Chamber awards
Help with the Feast
Plenty of hardware and congratulations were extended at annual meeting
Inside News Calendar . . . . . . . 4B-5B
To make Thanksgiving a great day for all families, Fryeburg Police and others pitch in
Page 2A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 4D Country Living . . . 1B-6B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 5C
Page 6A
Obituaries . . . . . . 2D-3D Opinions . 1D-2D, 5D-6D Police/Court . . . . . 4A-6A Sports . . . . . . 1C-4C, 6C Student News . . . 7C-8C Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 5C
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 145, No. 48
28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
November 27, 2014
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 4D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Cell tower fight over
Resident pulls appeal at last minute
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Hio Ridge Road resident Paul Veit has finally thrown in the towel in his longstanding battle against a cell tower project near his home by AT&T and American Towers. But some are questioning his timing. “It’s unfortunate that the taxpayers of Bridgton had to foot the bill, for printing costs and legal fees for, quite frankly, an appeal that didn’t have any merit,” said AT&T project consultant Barry Hobbins in a Friday telephone interview. Veit was unavailable for comment. His one-sentence letter of withdrawal was delivered Thursday, the same day that the Bridgton Board of Appeals was set to meet for a second time on Veit’s appeal of the Oct. 7 final project approval by the Bridgton Planning Board. When the Appeals Board met briefly
that evening to accept Veit’s withdrawal, its members had spent many hours reviewing the written and videotaped record of the planning board’s six-month review of the project, which began in April. Appeals Board Chairman John Schuettinger said it took him 13 hours alone to watch the videotapes, and three days to finish reading all of the documentation. Nevertheless, faced with spending more hours deliberating and acting on the appeal, one board member was heard to say, “It’s a gift” that the appeal was withdrawn. After their initial meeting on Veit’s appeal on Oct. 23, appeals board members were given a voluminous stack of meeting minutes, videotapes and accompanying studies and documentation that represented the entire record of testimony during the planning board’s review process. Members were asked to review the record to determine whether there was any merit in Veit’s con-
tention that the planning board failed to adequately address several purpose statements under the town’s Tower Ordinance, particularly as to whether other “reasonable” solutions were available to address AT&T’s gap in signal coverage in West Bridgton. Veit originally had added a conflict of interest charge as part of his appeal, but withdrew that portion of the appeal at the Oct. 23 meeting. Administrative Assistant to the Appeals Board Georgiann Fleck said it cost over $2,000 to replace the town office printer after it broke while making copies of all the documents for appeals board members. Hobbins said, “I have nothing but praise” for Fleck, as well as members of both boards and several department heads for the professional manner in which the concerns of Veit and other cell tower opponents were handled. “They’ve all had great patience in CELL TOWER, Page A
Volunteers still needed to serve
CHILL WAS IN THE AIR — Evan Caracciolo dressed warmly Saturday for the annual Gasping Gobbler 5K Run/Walk held at the Lovell Athletic Fields. Maine’s ever changing weather ushered inn 60 degree weather Tuesday, yet that is expected to change with snow in the forecast Wednesday. (Rivet Photo)
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Three people to date have said they’re willing to serve on a new ad hoc committee that will study what local regulations can or should be enacted to control the siting and operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. Bridgton Selectmen, who have yet to finalize the committee’s membership, are going forward with the committee despite voters’ rejection Nov. 4 of a proposal to enact a moratorium on medi-
cal marijuana dispensaries and cultivation sites. The call for a moratorium was seen as flawed because it could apply to state-qualified patients and caregivers who are protected under the state’s Maine Medical Marijuana Act. “This only talks about dispensaries — it doesn’t talk about anything else,” Town Manager Bob Peabody told the board at their Nov. 18 meeting. Still, at least one selectman, Paul Hoyt, wasn’t conCOMMITTEE, Page A
Casco reviews improved polls By Dawn De Busk Stafff Writer CASCO — Following the 2014 Gubernatorial and local elections, Casco’s public officials are reviewing ways to make the polling experience better. Selectman Holly Hancock
