Nov. 5, 2013 Elections: Municipal and state referendums, ordinance changes, candidates

ROCKLAND — The Rockland City Council will begin its review of the city’s budget for FY 2014-2015 this evening, April 28, at City Hall. The public safety department’s budget is under review, including fire and EMS service.

Presented to councilors at the regular meeting April 23, the city’s $10.7 million budget is now scheduled for a series of reviews of the different departments every Monday and Wednesday through May 28.

In a April 23 letter to the Rockland Council, Acting City…

CAMDEN — Peter Ott’s Restaurant reopened April 18 amid great fanfare and patrons turning out to see its new location on Bay View Landing, complete with water views, a rich, warm, new interior and an expanded menu to reflect its upgraded location. But, some things never change. Like the attention to detail, the friendly staff and Peter Masin-Peters’ incredible understanding of what makes food work.

Masin-Peters purchased Peter Ott’s in 2006, located at 16 Bay View St. where it had been…

BELFAST - The funky risers and bean bags are gone from the second-floor room in the Belfast Free Library once reserved for small children. Also gone are the model trains and miniature puppet theater. In their place, sleek red carpet squares over a layer of high-tech soundproofing foam run uninterrupted to the walls. New shelves are stocked with YA books. There are chairs and tables for lounging and socializing and and outlets — lots of them — for charging mobile devices, laptops, etc.

…

I enjoy traveling to Montana, Alaska, British Columbia and other destinations. At the conclusion of each trip though, I'm eager to return home to Maine. Following is a short list of reasons why I love Maine.

1. Weekly newspapers

The Irregular is a weekly newspaper printed in Kingfield. The April 2, 2014, edition included a piece about the farming community's annual spring banquet: "The Franklin County Soil and Water…

For a small school with no track, Boothbay Region High School fields an impressive outdoor track and field team. This year’s roster boasts 49 athletes, 33 of them male.

Last year, the Seahawks tasted success at both the Mountain Valley Conference and state championships, and they are gearing up for more this season. Aiding them in that venture are two, new, young and talented coaches, whose skills will add depth and breadth to the program.

Coach Nick Scott said he is excited to…

BELFAST - Members of the City Council on Tuesday sparred over whether to waive the rental fee for two groups hoping to use of the Belfast Boathouse for educational events. The requests were approved by majority votes, though only shortly after the Council unanimously, and with no discussion or fee, approved requests to hold a paddleboard race, two 5K private fundraisers and an Earth Day parade on city parklands and streets.

BELFAST - After a week of warm weather, brush and organic debris from winter has been piling up curbside, here.

Thanks to the ice storm, those piles are significantly bigger than usual meaning a bigger job for the city’s Public Works Department.

The same has not been true everywhere in the Midcoast, but in Belfast city officials extended the area eligible for brush pick-up this year to include the whole city, according Public Works Director Bob Richards.

Richards said more…

ROCKPORT — The little house on West Street (Route 90) in Rockport that was donated to the fire department survived seven live fire training rotations Sunday morning before the structure became too unstable for Rockport firefighters to go in for an eighth “save.” The final day of live training began at 7 a.m. April 13 and finished about four hours later, according to Fire Chief Jason Peasley.

"It's not a cost savings for use a donated house, but it's the most realistic way to experience…

BELFAST - After two years in business, Coastal Farms and Food Processing will be closing its doors at the end of the month.

Speaking on Friday, Wayne Snyder, a member of the Coastal Farms management team, said the economics of the hybrid business didn’t work out as planned.

“We had a bad year for blueberries last year,” he said, “partly because of mistakes we…

ROCKLAND — The following divorces were granted in Knox County during the months of Feb. and March.

February

Krystak D. Gamage of Thomaston, and Byron H. Weatherbee, of Owls Head, were married July 23, 2011, in Northport and divorced Feb. 4.

Victoria L. Rytky of Warren, and Sulo Rytky, of Rockland, were married Dec. 19, 1981, in Rockland and divorced Feb. 10.

Chuck Dean Schooley, of Warren, and Charlene Wilma Schooley, of Beals, were married June 5,…

BELFAST - The U.S. Economic Development Administration on Tuesday awarded Belfast $1.9 million for a major overhaul of Front Street.

