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

MIDCOAST - Strong winds caused power outages in pockets around the state Friday morning and early afternoon.

According to Central Maine Power spokeswoman Gail Rice, 5,500 customers in the utility’s service area of Central and Southern Maine were without service at the peak period of interruption around midday. At various times, over 4,000 customers lost power in Knox and Waldo Counties.

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Stockton Springs - Fire destroyed an outbuilding in Stockton Springs, Thursday morning.

No one was injured in the fire on a Meadow Road property, near Muskrat Farm Road. The building was unoccupied, according to Stockton Springs Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Vern Thompson.

Thompson said he believed the property owner, Keith Chase, was present but not inside the structure at the time the fire started.

Emergency crews from Stockton Springs and Prospect responded…

BELFAST -  After a long dormancy, the former Peirce Elementary School showed signs of life this week as the new owners began work on the 100-year old brick building.

As of Oct. 30, that meant winterizing as much as possible.

What comes next remains to be seen, but Mark Crockett and Jake McClure — two of four principals in the ownership group Midcoast Development LLC — said there’s a good chance the building will be eventually be…

ROCKPORT — Kathleen Fleury, the new editor-in-chief of Down East Magazine, the publication’s first female editor in its 60-year history. I talked with her about the job, her career and what it takes to run a magazine.

You are the first female editor of Down East. How does it feel?

“It feels great. I beat Hillary Clinton, so it’s great. I think I will bring a bit of a different perspective not only being…

WARREN - Earlier this year the Maine Department of Environmental Protection offered 27,000 tons of automobile trunk upholstery remnants to the business with the best plan for how to reuse it. This week, the agency awarded the job to Somerville, Mass.-based Triumvirate Environmental, which plans to recycle the material into composite lumber. 

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BELFAST – The city’s three candidates for mayor sat down together for the first time at a public forum, Oct. 24. During the 75 minute session, they talked about their backgrounds and qualifications, compared notes on what they hope to accomplish as Belfast’s ceremonial leader and fielded questions from a live audience.

Mayor Walter Ash was joined by challengers Thomas Burpee and Jim O’Connor. Ash is seeking a fourth term. O’Connor ran unsuccessfully against Ash in 2011. Burpee is…

CAMDEN — On Thursday, Oct. 24, the 17th annual PopTech conference convenes in Camden, drawing more than 600 people to the Camden Opera House and filling streets, hotels, shops and restaurants with visitors. The focus of this year's gathering is "Sparks of Brilliance," which will explore the creative instinct and its role in the 21st century. Designers, psychologists, artists, scientists, gamers, comedians and visionaries from a variety of fields will take the stage to share ideas around…

BELFAST - The Regional School Unit 20 board of directors made a rough list of long-term objectives at a special meeting, Oct. 22. The goal-setting session is an annual procedure for the board, but concern about a possible school reorganization plan drew a crowd of parents and residents hoping for a chance to weigh in on the subject, or at least get more details.

They got neither.

”I was astounded that the board voted against letting the…

ROCKLAND — James Smith, Rockland City Manager, submitted his weekly report to the Rockland mayor and city council. Top municipal news this past week: herring quota has been reached; lobster prices hover around $3.60 a pound; and a take-out food stand on Old County Road approved. Fall leaf and garden debris/sticks city-wide pickup will begin Nov. 4.

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
Attended preconstruction meeting for Pen Bay Acres drainage project.

Along with city staff and…

MIDCOAST – Two Waldo County church restoration projects wrapped up this week. In Belfast, the antique machinery of the First Church UCC clock tower was replaced with modern electronic works, and in Stockton Springs a rebuilt spire was set atop the Stockton Springs Community Church completing the reconstruction of the town’s landmark steeple.

Before it was taken out of commission earlier this year, tower clock at First Church in Belfast was believed to be the fourth-oldest of its kind…

AUGUSTA – A slew of laws that were passed during the first session of the 126th Maine Legislature, or were included in the state’s $6.3 billion biennial 2013-14 spending plan, took effect on October 9. Here are some of the highlights.

Texting and driving

With the rise in crash-interrupted mobile chats, the state is imposing new, steeper penalties for texting while driving. The attention-splitting trend has been loosely…

Rockland — Shhhhhh, it’s a secret. It’s a speakeasy and it is in Rockland.

