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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870 Vol. 152, No. 32
20 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
August 11, 2022
Legal Notices . . . . . . . 5B
www.bridgton.com
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Residents push town to take legal action By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES— Residents of Brandy Crossing Subdivision asked the Town of Naples to pursue legal action. The people who own homes there urged the town to continue trying to get the promised letter-of-credit funding to
finish a punch list of items left undone by the developer. Bryant Worobey, the president of the Brandy Crossing Subdivision Home Owners Association, appeared before the Naples Board of Selectmen. “We think the board has an obligation to follow
through with the letter of credit,” he said. “For the past year and a half, Paul Hollis and Maine Coastal have been kicking the can down the road,” he said, referring to on-going legal mediation between the attorneys for the developer and the financing company.
Neither Hollis nor Maine Coastal have filed Chapter 11, he said. Now is the time for the town to step in and get the promised funding, he said. There are 17 households in the Brandy Crossing Subdivision and another 10 that are not part of the association but live in the
community; and those are the stakeholders, according to Worobey. Several other residents spoke about the importance of the town following through via the legal route to get the construction financing from a letter-of-credit that was never honored.
When Hollis’ subdivision plans were approved, a letter of credit was issued by Maine Coastal Realty, instead of the construction contingency fund being put in escrow. When the town tried to get the funds from the letter of credit a few years ago, there was no money. DEVELOPER, Page 6A
Fair provides prison an outlet Manager heads
Editor’s Note: In May, Fryeburg Fair’s Superintendent of Publicity and Advertising Rachel Andrews Damon took a tour at the Maine State Prison in Warren to see the Maine State Prison’s Wood Industries Program. The prison’s showroom sells in Expo Five during the Fair. “Their products are fantastic,” Damon said. She shares insights of the prison visit in this feature article. By Rachel Andrews Damon Special to The News WARREN — If you just happened to ask a Mainer where you could buy a great cutting board, they’d likely point you to the Maine State Prison Showroom in Thomaston. That’s where you’ll find some of the finest wood workmanship anywhere. Tables, bureaus, cupboards, chairs, toys, salad bowls, birdhouses, jewelry boxes, corn hole boards and about 50 other high-quality items are for sale. The workmanship in each piece is made by residents serving
PAINTING corn hole boards at the Maine State Prison’s Wood Industries. Products produced in Warren are sold at Fryeburg Fair. (Photo by Rachel Andrews Damon) sentences at the Maine State Corrections reads, “Making Prison located about four our communities safer by miles down the road from reducing harm through the Thomaston Showroom supportive intervention, in the town of Warren. The empowering change and maximum-security prison restoring lives.” I was able built in 2001 replaced the to see the prison’s wood original Maine State Prison industries operation from in Thomaston that was built the inside and experienced in 1824. The prison’s capac- this hopeful mission in ity — 916 adult male resi- action. dents. Ken Lindsey is the The mission statement of Industries Manager at the the Maine Department of Maine State Prison over-
seeing the woodworking operation. He started as a guard at the facility in 1988. He welcomed my request to visit the prison to highlight one of our most interesting Fryeburg Fair vendors. The Prison sells product at their Thomaston store, Fryeburg Fair and to some vendors in the state. The prison is remotely tucked into rural Maine in the scenic town of Warren, about 15 minutes inland from the rocky coast. One might expect a Maine prison to be like those in the pages of a Stephen King book. As it turns out, they do have a section of the prison they call, “the Mile.” Security, of course, is tight. I was given an emergency call device. Ken Lindsey led me down long hallways, behind irons doors, and down The Mile. Lots of cement, walls and barbed wire. Eighty-eight residents of the prison were working in the woodshop on the day of my visit. The workers are maximum, medium and minimum-security residents, who have expressed PRODUCTS, Page 2A
to next phase
