Nov. 5, 2013 Elections: Municipal and state referendums, ordinance changes, candidates
Voters go to the polls Nov. 5 to consider five statewide ballot questions, and various individual municipal warrant articles. Following are election previews and recent issue stories for Knox and Waldo counties, as well as a rundown of the bond issues voters across the state are being asked to decide.
View a list of polling places and town contacts here: Knox County, Waldo County
As polls close election night, results will be posted on PenBayPilot.com as they are reported for Knox and Waldo counties. Stay tuned.
Thirty legislators call for Searsport dredge study
BELFAST — The planned dredging of parts of Searsport Harbor is unprecedented in scope with potentially catastrophic results, a group of coastal legislators and activists said in a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
The group is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a full environment impact study before permitting the work, which would remove 900,000 cubic yards from areas around the Mack Point port facility. The work as… Read more
Small business grants in Belfast elicit well wishes, a little grumbling
BELFAST - The City Council last week approved a slate of 14 small businesses to receive grants for improvements under the state-funded Micro-Enterprise Assistance Program.
The $150,000 received by the city earlier this year was initially heralded as a welcome boost for small businesses, but as the real details of the awards came forward, some councilors expressed mixed feelings and misgivings.
“I was very happy for the people who got the grants and façade improvements,” said… Read more
Burnham voters decide fate of former school, again
BURNHAM - Given a choice between converting their former elementary school into town offices and selling the building Burnham voters on Nov. 5 favored selling the building by a small margin.
This isn’t the first time residents have voted on this exact issue.
The town acquired the building in 2010 as part of a school district consolidation in MSAD 53.… Read more
Rockport supports nonconforming library; OKs sewer extension bond
ROCKPORT — Voting 419 to 169, Rockport citizens agreed to amend certain shoreland zone parameters to help the town library possibly expand its building footprint, and they voted 431 to 158 to borrow money and facilitate extending the sewer system… Read more
By wide margin, Camden voters approve Snow Bowl improvement bond
CAMDEN — By a vote of 1,124 in favor and 239 opposed, Camden voters approved a proposal to borrow $2 million and help fund a $6.5 million mountain improvement project at the Camden Snow Bowl. Town voters also approved the three ordinance amendments.
Article 3, the amendment to add some residential uses in the Business River District, passed 1,140 to 188; Article 4, the amendment to define and regulate accessory… Read more
Dear Mr. Mayor...
BELFAST – This is my first time voting for mayor in this town.
I grew up here in Belfast, and have continued to live and work here since graduating from high school in 2012.
In hopes of getting a better understanding of race, I attended and worked behind the scenes at Penbaypilot.com and Bel-TV’s … Read more
$150 million in transportation, education bonds at stake on Election Day
AUGUSTA - Election Day always comes with a slate of state ballot questions, and this year it’s bonds, bonds and more bonds — almost $150 million worth ($182 million with interest), to improve transportation systems, public higher education facilities and National Guard Centers.
Many of the loans would make the state eligible for federal matching money or include provisions for private fundraising.
The $4.5 million requested in Question 1 for National… Read more
Winds knock out power in Waldo and Knox County towns
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.
Fire levels outbuilding in Stockton Springs
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… Read more
Work begins on former Peirce School in Belfast
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… Read more
A few words with Kathleen Fleury, Down East’s new editor
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… Read more
In Belfast, RSU 20 superintendent releases major consolidation plans
BELFAST - Recent talk of consolidation in Regional School Unit 20 has left some parents and residents waiting anxiously for the other shoe to drop. This week, Superintendent Brian Carpenter released a raft of seven proposals that would, in various ways, seek to keep the district afloat in the long term.
The good news is that the proposals came a month ahead of schedule. The bad news, according to Carpenter, who drafted the 50-page, slideshow-style document, is that a major overhaul,… Read more
DEP awards contract for Warren shooting range material
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.
Video: Belfast’s candidates for mayor showcase their views at public forum
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… Read more
Camden ushers in 17th annual PopTech: ‘Sparks of Brilliance’ and the creative instinct
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… Read more
RSU 20 sets goals, holds off on consolidation talks
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… Read more
Rockland at work
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… Read more
Stockton and Belfast churches set to right
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… Read more
Meet the new laws
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… Read more
Speakeasy comes to Rockland
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… Read more
Changing up the winter schedule at Camden’s Cappy's Bakery
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.… Read more
Chords + rhythm + melody = jazz at WRFR, Rockland
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… Read more
Chemical spill in pharmacy closes Belfast Hannaford
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 … Read more
Business grants in Belfast yield a stack of applications
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… Read more
Letter to the editor: On Fox Hill, similarities between Malibu and Camden end with the view
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… Read more
Knox County Commissioners focus on Owls Head Cemetery and its airport ownership
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,… Read more
Rockland's Thorndike Hotel rich in history
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 385 Main Street … Read more
Scenes from Belfast’s Church Street Festival
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… Read more
Belfast government to seek rare FM radio license
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… Read more
Cutler makes early campaign stops in Belfast, Camden
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… Read more