it is increasingly more difficult to recruit and retain members, answer calls during the day, while maintaining the administrative functions and required paperwork on a volunteer basis.” Selectmen were expected to meet and discuss the findings at a Wednesday workshop. “Animosity between the town members, the Board (of Selectmen) and the department hinders the ability for the department to run efficiently and professionally,” the study found, in polling

some community members. “There appears to have been a decrease in morale due to budget cuts, and communication issues between the board and the department over necessary funds and the use of those funds,” the study found. Restoring morale needs to be “of primary concern” if Bridgton is to recruit and retain enough volunteer firefighters to keep the current system viable. In addition, the study found weaknesses, mostly from lack of funding, in the department’s ability to conduct fire prevention education, perform fire code inspections and be up-to-date on emergency preparedness. Fire Prevention

• The study recommended paying a stipend for someone in the department to provide community outreach. That person would have a plan to conduct fire prevention education in the school and community. Code Enforcement • The current, limited part-time fire inspector can’t meet the growing demands of businesses and property owners on eight hours a week, many people responding to the study said. There should be more enforcement than there is of fire safety laws, especially to make sure housing units are safe and properly outfitted. “This position would benefit from STUDY, Page 8A

By Emily Butterfield Contributing Writer FRYEBURG — While voters decided on June 11 of this year to sell the Old Brick Building on 511 Main Street for $1.00 to the Fryeburg Historical Society, the process is not going as smoothly as hoped. As Town Manager Sharon Jackson explained at last Thursday’s board of selectmen’s meeting, transferring ownership of the building will take time since the town must now find a new place to store all of its documents, many of which need very specific temperature and humidity controls to ensure their longevity. Some of these documents also contain confidential information like employee payroll. Fryeburg Historical Society President Diane

Jones asked if they would be allowed to paint the outside of the building, to which Town Manager Jackson refused, citing that the town would be liable if anyone got hurt. Meanwhile, Historical Society member Ed Jones asked if a key could be released so work could be done on the inside. This was also met with a refusal from Town Manager Jackson. “There is no other place [right now] where we can keep those documents,” said Town Manager Jackson. “My not giving a key to Ed had nothing to do with not trusting him. I support the Historical Society, but the confidential information in there creates a problem for us.” She also says that when the article was amended at the annual town meeting to

sell the Old Brick Building to a specific entity, in this case the Historical Society, for $1.00, the problem of where to store the documents contained in the building arose. Some have suggested a storage building, but Town Manager Jackson says there are already enough storage buildings on the Town Office property. “We have to have an option that is not going to create an expense for the town.” “Our intent is to transfer

the building,” said Chairman Rick Eastman. “The town has been subjected to lawsuits from injuries and we have to be aware of that.” He also added that there is no date that the town must sign over the building, just that it will happen. “I don’t think you have any idea what you’re costing us,” said Ed Jones, who says that they plan to turn the building into a doll museum. He also says they have offered the BRICK, Page 8A

Sale of brick building not so easy

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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