Although speakeasies were popular during Prohibition, they were also called Blind Pigs and Blind Tigers. It was a secret place that served bootleg alcohol and they waned after Prohibition was repealed in 1933. The Chowder House at 2 Park St., in the Trade Winds Motel, is set to open The Speakeasy Nov. 1, with a Great Gatsby Costume Party.

Owners Kevin and Kathleen LaBree recently acquired The Chowder House…

Rockland — WRFR radio is 93.5 in Rockland and 99.3 in Camden. The low-power station is an eclectic mix of radio broadcast that is personality- and sponsor-driven. Ronald Van Heeswijk, a Camden resident, has been hosting a jazz program on WRFR for a little more than five years. I sat in on one of those shows and chatted with Ronald as he played bebop for his listeners.

How long have you been hosting Jazz?

This is program number 280. Divide that by 52 weeks in a year and…

Camden — Dave Robichaud owner and operating manager of Cappy’s, said the restaurant’s bakery will be open all year, the first time in Cappy’s history that the bakery has kept winter hours. Robichaud said it was simply a matter of choice on the previous owner’s part not to open and the new owners decided to give it a try.…

BELFAST - A chemical spill at Hannaford supermarket in Belfast sent three employees to the hospital and kept portions of the store closed from Thursday afternoon through late Friday morning.

In a statement Friday, Hannaford Supermarkets said a compounding agent was accidentally spilled in the pharmacy during an inventory process. A representative of the company later clarified that the chemical was phenol, which he described as being …

BELFAST - Over two dozen businesses have applied for grant money to be used to improve facades and interiors, buy new equipment, upgrade machinery or technology and other projects that, in the words of the application literature, “will help expand or upgrade a business, and/or make it more sustainable.”

On a more basic level, the grants will allow businesses to make the kinds of upgrades that would normally mean borrowing money from a bank.

Economic Development Director Thomas…

 McLean Hospital is looking to settle into the Town of Camden, put down roots, become a vital member of the community and build upon its reputation as a leader in the field of mental health and substance abuse treatment.

For more than 200 years, McLean has set the standard for mental health facilities across the country — developing new treatments, setting policies and, most important, providing unparalleled treatment. In a recent Boston Globe article, McLean Hospital was…

ROCKLAND — At their regularly scheduled Oct. 8 meeting at the County Courthouse in Rockland, the Knox County Commissioners heard a request from Owls Head to soften internment language for one town cemetery that borders the county airport.

Owls Head Selectman Richard Carver, along with Owls Head resident Bonnie Post and Ken Crane, chairman of the Owls Head Cemetery Committee, and Jeff Northgraves,…

BELFAST - The Federal Communications Commission is planning to accept proposals for low power FM radio stations next week for the first time in over a decade. Assuming the government reopens or otherwise makes good on the offer, the City of Belfast is hoping to get a foot in the door.

“Were not sure where we’re going to go with it,” said Manda Cushman, administrative assistant to the city manager and organizer of the current low power FM radio application, “but we don’t want to miss…

Rockland - The Thorndike Hotel, built in 1857, closed in the 1970s. A facelift in 2005 with help from the City of Rockland brought new life to the facade and currently its ground floor space is occupied by the Thorndike Creamery. Owners Mathew and Sarah Vokey occupy the former lobby of the famed hotel at…

BELFAST - Chinese-style dragons, knights, princesses, a giant sausage and a pair of elephants rolled into downtown Belfast behind a light rain, Saturday as part of the annual Church Street Festival. 

The festival is in its 32nd year.

Organizer Mary Weaver and her young MythWeavers Theater troupe marched into town in costume and bearing floats.

Bella, the Festival’s signature pink elephant, was there, as were some characters and floats…

BELFAST - Two days after formally announcing his candidacy for governor, independent Eliot Cutler swung through the Midcoast, touring Front Street Shipyard in Belfast then heading to a fundraiser in Camden.

Cutler is making his second bid for the governor’s seat. In 2010 he was narrowly defeated by Paul LePage in a three-way race that included Democrat Libby Mitchell.

Speaking at Front Street Shipyard on Thursday, Cutler made a number of comparisons between state government and…

ROCKLAND — They are called TIFs, the acronym for tax increment financing. In a special meeting of the Rockland City Council, Monday, Sept. 23, in Council Chambers at City Hall, councilors read through pages of updates for both the Fisher and Tillson TIF districts. After two hours of discussion, they postponed enacting the amendments to Oct. 16, for the Fisher TIF and Nov. 13, for the Tillson TIF.