The grant would cover half the cost of the estimated $3.8 million project, which would include realigning and rebuilding the road between Main and Pierce Streets, updating water, sewer and electrical services and expanding the intersection at Pierce Street.

Belfast’s Economic Development Director Thomas Kittredge, said the project involves a lot of…

BELFAST - A proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Maine Department of Transportation to deepen and extend the shipping channel at Mack Point cargo terminal in Searsport will be subject of a public meeting, Tuesday, April 8, at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The project, as proposed, would deepen the 35-foot-deep channel to 40 feet to better accommodate the drafts of modern cargo vessels and allow greater maneuverability, according to…

BELFAST - With all eight municipalities of Regional School Unit 20 considering plans to withdraw, simply dissolving the district might be a better idea. That’s the conclusion city attorney Kristin Collins is hoping the state’s Department of Education will reach.

Doing so would require new laws and a leap of faith by an agency that has preached the gospel of consolidation at every turn. But then, there aren’…

BELFAST - When you buy a gallon of gas, how do you know it’s really a gallon? And what about a pound of apples?

There’s no guarantee you’ll get what you pay for. But if you live in one of 25 towns in the Midcoast, Robert Wiggin is the next best thing. For seven months out of the year, the “sealer of weights and measures” spot checks every commercial scale and gas pump in a string of towns from Bucksport to Newcastle.

The good news is that most of…

ROCKLAND — We all have a past. Rockland City Councilor Louise MacLellan-Ruf shared hers on Saturday at the Penobscot School at 28 Gay Street in Rockland. In 2013, she won first place in the amateur category during Lobsterpalooza’s Lobster Mac and Cheese contest with her dish, Lobster Mac and Cheese Rockland Style. On March 29 she partnered with Nohora Estes, who teaches Spanish at the school, presenting a cooking lesson and Spanish lesson all in one morning.

The Lobsterpalooza contest…

CAMDEN — Anyone serving, or who has served in the U.S. military, is now approved to receive training and certification under the G.I. Bill to become Montessori instructors, according to Martha Monahan, leader of Northeast Montessori. Northeast Montessori currently teaches classes in Boston. Two years ago Northeast Montessori expanded and is now certifying instructors through the …

SWANVILLE - Several residents on the northwest side of Swan Lake caught wind of a gas smell Wednesday morning. After a visit from the Belfast Fire Department, the source remained a mystery.

Belfast Fire Chief Jim Richards said the department responded to a call at 6:45 a.m. from 1406 Swan Lake Avenue. There, several residents reported an odor that suggested a gas leak, he said. Richards said there are four or five houses located near the address of the complaint.

Firefighters…

BELFAST - In a presentation to the The Propeller Club of Searsport and Bucksport last week, Captain David Gelinas made a lengthy case for the importance of dredging the channel at Mack Point cargo terminal in Searsport.

In some circles, a current proposal to deepen the channel has caused an uproar. But the Propeller Club, whose members includes active and retired U.S. Merchant Marines, Navy and Coast Guard officers, numerous alumni of Maine…

ROCKLAND — Rockland’s Mayor Larry Pritchett did an excellent job moderating a special Rockland Council meeting Wednesday evening, March 19, as the community talked about how to accept and display art on city-owned property. As a panel of museum directors, volunteers and city officials moved through two hours of discussion, Pritchett kept the conversation on point.

Rockland has already placed three concrete slabs at the Ferry Terminal and one in Holbrook Park for the purpose of hosting…

ROCKLAND — The following divorces were granted in Knox County November 2013 through March 1, 2014.

November

Melanie S. Butman, of Owls Head, and Jason A. Butman, of Thomaston, were married Sept. 17, 1994, in Thomaston and divorced Nov. 15, 2013.

December

Alan J. Talbot, of Camden, and Joan M. Talbot, of Milbridge, Wash., were married April 15, 1972, in Camden and divorced Dec. 10, 2013.

Laura M. Davis, of Camden, and Eric H.…

BELFAST - Residents seeking the city’s support in a campaign to remove fossil fuel companies from the Maine Public Employees Retirement System’s investment portfolio got an endorsement of sorts, but only narrowly, and with strong reservations from several city councilors.

