Return of farming
Best in sports
A local resident plans to bring back farming at historic Narramissic in South Bridgton
Inside News
2012 was full of big hits and near misses in Lake Region area sports. Which was the top story?
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Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 9A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 8B Country Living . . 8A-11A Directory . . . . . . . . . . 7B Obituaries . . . . 10B-11B Opinions . . . . . . 5B-10B Police/Court . . . . . . . . . . Sports . . . . . . . . . 1B-4B Student News . . . . . . 4B Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . 11B Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 9B
www.bridgton.com Vol. 143, No. 52
Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. 24 PAGES - 2 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
December 27, 2012
(USPS 065-020)
SIXTY CENTS
Many refuse to reapply
PRAYER SHAWLS wrapped in love from Casco Village Church UCC were sent to Newtown, Conn. Pictured are (left to right) members of the church’s Mission Committee, Donna Brackett and husband Doug, Mission Chairwoman Joanne Vail and the Reverend Joyce Long.
Prayers for the victims
‘Shawls’ sent to Newtown congregation
CASCO — In wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., 25 special prayer shawls were sent on Dec. 19 from the Casco Village Church United Church of Christ to the UCC church in Newtown, Conn. Accompanying the shawls was this letter: Dear Reverend Matt Crebbin and the folks of Newtown Congregational Church, UCC: The tragic loss of so many lives, many so young, others so dedicated, is felt by all of us. We offer our heartfelt prayers to the families of the victims and to your whole community; and we offer you these prayer shawls from our ministry. These prayer shawls have been made by many different hands — young and old — and blessed by our whole congregation.
So, from our hearts to yours, please distribute them to whomever you find who may need to feel God’s presence and comfort, a hug, warmth and compassion, because it is in this spirit that they are offered. We will keep you in our prayers here at the Casco Village Church, UCC, in Casco, Maine. With love and God’s peace, Reverend Joyce A. Long. Casco Village Church United Church of Christ Prayer Shawl Ministry gatherings take place once a month at members’ homes where a love of fellowship, prayer, knitting and crocheting takes place. Knitters begin each shawl with prayers for the recipients. Intentions are continued throughout the creation of the shawls.
Each shawl is then blessed before being sent along its way. “Some recipients have continued the kindness by making one themselves and passing it onto someone in need; thus, the blessing is rippled from person to person, with both the giver and receiver feeling the unconditional embrace of a sheltering, mothering God!” church officials said. “Shawls made for centuries universal and bracing, symbolic of an inclusive, unconditionally loving God. They wrap, enfold, comfort, cover, give solace, mother, hug, shelter and beautify,” said creator of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, Janet Bristow. “Those who have received these shawls have been uplifted and affirmed, as if given wings to fly above their troubles.”
Addiction in Maine: Opiate epidemic This the second of a threepart series based on information presented at a Dec. 7 Addiction Conference held in South Paris. By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer SOUTH PARIS — When it comes to opiate addiction, “Maine is really a startling place,” Dr. Mark Publicker said at the Dec. 7 Addiction Conference in South Paris. Since moving here a decade ago, Publicker has watched the opiate abuse epidemic that began in Washington County spread across the state and the nation, sparked by the overprescribing by doctors of OxyContin, or “hillbilly heroin,” which hit the market in the early 2000s. For years, Maine has had the highest rate in the country of residents seeking treatment for non-heroin opiates — about eight times the national average, at 386 people per 100,000 as of 2008, compared to the national rate of 45 people per 100,000. Publicker said he has also watched the state’s effort to combat the problem with such
MAKING HIS POINT — Dr. Mark Publicker, right, speaks with Maine State Representative Jim Hamper at the Dec. 7 Addiction Conference held in South Paris. methods as the statewide prescription monitoring program, begun in 2004 to discourage “doctor-shopping,” drug disposal programs by law enforcement, and the reformulation of OxyContin and its generic form, oxycodone, into a pill that can’t be crushed or liquefied in order to attain the high so craved by addicts. Doctors, as well, are much less willing to prescribe this strong painkiller to patients, especially those with a history of abuse, because of an aggressive effort
at physician education by the state. Unintended consequences All of these efforts and others are laudable, he said. But OxyContin is nothing more than synthetic heroin, and heroin is one of the most highlyaddictive drugs known to man, and one of the hardest to treat. Opiate addicts are becoming more desperate as the supply of their drug of choice has diminished, and because of that, there have been “unintended consequences” to the efforts
