Winning flick
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Fryeburg Academy senior creates award-winning film, ‘Camping Misadventures’
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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 145, No. 41
28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
October 9, 2014
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 4D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
‘Seasoned’ firewood in short supply By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Some local firewood suppliers say that there is a shortage of seasoned firewood, and green is all that is to be had. But, there is no shortage of people hoping to purchase a dry cord for their woodstoves. “Customers call every day, asking for seasoned firewood,” said Jerry Bowes, the owner of Lakes Region Firewood Sales. The Casco-based business has more than 800 regular clients who, as early as possible, purchase cords of wood for their winter heating needs. “All of our regular customers are smart people who ordered in the spring and early summer,” Bowes said. “The people calling in the fall are the people buying green wood,” he said. In fact, Bowes and his crew
have not seen a cord of seasoned wood since June. “Some of the smaller guys are going out of business because they cannot get their hands on the raw material,” Bowes said. Philip Morton operates Red’s Firewood that has been in Naples for decades. He said he would love to get his hands on 100 cords of seasoned firewood. “I have had a lot of calls for seasoned wood,” Morton said, adding he has to inform people that he only has green wood for sale. “Most people wait too long. It’s a money issue. If you live here in Maine, your expenses are higher in the winter,” Morton said. So, like most suppliers in the region, green wood is what is being delivered. “I get calls every day,” he
said. Is it likely his price per cord will go up once winter hits? “It could if the demand is there. It won’t go down much — I tell you that,” he said. “The supply of seasoned firewood was kind of limited to begin with,” he said. “We had maybe 20 to 25 cords of seasoned wood,” he said. Previous customers started getting phone calls from Red’s Firewood this spring to see if they wanted to get on the list to have seasoned wood delivered. The cold winter that Mainers experienced last year is not the primary reason for the shortage, he said. “The paper mills took so much wood. A lot of it went up to Boise (Cascade Corporation) and International Paper and
SOME TREE LENGTHS sit in the sun before being split for home heating firewood. (De Busk Photo) Sappi (Fine Paper North call me back,” he half-joked much as they possibly can for the mills” and “for biomass to America.) But, they aren’t during a phone interview. making paper. Good hardwood Bowes also cited purchases make electricity,” Bowes said. He said the paper mills can going into power - that is kind by pulp mills as a factor in of what is going on,” Morton the low supplies of “quality” only burn green wood; but home-heating wood. that is wood that could have said. “The mills are buying as “If you find any dry wood, WOOD, Page A
New Denmark manager named
500TH IN THE BOOKS — Stan Cohen has spent 10 years helping residents understand their Medicare benefits, and has now written his 500th ‘nugget.’
Writer behind the ‘Nugget’
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer As a finance officer at a prestigious educational Academy, Stan Cohen thought he was well-versed regarding planning for his upcoming retirement. He wasn’t. Cohen discovered how complex and confusing various Medicare programs are, and if not correctly addressed, one could face either higher premiums or penalties. He would ultimately make it his mission to help others understand Medicare. For the past 10 years, Cohen has served as a Medicare Volunteer Counselor and has writtenn a weekly “Medicare Nugget” for The News. This week, he penned his 500th nugget, which is included in this conversation: BN. How did you decide to become a Medicare volunteer counselor? Stan Cohen: In 2000 when I retired from Bridgton Academy (I was a chief finance officer there), I was 70 years old and on Medicare, but I hadn’t taken Medicare Part B because I already had the equivalent of that by virtue of being in the Bridgton Academy healthcare program. When I retired, I had the opportunity to continue with the group plan, but it was expensive. It seemed it was commensurate with Part B so for a couple of years, I kept paying the premium. It kept going up. I got a call from Sue Cole at BA, the premium was going up significantly the following year. So, I figured it was time to drop it and go fully with Medicare — Part B and maybe a supplemental plan. That’s what I did. I received a notice from Social Security that I would have to pay a 20% surcharge on the premium because I didn’t take Part B when I should have — which is eight months from retirement. Nobody told me that. I should have known it since I was the business manager. It would have been my responsibility of telling others. I guess I was one of those well-kept secrets. I finally was able to get Social Security to admit to a mistake, they reduced the surcharge to 10%, which I have been paying ever since. My wife and I were having a conversation about this terrible tragedy of having to pay 10% more. How could this happen when I was an administrator? She said to me I should figure out how this works and let others know so it doesn’t happen to them. The next day, your newspaNUGGET, Page A