“The biggest thing to get out of this tonight is for people not to think that this is a…

BELFAST - After the publication of his book Wild Fermentation in 2003, Sandor Katz loaded his car with sauerkraut and set out to spread the word on the benefits of preserving food with bacteria. Along the way, he learned to what a large degree fermentation is a matter of taste.

At one stop, an Austrian woman accustomed to the soft texture of heavily fermented sauerkraut, likened Katz’s crunchy samples to coleslaw. …

BELFAST — Nearly 100 Dachshunds descended upon Belfast’s Steamboat Landing Park Sept. 8 to celebrate the 10^th annual Wienerfest. Some of the four-legged participants traveled from as far away as Germany to show the crowd their costumes and revel in a day of compliments.

Gates opened at 11 a.m. as a steady stream of Dachshunds made their way into the park, but the real festivities kicked off with a parade at noon. Led by Diane Mendes-Wood, who is the original founder of…

BELFAST — The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office reported the following activity Sept. 8-12. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.

Sept. 8

Anthony H. St. Peter, 23, of Belfast, was summonsed for speeding 90 mph (criminal speeding) in a posted 50 mph zone on Route 137 in Knox.

Philip W. Parsons, 53, of Hampden, was arrested for criminal trespass and domestic violence stalking.

Sept. 12

Robert L. Johnson, 35, of Knox, was…

BELFAST — The Belfast Police Department reported the following activity Sept. 7-12. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.

Sept. 7

Robyn L. Cornell, 22, of Brownville Junction, was arrested for operating under the influence on Route 3.

Sept. 9

Cynthia P. Orcutt, 58, of Carrabassett Valley, was summonsed for failure to provide proof of insurance.

Katie A. Neally, 27, of Troy, was summonsed for speeding 39 mph in a 25 mph on…

CAMDEN — The Camden Planning Board spent approximately one hour Sept. 18 touring Fox Hill estate, the proposed site of a Bay View Street alcohol and drug abuse treatment facility. Because the 3 p.m. walk-through constituted a public meeting, citizens were welcome to follow, as were lawyers and town officials; however, the “informational gathering,” as characterized by Camden Town Planner Steve Wilson, intentionally did not accommodate public comment.

That walk will be followed this…

BELFAST — The new waterfront pedestrian and biking path known as the Belfast Harbor Walk has been well received since workers broke ground early this summer. But on Sept. 17, residents and city officials raised concerns about some details, particularly the lighting along the path and what one resident called “the loss of the night sky.”

Bill Kao of Commercial Street said a report from the Harbor Walk lighting engineer didn’t…

Voters from the eight towns of Regional School Unit 20 collectively approved the school district’s 2013-14 budget on Tuesday by a vote of 914-749. The validation ended a stalemate between district officials and voters who had previously rejected two drafts of the budget at the polls.

In a separate ballot question, Searsmont and Northport voters each approved measures to pursue withdrawal from the school district. Belfast and Belmont voters approved withdrawal questions in August, and…

MONTVILLE - An inspection by the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office earlier this year set the stage for an upcoming special town meeting, Sept. 28, at which residents will be asked to consider the future of three municipal buildings.

Selectmen are expected to sign the warrant for the town meeting on Tuesday night, but a notice from the town on Monday said residents would be asked to consider plans to renovate the Montvile Town House, allowing non-municipal uses of the Town Office…

THORNDIKE - An application by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association for property tax exempt status in Thorndike has been denied by town officials. Waldo County officials have denied a subsequent appeal. A similar request in Unity is under consideration.

MOFGA filed for exemptions in both towns in 2012. The organization pays roughly $5,000 per year in taxes in Thorndike and $1,300 in Unity, according to officials in the two towns. In…

CAMDEN — On Tuesday, Sept. 17,  Camden will conduct a test of the Seabright Dam emergency siren. The siren is at the Seabright Dam, 121 Mt. Battie Street, and is a component of the Seabright Dam Emergency Action Plan.

Its purpose is to alert residents in the event that the Seabright Dam were to fail or appeared to be in danger of failing. The dam is near Shirt Tail Point, where Megunticook Lake becomes Megunticook River and winds down to Camden Harbor.

For the purpose of this…

BELFAST — RSU 20 Superintendent Brian Carpenter opened Tuesday night’s public budget meeting with a plea to the 150 voters in attendance: accept that the 2013-14 budget will result in a property tax increase. 