The group of citizens that appealed to the Council on Tuesday is part of a worldwide “divestment” movement. Supporters hope a boycott of oil, gas and coal companies by large investment pools like state retirement…

BELFAST - For each of the last seven years, volunteers from Friends of Belfast Parks have donned rubber gloves and a sense of humor and picked up a winter’s worth of dog feces at the city’s waterfront parks. They called it “April Stools Day,” but this year they’re just calling it a day.

Carol Good, president of FOBP, broke the news to the City Council Tuesday. The group had voted against hosting an eighth event, she said, partly out of concern that dog owners might slack off knowing…

Curtis Warren, a Senior at Belfast Area High School, was awarded the DAR Good Citizens Award, March 11.
The DAR Good Citizens Award was created in 1934, and is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship.

The award recognizes and rewards individuals who possess the qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their…

MONROE — The building at the center of town is immediately recognizable in the architectural lexicon of little towns. That residents considered using for something other than a general store speaks to the nearly six years it stood vacant.

The business reopened in mid-February under new ownership, taking back the traditional “Monroe General Store” name and adding a revamped menu of prepared foods under the banner of the Wicked Rooster Café — named for a real rooster that General Manager…

ROCKLAND — Paul Benjamin, president of Rockland Main Street, introduced incoming executive director Gordon Page, Sr., to a small crowd during an informal reception hosted by the RMS board to welcome Page held at the Time Out Pub in Rockland. Page replaces long time Executive Director Lorain Francis, who left the position in December to serve as senior program director for the Maine Downtown Center in Augusta. The announcement of Page's appointment was made March 4.

Following his…

BELFAST - U.S. Senate candidate Shenna Bellows started making national headlines recently when her fundraising in the last quarter of 2013 surpassed that of three-term Senator Susan Collins.

On a visit to Belfast Sunday, the former director of ACLU Maine and presumptive Democratic nominee was hoping to build on that momentum. She toured Front Street Shipyard and Coastal Farms & Food Processing. In between she met with Waldo County Democrats to deliver a three-pronged assignment:…

SEARSPORT - Voters on Tuesday re-elected one selectmen, replaced another, and approved a measure to seek withdrawal from Regional School Unit 20.

In a four-way race for two seats on the board of selectmen, challenger John Merrithew and incumbent Richard Desmarais prevailed with 229 and 209 votes respectively. Selectman Doug Norman came in a close third with 204 votes. Challenger Travis Otis got 108 votes.

A ballot question that asked for voter approval to petition for withdrawal…

ROCKLAND — The city of Rockland hopes to improve its sidewalks, and possibly incorporate the Harbor Trail into some of the upcoming work that benefits pedestrian walkways.

On Wednesday, March 5, the Rockland City Council will hold a special public hearing on a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant application the city’s Community Development Director is now completing. Community Development Director John Holden said the preliminary grant is due March 28 and the public hearing is…

State Police on Tuesday formally charged Richard Stahursky with murder in connection with the stabbing death of fellow inmate Micah Boland at the Maine State Prison in Warren Friday afternoon.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, State Police spokesman Steve McCausland said …

BELFAST —The following divorces were granted in Waldo County during January and February.

Dana R. Woods of Crownpoint, N.Y., and Tara Woods of Lincolnville, were married Aug. 25, 2007, in Lincolnville and divorced Feb. 18, 2014.

Wayne A. McKay of Flanders, N.J., and Sharon McKay of Frankfort, were married March 31, 2012, in Bangor and divorced Feb. 7, 2014.

Lyndon J. Adams of Old Orchard Beach and Roxann M. Adams of Winterport,…

Town meeting season starts this coming weekend. Saturday marks the beginning of a run of annual town meetings in March. Many municipalities hold elections prior to the meeting. Poll times are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Check with your town office for details. Here are this week’s elections and town meetings:

Searsport municipal elections and RSU 20 withdrawal vote will be held March 4. The annual town meeting…

WARREN - The death of Micah Boland, an inmate at the Maine State Prison, has been classified as a homicide according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

In a press release Saturday, Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland said detectives from the State Police Major Crimes Unit had been working with prison officials since Friday evening and believe…

Democrats around the state will caucus March 2 to choose candidates the general election in November.

U.S. Congressman Mike Michaud is challenging Republican Gov. Paul LePage. LePage is seeking his second term.

Michaud’s decision to run for governor has generated significant interest from both parties in his current post. Three Democrats are currently seeking their party’s…

This weekend sees a slate of party caucuses for the 2014 elections.

