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.
Searsport LPG hearings end with a bang
SEARSPORT - Public hearings by the planning board on a proposed propane terminal officially came to a close on Monday night but not without a fight from opponents who protested with shouts and signs that their right to speak had been cut short.
The Feb. 25 meeting, which included cross examination of officials and expert witnesses and comments from the general public, marked the end of a series of hearings that began last November and has stretched over a dozen nights in the… Read more
Newlyweds, and this time it's official
BELFAST - Gabrielle Eiholzer and Opal Ash were about to relax after a round of photos in the Council chambers at City Hall, when a woman's voice could be heard urging them to stay for a few more shots. "I assume you're only doing this once," she said.
It was a boilerplate marriage joke (i.e. don't get divorced), and appropriately so.
Several minutes later Eiholzer and Ash would become the first same-sex couple to be legally married in Belfast. But in the two-steps-forward-one-… Read more
Belfast grand jury indictments include one for November city burglary spree
BELFAST — A Waldo County grand jury handed down 38 indictments against 36 people when it concluded its work in Belfast Feb. 13.
One of those named was Jason Beal, 23, of Belfast, who was indicted for six counts each of burglary and theft by unauthorized taking Nov. 8, 9 and 10, 2012.
Beal is accused of breaking into homes in Belfast, half of which were occupied at the time with homeowners asleep, and seemingly unaware. One of those burglaries was at a home with an elderly female… Read more
Knox County divorces - January 2013
ROCKLAND — The following divorces were recorded at the Knox County courthouse during the month of January.
Wayne D. Young of Vinahaven and Shannon D. Young of Jackson, Tenn., married June 10, 2006, in Camden and divorced Jan. 8, 2013.
Robert R. Tassi of Rockport and Dawn S. Tassi of Cushing, married Oct 7, 1996, in South Berwick and divorced Jan. 8, 2013.
Jeffery L. Williams (no town given) and Crecita R. Williams of Brooklyn, N.Y., married May 6, 1995, in Ossining, N.Y.,… Read more
Front Street Shipyard orders an even larger lift
BELFAST - Front Street Shipyard supersized its plans for a new travel lift this week, upgrading from a 300-ton to a 485-ton (440-metric ton) model.
The hoist is part of a planned expansion, first announced in November 2012, that would allow the Shipyard to service larger vessels, up to 150 feet in length.
In January, city officials amended a contract rezoning agreement with the Shipyard to allow for the marine portion of the plan to go forward, including an expansion of the pier… Read more
Worst case scenario focus of Good Harbor testimony at Searsport LPG hearing
SEARSPORT - Mike Lucy, of the security consulting firm Good Harbor offered a glimpse into the mind of a risk assessment expert on Monday night as he tried to focus a laser pointer on a video projection of plans for a large-scale propane terminal at Mack Point.
"Make sure I don't zap anybody's eye," he said to no one in particular, as the red dot appeared on the screen.
Lucy and Frank Gallagher of Good Harbor opened their presentation on Monday to the Searsport Planning Board by… Read more
Former national security advisor to testify on Searsport LPG tank
SEARSPORT - Former national security advisor Richard Clarke is expected to testify before the Searsport Planning Board Monday, Feb. 11, as hearings on a proposed large-scale propane terminal continue this week.
The development by Colorado-based DCP Midstream would include a 23-million gallon bulk storage tank for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), distributed commercially as propane.
Clarke's security consulting firm Good Harbor was hired by Islesboro Islands Trust to perform an "all… Read more
Let it snow: Rockland, Camden public works crews ready to roll
Road crews and public works departments in Rockland and Camden are prepared for heavy snowfall late Friday into Saturday.
On Thursday, Feb. 7, Rockland Public Works Director Greg Blackwell said his crew of 15 is "ready to roll." The department's salt shed is chock full of approximately 100 tons of salt. They also have about 4,000 yards of sand, which he said typically lasts for an entire winter.
Road crews in Rockland will begin before snowfall gets too heavy. As the first… Read more
Fixing erosion issues in Rockland subdivision
ROCKLAND — Rockland City Councilors will vote Monday whether or not to approve the acquisition of a $50,000 bond to fund a drainage project to stem erosion before it becomes a more expensive issue. Residents out for a stroll Wednesday afternoon in the 1970s-era Pen Bay Acres development, uphill of busy Route 1, expressed their support for the project as engineer Andrew Hedrich led a tour along Acadia Drive with city officials in tow.
