Out of the water A monitoring buoy was pulled from Highland Lake, and LEA will now study its data Page 2A
Gasping gobblers
Inside News
The annual pre-Thanksgiving race in Lovell had a good mix of runners and walkers
Calendar . . . . . . . 4B-5B Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 4D Country Living . . . 1B-6B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 6C
Page 7C
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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 146, No. 48
28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
November 26, 2015
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 4D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
‘Friends of Sebago’ urge ‘No’ vote Sunday rally brings message to Bridgton By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Denise Olsen never, ever expected to be holding a sign of protest at Bridgton’s main intersection. But, drastic times require drastic measures said the leader of Friends of Sebago Elementary School. Strongly feeling the budgetary ax could finally fall on their community school if a plan to expand Crooked River School passes, Olsen and others hoped to alert and sway Bridgton voters to reject the $9.6 million project and force SAD 61 to scale back the plan. “Save our school,” youngsters yelled out as vehicles passed through Pondicherry Square. Several motorists honked their vehicles’ horns in support. “I felt the rally went very well. We had a full spectrum of ages participate — children, teens, parents with children in the school system, parents that no longer have children in the school system, seniors and some that have never had kids go through the system,” said Olsen, who is Sebago’s Recreation Director. “We received a lot of support from people who stopped to get more information, honking horns, throwing us thumbs up. We found many people actually having no idea that there was even a MAKING A STATEMENT — Over a dozen supporters of the Friends of Sebago Elementary School held a rally in renovation project happening or how it was going to affect them. Pondicherry Square in Bridgton Sunday afternoon urging local residents to vote “No” on the Dec. 8 SAD 61 referen- We received one thumbs down in the two hours we were there!” Olsen said there were many reasons why the group held the dum for a $9.6 million renovation/construction project at Crooked River School. (Rivet Photos) MESSAGE, Page 8A
Naples prevails in dog on beach challenge
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled Monday against a Naples man who was kicked off the Naples Town Beach last summer while training an emotional therapy dog with his son. In so doing, the Commission made a distinction between the legal classification of emotional therapy dogs, used as a support for housing, and service dogs, used as a support to access public spaces. Christian Thompson of Naples had argued that the nine-month old dog he’d provided his son was a service dog when confronted at the beach on June 10, 2014, by Naples Recreation Director Harvey Price. His son has anxiety issues, and the role of
emotional therapy dogs are to assist people with “limitations caused by anxiety, depression, mood disorder and other emotional conditions.” Thompson said he offered the dog’s identification card as proof, a contention disputed by Price, who said Thompson was belligerent and refused his request to leave. Price said Thompson challenged him to call the police, which he did. A deputy from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department responded, and, after seeing a registration card, was initially inclined to allow the dog to stay. But Price argued that the dog was not wearing any tag identifying it as a service dog, and the deputy acknowledged he wasn’t familiar with the law on that point.
Thompson said that Price was yelling and swearing at him, and charged that he was harassed several times afterward when he went to the beach without the dog. Price denied that his conduct was unprofessional. The Commission based its ruling on the Maine Human Rights Act, which states that “a person seeking to access the benefits of a public accommodation is not entitled to have the assistance of an emotional support/ therapy/companion animal.” The MHRA defines an emotional therapy dog as a “service animal” for housing purposes only, and not when it comes to accessing public accommodations such as a public beach. The Commission also noted that the MHRA does not require that a service animal have any special identifiers such as
cards, tags, in order to enter a public accommodation. Therefore, the Commission ruled, Price was within his authority to request that Thompson remove the animal from the beach. Had the dog been a licensed service dog, Price would have been in the wrong. Following the altercation on the beach, Thompson took steps to have the dog registered as a service animal, but the Commission ruled that such steps “do not change the nature of the dog’s services as an emotional support animal. Thompson was working with the dog to train it to nudge or bark his son when his son was upset, to provide a window of distraction to allow the child to regain a sense of clarity and calm.
Casco seeks leverage to collect
WATCH OUT — Wild turkeys crossing the road can be a hazard for the inattentive driver. On Bridgton’s Burnham Road Nov. 17, they may have been road kill sport.
Turkeys target of driver’s ire?
