Fly away! Many spectators were on hand to watch the butterfly release at Mark’s Lawn & Garden Page 7A
Rival Saturday
Inside News
Fryeburg Academy blanks Lake Region in girls’ soccer and field hockey
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 6B Classifieds . . . . . . 4D-5D Country Living . . . 1B-8B
Page 1C
Directory . . . . . . . . . . 3D Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 6D Opinions . . . . . . . 1D-8D Police/Court . . . . . . . . 2A Sports . . . . . . . . . 1C-8C Student News . . . . . . . . Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 5C
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 147, No. 37
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
September 15, 2016
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Parent starts petition to oust director
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — A Naples resident, who is a working mother with four children in the school system, has started an online petition to remove the Naples Recreation Director Harvey Price from his position. The goal was to get 1,000 signatures. As of Wednesday morning — seven days after the online petition was launched, there were 266 signatures in favor of firing Price. However, according to the Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak, “a municipal employee cannot be terminated without
just cause.” For Suzanne “Suzi” Deschenes, the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back happened on Thursday evening. After a negative encounter with Price, and not the first one, Deschenes set up the Internet petition, she said. Thursday, she showed up for the equipment handout for the Naples Recreation Department’s football program. Her two sons, a fourth-grader and a sixthgrader, had already been registered and the $70 fee had been paid for both boys to play the fall sport. However, after waiting in line for an hour and 15 minutes, she was told by Price
that the boys could not participate because she owed a debt of $202 from the summer recreation department program, she said. According to Deschenes, Price told her that her children could not participate. She said their sports registration fee had already been paid, and that she was not going to allow her children to be denied the chance to play football this year. At that point, Price called the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) to have her removed from the town-owned sports field, Deschenes said. Rather than wait to have the matter resolved with law enforcement,
Deschenes left. The reasons she cited for leaving before a sheriff’s deputy arrived was that she did not want her employer, a conservative bank, to read about it in the police report. Also, she wanted to save her sons the embarrassment of something that might be talked about at their schools. Already, the boys were horribly disappointed and the youngest one was crying in the car, she said. “I was waiting in line for more than an hour. He (Price) saw me. He could have pulled me aside and said something,” she said. On Monday, her two sons were out on the Plummer Fields taking part in foot-
ball practice with their peers. According to Paraschak, “the balance (a $202 debt from the summer recreation program) was paid. The kids are all set up to play sports.” He spoke briefly about the petition, but could not talk about Price’s behavior since personnel matters are legally considered private, not public, information. When asked about reports that residents have complained about the recreation director, and never got any resolution, Paraschak said, “Yes, I’ve received complaints over the last two years. But, (the complaints) are always issues-oriented:
UNDER FIRE — Naples Recreation Director Harvey Price. people who were kicked off the beach for inappropriate behavior or drinking alcohol on the playground.” “There are not 100s of complaints hidden in drawers. Usually, it’s an issue DIRECTOR, Page 8A
Town proposes 5-year road bond By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer HARRISON — As a “numbers person,” Matt Frank has taken a very close look at a proposal to seek a bond to put Harrison on a faster track in tackling its capital road projects. He feels the time is right to strike. “Interest rates are very low right now. It is hard for them to go lower. So, it makes it a good time to borrow. I look at the price of gasoline. I don’t know what gasoline will be two, three, four years from
now, but I am prepared to say it is relatively low right now,” said Frank, chairman of the Harrison Board of Selectmen during last Thursday’s meeting. “If it is low, it is the basic building block of asphalt. If you ask for a bigger chunk, will they give you a better price? In my experience in virtually everything, it’s true. Do I know where interest rates are going to be three years from now or what oil prices will be, no. I am making an educated guess — from my perspective — this is the right time to do this.”
There was no dissension regarding taking the bond question to voters this November, and selectmen last Thursday were quick to decide to move the five-year, $1,375,000 package, and not the seven-year, $2 million proposal. Selectman Bill Winslow believes the issue to bond or not should be settled by voters. “I don’t like to borrow money, so I made the motion to borrow the smaller amount,” Winslow said. Board Chairman Matt Frank simply responded, “Same here.”
