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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 150, No. 35
16 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
August 27, 2020
‘We want to keep kids safe’ Many changes await students By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Usually at this point of the summer, there are always a few minor details Andy Madura needs to work out before students and staff return to school. 2020 has been unlike anything Madura has experienced in his 40 years employed by SAD 61. “Never seen anything like it,” said Madura, who has been director of Facilities and Transportation since 1987, while adding Food Service to his list of responsibilities since 1995. “There just have been so many unknowns and changes in direction.” SAD 61 received good news early in the summer that despite high Covid-19 numbers in Cumberland County (yet few cases in the Lake Region) the district was coded “green” enabling in-person instruction. However, SAD 61 leadership took the conservative approach, only bringing back grades K-1 and special education students in self-contained programs for every day in-person instruction. High school vocational programming will also be offered inperson, every day. Remaining students will follow a hybrid model — attending in-person Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday. While a small overall percentage (initially pegged at 15%) of parents will opt out and go with a 100% remote learning model, Madura and his staff have been busy for months preparing SAD 61 facilities for a reopening. It has been intense.
It has posed many challenges. And, despite a wide variety of measures and precautions, it is still unknown whether SAD 61 can avoid a return to full remote learning due to the pandemic. At least Madura can say, SAD 61 has tried everything in its power to create a safe environment for staff and students. It hasn’t been easy. “No question, we’ve had our challenges,” Madura said. “Not only did we have to address required protocols, we also had other major projects (construction at Crooked River School and installation of a new hot water boiler, replacing one installed in 1968) that had to be tended to.” Covid-19 locked down school systems in late March, but Madura said SAD 61 went into a pandemic cleaning mode much earlier — actually back in November when the district was seeing a number of flu cases. “We’re pretty lucky here. We can staff custodians at the best level. When you look at standards across the country, there are different levels of cleaning. We’ve been able to staff that since I’ve been here. A number of my colleagues don’t have that,” Madura said. “We were able to get away from floor polishing and went to surface cleaning — phones, handles, door knobs. It was ongoing to the day Covid hit the country.” When SAD 61 closed down in-person instruction by April, Madura’s crew were busy deep cleaning facilities
DIFFERENT LOOK for when students return to SAD 61 schools include privacy shields on desks and closure of some sinks to achieve social distancing.
— moving everything out of rooms, much like they do in the summer months — and disinfected every surface. “Were we ready for this? I don’t think so. Our pandemic
plan section in our emergency response book looked at everything that happened previously. Because of past instances (like avian flu), we CHANGES, Page 3A
Four teens take up BLM cause By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer FRYEBURG — Finn Brosnan tries to be as involved as she can be regarding issues facing America today. In middle school, she joined EarlyAct, a community/activism club, which exposed her to the issue of world hunger. “A cause I was very involved with,” said Finn, a resident of Lovell. “A cause I am involved with, that means a lot to me personally, is women’s reproductive rights.” A new focus is the Black Lives Matter movement. The incoming sophomore at Fryeburg Academy — along with fellow teens Maeve Jackson, Grace Steadman and Josephino Thiverge — organized a “peaceful protest” this past Saturday on Main Street in Fryeburg. The group totaled
about “15 or so.” “My friends and I decided to organize this rally in protest of the racial inequalities and systemic racism that black people face daily. Our goal from the beginning was to stand up for the people not being treated fairly, to have our voices heard, and to show our support for the Black Lives Matter movement and for black people that have been targeted for too long,” Finn said. “Spreading awareness about the movement is so important because it pushes people to have those uncomfortable conversations and talk about all the things that need to be talked about. Activism goes beyond having conversations with people who already agree with you. I have attended many other BLM events in the area, but this was my first time taking part in organizing one.”
