VETERANS CORNER: Veterans who served protecting this country are very fragile as time leaves them behind

by Gary Kennedy

This has proven to be a very hard time for active military as well as our veterans. I am a veteran myself as you know and I have family and friends both active military and veteran. I have worked with veterans for more than 40 years and have never seen anything as heart wrenching as the happenings of late. The world is placing our military in a very shameful state. Our men and women in uniform have always walked tall with pride representing the world’s elite enforcers of justice and freedom.

Many of you with veterans at home know the pain and anguish that our veterans are going through. Almost every visit to Togus VA has, as a part of its screening, the question, “do you have feeling of harming yourself”? Non-veterans don’t realize how sensitive Americas finest are. The pride and love that went into adorning one’s self with the American uniform is second only to God and family.

Everyone has been advised to be on potential suicide watch. Men and women who gave their all protecting this country are very fragile as time leaves them behind. Those who never served or who don’t have someone close who did don’t see what’s happening to our country through similar eyes. Now is a very conflicting time for our military and veteran populations. Now is your time to support these people from your heart. Thanking them for their service is a very respectful thing to do but sometimes it might require more. A gentle touch, an understanding ear can make a lot of difference in helping those who gave their youth for the sake of our country.

There are those who turn their back on our flag and take a knee in protest. Those people obviously don’t care how the peace keepers feel or see the price that was paid by hundreds of thousands who gave it all for them. Respect isn’t in their vocabulary. Most of us feel it is shameful the way things have been lately. Do we deserve our freedom or should Mandarin be considered in the school curriculum? If you ask a veteran, he or she will tell you that things are about to get really bad. How can you be convinced that you won’t like being under the rule of another country, especially Marxist or communist regimes? Look at other countries that are ruled under Socialistic, Communistic governments. Some of us have been in such countries where they can shoot you, your family, take your children and/or your women. I believe some of you haven’t thought this through. Do you want a government who counts your children?

I pray for America each night after watching the horrors on the news channels. It’s bad and it’s real my friends. You can see it for yourself. My heart goes out to those living it. I can hear their fear and despair as I try to fall asleep. I must watch to be informed but for you I recommend cartoons.

During this nightmare the VA hasn’t been much help as they try to pull a switch on the vets. Covid shutdown has allowed them to keep vets away; then came construction to elongate the distancing. At this time the vets noticed security being implemented to further distance them from a place they think of as a safe sanctuary for them. It was a clever way to place Togus on lockdown, the security stations became permanent. More and more veterans are being farmed out but that will only be for a short time, I believe, as the cost is far too great. We have new buildings, sidewalks, roads and a new Community Living Center being built. However, it has been several years since new operating theatres for orthopedics and general surgery and also the need for EMG equipment, which has been broken for years, goes without notice, yet a new neurologist was hired, as well as a nurse practitioner to work with diabetic patients. Eventually they all have to be referred out. These are things which are never addressed by D.C..

The best gym with a pool for both emotional and physical therapy remains shutdown mostly for “lack of a life guard”. However, we are starting to look good. Last but not least the records section has become difficult to access because of staffing, shortages. Perhaps that’s not important with all Veteran Services’ doors being shut. Be mindful of what’s happening and do your best to be part of the solution, not the cause.

God bless our troops and watch over our vulnerable veterans.

The views of the author are not necessarily those of The Town Line newspaper, its staff and board of directors.

Gary Kennedy can be reached at 458-2832.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Feeling unlucky? This may help

photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/sequoya/2431236121

by Debbie Walker

It is well known by now that I love the Farmer’s Almanac! I get newsletters from them, and they are just as good as the book somedays. This latest newsletter had 13 Ways to Improve Your Luck, written by Jaime McLeod, one of their journalists. Please do check their stuff and ours online. You never know what neat stuff you may find.

I will be using some of Jaime’s information and some I have found online; I will also be adding some of my own information. This has nothing to do with The Town Line staff, just me sharing with you.

13 or so….

1. Keep Your Fingers Crossed: Making the sign of the Christian faith with your fingers is believed to keep the evil spirits from ruining your good fortune.

2. Knock on Wood: It was believed good spirits lived in trees and by knocking on anything made of wood, we can call upon these spirits for protection against misfortune. (Sometimes it’s hard to find real wood these days, it might be a really good grade of plastic!)

