Relief effort
Take down
Two drives this Saturday in Bridgton and Fryeburg to help victims of Superstorm Sandy
Inside News
Raiders fare well at wrestling Invitational; Laker girls improve to 2-0 in basketball
Page 2A
Page 1C
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 6B Classifieds . . . . . . 4D-5D Country Living . . . 1B-8B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 3D Obituaries . . . . . . 6D-7D Opinions . . . . 1D-3D, 5D Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . 1C-6C Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . 5C Arts & Entertainment 7B, 8B
www.bridgton.com Vol. 143, No. 50
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. 28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
December 13, 2012
(USPS 065-020)
SIXTY CENTS
Board stands firm on reappointment policy By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Dec. 21, 2012 may not be the end of the world as some say is prophesied by the Mayan calendar, but it certainly will be a day to remember in the history of Bridgton town politics. On that day, a new policy will go into effect: all members of appointed committees will serve annually, and must reapply by Dec. 21 if they want to stay on for another year. Yet all but one of the members of four town committees — around 15 residents — have signed a letter stating it’s “unlikely” they’ll reapply, because they view this new requirement as an attempt by town government to “recall” cer-
tain members and “rewrite” the committees’ charges. Members of the Comprehensive Plan Committee, the Community Development Committee, the Sewer Committee and the Pondicherry Park Committee agreed with the letter’s view that requiring existing members to reapply is a “battle for control” by selectmen who’ve shown a “lack of leadership” in moving projects forward, yet who don’t want committees to take the initiative on any issue. Significantly, the letter suggests that it might be time for town volunteers to quit trying to work with the town, and to instead act on their own on behalf of residents, by filing citizen petitions. The only
member who didn’t sign was Dee Miller of the CDC. The four letters from the four committees all had the same wording, and were delivered in envelopes to the municipal complex on Dec. 6. On Tuesday, three members of the five-member Bridgton Board of Selectmen fought back, saying the letter misrepresented what they are trying to do. Woody Woodward, Bob McHatton and Paul Hoyt rejected a motion by Bernie King, backed by Doug Taft, to exempt current committee volunteers from having to reapply to serve. Instead, the board voted, by the same 3–2 split, to require all existing committee members to notify the town by Dec. 21 if
they want to continue serving, and to also update the board of any changes in the committees’ status. The new policy opens up applications for each of the town’s nine committees to any new resident who would like to apply by the Dec. 21 deadline. The board will then review all applications and decide on committee membership in January. In January the board will also finalize the “charge, mission and authority” of each committee. The board reviewed newly-redrafted charges Tuesday for the CDC, CPC, Investment Committee, Recycling Committee, Sewer Committee and the Budget Advisory Committee. Budget
SCHOOL, Page A
RV use on parcel tabled
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — A property owner on Sebago Lake Shores Road expressed his disappointment about a buyer leaving behind the potential real-estate deal — if a year-round recreational vehicle is no longer allowed on the parcel. Meanwhile, abutters favored discontinuing the current uses on the property, which is considered a non-conforming lot and is located on wetlands. However, according to Town Attorney Natalie Burns, the town is not in a position to demand the recreational vehicle’s removal because the property owner has written permission from Casco’s former code enforcement officer (CEO). “By Maine state law, the town cannot take another posiRV USE, Page A
and “It’s our fiduciary responsibility to make sure these committees are staffed.” But, Taft said, it was counter-productive to make changes in mission statements midway through a committee’s efforts. “We appointed them, we may not agree with them, but we need to stop interfering — that’s not the right word — stop interjecting (the board’s opinions) partway through the project.” Every town employee is reappointed annually to their position, Woodward said, “and I don’t think it demoralizes them.” Woodward said committee members signed a letter that was based “on gossip and lies,” POLICY, Page A
Community forest eyed for 3 towns
School slated for rescue trainings By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Local elected officials will allow the town’s fire and rescue departments to use the Casco Memorial School for training exercises before the building is demolished this summer. However, the building will not be burned. “The fire chief understands there will be no fires,” said Town Manager Dave Morton. He added that the structure will provide the department with other types of training such as night vision and search and rescue. In a 3–2 vote, the Casco Board of Selectmen cast the final fate of the Memorial School building, which for two years has remained vacant. Selectmen Paul Edes and Ray Grant opposed the decision. Also — as part of Tuesday’s motion, the town will put the demolition of the school out to bid. That job will likely include the removal of hazardous mate-
Committee members were held to an earlier application deadline of Dec. 7, since they need to meet in advance of the presentation of the FY 2014 budget on Jan. 8. “I’m not looking for anything more than an acknowledgement that any committee member is wanting to continue,” said Hoyt, who denied that the annual reappointments were either a “recall” or an attempt to change the wording of mission statements. There was a lack of consistency in both the format and content of committee mission statements that the board thought it was time to address, he said. Woodward added that, over the course of a year, some committee volunteers drop out,