Hedrich is with the Camden-based engineering and… Read more
Belfast Council approves Shipyard marine improvements
BELFAST - Front Street Shipyard may start work as soon as today on a series of marine improvements, according to Shipyard President JB Turner, who confirmed that the company has received required permits from Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers. The City Council approved the plans Tuesday night, which would include an addition to the Shipyard's travel lift pier to accommodate a new 340-ton lift.
The… Read more
Q&A: Back from Beale Street
BELFAST — Carlene Perkins Thornton of Liberty had been singing lead vocals with the Juke Rockets for a little over a year when the band won a statewide competition last fall and a trip to the 29th annual International Blues Competition in Memphis, Tenn.
The IBC was held last week, and though the Juke Rockets were knocked out in the early rounds, it didn't stop the band from having a great time. PenBayPilot caught up with Perkins Thornton, who was back at work in Belfast Tuesday but… Read more
Camden firefighters recognize Harold Drinkwater
CAMDEN — Since 1955, Harold Drinkwater has been responding to calls for fires, accidents, flooded basements, and most recently, traffic control. August 2013 will mark his 58th year with the Camden Fire Department, and during Monday night's training, Atlantic Engine Company #2 surprised him with a special honor.
Camden's newest fire apparatus - a big, red, shiny, state of the art Dash-CF multi-purpose vehicle built by Pierce Manufacturing in Wisconsin – now proudly bears the names "… Read more
Training for emergencies all in a day's work for Rockland responders
ROCKLAND — A cloudless sky and bright sunshine did little to ease the cold temperature around Chickawaukie Pond, where Rockland first responders were learning and practicing ice rescue skills Saturday.
True ice emergencies don't happen often in the Midcoast, but they can be deadly when they do and emergency responders train for them annually.
Chickawaukie Pond was the site of a tragic ice boating accident that claimed the life of 52-year-old Mark McClellan of Rockland Dec. 20,… Read more
For Belfast postal clerk, good service was all in the delivery
BELFAST - During his 28 years at the U.S. Postal Service's Belfast office, Steve Clark, who is retiring this week, developed a memorable style of customer service.
It wasn't the way he posted envelopes or quizzed you on the contents of your packages — "any perishables, liquids or hazardous materials?" — though he often did these with a kind of theatrical flair.
What set him apart was his determination to cheer up anyone who looked like they needed it. And if you lived here long… Read more
Belfast seafood processor looks to go high-tech
BELFAST — For years Maine lobster fishermen have felt caught in a system governed by big seafood processors in Canada. Maine Maritime Products is not expecting that to change overnight, but the Belfast company is hoping to offer some of the same services locally and is seeking state funding to help do it.
On Tuesday, the Belfast City Council endorsed a letter of interest on behalf of Maine Maritime Products seeking $500,000 from the Maine… Read more
A closer look at the new RSU 20 teachers' contract
BELFAST - Last week we outlined the broad strokes of the new Regional School Unit 20 teachers' contact, which was ratified by the school board on Tuesday after four years of negotiations.
The actual contract was not available at the time of the ratification. What was known then was that the teachers were in their third year with no contract — a period of time… Read more
RSU 20 teachers' contract settled after 4-year negotiation
STOCKTON SPRINGS - After four years of negotiations and three years of no contract, teachers and staff from Regional School Unit 20 reached an agreement with the district's board of directors on a contract that reportedly closes the salary gap between teachers from the two preconsolidated school districts.
School Administrative Districts 34 (Belfast, Belmont, Morrill, Northport, Searsmont and Swanville) and 56 (Frankfort, Searsport and Stockton Springs) were joined in 2009 as part of a… Read more
Footbridge seating, lighting grant a nonstarter
BELFAST - A grant proposal to fund new seating and lighting on the footbridge captured the imaginations of local residents over the past three months, but was apparently not as compelling to the national arts funding organization… Read more
Taking down Big Pickle
BELFAST - It was on a break from college, visiting the family of his future-wife, that Brian McCarthy tasted dilly beans for the first time. His thought at the time was: why have I never had these before?
The short answer is that he grew up in Ohio, and dilly beans are fairly specific to New England — his wife is from Maine and the recipe was one passed down from her grandmother. But the question, like any that accompanies a minor epiphany, had more to it than that.