Knox County Republicans have two events scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 1. Most towns fall under the umbrella of a Super Caucus to be held at Rockland Middle School Rockland, at 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact: Bob Carter, 273-3471, rcjcsccc@aol.com 

A Rockland Town Caucus will be also be held on Saturday…

STOCKTON SPRINGS - Will Hosmer, a student at Searsport District High School, related a satirical version of the story of Rip Van Winkle. The old man, he said, was unable to get his bearings after his famously long nap until he saw a school classroom. It was the only thing that hadn’t changed.

To this tongue-in-cheek dig at public schools, Hosmer added his own twist.

“He was not in Searsport or Stockton Springs,” he said.

When the laughter…

BELFAST - A handful of proposals falling under the broad heading of “economic development” came before the Belfast City Council, Feb. 18.

The Council approved a set of changes to the Northport Avenue TIF (Tax Increment Financing) district, which sets aside taxes from increased value — typically from a business expansion — in a separate fund for improvements to infrastructure within the district.

Under the new rules, tax revenue from increased value of personal property will be…

BELFAST - The Waldo County Commissioners last week approved the 2014 budget and set a mil rate of $1.72 (per $1,000 of property value). The amount is up slightly from last year’s $1.70, but due to changes in state valuation, many towns will pay less toward county government operations this year.

Overall, the $7.5 million budget is down $157,000 from last year, and $197,000 under the state’s L.D. 1 tax cap — a target figure intended to limit the annual growth of local…

ROCKPORT — Camden and Rockport have engaged Frank O’Hara, a principal in the Portland-based Planning Decisions, to lead a joint meeting of the Camden Select and Planning boards to talk about the stretch of Route 1 between Quarry Hill and Leonard’s, in Rockport. The Feb. 18 discussion, which is a public meeting, will also include the problematic intersection of John Street, Camden Street, Conway Road and Route 1.

The workshop will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Rockport Town Office in…

BELFAST - The Colonial Theatre was officially closed, but in the old cinema in the rear of the building, a dozen people stared up at the big screen. Still images of awkward-looking high school bands appeared, accompanied by the familiar warble of brass instruments played under duress, and a printed question:

“Did you have fun playing music?”

There were chuckles from the seats. In the style…

ROCKLAND — Mona Stearns owns and operates Mid-Coast Gym at 44 Park Street in Rockland.  MCG is an 8,000-square-foot facility. Twenty-four years ago, Mona and her husband, along with her brother-in-law, built Mid Coast Gym. Mona is not only the owner, but also a personal trainer and a registered nurse. She said her goal is healthy and not just skinny. Penobscot Bay Pilot spent a few minutes with Mona to talk about the gym.

“This used to be the old FMC building,” she said. “It was a…

ROCKLAND — It's a sad day when a storied local business ends up in financial trouble and goes on the auction block, but when it's a schooner that dates back to 1922 and a business that continues to ply the tourist trade off Maine's Midcoast, there is much reason to mourn.

The schooner Nathaniel Bowditch will be auctioned…

ROCKLAND — An interim superintendent and a new school board chairman are the latest developments in the ongoing saga of RSU 13 and its leadership woes. At its Feb. 11 regular RSU 13 meeting, held at theMcClain School, the school board voted 9 to 2 to appoint Michael Wilhelm, of Casco, as interim superintendent. He will take over the reins from outgoing Superintendent Lew Collins, whose last day is this Friday. Board member Steve Roberts, of Rockland, was elected to replace board chairman…

UNITY - Students from Palermo could attend high school in Regional School Unit 3 in the future, provided the town successfully withdraws from its current school district, RSU 12.

On Feb. 10, the The RSU 3 board of directors, conditionally approved a 10-year contract with the Town of Palermo School Department that would make Mount View High School the town’s official “school of record.” The board favored the agreement by a vote of 8-2.

Palermo residents voted last December to…

CAMDEN — A crowd was waiting on the bus in downtown Camden and looking forward to the fun at the Camden Snow Bowl Saturday, Feb. 8. The green shed placed on the street at the Village Green was manned by two ladies who collected the fee and handed out tickets. The line stretched from the street, through the Green and spilled out onto Chestnut Street.

