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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 147, No. 34
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
August 25, 2016
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Farmers’ Market to keep spot, for now
WORKING A DIG SITE — Senior Staff Adam Aja (left), Sherry Fox and Daniel Master discuss a 10th-9th century BC burial in the excavation of the Philistine cemetery by the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon. (Photo by Tsafrir Abayov)
Archeologist finds a needle in the haystack By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Adam Aja knows what it is like to find a needle in a haystack, sort of. Working several summers in Israel as an Assistant Director of Field Operations at Ashkelon, the former Bridgton resident made a startling find at the end of one dig period. Through the help of a coworker using an excavator, Aja uncovered a Philistine cemetery, the first major burial site discovered in the area, ever. Further excavation over the next year resulted in unearthing 200 fully-articulated skeletons laid out in burial positions, as well as some weapons. In an i24 television interview, Adam talked about the moment of discovery. The crew was approached by a surveyor, who had found some human remains. He wondered why no one had continued work there. “So we investigated his story, but couldn’t find any reports. But, we found he was who he claimed to be. So, we checked the area where he claimed to have found them (remains). They were 60 centimeters below the topsoil. It’s not much. We went out and did trench after trench after trench, but found absolutely nothing,” Adam said. “We went deeper. It was a lost cause. I spoke with the project’s director, and he felt it was worth one more try.” Not wanting to invest too much money on a potential wild goose chase, Adam and a backhoe operator tried a few other locations. Again, nothing. Just
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Helen Ramsdell sees the Farmers Market as a “destination” for visitors and area residents seeking healthy, fresh produce and other food items. For the final market weeks of 2016, the “destination” will remain the same. 2017, however, might be a different story. Selectmen suggested that next year the popular market either be moved to the back portion or other spots on the Bridgton Community Center property, or even consider another location — possibly on the Steven Brook school grounds. Since lack of available parking sparked the debate about the market’s location, Selectman Bob McHatton added to his motion that vendors park their vehicles down Depot Street, near the Skate Park, while Selectman Paul Hoyt asked that the market’s musical entertainers move to another spot on the grounds so that electrical cords no longer snake about the parking lot. Since their last talk with Bridgton Farmers Market officials, selectmen visited
Swimmer puts dent in dam restoration costs
ADAM AJA, a former Bridgton resident and graduate of Lake Region High School, examines a 10th-9th century BC burial during the excavation of the Philistine cemetery by the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon. (Photo by Tsafrir Abayov) empty soil. “On the sixth try, I found some Roman jars on top of a sand layer. I called the director about the discovery, but he told me it wasn’t what we were looking for and get out of the holes because it was very dangerous,” Adam said. “The backhoe operator had lowered me down in a bucket into the bottom of the trench. I had one more trench left, about 45 minutes
left in the day. I felt this was the last chance. He scooped into the sand, I examined dirt and found bones in it. I climbed back into his bucket, scraped around some more, and found additional bones, including a human tooth. That’s when I knew.” A two-day exploration followed. Initially, the crew found nothing, but then suddenly, they uncovered ADAM, Page 6A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Ron Burd’s favorite songs were emitting into his waterproof earbuds. He was swimming at a good pace and completely absorbed in his morning swim. He was surrounded by the scenery he loved. When he finished his swim, he paused — floating in the shallow water and tilting his head back as though he were enjoying one last song and looking across Pleasant Lake in the direction he had just swam. Perhaps, he was soaking in the satisfaction of achieving a goal. Burd had just swum four miles in two hours and 57 minutes. Plus, he did this swim at age 70. His challenge was part of a lake association’s fundraiser for the replacement of the Pleasant Lake-Parker Pond Dam. So, there was a crowd of 20-plus people waiting at the “finish line,” which on Tuesday morning was the Casco Town Beach, also known as Pleasant Beach. When Burd finally stood up — swim flippers in hand — he walked in the water toward the people on the beach. His first words were, “What a wonderful day.” Like his buoyancy of attitude and his buoyancy in the water, Burd said he was uplifted by a community