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer SEBAGO — Michele Bukoveckas is ready for her next big jump in life. For 19 years, she served as the Town of Sebago town clerk and tax collector. Then, she took a major leap and became town manager. Now after five years as Sebago’s municipal leader, she is set to enter the semi-retired phase of Michele Bukoveckas her life. will be semi-retiring Bukoveckas’ last day is come Aug. 30. Tuesday, Aug. 30. “I am moving into a semi-retired phase of my life that will enable me to spend more time with my husband and my grandchildren. With any hope, my husband plans to work at least a couple more years before he retires, so I’ll look to get something comparable to his schedule so we can travel more,” she said. “Life is too short, tomorrow is never promised.” A public “Open House Farewell Celebration” will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 17 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Sebago Town Office. The Clerk’s Office will be closed for business during the open house. “I just had a new grandbaby arrive on July 4. I love my grandsons deeply and look forward to running MOVING ON, Page 6A
Time could be right to take back BM school
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Carmen Lone thinks the time might finally be right for the town to take ownership of the former Bridgton Memorial School. New Selectman Ken Murphy certainly hopes so. “We’ve been waiting and waiting. Waiting is boring and ridiculous. There
needs to be a plan to meet with this group (the SAD 61 School Board,” Murphy said at Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting. Chairwoman Lone pointed out that past attempts to settle the ownership question were thwarted partly due to one side — SAD 61 — not being “motivated” because the old school was
serving as a storage facility. SAD 61 received approval this past budget season to build a centralized storage facility, which will negate the need to keep using the Memorial School. “Now, we have two motivated sides,” Lone said. The path the board looks to take is: 1. Make a formal request
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Soda fountains, sock hops, drive-in theaters, and poodle skirts,
sideburns and coon-skin caps — those are some of things that became popular in America during the 1950s.
There were the cars that Americans loved — vehicles that still poll as favorites: 1955 Chevy Bel Air, 1957 Ford Thunderbird,
to SAD 61 to turn the Bridgton Memorial School property over to the Town of Bridgton. 2. Schedule a meeting between the full SAD 61 Board and the full Bridgton Select Board. 3. Prepare information as to “what happens next” — tear the building down or determine potential uses.
Local officials know that SAD 61’s top concern is that whatever is developed at the Memorial School site, it must be compatible with the nearby elementary school. Lone had a brief discussion with SAD 61 Board Chairwoman Janice Barter, who suggested that a meeting be held in the spring,
when construction of the new storage facility will be underway. One way to possibly move the matter forward, Lone tossed out, was to include restrictions in the deed as part of the property transfer, rather than making the agreement contingent on a “specific plan going NOTES, Page 6A
1956 Chevrolet Corvette and 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. (That’s according to Most Popular Cars of the 1950s by Endurance Warranty.) This weekend in Naples, the public will be treated to not only a classic car show, set up in the parking spaces along the boardwalk, but also to an antique boat show going on at the town dock. The Naples Causeway Classic Boat and Car Show will be held on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. As the name of the event implies, it takes place on the Naples Causeway. The Mountainview Woodies Chapter of the Antique Classic Boat Society (ACBS) hosts the annual show; and in fact, started it. The show, which highlights two types of transportation — on land and on water, has been in existence for 29 years now. There will be such a SIDE BY SIDE — An antique wooden boat sits next to a vintage vehicle at last year’s Naples variety of vintage boats that Causeway Classic Boat and Car Show. The 29th annual show takes place this Saturday, 9 a.m. it will be hard to have just to 2 p.m. See www.mountainviewwoodies.org for more information. (Photo by Jon March) one favorite.
The 1953 Chris-Craft Rocket that will be tied to the Naples Town Dock is owned by Bob Foreman, long-time member of the Mountainview Woodies Chapter of the ACBS. Foreman encouraged other local residents and families looking for something to do on Saturday to attend the show. Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. is when the Antique Boat and Car Show happens. “Come on down to the boat show. Come see the boats and the cars. It’s bigger and better than ever,” he said. Plus, on the evening before the boat and car show, there are some annual activities taking place.
“Come to the Causeway Friday night for the boat parade and have a good time,” Foreman said. On Friday night, the Annual Classic Watercraft Parade takes place. The boats participating are being asked to line up in Brandy Pond around 7:15 p.m. The parade route begins in Brandy Pond and ends up at the town dock on Long Lake. The boat parade is best seen from along and underneath the Causeway Bridge and Amphitheater areas. Additionally, when in attendance, 1960s Amphicars demonstrate impressive water-launchings at the Causeway Marina ramp
Road, water ‘Classics’ to be on full display
CLASSIC, Page 3A
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