BN51-122321

Page 1

Inside news Safe chimney is clean one; BPD Officer McCloud graduates from Academy Page 4A

Gritty efforts

BN Index

FA wrestlers reach podium’s top stair; Lakers fall short vs Clippers; Ice Cats rolling

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 6B Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 7B Country Living . . . 5B-6B Directory . . . . . . . . . . 4B

Page 6A

Obituaries . . . . . . 2B-3B Opinions . . . . . . . 1B-7B Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . 6A-7A Student News . . . . . . 8A Games . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B

Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 150, No. 51

16 PAGES - 2 Sections

Bridgton, Maine

December 23, 2021

Legal Notices . . . . . . . 2B

www.bridgton.com

(USPS 065-020)

95¢

Out with the old

... and in with new in ’22

GIFT OF SAVING the life of a person who is overdosing from opioids — Lakes Region Recovery Center (LRRC) Communications Specialist Candy Greenberg holds a dose of Narcan, the medicine which reserves the effects of an overdose from opioids. In November, the center put into the hands of the public 80 individual doses of the life-saving medicine. (Photo courtesy of Lakes Region Recovery Center)

Narcan: A solution to opioid overdoses

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer Fifty Mainers are dying every month from an opioid overdose. These statistics — which represent real people with friends and families — have been breaking records from previous months. At Lakes Region Recovery Center (LRRC) another record was broken. It is one moving in the opposite direction. “We gave away 80 indi-

Time to sketch future?

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — While the Town of Casco was in between full-time town managers, a few things fell between the cracks. For example, the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance amendments that had been signed by the selectmen failed to get on the warrant for town meeting in summer 2021. That’s okay because those proposed amendments will be on the warrant at special town meeting in January 2022. Now-a-days, the Casco Board of Selectmen is being more proactive than ever. In fact, the board is putting before the voters this January the request to use existing funds for a sketch design of which new or renovated facilities might be proposed in the next five years. One concern is the Central Casco Fire Station, and the point in time that the department outgrows that building or the point in time that a public works department is established, according to SKETCH, Page 2A

vidual doses of Narcan during the month of November, which is a record for us,” according to LRRC Communications Specialist Candy Greenberg. “We count those as 80 lives saved,” she said. Narcan is the medicine that is administered to someone who is overdosing from heroin or opioid-based pills to immediately reverse those effects. Emergency responders have used Narcan to save

someone’s life countless times. Now, it is also available to people who are not in the public-safety sector. People in the community who want to have Narcan in their first aid kit will receive a tutorial on how to administer the medicine. “It is a medicine similar to an EpiPen. You can save someone from a negative reaction from a bee sting,” Greenberg said. NARCAN, Page 2A

By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Out went the old last week as two “have seen their better days” buildings in Pondicherry Square were torn down. In with the new in 2022 will be a new business complex — the Gateway Block — built and owned by local Main Eco Homes, anchored by Bridgton Brewing, bar and restaurant. “This has been a long time coming, and we’re very excited about this project,” said Justin McIver of MEH. “It’s really bittersweet.” Demolition last Thursday morning was initially delayed as heavy equipment coming from Bethel dealt with slippery road conditions. Town officials and MEH representatives gathered for a photo opportunity prior to the start of demolition. Many citizens snapped photographs on their cell phones, while LRTV taped the changing of the guard — from buildings that once housed car dealer-

DEMOLITION DAY came last Thursday morning as two buildings in Pondicherry Square in Bridgton were torn down to make way for a new complex, the Gateway Block by Main Eco Homes, which will include a restaurant/brewery. (De Busk Photo) ships, a developer of touch the “gateway” to Bridgton’s response panels and con- downtown. trols to a pizza/sub shop McIver said work to to a new restaurant/brewery close out the year primarily and commercial space — at DEMO, Page 3A

Sidewalk standard hikes price of project By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — A local marina owner came before the Naples Planning Board with a plan to use property purchased in 2017. The applicant discovered that in 2021, a sidewalk must be included in the plan. The parcel is the old farm stand, off Route 302 in Naples. The land would be used by about two or three employees at a time, and it would house two buildings both for servicing and storing boats. This site would not be frequented by customers. Already an

existing building has been upgraded; and the sketch plans calls for a second similar building behind the first one. On Tuesday, Project Engineer Esther Bizier, of Main-Land Development Consultants, Inc., presented the sketch plan for a boat storage and service space on the behalf of the owners of Moose Landing Marina. However, it was a different business, a different LLC that was applying for a change of use in the commercial zone. The installation of a sidewalk is the topic that ended up being discussed

Beach set for upgrade

STRINGING THE LIGHTS — Three bucket trucks and five hours is what it took to string 2,000 feet of lights onto this hemlock. The crew involved include: Tom Niles, Darren Cole, Josh Griffin, Mindy Parker, Dennis Smith, Keith Andrews, Emmett Herrick and Tyler Moore. (Photo courtesy of Q Team Tree Service). Right, the red blip isn’t the planet Mars or a UFO. It is a drone from Good Eye Productions capturing images of the 70-foot hemlock tree decked out in lights for Christmas. (De Busk Photo)

70-foot tree heralds in holidays

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES— Naples has a tree to rival with the one in Rockefeller Center. For the first time ever, the 70-foot tall hemlock located in the front of a long-time local business was strung with lights. For passers-by and those who live nearby, what a sight those lights on that tall tree have been.

The tree is located on the Q Team Tree Service property, which is visible from Route 11. In 2020, Q Team employees agreed it was a good idea to put lights on the tree. Unfortunately, the Online order didn’t arrive in time. So, the tree had to wait a year to shine. When Q Team expanded its wood lot over the past couple years, tree-clearing

at length. The town has requirement to construct sidewalks in the commercial zone whenever a new development goes in. This is a standard that the town adopted after the recent improvements at the intersection of Route 302 and Route 35. As part of the town’s plan, sidewalks were supposed to extend in opposite direction from the Causeway creating connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. That is according to Naples Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) Kate Matthews, who explained SIDEWALK, Page 3A

was done on the part of the is the first year it has been property closest to Route 11, decorated. One of our guys, but the hemlock tree was TREE, Page 2A spared, according to Q Team owner Robert Fogg. “That tree — we just wanted to preserve it Established 1870 because it is such a beautiful tree,” he said. P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. “It has never been decoBridgton, ME 04009 rated until now,” Fogg said. 207-647-2851 “Last year, we ordered 2,000 Fax: 207-647-5001 feet of lights. It came too bnews@roadrunner.com late to get decorated. This

By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Pleasant Lake town beach ranks as the most visible and most accessible of Casco’s public beaches. People driving on Mayberry Hill Road pass by it. For those on foot, the beach is walkable from Casco Village. However, the actual shoreline could prove to be a bit of an ankle twister. After all, the beach is at a slant toward the water and the boat launch area is less than user friendly. Recently, the Town of Casco took a step toward improving the public beach. On Dec. 14, Casco Town Manager Anthony “Tony” BEACH, Page 2A

The Bridgton News


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