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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870 Vol. 149, No. 47
24 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
November 21, 2019
www.bridgton.com
(USPS 065-020)
95¢
Pellerin’s pact extended to ’25 By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer HARRISON — Tim Pellerin really likes Harrison and the people he works with and for. Local officials like Pellerin, as well. Following an executive session last Thursday night to evaluate Pellerin’s performance, selectboard members voted 4-0 to extend the town manager’s contract to 2025. “It is the unanimous opinion of the selectboard that Tim is doing an outstanding job of dealing with short-term, intermediate and longterm issues and opportunities. He truly cares about Harrison and all of our residents,” said Board chairman Matthew Frank. With about a year and a half worth of work in the books, Pellerin gave the selectboard a strong sampling of his municipal government knowledge and management style to decide if he is the right fit moving forward. The former Rangeley manager signed a three-year contract to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of George “Bud” Finch following an extensive, lengthy search. Financial terms still need to be ironed out. “We threw some numbers around, but nothing solid was decided. It will be added into the budget with the other employee reviews and increases when we do the budget process,” HARRISON, Page 2A
Survey spurs age friendly action FRYEBURG — Earlier this year, Fryeburg created a new town committee with a mission to sustain and improve the community for all ages. The committee is a branch of the wider Mount Washington Valley AgeFriendly Task Force, in partnership with the Gibson Center and other regional towns. The mission is to assess and improve key areas of concern: housing, transportation, outdoor spaces, healthcare access and intergenerational connections. These are big tasks, but overlap in many ways to support a broad spectrum of residents. The first action of the Fryeburg Age-Friendly Community Task Force was to survey locals about community needs. With the support of a grant from the Maine AARP, the group sent out 1,900 surveys to local residents and made the survey available at the town hall, the public library and online. Over 170 surveys have been returned to date, giving the committee plenty of feedback to get started. The survey is still available online (at the town’s website, www. AGE FRIENDLY, Page 2A
PROUD OF MILITARY HERITAGE: Brother-and-sister teamwork, Charlie Robbins and Jeanne Robbins Peacock put together a poster about their uncle, Joseph Pitts who served in the Marine Corp prior to and during World War II. They shared his stories during a get-together at the Harrison Historical Society Museum on the Sunday before Veterans Day. (De Busk Photo)
Family keeps war stories alive By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer HARRISON — Jean Robbins Peacock has been planning this family outing for about a year. Along the way — in the many months before coming to Harrison for Veterans Day — Jeanne and her brother Charlie Robbins learned about the journey their Uncle Joseph Pitts Robbins took during his service as a Marine aboard the U.S.S. Wichita. His travels went from Portland to Scotland, from New York to North Africa, from the Panama Canal to Alaska. Jeanne was among the almost 50 people who went to a Veterans Day
event held at the Harrison Historical Society Museum on the afternoon of Nov. 10. Historical Society President Gerry Smith hosted the gathering that was both intimate and well-attended. Many of the people hailed from Harrison or nearby communities. Jeanne and her husband traveled from Eastport to keep alive the war stories of her family members who served in the military. “I read in your newsletter last year that you were going to do this. And it mentioned all the people who were going to be honored who died [and were from] here in Harrison. In the list of names of those to be honored, I saw my uncle
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The state transportation department would like the remaining payment from the Town of Naples for the boardwalk, which was part of the bridge replacement and Causeway reconstruction project that started in 2010 and ended in 2013. The Maine Department of Transportation is giving the town until June 30 to pay whatever is leftover from $130,000 after putting sealant on the boardwalk.