Over a… Read more
Council winnows options for rail trail conversion
BELFAST - A recreational rail trail along the Passagassawakeag River continued to take shape on Tuesday night as the City Council reviewed a feasibility study and ruled out several of the more expensive options. Watching closely were representatives of Coastal Mountains Land Trust, the Camden-based conservancy that hatched the idea and has pledged money to to the project, and representatives of two railroad groups for whom the trail means being pushed,… Read more
Ari Snider: Lego for Christmas
Fresh always, outrageous, and at last!
BELFAST - Julie Romano may not have been the first to ink a deal with Coastal Farms Food Processing, but when the facility's commercial kitchen opened last summer, she was quick to get in the door, and quicker to get her products — salsa and tabouli, sold under the brand name Julie Ann's Outrageous! Foods — out to market.
In early September last year, she delivered her first batch to the Belfast… Read more
Coastal Farms enters 2013 a little wiser, still wide-eyed
BELFAST – Jan Anderson was serving on the City Council in 2009 when she first shared her vision of Belfast becoming a regional storage and processing hub for farmers and food entrepreneurs. Her hope was to convince her fellow councilors to invest in the idea as an economic development initiative.
What the city needed, she said, was a centrally located, state-of-the-art facility with abundant frozen and dry storage for local produce, a shared commercial kitchen, and the potential for a… Read more
What we were doing before we changed plans
BELFAST - There's a building just south of Belfast's central intersection best described as home to High Street Market and La Vida Restaurant. It's also home to three apartments on the second floor, which were the catalyst for an exterior makeover that has kept the building shrouded in scaffolding for most of the winter.
Owner Jeff Littlefield had long wanted to spruce up the facade and replace the… Read more
Fallen tree cause of Knox County power outages
MIDCOAST - Gusty winds and and a fallen tree were to blame for power outages in four towns in Knox County this morning, according to Central Maine Power Spokeswoman Gail Rice.
Rice said 5,600 CMP customers in the region lost power shortly before 7 a.m. when a tree came down on transmission lines between Camden and Rockport. The incident resulted in power outages in Camden, Rockport, Hope and Lincolnville.
Work crews repaired the damaged lines and power was restored at 9:47, Rice… Read more
Where the Belfast tax dollar went in 1931, 1952, 2004 ...
BELFAST - At the end of his first year on the job, Harrie D. Eckler, Belfast's first city manager, summed up the perennial public relations puzzle of government officials in a single sentence, which was printed in the city's 1930-31 annual report. It read:
During the time that taxes are being paid, the question usually arises as to why the tax is so high, and what the money raised by taxation is used for.
The statement wouldn't have been news to anyone. But the… Read more
Athenahealth to buy medical app maker Epocrates
WATERTOWN, Mass. - Athenahealth, the web-based medical billing services provider, announced today an agreement to acquire Epocrates Inc., maker of mobile physicians' applications, for $11.75 per share, or roughly $293 million.
The closing is expected to happen in the second quarter of 2013. The sale price is 22… Read more
Taking the recreation out of hunting (but keeping the rack)
ISLESBORO - Islesboro hunters killed 49 deer during a three-week, special deer reduction hunt in December according to figures tallied by the town and presented to officials from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Jan. 3.
Both town and state officials saw the results as promising and somewhat ambiguous.
The hunt came as the result of five years worth of studies aimed at reducing Lyme Disease on the island, which spiked in 2011 with 29 confirmed cases. In prior… Read more
Council considers tax breaks for big businesses in Belfast
BELFAST - Should the city give tax breaks to big businesses that want to open shop in Belfast, or to established ones hoping to expand? The question was the topic of a City Council work session on Tuesday night, and the answer from the Council was something like "it depends."
At issue were the proceeds from tax increment financing districts, or TIFs, which allow municipalities to shelter tax revenue from the state and use it for public improvements, or in a more a controversial version… Read more
Belfast's New Year's by the Bay turns a sweet 16
BELFAST - New Year's by the Bay, the city's alcohol-free first night celebration, marked its sixteenth year last night. Judging from packed houses at the dozens of concerts and performances downtown the event is as popular as it's ever been.
Many acts from past years returned in 2013 including the Blue Hill Brass Band, Katahdin Valley Boys, Hawk Henries and OdLaW. As in past years, the program played to the character of the venues, four of which were in churches. Minimally-amplified… Read more