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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 148, No. 41
28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
October 12, 2017
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
New dam has sprung leaks
SURPRISING FIND — Al Curns was surprised to find this albino porcupine sleeping in a tree in his front yard off Prescott Ridge in Bridgton.
Your thoughts on land use? Work on rules in progress By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Audrey Knight knows she has a major sell job ahead. If local residents are to buy into the idea of enacting land use regulations as a means to reach desired community growth and development, they need to grasp the belief that planning is good, if not essential. “The idea is not to limit anybody, but we need to provide some direction so that development is both appropriate and is in the best interest of the town,” said Knight, Bridgton’s Community Development director. “Every land use has an impact, be it on the environment and traffic.” For two years, a Land Use committee spent countless hours formulating regulations to address future develop-
October Work Session • 18th, Committee work — Village (downtown) November Work Sessions • 1st, Committee work — Corridors • 15th, Committee work — Rural Residential & Lakeside Neighborhoods • 21st, Planning Board special meeting on draft ordinance district concepts and maps • 29th, Committee work — All Districts December — Planning Board recommendations to Selectmen • 5th, Planning Board public hearing on recommendations on direction and scope • 12th, Selectmen — Draft ordinance, district concepts and maps • 13th, Committee work — Revisions from input, work on Q & A Meetings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the lower level meeting room. These sessions are open to the public ment along three major corridors. However, it became clear to members through public meetings and comments that more discussion and “tweaking” was needed before the document could be put before voters. With Knights’ arrival, the group pushed the vote date back from November to the town’s next annual meeting, June 2018. While Knight and the committee will review and revise over the next few months, a key to passage will
be public input. “It’s about taking ownership,” Knight said. Work sessions in October and November will provide residents with chances to give their ideas and opinions. To create a vision, one needs to know what people want. And, that requires participation from the public. Knight hopes to also tap the local public access TV channel to tape the sessions so those unable to attend can watch the discussion and
become better informed as to the ordinance’s goals — preserving and protecting the character of Bridgton, while also developing an economically successful community. “It helps everyone to have rules that are both clear and reasonable. We need to look at the town as a whole,” Knight said. “People often talk about not wanting Portland Road to become like Windham, yet there isn’t much on the books that can assist the planning board in shaping how it is developed.” Knight sees a great opportunity for Bridgton to create opportunities while also retaining the old-time feel that continues to attract both new residents and tourists. “When you start looking at our downtown, we need to create a ‘destination’ that is a unique experience, otherwise people will simply shop on Amazon, which will deliver right to your door,” she said. “We want to create something that is visually interesting, where people can park and walk and shop.” When developing a plan, Knight says a wide range of LAND USE, Page 2A
State Park had big May, slow fall By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Sunday in the state park on Big Sebago Lake was stellar. People embraced the camping experience at the acreage despite the mixed bag of weather in 2017. Now that the long weekends of Labor Day and Columbus Day have passed, people should not forget that the park is open yearround and is great for skiing, according to Sebago Lake State Park Manager Matt McGuire. But, before anyone ushers
in winter, there’s plenty of fall foliage to be seen. “Fall — we were at a good start, then it tapered off. The colors are really coming back nicely in areas like the Horseshoe Bog and the campground. Those areas are starting to have good color,” McGuire said. He predicted that because of the warm days that occur in October, it should prove to be a good month for visitors. The number of visitors to the ever-popular park increased in May and dropped in September — compared to last year.