Town hall ready in a few months By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Casco’s future town hall has an estimated move-in date that should have staff working in a new building before Thanksgiving. “We are still hoping for a late October occupancy. If that is pushed into November, that is okay,” Casco Town Manager Dave Morton said on Tuesday. Moving one town office over to the new town office is not a chore that will be done by volunteers. “We have already hired a professional moving company, actually two moving companies: One that will disassemble the furniture and another that will move heavy stuff,” Morton said. “We are reusing most of
the municipal lot off Depot Street. They did notice a few box trucks parked in the lot. Ramsdell, the market’s manager and farmer from Denmark, said some vendors are elderly or suffer some physical limitations, thus needing to have vehicles nearby. Assistant Market Manager Breanna Mae Thomas-Googins hoped officials would allow the market to return to the “greens” along Depot Street, and disliked the idea of tucking the market behind the Community Center, which would result in the market losing its “visual presence.” Board Chairman Greg Watkins credited with the market for doing a “wonderful job,” noting he frequents the market, but noted that allowing the market back onto the green would not address parking issues in the municipal lot, which spills over to spaces earmarked for Downeast Industries and the Magic Lantern. Watkins agreed it was time to consider other location options. Ramsdell reminded selectmen of the hard work put in by market leaders — including making the operation EBT-friendly, thus opening it up to lower income families in search of fresh alternatives, something SELECTMEN, Page 5A
the office furniture although we are buying a few new items. The company that manufactures it will disassemble the furniture, put it together and work on the arrangement for the new pieces that we will buy,” he said. “At some point, a few weeks after we move in, we will have an open house.” he said. Currently, at the construction site, there is work going on outside. But, even more activity is taking place inside the newly-erected building, Morton said. “Right now, the framing company is still working there. They are doing the siding and finishing up the interior,” he said. The contractor doing the framing is James O’Neil who
operates O’Neil Construction Co., out of Essex, Mass. “Geoff Whiteley (of Casco) is finishing up the electrical. The plumbing contractor is Harley Johnson. His crew is doing the rough-in plumbing. They are getting the pipes ready so that the sheet rocker can come in next,” he said. “Tomorrow, we are meeting with the telephone company that will be installing that,” Morton said. “We have a company that will install the firewall that protects the computers. The security company has done a walk-through and that wiring is being done by the electrician,” he said. The project cost is still under-budget, he said. Casco residents approved $600,000 in funding for the construc-
tion project at Town Meeting in 2015. The town has assumed the role of the general contractor for this project, allowing costs to be kept down. Acting as general contractor also expedites the work since a bidding process is not required. Groundbreaking occurred on May 9. Sometime in the early fall, the landscaping will be completed. But first, “there will be some final groundwork. Once the siding is done, the earth contractor will finish his work,” Morton said. “Then, a landscaping company will come in with some of the plantings. The selected plantings are all native Maine species, and the height will be about three to four feet,” Morton said.
EMERGING FROM PLEASANT LAKE — Ron Burd, 70, stands up after swimming nonstop from one end of Pleasant Lake to the other, which is about four miles. On Tuesday morning, Burd accomplished the swim in two hours and 57 minutes. He calculated he was doing about 60 strokes a minute. (De Busk Photo) of people who also cherish Pleasant Lake. “Doing this, having all these people here to greet me, it’s amazing. We all have something in common — we care about this special place. It feels like we are kindred spirits,” Burd said shortly after his almost three-hour swim. He calculated that he swam at a pace similar to when he did a swim fundraiser 10 years ago. At a rate of 60 strokes per minute, Burd executed 10,620 front crawl strokes, taking him from Otisfield Beach to Pleasant Beach. “It was incredible. He never stopped for a snack or anything,” his wife Joyce said. Joss Gelfand, a friend of Burd’s who was visiting,
was part of the small sendoff party that started on Otisfield Beach at 7:30 a.m. Like Joyce, Gelfand chose a kayak to accompany Burd during his notable swim. “It’s a remarkable achievement at any age. Ron is a trooper,” Gelfand said. Eight-year-old Annabelle and her grandfather put their kayaks in the water when Burd swam past their dock. She said it was hard work to keep up with him. “It’s amazing how he can swim that far,” she said. Burd said that he didn’t have any worries or jitters the night before the big swim. After all, he typically swims about one and a half miles a day. A good routine countered SWIMMER, Page 8A
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