School news Laker Pride Awards; Lions’ Student of the Month; Rotary Good Citizen Page 1B
Falling short
Inside News
High school hoop teams are showing flashes of solid play, but unable to finish
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 8A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 6b Country Living . . . 7A-8A Directory . . . . . . . . . . 4B
Section B
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 6A Opinions . . . . . . . 7B-9B Police/Court . . . . . 4A-5A Sports . . . . . . . . . 2B-4B Student News . . . 1B-2B Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 5B Tony’s holiday cheer, 9A
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 149, No. 51
20 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
December 19, 2019
www.bridgton.com
(USPS 065-020)
95¢
Ordinance to remedy parking on Rte. 11? By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — It might be a good sign that what a business offers is so desirable that people just pull over to the side of the road, park in shoulder, and run inside to grab a bite to eat. However, it flies in the face of public safety. Casco Planning Board member Lynne Potter brought up the problem of people parking on Route 11 to access Kindred Farms Market & Bakery, even
though the local business has a decent-sized parking lot off Route 121. The parking in the shoulder is especially problematic because it’s on a section of Route 11 that has been categorized as dangerous. There have been numerous accident as well as a fatality. In fact, the intersection of Route 11 and Route 121 was recently redesigned as a four-way stop. The topic of how to stop people from parking in the shoulder of Route 11 came
up during a planning board meeting on Dec. 9. “I have a question. I noticed with Kindred Farms, people are parking on Route 11,” Potter said. “Do we have to go to state or is there anyway we can put up a ‘No Parking’ sign?” “Almost every day, I go by and there is car parked there on the edge of the road on Route 11,” Potter said. Holly Hancock stepped up to the microphone with the state’s answer regarding
people parking in a dangerous spot. Hancock attended the planning board meeting. She serves on the Casco Board of Selectmen and is also the assistant fire chief. She said she spoke to representatives from the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) when crews were doing the work to change the intersection of routes 11 and 121 to a fourway stop. “They said we would need an ordinance,”
Hancock said. If a local ordinance was passed by residents at town meeting, the Maine DOT would put up a sign, she said. An ordinance could apply to other intersections. The language would indicate how far away people would have to park off the road. There were comments on how the town would enforce such a law. Who would be making sure people followed a no parking law?
Certainly, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) could ticket people but only if a deputy happened to be in the area at that time; and that might be low priority. Additionally, staff does not have time to ticket offenders if such a law were passed. Potter asked if the planning board or the selectmen would be responsible for drafting the ordinance. Casco Town Planner Jim Seymour said it would be PARKING, Page 2A
Decibels added to music rules
BRINGING SOME HOLIDAY CHEER — The Bridgton Lions Club made its annual Christmas delivery of clothing, gifts and food certificates for students at Stevens Brook Elementary School Monday morning. Pictured left to right in front: Liz Shane, SBES academic leader and program coordinator; Student Council representatives Finnegan Kane and Brady Chalmers; and Anne Schuettinger, representing the five clothing “buyers.” In the second row: Lions committee members Eric Nelson, Steve Collins and Jeffrey Richards, along with Lions Club first Vice President John Schuettinger. Gifts were provided to 40 children from 14 families; and Hannaford food certificates were given to all of the families in the school’s “Back Pack” program, according to Lion Carl Talbot. (Rivet Photo)
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — In an effort to make noise complaints less subjective, more scientific, a decibel level limit was added to the proposed Entertainment Ordinance. Decibels were incorporated into the ordinance as part of the changes, according to the Naples Ordinance Review Committee (ORC) Chairman Skip Meeker. “We took the old ordinance and fine-tuned it. We kept the main gut of the ordinance. We incorporated decibels,” Meeker said. The decibel level is 70, and that is measured 200 feet from the venue doing the music. “Basically, we are getting away from the ‘he said/she said’ approach,” Meeker said. The primary reason for adding decibels was “coming up with something valid that both sides could use,” he said. On Monday, a public
hearing was held for the proposed Entertainment Ordinance amendments, which face one more public hearing before becoming a warrant article at Special town meeting. The public hearing was held prior to the regular meeting for the Naples Board of Selectmen. It was suggested that businesses purchase a decibel meter to make sure the music is within the soundlevel limits. Likewise, residents living in neighborhoods near an establishment that has entertainment might want to invest in a decibel reader. The ORC arrived at 70 decibels “from surveying other towns and other ordinances,” Meeker said. Naples Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) Renee Carter said that 70 decibels is what the State of Maine uses for noise ordinances. “It isn’t something we DECIBELS, Page 3A
Transfer Site rules cause some squawking By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — One technique to get more miles out of the ‘dump sticker’ is to adhere it to a piece of Plexiglass, which is then transferred to other vehicles not just within the household but to vehicles whose owners do not live in town. Some people move from Casco or from Naples to another town, but continue to bring their household rubbish to the transfer station. Because that person might be a familiar face to employees, he or she gets away with using the facility without paying. These are some of the
