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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 150, No. 44
16 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
November 4, 2021
Legal Notices . . . . . . . 2B
www.bridgton.com
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95¢
Use COVID-$ to buy van?
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Unlike other department heads, Gary Colello uses his personal vehicle to load up rec department supplies and equipment to shuttle them to local sports venues. As programming continues to grow, including After-School childcare and Summer Camp, Colello sees a need for a 12-seat travel van. The timing could be just right. When Bridgton was awarded federal and state COVID relief funds, the town used the Bridgton Community Center as the “accepting” agency. While many low-income families received assistance, some funds remain unspent: • $25, 179.33 from the BCC Rental & Utility projFOR THE FIRST time ever, the Casco Parks and Recreation Department’s Halloween event was held at the ect new Casco Community Park. According to staff, 315 children visited Trunk or Treat, the more than one• $41,000 from the BCC dozen vehicles that were set up with sweet and snacks. (De Busk Photos) Temporary Shelter project
Total: $66,179.33 Courtney Kemp, who is the administrative assistant to the Community Development Director, told the Select Board at their Oct. 26 meeting that the funds had to be spent by the end of the year, or the town would lose the money. There is a catch. The money has to be used in relation to COVID-19, and due to the tight time frame, the town needs to use a department that already administers Community Block Grant funding to usher along the application process regarding how the COVID-relief money will be used. The Rec Department is that department. It uses CDBG money to help fund scholarships for Summer Camp and other programming. In a memo to the Board, VAN, Page 2A
How you voted
Some fallout after Tuesday’s vote regarding the CMP Corridor project, which fell to defeat: “With the resounding rejection of the CMP Corridor by the people of Maine, CMP and their corporate bosses at Avangrid and Iberdrola have a point of reckoning. It’s a time for them to reflect carefully on their next steps,” wrote State Senator Rick Bennett (R-Oxford). “Despite outspending Yes on 1 by a four-to-one margin, creating astro-turf front groups, and filling our airwaves with dissembling and deception, CMP was rebuked thoroughly by their customers. The question they face is this: Will CMP revert to form and continue to insult, intimidate, affront and sue the business tax valuation. their customers, or will they “With all things consid- recognize that they have ered, with the numbers of been granted a unique franbusinesses they went to, we have got not a lot of complaints,” Grattelo said, adding that the town had just “corrected any issues.” “This has been 20 years of neglect. There are probably some businesses out By Dawn De Busk there that have gotten away Staff Writer with not paying their fare NAPLES — Residents share,” he said. have been up in arms over Shane went on. strangers — people work“Apparently, it has come ing on the town’s property to the point that people are revaluation — trespassing BUSINESS, Page 3A on their land. Those people have called their local selectmen to complain or at least to ask what was going on. The Town of Naples is doing a property revaluation — the first one in 17 years. (Prior to this, the assessor was doing adjustments to the property values in Naples.) On Oct. 25, a conversation occurred toward the very end of the selectmen’s meeting. The solution: The board asked the town manager to mail out postcards to residents informing them of the property revaluation Those postcards were mailed out on Friday, according to Naples Town
Business tax ups revenue by 10K
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Not to be confused with property tax, the personal property tax is placed on businesses. In fact, it is often referred to as a business tax. The towns in Maine are allowed to levy a tax on the equipment that businesses use: from the computer and printer of a home-based business to the excavator and bulldozer of an earth moving company. This summer, a company from Connecticut
updated the personal property tax valuations in the Town of Naples. There was one employee who went around to businesses and marked down the items that could be taxed. After this assessment was wrapped up, the personal property tax went from $50,000 to $150,000. Last week, the Naples Board of Selectmen adjusted some amounts that were incorrect. Like the property revaluation, which is currently the middle of being
done, the process of having someone take stock of property has made some residents edgy. Selectman Ted Shane brought up the topic. “I’ve had numerous phone calls about the personal property tax, and the people who are going around and nabbing these businesses. It seems to be a deep problem,” Shane said. Grattelo had a different take on it, especially after talking with Town Manager John Hawley about people’s reactions to
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Mike Genest has been working hard to put a dent in the potholes. Or he is filling in the dents in the roads that are called potholes. No matter how one says it: Genest is working hard as Casco’s new pubic works director. When he first landed the job two months ago, Tom Mulkern from the maintenance department took Genest around to see the town’s roads. “It was mind-blowing how many roads you have in Casco. It was mindblowing how many roads you have that are in bad shape,” Genest said. “Since then, I have been on a tear to cold patch as many as possible before winter.” On Tuesday, Genest
updated the Casco Board of Selectmen on what he has been doing since being hired. He has been sizing up the culverts, and determining which ones might need to be replaced this spring and which ones will just need debris removed to flow freely, he said. “The beavers are killing us,” he said. “Mayberry Road — I removed 4 or 5. Libby Road, I removed 4. We are putting a dent in the amount of work I have to do every morning because they are plugging holes. There is a lot of water. It is getting higher.” “Kevin is the guy who is trapping for me. He has to wait until it freezes up. This winter, he will continue to try to eradicate that problem,” he said. He talked specifically
about the beaver dam that has caused flooding on Libby Road. “I have broken the dam on that side. I am working hard to take down that dam. They are working harder than I am,” Genest said. Segue “In our complaint department we’ve had 15 complaints that I’ve gone and talked to and resolved that day or the next day. Only one person I’ve had to say no to because the culvert didn’t belong to the town,” he said. Casco Town Manager Anthony “Tony” Ward had “Mike is a much more modest individual than any of us in this room,” he said. “He has been here just over two months and he has accomplished so much. This shows what can get done in a short time if we
chise to provide monopoly service to Maine people and adopt a business strategy that embraces that special privilege? The only way forward for the company to maintain their franchise is to attempt to restore the trust they have fractured over the past several years.” Maine’s leading environmental advocacy organization, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, released the following statement from Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim: “Maine residents have voted decisively to terminate the CMP corridor, which means the VOTING, Page 3A
Postcards alert of Naples reval
PW puts dent in potholes, dams
Mike Genest was named as the Casco public works director a few months ago. On Tuesday, he updated the Casco Board of Selectmen on what he’s been doing since being hired. (De Busk Photo) NEW, Page 3A
Manager John Hawley. The property revaluation is different from the personal property valuation, which happened for businesses earlier this summer. Selectman Colin Brackett said he wanted to continue with the discussion that Selectman Ted Shane had started. “I would like to echo what Teddy said. I’ve heard from people in town, not just businesses but personal homes, people were showing up on their doorsteps and hoping to come inside and access their homes,” Brackett said, adding he assumed it was “for the mil rate adjustment.” He asked why the town didn’t warn people this was coming up. Perhaps by sending out or putting up flyers, he said. “We’ve been talking about it in public meetings ALERT, Page 3A
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