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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 149, No. 34
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
August 23, 2018
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 4D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Brandy Crossing questions remain Planners to hold site walk on Sept. 11
GOOD CATCH — LEA boat inspector Addie Casali found invasive plants on a boat to be launched into Long Lake in Harrison in late July.
‘Aware’ inspector makes a big save By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Addie Casali followed her instincts and likely saved Long Lake from an invasive plant attack. An inspector with Lakes Environmental Association for the past two summers, Addie encountered a boat from Lake Champlain on the last Saturday in July launching into Long Lake in Harrison. She knew Lake Champlain is a hot spot for invasive aquatic species During her inspection, Addie found plants wrapped around the propeller of the boat. The long plant fragments were dried out and hard to identify but, because of the likely origin of the plant, Addie determined
that she should treat it as “suspicious” and bring it to the LEA office. “When we first received the plant at LEA, we immediately established that it was a species of milfoil. Even dried out, we could see that the plant had feathery leaves, a clear indication that it was suspicious. Upon rehydrating, we could tell that Addie had removed Eurasian milfoil from the boat,” said Mary Jewett, teacher/naturalist with LEA. “This is a highly-invasive species and we are lucky that Addie found it. Eurasian milfoil has been confirmed in only two waterbodies in Maine, and is much more aggressive than the INSPECTOR, Page 3A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The developer said he would address abutter-sensitive aspects of the Brandy Crossing project, and he did. The abutters, too, expressed their concerns about a subdivision development where the Naples Golf Course once operated. The golf course closed after a board of directors’ vote in December 2017. The concerns centered on a new connector road that has already experienced an influx of traffic this summer. One abutter mentioned that headlights from the existing entrance and exit shine into her home, keeping her up at night. Another abutter brought up the loss of a quiet swimming area, where docks with multiple boat slips would go. The director of the Lakes Environmental Association (LEA) addressed methods to keep phosphorous out of Brandy Pond and urged the developer to work with a third party, Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District (CCSWCD). Developer Paul Hollis, who owns Great Lots of
CONCERNS ABOUT ROAD — Developer Paul Hollis (on left) talks to Brandy Crossing subdivision abutter Sherman Lahaie following the Naples Planning Board meeting on Tuesday. (De Busk Photo) Maine, said one of his priorities is listening to the needs of the abutters — the people who have invested time and money into the homes and yards they thought would remain adjacent to a golf course. On Tuesday night, Hollis said he hoped to get preliminary approval for the subdivision project that he has worked on for the past six months, “finding out exact-
ly what we could do and shouldn’t do.” The Naples Planning Board did not grant preliminary approval. Planning board member Jimmy Allen summed it up, saying “There are a lot of questions still, as well as wanting a site walk there. We can’t do a preliminary approval tonight.” The site walk will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 11,
at 6 p.m., which is one hour before the planning board convenes for its next regularly-scheduled meeting. Definitely, the majority of the meeting was spent talking about whether or not to construct a road that is wider than the town’s standards, making the paved thoroughfare 20-feet wide instead of the required 18 feet, with threefoot shoulders on either side. PROJECT, Page 2A
Liability delays ATV access vote By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer HARRISON — Tim Pellerin has seen firsthand how ATV enthusiasts and the driving public can safely coexist along the roadway. As town manager in Rangeley, Pellerin saw ATVs traveling along Main Street as locals and guests headed to restaurants and stores. Parking was developed for
the all-terrain machines. The Otisfield Trail Blazers hope to connect to some trails by gaining public road access along Plains Road and Bolsters Mills. Club president Bill Sprague pitched the idea at a public hearing Tuesday night, noting that the group received positive comments from Otisfield town officials (a letter of recommendation was written and
passed along to Harrison selectmen) regarding use of roadways there. Sprague said the group “self-polices” itself, often taking photos with their phones or “Go Pros” of riders disobeying rules or engaged in illegal activity, and then turning them over to Game Wardens. On occasion, the photo will include the ATV’s registration number, which
points wardens in the direction of the offender. The club places reflective signs along travel areas indicating ATV access, as well as limitation to 25 mph. ATVs travel on the far right of the roadway. Hours to use public ways is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sprague noted that the 8 p.m. curfew was pushed back a couple of times (with HARRISON, Page 6A
Kids repay care with kindness By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Each day, Lynne Allen reminds her daughters, Bella and Luci, of three words. Happy Smart Kind If the girls do something that achieves each word, then it has been a good day. The two youngsters checked each word off their list last Thursday morning when they arrived bright and early at Bridgton Hospital, carrying two large tote bags full of stuffed animals. Over the past year, Bella asked family and friends to forgo giving her birthday and Christmas gifts, but instead asked that they give her stuffed animals. With over 40 animals of all sizes, shapes and colors, Bella donated the critters to hospital staff members to be used to help soothe the fears of other kids undergoing treatment. Bella and Luci still remember vividly another Thursday morning when they were woken and hustled out of a
vacation cottage room by their dad, Bruce, who found a bat circling. The bat dropped to the floor, crawled under the girls’ bed and into a baseboard heater. “I freaked out,” Lynne said. “I started making calls to find out what to do.” One piece of advice, which the couple followed, proved to be misguided. While it makes sense to open a window or door to give the bat an exit, but if the bat is found in a room with sleeping children, it must be caught and tested for rabies. If the bat is not caught, rabies vaccination is recommended. “This is so important as rabies can be fatal and can be transmitted through contact with the infected animal (no bite required),” said Lynne, whose family resides in Somerville, Mass. “The reality is that the prevalence of rabies in the bat population is very low, and the likelihood of contact is low, as well. However, because we couldn’t test the bat to deterKINDNESS, Page 8A
The Bridgton News Established 1870
FROM HEARTBREAK TO HEARTWARMING — After having to undergo rabies vaccinations because of possible contact with a bat, Bella Allen (middle) was so appreciative of the care she received at Bridgton Hospital that she asked family and friends to forgo giving her gifts and instead asked for stuffed animals, which she donated to BH last week. Bella is pictured with her mom, Lynne, and sister, Luci. (Rivet Photo)
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com