3. Find a 4-leaf Clover: Ancient druids believed shamrocks helped them to see evil spirits providing the chance to avoid them. (Have you ever seen purple shamrocks. We have a few pots of them.)

4. Wear Your Clothes Inside Out: (I had never seen this one before. I bet more people would be doing this if they knew it would bring good luck. I read children will wear their pj’s inside out, hoping for a snow day from school. We would have too when we were teaching first and second grade!

5. Look at the New Moon Over Your Right Shoulder: If you have new projects being successful or not, it depends on if you see the New Moon over your right shoulder.

6. Sleep Facing South: (from Feng/chi ) good health and fortune: Connection with positive spiritual energy.

7. Break Clear, Uncolored Glass: Broken mirrors are said to bring bad luck. Broken clear glass is said to lose bad fortune.

8. Walk in the Rain: always seen as good luck because a rainy season meant the difference between lean years and prosperous years.

9. Sleep on Un-ironed Sheets: just an old superstition with lost origins. Not many iron sheets anymore, maybe that’s the answer to the mess the world is in. Iron those sheets people!

10. Avoid Cracks in the Sidewalk: Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. I suppose it could be a safety issue, you might trip in a crack, especially with some heels over the years!

11. Carry an Acorn in Your Pocket: An ancient symbol of fertility and long life. To get a long life here you would have to fight the chipmunks!

12. Sneeze three Times Before Breakfast: Three seen as a lucky number belief throughout history. Associated with Christian Trinity.

13. Pick up a Pencil, a Pin, a Penny or a Piece of Coal in the Street: Find a penny, pick it up, all the day, you’ll have good luck.

Wishing you the best of luck and health. I’m just curious what little poems you have. Can’t wait to hear from you. Contact me a DebbieWalker@townline.org.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Symphony Sounds from the Colby Campus

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Symphony Sounds from the Colby Campus

Century Custom Records, once based in Cape Elizabeth, released an LP, Symphony Sounds from the Colby Campus, an anthology of live performances of the Colby Community Symphony Orchestra conducted by its late Music Director Ermanno F. Comparetti during the 1970-1971 seasons.

The selections were as follows:

The opening Allegro of Bach’s 4th Brandenburg Concerto with flutists Jean Rosenblum and Marion Agnew, and violinist/concertmaster Mary Hallman.

Habanera from Bizet’s opera Carmen, as sung by mezzo-soprano Dorothy Spurling, who died in 2020 at the age of 88 and who frequently appeared in concerts on campus during those earlier years.

Another opening Allegro movement from Spring in Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons, again played by concertmaster Hallman.

Frescobaldi’s Toccata in D minor performed by the full orchestra.

Vio Che Sapete from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, sung by Spurling.

Finally, the very famous 1st movement of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto #1 performed by Tibor Yusti who taught piano at the college and gave a successful recital at New York City’s Town Hall, in 1961, that was reviewed by the New York Times.

The orchestra consisting of performers at the professional, semi-professional and amateur level gave spirited renditions .

Since 1959, I have attended Colby Symphony concerts at the Waterville Opera House, Waterville High School Auditorium, Colby’s Lorimer Chapel and its now-demolished Wadsworth Field House.

Back during the 1960s, I remember the college’s former President, Dean Robert Strider, gave commentary at a few concerts and sang the baritone solos in a performance of the Brahms German Requiem.

Two other former concertmasters, Max Cimbolleck and Geza Fiedler, along with Fred Petra who was gifted at playing both the trumpet and double bass in the orchestra, were family friends and music teachers of myself and other family members.

Other acquaintances listed among the personnel were violist Church Blair, cellists Dorothy Reumann, Anthony Betts and Gratia Laws, John Wheeler on French horn, flutist Jean Rosenblum and harpsichordist Adel Heinrich.

* * * * * *

Robert PT Coffin’s Kennebec Crystals continued

Continuing with paragraphs from Robert PT Coffin’s essay Kennebec Crystals, on the harvesting of ice, Maine’s former major winter industry:

“The afternoon saw the first great checkers of ice lifted from the checkerboards. With heaving of cant dogs and picks, the square crystals came up into the splendid sunshine, sparkling like emeralds shading to azure in their deep hearts, with sections of whole rainbows where the edges were flawed. Layer on layer of brightness, layers of solid winter to go into the hot heart of summer in faraway cities and scorching lands. Long canals opened up into dark water, and men poled the cakes down to the ends where other men caught them with cant dogs as they came, hoisted them up on the ice, slued them to the runways. Chains clanked, the hooks bit into them, and up they flashed along the high lines of steel and plunged into the icehouses.”

