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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 147, No. 33
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
August 18, 2016
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Be patient — it’ll be nice when were are done.
— Denis Lovely, MDOT
Fair puts road work on hold
PIECE OF HISTORY NOW GONE —Searles Excavation razed a Main Street building last week, owned by Macdonald Properties, L.P. The structure was once home to Adam’s Bakery and Lake Region Video. Prior to those tenants, the 267 Main Street building was occupied by a millinery store, two restaurants and a bakery, according to the Bridgton town history. Demolition started last Thursday morning, and final clean-up was completed by Tuesday. No specific plans for the site have surfaced, at this time. (Rivet Photos)
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer Tens of thousands of Mainers take the trip to the Fryeburg Fair, and they have no alternative other than taking Route 302 to get there. Getting to the fair can be hectic enough without facing obstacles on the road that slow down the journey. The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) is well aware of this fact. Therefore, the road construction between Bridgton and Fryeburg on Route 302 will come to a halt during the Fryeburg Fair, which means there will be no road closures during that time. “It is in the contract that the contractor will shut down Oct. 2 through Oct. 9. There will be no work being done,” according to Denis Lovely, MDOT’s Senior Project Manager in charge of construction support. The MDOT project will cost about $11 million, he said. The road construction project began in the midsummer last year, and it will be wrapped up by June 16, 2017, Lovely said. “It’ll take two years to build, and it was three years in the design” phase, he said. The state job was award-
ed to Alvin J. Coleman & Son, Inc., out of New Hampshire. Drivers who in recent months have taken Route 302, also known as Roosevelt Trail, from Bridgton to Fryeburg or vice versa may have encountered road closures or driven over really rough patches of road. The poor condition of the road was caused by “a lack of good base and good drainage,” Lovely said. When water did not drain correctly, it would seep under the asphalt, he said. When the water froze, it created heaves in the road and every time a vehicle hit a heave, the road got worse. “It is a vicious circle,” Lovely said. Now, the road “is starting to look good, it’s starting to take shape. It has been a little rough on everybody, but we are getting there,” he said. “Most of the people driving through there have been great — not too much cussing or cursing,” he said. The total project length is nine miles, from Sweden Road to Stanley Hill Road. The end result will be a two-lane highway with a few passing lanes along the RTE. 302, Page 8A
Casco decides to retain entire 11-acre parcel
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — There are dozens of ideas of ways to use the 11-acre parcel that will be purchased by the Town of Casco sometime this fall. Those land uses have not yet been nailed down, except one. No portion of the land will be listed on the real estate market The Town of Casco will retain the entire 11-acre parcel, eliminating any proposal
to sell off the portion of land with dwellings on it. On Aug. 9, the Casco Board of Selectmen voted, 4-0, that the town would not put up for sale any portion of the parcel. Selectman Mary Fernandes was absent from the meeting. According to the sale agreement, the Town of Casco will purchase the land later this fall, according to Casco Town Manager Dave Morton. The current landowner
Lucy Jackson is relying on the income from the sale since construction has begun on her new home on another piece of property, Morton said. “The timing isn’t being friendly for us. In talking with Ms. Jackson, she is already starting construction on her new site. She needs those resources (money from land sale) for her new housing project,” Morton said. In fact, Morton has been working on the Bond
Anticipation Note (BAN) for the land purchase with TD Bank. After the board’s vote last week, Morton was able to present TD Bank employees with a firm decision on the intention not to sell any part of the land once the town purchases it. “I can call TD Bank and make everything tax exempt,” he said. The board discussed the proposed land purchase, which was approved at 2016 Town Meeting, after hear-
ing a presentation on issuing bonds. In the future, the town will take out a bond to pay for infrastructure improvements such as road improvements and the replacement of the Pleasant Lake-Parker Pond Dam and also a septic system in Casco Village. The cost for the 11-acre parcel purchase alone is $400,000. At Town Meeting, residents favored using about $100,000 from the Land Acquisition Fund to offset
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the cost. One thing discussed by the bonding agent was taxable and tax-exempt bonds. The Internal Revenue Service would tax the bond used for the land purchase if the Town of Casco receives revenue through the sale of a portion of the land. The board’s discussion did not necessarily hinge on whether or not the bond would be taxed. “The nontaxable and taxPARCEL, Page 7A
Youth church group hands law enforcement survival kits NAPLES — Seeing how law enforcement officers across the country have been under fire this summer, some local youth decided to show police they worry and care about them. The Summer Youth Program at Cornerstone Gospel Church has been busy with a variety of activities this summer, but when it came time to do their community service project, it did not take long for them to decide what needed to be
done. They chose to do something for all the law enforcement officers in the communities, where they reside. For them, that meant doing something special for all their friends in the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the Bridgton Police Department, who patrol their streets to keep them safe. So, the youngsters created a gift bag — called the Law Enforcement Survival Kit. “Just as we have all seen
what has been going on around the country and recently in Portland with statements and attacks against those in law enforcement, this not only upsetting to adults, but also kids,” said Peter Morrison of Cornerstone Gospel Church. “Many people don’t take into consideration how it affects kids when they see what adults are doing and then leaving parents to explain all of this.” As a way of showing supPROJECT, Page 2A
GETTING AN ARM UP on fundraising — In 2006 Ron Burd swam the four-mile length of Pleasant Lake. This week, at age 70, Burd will swim while his wife accompanies him in a kayak from Otisfield Beach to Casco Beach. (Photo courtesy of Ron Burd)
Pleasant day for a swim-a-thon By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Rio has nothing on the coves and curves, views of tree-covered mountains and the pristine water
quality of Pleasant Lake. While Olympian swimmers from many nations have congregated in the city of Rio de Janeiro, one very dedicated swimmer feels entirely at home in the waters of Pleasant Lake. Ron Burd swam the length of the lake 10 years ago. brought with him saws and Now, at age 70, he plans other landscaping tools to help with the removal of tree branches. “I get a little bit emotional. Established 1870 It’s my town. I was born here,” Morton said. P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. “I am seeing the graveBridgton, ME 04009 stones of people who are long 207-647-2851 forgotten and who were youngFax: 207-647-5001 er when they died than I am bnews@roadrunner.com CEMETERY, Page 7A
Pride motivates cemetery spruce up
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Philip “Buzz” Morton has spent more than 60 volunteer hours sprucing up the cemeteries in his hometown of Naples. “I am doing this on my own because it needed to be done,” Morton said. Earlier this summer, when Morton surveyed the conditions
of the Edes Falls Cemetery and the Naples Village Cemetery, he saw a need. There were fallen branches from past storms plus tree limbs that jeopardized the headstones. Some of the shrubbery and small trees had branches that completely enveloped the headstones so that a person could not read the inscribed names. While Morton cannot blame
trees for growing, he found other issues in the cemetery appalling. A few headstones had been knocked over, and some tombstones had been nicked by a lawnmower, he said. So, in the cool of the summer mornings, Morton removed errant branches and did what he could to tidy up the town’s graveyards. Morton
to swim the four-mile jaunt again. “My wife will be escorting me in a kayak. I tend to swim to my left, my port side,” Burd said. “She will be keeping me on the straight and narrow — as she has been doing for the past 44 years.” SWIM-A-THON, Page 6A
The Bridgton News