to combat illegal prescription drug use, said Publicker. Zane Loper, who worked seven years in Oxford County as an undercover officer for the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, also spoke at the conference, and said he sees evidence of those unintended consequences increasingly on the street. Among the unintended consequences are these: • Drugstore robberies have more than doubled this year from 2011, when there were 24 EPIDEMIC, Page 12A
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer A major shakeup in Bridgton town committee membership is shaping up, following Friday’s deadline for returning applications for reappointment under a new town policy. Two key town committees are left with only one member, in what amounts to a mass resignation of all but one of those currently serving on the Comprehensive Plan Committee and the Wastewater Committee. By declining to turn in their reappointment applications, as required by selectmen, a total of 15 residents on five town committees have effectively given up their volunteer service to the town. Their reason, as outlined in a protest memo they signed and delivered to the Bridgton Municipal Complex, is that they believe the Bridgton Board of Selectmen established the new reappointment policy in an attempt to “recall the members and rewrite the charges of all town committees,” a charge three of the five selectmen strongly refuted at their Dec. 11 meeting. Most of the non-returning members feel insulted that they would be required to reapply each year, and believe that selectmen established the policy because they feel threatened “by those accepting and working to fulfill the obligations of responsibility of their charge.” Comprehensive Plan Committee members who did not return their applications for annual reappointment are Chairman Bob Wiser, Glen “Bear” Zaidman, Lucia Terry,
Dick Danis, Chuck Renneker, Ray Turner and Fred Packard — leaving only Greg Watkins, who did reapply by the Dec. 21 deadline. Turner and Packard have not attended meetings in the past several months, however, and the CPC had asked the board to have them removed from the committee. Wastewater Committee members who did not return their applications are Mark Hatch, Chris McDaniel, Zaidman and Ken Brown — leaving Ray Turner as the only member who returned an application. The Community Development Committee fared much better. Even though all but one of its members signed the protest memo, all but two of them met the deadline for returning their applications. Those who did not return applications were Mark Lopez and Chuck Renneker. Those who did submit applications were Mike Tarantino, Dee Miller, Dave Crowell, Evan Miller, Jim Mains Jr. and Ken Murphy. On the Pondicherry Park Committee, Ken Ribas, who signed the protest memo, followed through by not returning an application. The only other member currently, Brian Cushing, did return an application. Members of the Investment, Budget Advisory, Recycling and Baseball/Softball Committees did not participate in signing the protest memo. However, two members of the Recycling Committee listed on the town’s website — Sandy Field and Vincent Cilberto — did not submit an application, leaving REAPPLY, Page A
By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton is vying to become a certified “Business-Friendly Community” under a state program initiated by Gov. Paul LePage. If selected, the town will get its very own “Open for Business” sign, and gain an extra edge in competing for state grant funds. The program, begun in March of 2012, has so far resulted in the naming of 13 certified “Business-Friendly” Communities that are willing to create opportunities for existing and new businesses. Most of the communities so named are larger than Bridgton, and are as follows: Auburn, Augusta, Bath, Biddeford, Brewer, Bucksport, Cumberland, Ellsworth, Fairfield, Guilford, Kennebunk, Lewiston, Lincoln, Pittsfield, Saco, Sanford, Topsham and Westbrook. Anne Krieg, director of planning, economic and community development, got the go-ahead recently to submit a formal application. In her application, she cited her full-time job as evidence of Bridgton’s interest in attracting business, as well as
the presence of both an active Community Development Committee and Comprehensive Plan Committee, both working to foster economic growth. She also cited the work being done by the Bridgton Economic Development Corporation to help locate new business and work with current business owners. She noted that the BEDC works with the SAD 61 Adult Education office, which is represented on their board, “to support efforts to train and refresh the workforce in the region.” The BECD also has its own website and marketing material, and has attended networking conferences for businesses to tout the advantages of locating in Bridgton. The assistance provided for new business proposals by Code Enforcement Officer Robby Baker and Executive Assistant Georgiann Fleck also was noted in the application. If selected, Bridgton will be able use the “Open for Business” logo on official community correspondence and receive bonus points in the state’s Community Development Block Grant programs.
Bridgton: Be more ‘business friendly’
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