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Eight wild turkeys were struck and killed, apparently deliberately, on the Burnham Road Nov. 17. Whoever killed the birds, however, didn’t stick around to collect their Thanksgiving dinner — either too shocked or ashamed by what they’d done. But the birds were tagged, and given to the person who, coming upon the scene of carnage at 8:30 a.m., did the right thing and called police. Bridgton Police Officer Mac McCormick responded, and agreed with the caller’s assessment that the slaughter of the eight wild turkeys appeared deliberate. The caller, who waited at the scene for police to arrive, asked McCormick if he could harvest them. “That’s when I learned something new,” said
Bridgton Police Chief Richard Stillman, who up until a few months ago worked in the much more urban environment of Walpole, Mass. What he learned was that police in Maine have the authority, without involving a game warden, to tag four kinds of animals — turkey, deer, moose and bear — killed in roadside accidents. By law, Stillman said, the driver who hits an animal is supposed to stop and call police, and then wait for police to arrive. But that doesn’t happen in many cases, and it didn’t happen that day on Burnham Road. So McCormick tagged the turkeys and gave them to the caller, whose good deed most likely proved a boon for his family and friends this Thanksgiving Day. Wild turkey facts (Portions excerpted from TURKEY, Page 3A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — It can be as taxing to try to collect taxes as it is for debtors to pay them. A highly-visible local business owes personal property taxes to the Town of Casco. In an effort to collect any unpaid personal property taxes now and in the future, the Casco Board of Selectmen has been reviewing the protocol presented by the Maine Municipal Association (MMA). P&K Sand and Gravel Inc. owes back taxes for personal property, and has not made any payment arrangements, according to Casco Town
Manager Dave Morton. The town may have to play hardball — denying the company a contract zone renewal until the back taxes are paid, Morton said. He declined to say how much was owed or how many years back the tax debt goes. The town has communicated with P&K via letters and phone calls, but the bill remains unpaid, Morton said. P&K is headquartered in Naples; and that property is taxed by the Town of Naples. However, P&K has a quarry in Casco. The Heath Quarry is located in the Webbs Mills area, off Indian Acres Road. The personal property tax policy allows the town to tax
business equipment — in the case of P&K that includes heavy machinery used at the quarry in Casco. “We have a personal property tax law. Many businesses in Casco do pay attention to that” and pay those taxes, Chairman Holly Hancock said on Monday. The taxable items include equipment, separate from a company’s real estate property and the buildings, she said. For example, the Casco Village Church pays a tax on the photocopier, Hancock said. “The board is working on a policy for collections. There is an applicable law. We are examining that and what our procedure will be,”
she said. During the next board meeting on Dec. 8, selectmen will discuss the adoption of a policy for collecting this type of tax. If no collection policy is adopted, Casco has another approach to get the unpaid taxes from P&K, Morton has told the selectmen at two different meetings. “One of our taxpayers with the largest amount of personal property taxes is coming in (to the Casco Planning Board) for a contract zone renewal. We can use that for leverage,” Morton said. That tactic is within the town’s rights, he said. The contract zone agreeLEVERAGE, Page 3A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — While Naples town officials might like the idea of having more sidewalks in town, residents who walk Route 35 during the winter will have to settle for having the snowbanks pushed back a little farther. And, even that solution is a maybe rather than a promise. During a Naples Board of Selectmen meeting on Nov. 2, a trio of health-conscious women who like to get a side of fresh air with their exercise asked about the possibility of the town putting in sidewalks on Route 35, also known as Harrison Road.
“We are outdoor enthusiasts. It is challenging trying to walk along Route 35,” the Naples resident said. She requested that the board look into the installation of sidewalks on both sides of Route 35. Not only would sidewalks create connectivity to the Causeway but also it would allow others to enjoy the natural scenery. “There are a lot of people who walk that road. Long Lake is so beautiful,” the woman said. “People are out walking and running and it is kind of unsafe,” she said. Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak said that the
long-range goal for the town is to have more sidewalks, but it is an expenditure that is not affordable presently. “What I could do in the short-term is to pass it along to the deputies (at Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office) as far as speeders” when people are out walking, Paraschak said. He was talking about people
driving beyond the speed limit, not speed walkers. Over the years, the Town of Naples has sought state money to make improvements on the corner of Route 302 and Route 35, including a crosswalk for pedestrians and an updated traffic signal light. Chairman Bob Caron II said SIDEWALKS, Page 7A
Outdoorsy ones want sidewalks
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