“It was a very good summer. Even though it was variable with the weather, people enjoyed themselves,” McGuire said. Meanwhile, the staff is gearing up for the next two seasons. “We are getting ready for fall and winter,” he said. “We are open year-round. We have cross-country ski trails. We groom just less than six miles,” he said, giving a plug for the park’s seasonal offerings. “Then, there is another six miles on the campground that people can snowshoe or ski,
but it is ungroomed,” he said. Before people strap on a pair of skis and commune with nature, they should consult their cell phone. “I actually have a trails conditions and activities page that people can get on their phone. It’s a way for people to subscribe to get trails updated. When we are grooming, it is updated very regularly,” he said. To subscribe for updates on trail conditions, text D A C F S e b a g o 4 6 8 3 11 o r check out the State of Maine website, www.parksandSTATE PARK, Page 5A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — The number of change orders for two Casco roads that faced major rebuilds this summer has concerned one local elected official. In fact, Selectman Grant Plummer questioned whether or not changeovers to save money on the road projects will end up costing the town. If veering from the engineer’s
plan shortens the lifespan of the roads that taxpayers took out a bond to improve, then there will be a cost. The two roads that were on the repair list this summer were Edwards Road and Johnson Hill Road. During the town meeting in 2016, the residents of Casco approved a $2.5 million infrastructure bond. About $500,000 of that money was allocated for the
Pleasant Lake-Parker Pond Dam. The remainder would go toward the top-listed roads around town. Edwards Road is located past Webbs Mills Village and provides access to Crescent Lake, where there is a town beach. Johnson Hill Road is on near the Casco-Poland boundary. Culvert and ditch work were done on both roads. Edwards Road is paved; it
will not receive a top coat of pavement until spring. The current status of Johnson Hill Road is: it has been rebuilt down to a dirt road and is scheduled to be paved sometime this month. In the case of both roads, two feet of shoulder was scaled back from the widths in the engineer’s plan. “I want it to be clear and understood, at the end of the ROAD, Page 5A
Did orders shorten road lifespan?
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Casco has a dam problem again. But, it’s one with a resolution on the horizon. The newly-constructed dam has two spots where it is leaking, according to Holly Hancock, the Casco Board of Selectmen Chairman who also served on the Pleasant Lake-Parker Pond Dam subcommittee. “There are two different leaks,” Hancock said. “One is the gate. The other is a leak that is from the place between the dam at the north end, between the ledge and the dam or around the outer side,” she said. So far, the contractor T-Buck Construction has “sealed the crack with polyfoam and clay but the gate is still leaking,” Hancock said. “We are waiting for them to build us a lift, a wood block to put in the slot. We are waiting on that to be finished. T-Buck hired someone to build a winch to get the gate out,” she said. She talked about how the leak around the gate seal started. “We opened it and tried
to close it and it didn’t seal right,” she said. “We are having a stop log, a barrier, being built by a local contractor so that the gate can be dewatered,” she said. Hancock updated the board during the Sept. 26 meeting, saying that once the gate was opened and did not close properly, “it is sitting just enough so that water is coming through that gate.” Hancock told the board that the Town of Casco was withholding funds for the final payment to the contractor until the dam is free of leaks. “So, we have not made the last payment to T-Buck in anticipation of getting it fixed,” she said. Casco Town Manager Dave Morton said that T-Buck Construction has been “very respectful” of the town’s request that the product be working properly before a payment is made. “Yes, he has been. They are doing their best,” Hancock said. “We are dealing with the various changes on what needed to happen.” Morton said the new dam LEAKY, Page 3A
ED ROCK of Bridgton has been selected for induction into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Sunday River.
Former GM named to Hall
Ed Rock of Bridgton is one of eight Maine skiers to be inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017. The new members will be inducted at the 15th annual Maine Ski Hall of Fame banquet at the Grand Summit Hotel at Sunday River on Saturday, Oct. 28. This year’s class includes a U.S. Olympic Nordic Team captain, All-American Nordic skier, Aroostook County Nordic enthusiast, alpine ski coach and official, high school coach, World Cup freestyle champion, World Cup downhill specialist, and ski area general manager. Ed Rock came to Maine in 1983 to take over as General Manager at Shawnee Park and inherited a multitude of problems. The first was a hastily installed snowmaking system that had to be almost totally rebuilt — a feat he achieved during one the rainiest summers in memory. INDUCTEE, Page 7A
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