A public hearing on the bond proposal will be held prior to the November election. While the town will look at seeking a bond either through the Bond Bank or other lending institutions, Town Manager Bud Finch expects interest over the five years to be $62,500, “which would be more than offset by the gains in bidding out the larger projects together while the price of pavement and cost of doing business is down.” Payments would average about $287,489 per year, and BOND, Page 5A
Showing Dorothy some ‘love’
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Quietly, Dorothy Nassif has shown her “love” for Bridgton. With her husband, David, they purchased a summer camp on Highland Lake in 1935 and spent every summer there since — that’s 81 years. She has generously provided financial help for many local projects including building a patient room at Bridgton Hospital, devel-
opment of Pondicherry Park, building of the new Lakes Environmental Association science center, funded a Chamber of Commerce downtown roof painting project, provided financial assistance to enable LEA to purchase water quality monitoring equipment for Highland Lake, and in 2006, Dorothy’s family funded the redevelopment of the children’s play area at the town beach to honor her many years
spending summers in Bridgton. Tuesday night, Bridgton showed its love for Dorothy. Board of Selectmen Chairman Greg Watkins presented Dorothy with a plaque and flowers in honor of her 100th birthday on Sept. 24, 2016. With a big smile, Dorothy accepted the gifts and added, “I love Bridgton!” • Bathroom construction, take two — Town Manager
Bob Peabody, in his report, informed selectmen that the Public Works Department is now working on the Woods Pond bathroom. “As a result of reviewing the structural components, concerns were raised regarding the structural integrity of the building. It was concluded that the best course of action was demolishing the structure with the intent of reusing whatever BRIDGTON, Page 4A
Bridge to be demolished, rebuilt By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer For those people who have a fondness for the bridge that crosses over the Muddy River, this weekend will be the last opportunity to drive over it or to boat under it. Before the end of the upcoming work week, the Crockett Bridge will be gone.
Crews from T-Buck Construction will be demolishing the bridge, starting on Monday, according to the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) Resident Engineer Craig Hurd. As a result of the construction, Crockett Bridge will be closed to both boat and vehicular traffic from
Monday through Wednesday, Hurd said. Crockett Bridge is located on Route 114, also known as Sebago Road, in the Town of Naples. Starting on Monday morning, the bridge will be closed to traffic, and traffic will not be able to pass through that section for about
a month, according to Hurd. The exact time frame for the bridge replacement project is 26 days, Hurd said. The MDOT project is estimated to cost $1.4 million, he said. Typically, the state saves between $200,000 and $300,000 by not using a temporary bridge during the construction phase, he said. T-Buck Construction, out of Auburn, was awarded the job. “The road closure will happen around 6 a.m. or 7 a.m., somewhere around there. They will start demoing it at 7 a.m. They will start by demolishing the deck,” Hurd said. “They are talking two or three days, and they’ll have the bridge out by then,” he said. “We are going to demo the old bridge, build a brand new bridge and open it back up” in 26 days, Hurd said. That means that construction crews will be working around the clock, on holidays such as Columbus Day and on Sundays, he said. “They’ve got two crews, working two 12-hour shifts. I’ve heard 6 to 6 is the shift,” he said. “They have some light towers in there for the night-time hours,” he said. Hurd and the contractor have held a construction update meeting with the Naples Town Manager CONSTRUCTION SIGNS CAUTION boat traffic. Crockett Bridge will be closed to Ephrem Paraschak and with both boat and vehicular traffic Monday through Wednesday since crews will be demol- Naples Selectman Bob Caron ishing the existing bridge. (De Busk Photo) BRIDGE, Page 6A
CALLING IT A CAREER — After 21 years, Paula Holt decided it was time to leave as Harrison’s Rec Director. Paula built the program from the ground up, providing something for everyone — including trips. Here, Paula (center) is pictured at her last rec Cabbage Island trip with friends Corrinne Davis (left) and Kelly Howard.
One on One with...
Paula Holt
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Paula Holt has always believed to enhance the quality of life in her community, she had to be a force in strengthening the mind, body and spirit of townspeople. As an old proverb goes, “The body heals with play, the mind heals with laughter, and the spirit heals with joy.” For the past 21 years, Paula Holt has led the recreational charge in Harrison. She has played games with the young and old. She has made people laugh, like wearing a homemade Easter Bunny suit created by volunteer Vickie Conlon Roberts for the first Giant Egg Hunt held in 1996 (“Sometimes, we hunted for eggs in deep snow and other years in the leaves. You must love Easter in Maine,” she said). And, she has touched the lives of many through her never-ending energy, compassion and dedication. She built Harrison’s recreation program from the ground up. On Friday, Sept. 2, Paula Holt bid farewell to a job that “always felt right to me.” “I don’t like to say good-byes as they are too final, so I say to all I have met along my journey that I will see you again on the next path I travel,” she wrote in her final town weekly report. The News recently went one-on-one with the longtime rec director, giving her a chance to reflect on an impressive two decades of work in the “Friendly Village,” as well as an opportunity to share memories she will cherish. BN. Did you ever imagine that you would be in this position for 21 years, and how did you come to the decision that 2016 would be your final year? PH. Actually, I never thought that far ahead. I just focused on the job, followed my heart and immersed myself in all aspects of recreation. I was overcome by the exciting challenge of bringing a variety of recreational opportunities to people of all ages living in a small rural community. As recreation was growing and evolving so was my personal life. I made many PAULA, Page 3A
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