COMMEMORATING FAMILY AND COMMUNITY — Amid the summertime crowds on the Causeway, wood craftsman Rob Brand sits on the bench he purchased and dedicated to the memory of his mother and father. (Photo courtesy of Rob Brand)
Long-lasting gift
Craftsman finds bench work both satisfying, emotional By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — Woodwork craftsman Rob Brand was commissioned to create the benches that will adorn the Causeway through the seasons. Also, the benches — many dedicated to people who have passed away, will help raise money to pay off the town’s cost for the Bay of Naples Bridge construction project and the simultaneously improved Causeway. Brand said visiting the bench he purchased and dedicated to his parents was an emotional, yet satisfying, experience. “Having put my own bench out there, and having sat on it and gazed at the lake, it is very moving to think that the bench will be there as a legacy for many years to come,” Brand said on Tuesday morning. Rather than inscribing a saying on the plaque for the bench, Brand put a picture of a frog — an animal that was meaningful to his mother, and a cardinal to represent his dad. The local businessman said it was a privilege to have his bench design selected by the Causeway Restoration Committee and the Naples
Board of Selectmen. “It honors me, and it honors the people for whom I am building the benches,” he said. “What better gift to a craft person: That you make something— it is not quite immortal — but, a long-lasting gift to somebody,” Brand said. More than a dozen of the 20 benches he has already crafted have been placed in the green space of the Causeway. This spring, Brand plans to complete nine more benches. By summer, those remaining benches will begin to take residence on the Causeway. Lately, some community members have questioned whether or not the benches would be removed from the Causeway during the winter months. After all, most individuals store patio and lawn furniture when summer takes its final curtsey. According to CRC Chairman Bob Neault, the benches “are designed to weather, and the idea is to leave them in place.” Brand explained that the benches are constructed from African mahogany — a dense, heavy wood that rates well for being weather tolerant. “The benches themselves will last 50 years easily,” he
said. “African mahogany was used on ships for decking. It has been used for decking on homes,” he said. “I used time-honored mortise and tenon joinery,” he said, explaining the joinery technique used to assemble the pieces. While these wooden benches have proven to be weathertolerant, the lettering on some of the plaques has not been. “We will have to re-do the plaques,” he said. “The engraving is great. But, the weather — between the sun and exposure from wind on the lake — is fading the lettering very rapidly.” He said he has been in contact with the vendor of the product, and hopes to find a solution by using a different product or a different technique. He said he was considering “a material that is inlaid with UV-tolerant paint or a nonwood material that will last forever.” After all, those people who have benches dedicated to loved ones want that commemoration to endure through time. Brand received an e-mail BENCHES, Page A
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer The largest remaining tract of undeveloped forestland in the Lake Region is under contract to Loon Echo Land Trust and would be given to the town of Denmark next June, under an ambitious $1.4 million land conservation plan rolled out to the Bridgton Board of Selectmen Tuesday. “Can one town own property in another town? The answer is yes,” Denmark Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak told Bridgton selectmen. Paraschak was joined by LELT’s Executive Director Carrie Walia and Denmark Selectman Rick Mason in presenting the Perley Mills Community Forest plan to the board. For several years, Denmark Selectmen and the Denmark Conservation Commission have been active supporters of the plan to purchase and manage the 1,666-plus acre forestland because the town has an “interest in owning a municipal forest for the benefit of the public,” Walia wrote in a letter to Bridgton Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz. The land scored as a high priority for resource protection in the Lake Region, under the Greenprint mapping project completed over a year ago. Bridgton Selectmen were asked to consider asking voters next June to commit $25,000
from the Moose Pond Trust Fund toward the purchase price, and perhaps to also become active partners in the plan. Denmark voters will also be asked to chip in $25,000. Walia said the land came close FOREST, Page A
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer The Bridgton Police Department has softened its approach to posting arrest information and mug shots on its Facebook page, Police Chief Kevin Schofield told selectmen Tuesday. But while the board welcomed the news, more work still needs to be done to craft a Digital Media Policy that allows the public to interact with the town through online social media. On Monday, the police depart-
ment started posting a weekly arrest log, which requires fans to click on the link to see recent arrests, along with photos of the persons arrested. Selectmen Bernie King, a leading critic of the practice, said the format change doesn’t go far enough, because fans can still comment at the end of the log on any of the persons arrested. As example, the list posted Monday included a comment revealing additional personal information about the circumFACEBOOK, Page A
POPULAR TRAIL INCLUDED — Nearly three miles of the former 16-mile Bridgton and Saco River Railroad, now a popular recreational trail used by snowmobilers, hunters, hikers and ATV users, passes through the center of the Bridgton and Denmark portion of the proposed Perley Mills Community Forest.
Police Facebook change welcomed
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