“The only way we’re not going to get one is to cut 16 more teachers,” he said, Sept. 10,

Two previous drafts of the budget were rejected at validation referendums held in June and July. Residents on one side of the debate have been outspoken against proposed staff cuts,…

BELFAST — The following cases were closed in Belfast District Court Aug. 24 – Sept. 6.

Frederick E. Barlow, 57, of Brooks, operating under the influence in Belfast July 19, 12 days in jail, license suspended for 90 days and $700 fine.

Jason E. Batista, 31, of South China, operating while license suspended or revoked in Liberty May 20, $500 fine.

Arthur Carey, 39, of Palermo, keeping an unlicensed dog in Palermo Feb. 1, $50 fine.…

BELFAST — Both visitors and residents of Belfast have been treated to the artwork and comfort featured in this year’s public art installation, “Please, Be Seated!” The chairs and benches were created by a wide array of artists in the area who submitted plans to Our Town Belfast – the organization responsible for the display – in hopes of having their designs chosen for display.

“We had more submissions this year than ever before,” said Breanna Pinkham Bebb of Our Town Belfast. “We…

BELFAST — Cars lined the sides of Belfast City Park Sept. 6 as nearly 100 people gathered to celebrate the life of Lynn Marie (Day) Arsenault, 55, who was tragically killed in an Aug. 28 shooting in Belfast. Friends, family, coworkers and other participants held candles as they waited for the ceremony to…

BELFAST - With nominations recently closed, city residents can look forward to the first three-way race for mayor in over a decade — or more dramatically, the first of the millenium.

Two seats on the City Council, meanwhile, will go unchallenged in the November elections, as incumbents Eric Sanders (Ward 3) and Mike Hurley (Ward 4) each seek a third term.

The uncontested Council races may not come as a big surprise. In the last four…

BELFAST - The City Council on Tuesday approved a plan to give a lot in the Airport Business Park to a green building entrepreneur in exchange for jobs.

Chris Corson of Northport proposes to develop the 2.6-acre parcel at the end of Little River Drive for use by his company EcoCor, which makes building components for passive house construction — a relatively new industry…

BELFAST — Rescue crews extricated a woman from her car Saturday evening, Aug. 31, following an accident on Route 1 in Belfast. Belfast Police Chief Mike McFadden confirmed Monday, Sept. 2, that the driver has since died from her injuries. The crash involved a bus and a car and occurred at the intersection of Northport Ave. at approximately 6 p.m.

The driver, Jayashree Kalmath, was transported via Belfast Ambulance to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where she died. Initially, a…

BELFAST — The Belfast Co-op held its 9th annual Customer Appreciation Day Aug. 17. The event, which blocked High Street from the Co-op to the traffic light, drew many from the Harbor Fest being held just a few streets over. Vendors lined both sides of the streets offering their goods and services.  

Some of the samples included different foods and drinks, but there were also free massages to be had by anyone interested. Amongst the freebies, an American Red Cross bus ran a blood drive…

BELFAST — The Waldo County Sheriff’s Department reported the following activity Aug. 19-23. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.

Aug. 19

James Hughes, 77, of Monroe, was summonsed for criminal mischief.

Aug. 20

Allison Pooler, 36, of Monroe, was arrested for domestic violence assault.

Aug. 23

Patrick M. Gunn, 20, of Hampden,  was summonsed for operating under the influence, driving to endanger,…

BELFAST — The Belfast Police Department reported the following activity Aug. 20-28. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.

Aug. 20

Ana G. Johnson, 31, of Cranston, R,I., was summonsed for speeding 65 mph in a 45 mph zone on Belmont Avenue.

Gail R. Henningsen, 68, of Morrill, was summonsed for operating an unregistered motor vehicle (less than 150 days).

Elizabeth McDaniel, 27, of Union, was arrested for negotiating a worthless instrument (bad…

BELFAST - The building that was home to Peirce Elementary School for nearly a century, and most recently was headquarters of the Belfast Academy of Music, sold at an auction, Aug. 28, for $220,000.

The public sale, held by Keenan Auction Company of Portland, drew around 20 attendants. Auctioneer Stefan Keenan declined to disclose how many paid the $10,000 registration deposit required to bid on the property, but said it was fewer than 10.