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News short takes
Tworog defeats King
Paul Tworog is headed to the Bridgton Board of Selectmen. Tworog captured a three-year term Tuesday Paul Tworog receiving 260 votes in the run-off election against Bernard N. King Jr., who collected 126 votes. “I think it is great that so many people turned out to vote at both the regular election (July 14) and this special election. It shows that people here really care about Bridgton and its future,” Tworog said. “I’m looking forward to utilizing the ideas and energy of everyone so that the Bridgton community becomes even better.” Tworog was currently serving as a Bridgton Planning Board alternate. He will vacate that position, and the selectmen will decide how to proceed according to Town Manager Robert Peabody.
Forest Trail lands Challenge Grant FRYEBURG — Two committees from Fryeburg’s town office — the Conservation Committee and the AgeFriendly Community Taskforce — teamed up and were granted one of AARP’s Community Challenge Grants 2020. The committees received a $3,000 grant to help construct the new Town Forest Trail just north of Fryeburg village along the Saco River. AARP’s Community Challenge 2020 offered “quick action” grants given for projects, which would make communities more livable for people of all ages. Fryeburg was one of only eight grants awarded in Maine and one of 184 grants (more than $2.4 million awarded) given nationwide. The Fryeburg Town Forest Natural area is located 3.5 miles north of the village center on Route 5. It is approximately 74 acres with 900 feet of riverfront on the Saco. The FTF Trail was initiated in 2019 by Fryeburg’s Conservation Committee to promote access to outdoor spaces for town residents and visitors. The Age-Friendly Community Taskforce recognized the trail as a resource that could promote healthy outdoor recreational access for people of all ages. The one-mile loop trail includes gentle grades for walkers of all abilities, bridges across fragile wetlands and places to rest and relax in nature. This project allows young and old to enjoy the beauty of CHALLENGE, Page 8A
Tax rate same for 4th straight year
TAKING A STAND — Lovell teen Finn Brosnan helped organize a Black Lives Matter protest this past Saturday on Main Street in Fryeburg. (Photo by Julian Zhu) A flyer announcing the be positive. protest asked participants “I am very proud to have to wear a mask, bring been a part of this. I feel water and sunscreen, and PROTEST, Page 5A
Capturing the USA during Covid
Parker Fairfield Jr.
www.bridgton.com
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer DENMARK — When Parker Fairfield Jr. started to take photography seriously, he came up with the idea of publishing a photobook. “Telling a story through a series of photos felt very impactful,” he said. “I really wanted something physical to carry my work, instead of something you glance at for two seconds when scrolling through Instagram.” Parker didn’t want to create a photobook just for the sake of it. He wanted it to be special. “Something meaningful, not only to me
but other people, as well,” he said. A phone call from across the country would provide Parker a storyline few of us will ever forget. A friend of Parker’s dad was struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Three days later, on a late April morning, father and son — Parker and Parker Jr. — were on the road, heading from Denmark to California to offer the friend assistance. They traveled 7,000 miles and went through 21 states. Unexpectedly, Parker Jr. landed his photobook story line — “Isolated on the Road.” “A global pandemic definitely met those standards as I’m sure people would be PHOTOS, Page 4A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — For the past four years, the tax rate in Naples has stayed the same. Once again, the tax rate is $13.35 in the Town of Naples. Naples Town Manager John Hawley announced the tax rate earlier this month. “It is my recommendation that we set the tax rate at the same amount of $13.35 this year,” Hawley said. “That gives us a $13,900 overlay for any possible abatements. And, that was really the best we could do considering. I budgeted revenue sharing at zero, so if [Gov. Janet Mills] cuts us, we are not going to bleed.” The Naples Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to set the tax rate at $13.35. By this point in time, most citizens of Naples have received their tax bill for the 2020-21 fiscal year, he said. In the past, the Naples Budget Committee has worked diligently to keep the municipal budget flat, to not have any increases. In March of this year, with predictions that the pandemic might reduce revenues, the committee revisited the budget with the goal of making more cuts. “They opted not to fund the reserve accounts for the next year and that total was about $351,559 and we made cuts to our Capital Improvement Purchases (CIP) budget resulting in an additional $40,000 in reductions,” Hawley said. Then, in late June, about 50 residents approved the TAX RATE, Page 6A
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