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer DENMARK — Daniel Merhalski had served 10 years as a municipal planner for cities, towns and tribes both large and small when he decided to return to the small town life he loves best. As of Sept. 29, the 37-year-old began working for Denmark, in his first job as a town manager. Merhalski was hired by the Board of Selectmen to replace Ephram Paraschak, who left in July to become Naples Town Manager. Merhalski was still settling into the job Friday, with his first regular meeting with selectmen still ahead of him. He said he aims to serve as “a neutral implementer of the policies of the board,” with a helpful approach that eschews ego or hidden agen-
das. Where needed, he said he’ll advise the board of their options and the possible outcomes of their policies, both good and bad. “I don’t want to take on any of the bad habits I’ve seen with other town managers,” said Merhalski, whose starting salary will be $56,000. Merhalski graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northern Michigan University in 2002 with a B.S. in Political Science and History, and went on to receive a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the same school two years later. In May of 2007 he also earned a Master’s in History from Salem State College, after working two years as a Staff Planner in Salem, Mass., a city of 42,000. At the Salem job, his duties were similar to those
he had in his first job as City Planner for Negaunee, Mich., from 2003 to 2005. He worked closely with the planning board, zoning board of appeals, City Council and city departments, with a focus on reviewing development proposals and writing legal decisions of board actions. In 2007 he moved to Farmington, N.H., to work as that town’s director of planning and community development for two years. Another two-year stint followed as Town Planner of Moultonborough, N.H., before he took on his most recent job, as Associate Planner for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, on the tip of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. When the offer came to become Denmark’s Town
ON THE JOB — Dan Merhalski, Denmark’s new Town Manager, brings 10 years of experience as a planner to his new job. Manager, Merhalski didn’t hesitate. “This was the trajectory I was moving toward,” MANAGER, Page A
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer There are so many ways that end-of-life care can become a nightmare, when it’s not talked about in advance. Chances are, heroic efforts will be taken to prolong life, when all that’s wished for is to die in peace, preferably at home. That’s why Androscoggin Health Care & Hospice believes so strongly that
patients and their loved ones need to face up to their final days, the sooner the better. First and foremost, they need to find a doctor who fully understands their wishes, one who will help them fill out an advance care directive. But that is just the beginning of the conversation. As one of Maine’s largest home health care agencies, AHCH has become active in
a growing national movement to encourage thoughtful endof-life planning and to lift society out of its fear of talking about death. It has purchased the rights to the film Consider the Conversation: A Documentary on a Taboo Subject, which will have a special showing at the Magic Lantern Theater in Bridgton on Monday, Oct. 20, at 1 p.m. Following the heart-
felt hour-long film, which includes interviews with patients, doctors, nurses and clergy, AHCH will present a panel of palliative care and hospice professionals who will lead a community discussion and answer questions from the audience. The event comes to Bridgton at the behest of longtime resident Dick Hooper, who helped found FILM, Page A
Commuter buses connecting Naples with Portland began service a year ago. Extending the run to Bridgton was already baked into the plan. Everyone supporting the Bridgton to Portland link was excited and eagerly anticipating the new bus service starting last July. But a few days before the service was to begin the Portland-based Regional Transportation Program (RTP) pulled out the spark plugs. Not surprisingly, the route to Bridgton was cancelled because of a funding shortfall. In discussions with RTP, funding the extended bus line to Bridgton costs around $15,000 annually. The 20-passenger bus, which is handicapped accessible and features WIFI, would run weekdays, and make four-round trips to Portland with affordable fares. “I think funding the bus through Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) funds is a real possibility,” said Bridgton’s Director of Planning & Development Anne Krieg. “It would depend on the wishes of the selectmen; they may have other ideas for using the annual grant award.” Krieg also noted that an approved and successful CDBG grant application would mean that the earliest the bus to Portland could begin is July 2015. “Why wait another eight or nine months to launch the Bridgton to Portland bus service,” asks George Bradt rhetorically. “It is such a no-brainer. Let’s meet to do what we can to get this important service started as soon as possible so local residents can begin benefiting from the connection.” On Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. is the first meeting for anyone interested in gathering to jump-start the Bridgton to Portland bus is invited to the Bridgton Community Center, Room
Film: Consider conversation
Hopping the Bus to Portland?
BRIDGTON TO PORTLAND LAKES REGION BUS could begin as early as next year depending on Bridgton’s support. Meeting slated for Wednesday. 1.
Bradt. “I’ll make the pizza “We’ll begin discussing and the whoopie pies.” funding possibilities then Last month Bradt interstart drawing up a Bridgton- viewed several key players centric action plan to get the involved in getting the Lakes RTP service extended,” said BUS, Page A
The Bridgton News Established 1870
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com