Two parties placed bids on the property,…

WARREN — Ronald Haney, of Warren, is hopeful his product will be voted into Walmart stores. He markets several types of waxes under the name of Ron's Detail and Wax that are manufactured in Maine through his home-based business. His wax, he said, is superior to others and he is hoping that is what will get him onto the shelves at Walmart. Starting out as a mail order business, his products are now carried by Hamilton Marine and are sold at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. It’s not just…

BELFAST - I followed this van once. It was all red, apart from some detailing along the sides and a sign on the front reading, “Coca-Cola Chicks.”

A branded ride on a whistle stop tour of Coastal Maine wouldn’t have been especially notable by itself. But the word “chicks” suggested some old-school sex appeal marketing.

I imagined the van rolling down Main Street and parking — no, double parking — and the doors opening all at once, then folding outward into an elaborate sound…

ROCKLAND — The stretch of Route 1 between Rockland and Rockport, now a mix of old homes and big box stores, asphalt, traffic and sidewalks can be a better place to live, shop and travel along — and be a model for other strip developments — if a public-private collaboration that has been under way for several years moves design concepts forward. Several draft designs of that effort will be presented Aug. 29 at a public meeting of …

BELMONT - Voters in a special refendum Thursday favored a second attempt to withdraw from Regional School Unit 20 by a tally of 36-15.

The town joins Belfast, where voters approved a new withdrawal bid on Tuesday by a vote of 310-131.

Voters in Northport and Searsmont are slated to vote on the question on Sept. 17, as part of a referendum that will include a validation vote on the 2013-14 RSU 20 budget.

Officials in Morrill have received a petition to hold a referendum on…

BELFAST — The Belfast Harbor Fest kicked off Friday night, Aug. 16, at Steamboat Landing and the evening brought food, drinks and music, including Tough Cats, Whale Oil, When Particles Collide and Ghosts of Paul Revere.

The annual event lasted through the weekend, with Saturday including a bug run, regatta, boat building contest, face painting, relay race and multiple musical groups throughout the day. Sunday brought a cardboard-box boat race followed by a Lobster (or Steak) Regalia…

BELFAST — A Winterport woman, 29-year-old Jennifer Lambeth, and her two children are lucky to have escaped with their lives after a serious accident in Belfast Saturday afternoon. Lambeth was traveling along Back Searsport Road when she reported her vehicle left the roadway onto the shoulder, and according to Belfat Police Detective Bryan Cunningham, she told officers she “over-corrected.”

The wheels of her Chevrolet Avalanche then dug into the side of the road, causing the vehicle to…

BELFAST - Not long after the tranfer station here dropped its fee for fluorescent bulbs, manager Sandy Carey noticed a trend. The number of people returning bulbs was rising in a predictable word-of-mouth kind of way, but the number bulbs per person was high from the start.

“We’ve had quite a few people come in with bags full of bulbs,” she said. “They’ve been holding onto them because they don’t want to pay.”

Belfast previously charged…

PENOBSCOT BAY — With horn blasts and a shot from a starting gun, the third annual Penobscot Bay Rendezvous — a regatta of yachts, the boat business and the beauty of the region — kicked off Friday at high noon just outside the Rockland Breakwater. More than 45 sailboats, including the elegant, the high-performance, and the sensible…

BELFAST - “For your information, RSU #20 is currently running on the last budget passed by the voters at the Budget Meeting on July 22, 2013.”

So begins a notice posted recently to the Regional School Unit 20 website followed by a schedule of meetings district officials hope will convince voters to sign off on a budget for the 2013-14 school year.

…

BELFAST — The fifth annual Belfast Street Party drew hundreds to Main Street Monday night, Aug. 5. The event, which offered free admission and a wide array of activities and events – ranging from music to rides on a mechanical moose or polar bear – had something for everyone. Running from 5 – 11 p.m., Main Street from the traffic light to MacLeod Furniture was blocked off to provide ample room for all of the attractions.

The Street Party was sponsored by the City of Belfast, Camden…

BELFAST — The Belfast Police Department reported the following activity Aug. 1 -12. An arrest or summons does not imply guilt.

Aug. 3

Amy A. Paine, 35, of Belfast, was summonsed for an inspection sticker violation.

Andrew Philbrick, 30, of East Orland, was arrested for operating under the influence on High Street, possession of a useable amount of marijuana, sale and use of drug paraphernalia and operating with an open alcohol container. Detective Bryan…