Match offered to finalize sale managed by LELT on behalf of the community, protects sensitive wildlife habitat and historic working forestlands, and will be open to the public for recreation. “The property is currently used by local community members for hiking, cross-country skiing, hunting, snowmobiling, and other activities,” said the Sebago Board of Selectmen in a letter of support. “Acquiring the property for conservation and recreation will secure these close-to-home recreation opportunities for Sebago residents and visitors.” While still largely rural, Sebago and surrounding towns have experienced more than twice the popula-
Pitts joined the military in early 1941. America officially entered into WWII after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941. “From these records, he was on U.S.S. Wichita. There were 967 people were on it. Uncle Joe was on a big gun—that was what they called them,” Jeanne said. The U.S.S. Wichita is classified as a heavy cruiser. Charlie Robbins described where his uncle traveled as part of his wartime service. “He set off in Casco Bay in Portland. The first service they had was off of STORIES, Page 3A
DOT gives Naples to June 30 to pay debt
NEARING THE GOAL — A drive by Loon Echo Land Trust to raise nearly $1.3 million to purchase the Tiger Hill Community Forest is close to completion. There is $286,000 left, which could be aided by a matching grant offer.
Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) has received a generous $100,000 anonymous grant to match new donations for the protection of 1,400 acres of undeveloped land in the town of Sebago. To date, the fundraising campaign to purchase and protect the property has raised nearly $1.3 million. LELT seeks to raise an additional $286,000 needed to purchase the property by the end of the year. Once conserved by the trust, the property will be known as Tiger Hill Community Forest, in recognition of the land’s most prominent peak. The land, to be owned and
and my cousin. And, I said, ‘We gotta go to that.’ So, I called my family and we all planned to come together,” Jeanne said. “I’ve got to applaud you for doing this because these memories need to be told so other people can tell them in future years,” Jeanne said to Smith. “So glad my brother sent for my uncle’s records in Marine Corps from the National Archives,” she said, adding “the Marine Corps kept meticulous records.” “Uncle Joe joined the Marine Corps when he was young, right out of high school…so, he was 19” years old, she said.
tion growth rate of the state as a whole. Conservation of natural areas like the Tiger Hill Community Forest will help to maintain the region’s rural charm while benefiting the local tourism, outdoor recreation, and forest products industries. LELT has partnered with TPL in the fundraising effort to acquire the property. Both organizations are members of Sebago Clean Waters (SCW), a partnership working to conserve 35,000 acres in the Sebago Lake watershed to protect the water quality of Sebago Lake, the water source for over one-sixth of Maine residents, many visitors, and businesses in the greater Portland area. Portland
Water District (PWD), who is also a partner in SCW, has pledged $345,000 towards the project. The Maine Drinking Water Program is providing a low-interest loan to PWD to fund its contribution. “Tiger Hill Community Forest provides countless public benefits, including protection of drinking water for a sixth of Maine’s population. Its forests act as a filter, purifying water as it flows into rivers, streams, and, ultimately, Sebago Lake,” according to PWD’s Environmental Manager, Paul Hunt. “Conserving this forest means Mainers will enjoy the benefits forever. We are excited for the residents of the MATCH, Page 2A
“They would like the remainder of the money back. They will give us until the end of the fiscal year. So we have until the end of June to get this thing done,” Rep. Rich Cebra (R-68th District, House of Representatives) said. “Test the sealer. Just do it and get their money back,” Cebra said. Recently, Cebra spoke to the DOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note — at the request of Naples Town Manager John Hawley. The commissioner stuck to his request for the Town of Naples to pay the debt so the state could close the books on this project, Cebra said. The history of the project goes back about almost a decade since the groundbreaking took place in September 2010. Sometime in 2011 or 2012, when the concrete was first placed, one section of the boardwalk did not seal properly. The concrete was pocked and some pieces broke away over the years. In response,
the Town of Naples withheld the payment from the DOT until the boardwalk was satisfactory. A few years ago, the DOT agreed to allow the town to keep the money as long as those funds were used to fix the boardwalk. On Monday, Cebra told the Naples Board of Selectmen that the clock was ticking for the town to take a care of the boardwalk and pay DOT. Chairman Jim Grattelo clarified. “They are willing to allow us to spend whatever is necessary, then split the difference,” he said. Cebra confirmed, saying the amount was approximately $130,000. “The current Commissioner Bruce Van Note was really involved in this project from Day One” when he was the assistant director of DOT, Cebra said. “This is an important project to the state of Maine. This is an important project to Naples,” Cebra said.
The Bridgton News Established 1870
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