One bus would arrive every 15 to 20 minutes and load with passengers for the short ride to the Snow Bowl. Ticket holders waited 20 minutes…

BELFAST - It may sound like a bureaucratic koan, but with each of the eight municipalities of Regional School Unit 20 pursuing withdrawal from the district in some form, it seems fair to ask: 

If every town leaves a school district, is anything left?

The scenario is still officially far-fetched. …

Belfast—Teloe Moore arrived in Belfast in late December. I met him on New Year’s Eve at the bonfire by the public landing. It was a frigid night, and even under a heavy coat, scarf, hat and gloves, he was shivering. One can hardly blame him: Born and raised in Liberia, he had never experienced temperatures below 70 degrees.

Moore was able to attend high school in his home country because of a scholarship…

BELFAST - Charges of social engineering and classism featured in a lively Planning Board workshop, Wednesday night. Also mentioned were Jane Jacobs’ “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” and the Soviet Union.

The hot topic? Whether to reduce the minimum lot size in a densely populated area inside the bypass from 10,000 to 7,500 square feet.

The question, along with several others considered on Wednesday, is part of a larger review of zoning ordinances intended to align…

BELFAST - The Regional School Unit 20 board of directors voted overwhelmingly Tuesday, Jan. 28, to abandon plans for a major consolidation of the eight-town district.

The question was added to the agenda by a unanimous vote on a motion made by director Denise Dakin and seconded by director Sharon Catus, both of Stockton Springs.

The vote to discontinue any courses of action for the proposed reorganization was approved 14 to 3. All board members were present for the vote.…

ROCKLAND — Kim and Michael Gallagher operate Continuum Physical Therapy at 91 Camden Street in Rockland. Both Kim and Michael hold advanced degrees in physical therapy. Michael holds an additional degree as an orthopaedic clinical specialist. Penobscot Bay Pilot spoke to the Gallaghers about what physical therapy involves.

PBP: Why would someone need physical therapy?

“It could be any number of reasons,” said Michael. “They could be having pain in some part of…

BELFAST - A public auction of the James P. White house on Tuesday attracted 20 people to the landmark mansion but failed to yield any private bids.

The 1840 Greek Revival-style home was run as The White House Inn, a bed and breakfast, since the late-1990s. Last December the property was foreclosed upon by The First N.A. bank.

Public records indicate that the last owner, Rich Enterprises Holdings LLC, borrowed $875,000 from The First to buy the property but ultimately defaulted,…

BELFAST - In his office late last week, City Manager Joe Slocum pulled a calculator across his desk and produced a spreadsheet of the city budget.

A day earlier, he had attended a six-hour public hearing on proposed cuts to state’s Municipal Revenue Sharing program. He was exhausted, he said. Still, it didn’t take long for him to come up with an illustration of why he went, and how much is still be at stake.

“The fire department, our clerks office…

BELFAST - Residents of Searsport and Stockton Springs on Tuesday raised questions, aired suspicions, and above all appealed to the Regional School Unit 20 board of directors not to close the Searsport District Middle School and High School complex. The venue was a public forum on three plans that would consolidate and reorganization the district in an effort to save money.

Stagnant or decreasing state aid and rising costs have led to property tax…

BELFAST - The historic James P. White House, also known as the White House Inn, may be headed to auction later this month after the property was foreclosed upon late last year.

According to public records, The First N.A. bank was granted a judgment foreclosure on December 19 against Rich Enterprises Holdings LLC, the property owner since 2009. The document states that a public sale of the property will be conducted on site, Jan. 28, at 11 a.m. at 19…

UNITY - Talk of potential school closures and privatizing bus runs drew more than 100 people to Unity Elementary School Monday night for a meeting of the Regional School Unit 3 board of directors.

Both issues were being considered by officials of the 11-town Western Waldo County school district for potential cost savings.

RSU 3 has seen a steady decline in state general purpose aid over enough years that administrators have run out of obvious places…

SEARSPORT, STOCKTON SPRINGS - Citizens in the only two Regional School Unit 20 towns that have yet to consider withdrawing from the district, launched campaigns over the weekend to do just that.

According to several residents who spoke to Penbaypilot.com, the coordinated petition drives came in response to a Jan. 9 meeting of the Think Tank — a multi-town advisory panel created by Belfast’s RSU 20 withdrawal committee — at which representatives voiced unanimous support for…