ways that the existing rules get broken at the CascoNaples Transfer Station. Naples Town Manager John Hawley said there has been a bit of backlash from the public over the rules at the transfer station. Some community members think that new rules have been put in place. “If you are hearing squawking around town, we are just cracking down. The rules haven’t changed. We are just enforcing them more,” Hawley said. During the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday, Hawley talked about what has been going on at the transfer station, which is shared
by the towns of Casco and Naples. “There have been some rumors going on around about drastic changes at the bulky waste and transfer station” facilities, Hawley said. “I just wanted it to be clear that mostly what is occurring over there is a tightening of the already existing rules,” he said. “We are trying to be strict. The rule that has some people squawking is the enforcement of the bulky waste sticker,” he said. “The enforcement of facility use stickers on the vehicles has become an issue with some, and
primarily because the staff have been instructed to make sure that the window stickers are in place,” he said. “The window stickers ensure that you are actually permitted to be there,” Hawley said. “We are aware of people using our facility who used to live in town and because they were recognized at the facility but we are not aware that they had moved out of the community,” they were allowed to do so, he said. Hawley cited examples of how not adhering the decal to the vehicle’s window and just placing it in the window allows people
to share the dump sticker. “Transfer station stickers are moved from the vehicles of residents and moved to family members [who] were not residents,” he said. “Generally, if people are upset about it, it’s because they’ve been doing this for a while,” Hawley said. A gentleman came into the town hall and complained that he did not want to put a ‘dump sticker’ on the windshield of his $70,000 vehicle. Hawley said that state law requires people to put inspection stickers on vehicle windshields or face the consequences of breaking the law, which is fine.
In the case of the transfer site, it would mean that the resident who refuses to stick the decal to the windshield would be refused the disposal of his or her rubbish. “We are more strictly adhering to three strikes rule,” Hawley said. If someone gets rid of household trash without having a sticker or does not have the sticker adhered to windshield and that person does it twice, the town will mail out a formal letter. “If you get one more strike, you cannot use the facility,” he said. And, the employees at the facilities have been TRANSFER, Page 2A
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer HARRISON — Sometimes, it really pays to beat the bushes. When Town Manager Tim Pellerin sought prices from contractors regarding the proposed Rec Office and Parks facility to be situated at Crystal Lake Park, he did not receive a big response. “All of the contractors are busy,” Pellerin told the Harrison Selectboard last Thursday. He did receive a “couple of prices” ranging from $225,000 to $250,000. Pellerin thought the town could do better, so he took a different approach. He looked to “bid pieces” of the project, including using
the town’s Public Works Department to tackle the groundwork. “I beat the bushes, and crunched the numbers,” he said. After a few alterations to the plan (such as using heat pumps), Pellerin came in with a price of about $185,000 for the 24-by-48 building, which includes two garage bays, as well as much needed storage for Rec equipment. “The facility will enable us to do our job better and easier,” Pellerin said. The selectboard unanimously supported the project, which will commence in the spring. Funding will come from the town’s Capital Reserve.
In other meeting notes: Plan in place… for a new Public Works facility, to be located off Route 117, adjacent to the RADR Complex. The question officials will need to decide is when to build it. The selectboard accepted the feasibility study produced by Main-Land Development Consultants, and plans for a five-bay metal structure, which engineer Eric Labelle believes will meet Harrison’s needs over the next 50 years. “It’s a modern facility with a little room for expansion,” Labelle said. He noted that the “building goes together quickly once the process begins.” Labelle estimated it would take six
to nine months to complete the project. Ideally, work would start in the spring, and be completed by the end of the year — just in time for plowing season. Town Manager Tim Pellerin said the plan includes a timeline and some estimated costs (right now, the pricetag is in the $3.1 million range), which can be altered when the decision is made to pursue construction. “We can dust off the plan whenever we get to it. This is our road map moving forward. A lot of time and effort has gone into this. It is as detailed as we could be,” Pellerin said. “At upcoming budget meetings, we can talk about when and how to do this project with a low
impact on the community.” Officials could be eyeing 2022, since that is when the current road bond will be retired. Selectman Rick Sykes asked if there might be grants available to assist financing the project? Pellerin is researching that avenue. Cable TV survey. As part of Harrison’s work (along with 21 other communities
that have joined forces) to negotiate a new cable contract, a community feedback survey was conducted. Pellerin presented the findings to the selectboard, along with a map which included red “Xs” indicating where responders live. Some results: • 176 responded, with 88 indicating that they curHARRISON, Page 2A
‘Beating bushes’ lands better Rec office price
The Bridgton News Established 1870
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com