suggested that the town add an election coordinator to the municipal budget in the future. She said the Casco Community Center is bristling with activity during Election Day. Not only do people come to vote, but they attend a Business Showcase in the town’s gym-
nasium. “We have lots of people working hard to make sure that we have a good election,” she said. “We have no one looking at the bigger picture. Since our objective is to have a good election with accurate results,” this
is something the town should pursue, Hancock said. Town Manager Dave Morton said he and staff have been “talking about ways to make polling faster for next time.” The polling process was slowed down since many resiPOLLS, Page A
Grateful for a musical lifestyle By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer Less than two weeks after performing at the Noble House Inn in Bridgton, musician Andrew McKnight was ready to knock on wood. McKnight had just arrived at the workshop of a local luthier (guitar-maker) in Virginia, where he lives. “What started out as one custom-made instrument ended up being six guitars, all made from local wood. I am going to choose the pick of the litter,” he said. The species of trees incorporated into the guitar include West Virginia red spruce on the top of the instrument and hardwoods like white oak and sycamore for the side and back of the guitar. There’s also black walnut and maple in the mix, he said. A filmmaker will be on hand to document the handmade guitar handled by a musician who writes his own music. “I love wood in general. The instrument is made out of a tree that is no longer living, but it comes to life,” he said. “I always enjoy the first time during a performance when I can hear the wood of my guitar,” he said. McKnight weighed in on how 2014 has been for him musically. He recalled some awesome music festivals over the summer. He looked forward to connecting with a new guitar, and to the filming of his upcoming concert at the Franklin Park Arts Center in Virginia on Saturday. “It’s amazing to think that people are still coming and supporting me 20 years after I started doing it,” he said. “That I get to do what I do because of music. It’s such an unconventional career path,” he said. “It’s humbling that people are so supportive of my work. I am living in the kick starter (because) I have a one-to-one relationship with the people who invest in my music, whether it’s in heart, in musical accompaniment, in monetary donations, or all three. I am grateful. Thanksgiving week is a great time to talk about it. I am grateful today,” McKnight said. He also said he was thankful that when touring and performing, he did not spend long periods of time on the road. He
THE SPILLWAY DAM for Parker Pond and Pleasant Lake is failing, with cracks in the concrete, which allows water to move past the structure. Representatives from the towns of Casco and Otisfield are working on a solution, and will most likely ask for funding to hire a hydrologist at this winter’s special town meetings. (De Busk Photo)
Officials seek dam repair plan
ANDREW MCKNIGHT relaxes with his guitar after a house concert at the Noble House Inn in Bridgton, on Nov. 13. McKnight’s performance schedule is so busy that he likely won’t be back at the Noble House Inn until spring 2016. However, he plans to provide fans and new-comers with a concert via a Vidcast at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 16. Go to www.andrewmcknight.net/vidcast. (De Busk Photo) is still able to have a family life with his wife and seven-yearold daughter — both of whom joined him on the recent “road trip” to Bridgton. “Where I live — I am within a day’s drive of about 50 percent of nation’s population. I go for five days or a week, come MCKNIGHT, Page A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — A person with no engineering background would be able to see the obvious: There are cracks in the dam between Mill Pond and Crooked River. The concrete spillway dam has water passing through the cracks; and higher water pressure could cause more damage to the structure. Mill Pond is where some of the water from Pleasant Lake and Parker Pond travels. Recently, Casco Selectman Holly Hancock updated the board on the status of fixing the dam that is jointly owned by the towns of Casco and Otisfield. The next step is to hire a hydrologist or hydro-engineer to make recommendations for the dam, Hancock said.
A subcommittee was formed in the early autumn. Currently, the task of that group is to get cost estimates for the hiring of a hydrologist this winter, she said. Then, the plan is to bring that request forward as a warrant item at the Special Town Meeting in January. The towns of Otisfield and Casco would split the expense equally — if that budgetary matter is passed at those special town meetings, Hancock said. According to Town Manager Dave Morton, “Before we can do design work or engineering, we need to have hydrology work done.” He said that initial report would help the towns to answer all of the questions DAM PLAN, Page A
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