Continued next week.

LEGAL NOTICES for Thursday, August 26, 2021

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted. The first publication date of this notice August 19, 2021. If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide. See 18-C M.R.S.A. §3-80.

2021-189 – Estate of SHIRLEY ABBOTT, late of Moscow, Me deceased. Brian L. Abbott, 1160 Finn Town Road, Warren, Me 04864 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-192 – Estate of STEPHEN M. FREDERICK, late of Norridgewock, Me deceased. Anthony Frederick, 546 Mercer Road, Norridgewock, Me 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-121 – Estate of JOSEPH J. MANCUSO, late of Madison, Me deceased. Craig D. Mancuso, 4786 South Golf Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-198 – Estate of ELIZABETH JEAN KING, late of Fairfield, Me, deceased. Scott Warren King, 372 Center Road, Fairfield, Maine 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-200 – Estate of WAYNE A. NEAL, late of St. Albans, ME deceased. Sheila L. Neal, 1294 Avenue Road, Exeter, Me 04435 and Linda S. Nelson, 1 Main Street, Palmyra, ME 04965 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2021-202 – Estate of ERNESTINE LOUISE COX WEBB, late of Anson, Me deceased. Vernon L. Cox, PO Box 508, Anson, Me 04911 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-205 – Estate of ALPHONSE HENRY TETREAULT, late of Solon, Me deceased. Joseph C. Tetreault, 150 Front Street, West Springfield, MA 01089 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-206 – Estate of GERALD C. SHEAFF, late of Madison, Me deceased. Andrew K. Sheaff, 21 Crosby Street, Orono, Me 04488 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-208 – Estate of NORMAN L. MOODY, JR., late of Canaan, Me deceased. Lisa Lucille Brewer, 1431 Enfield Street, Apt 2N, Enfield, CT 06082 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-210 – Estate of ELLA MAE SANDERS, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Tammy Jo Carter, 36 Stagecoach Lane, Benton, Me 04901 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-215 – Estate of CLYDE M. BROWNE, late of Anson, Me deceased. Rebecca B. Jordan, PO Box 607, Skowhegan Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on August 19, 2021 & August 26, 2021.

Dated August 16, 2021 /s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(8/26)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
41 COURT ST.
SOMERSET, ss
SKOWHEGAN, ME
PROBATE NOTICES

TO ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ESTATES LISTED BELOW

Notice is hereby given by the respective petitioners that they have filed petitions for appointment of personal representatives in the following estates or change of name. These matters will be heard at 1 p.m. or as soon thereafter as they may be on, November 3, 2021. The requested appointments or name changes may be made on or after the hearing date if no sufficient objection be heard. This notice complies with the requirements of 18-C MRSA §3-403 and Probate Rule 4.

2021-203 – Estate of KARENA LEA COCHRAN. Petition for Change of Name(Adult) filed by Karena Lea Cochran, PO Box 241, Canaan, Me 04924 requesting her name be changed to Karena Lea Caffyn for reasons set forth therein.

Dated: August 18, 2021.

/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(8/26)

STATE OF MAINE
SOMERSET COUNTY PROBATE COURT
41 Court Street
Skowhegan, Maine 04976
Docket : AA-0168-1
RE: BAILEY RENEE PRESCOTT
Minor Child

ORDER FOR SERVICE BY PUBLICATION

This cause came to be heard on the Motion for Service by Publication by petitioners Afton Sierra Prescott and Paul Russell Noke Jr., for service by publication upon UNKNOWN father, pursuant to Maine Rule of Civil Procedure 4(g) and Rule of Probate Procedure 4(3)(2), and it appearing that this is an action for Termination of Parental Rights brought by the Petitioners, Afton Sierra Prescott and Paul Russell Noke Jr., against UNKNOWN father, and that UNKNOWN father cannot, with due diligence, be served by any other prescribed method, and that the address of UNKNOWN father is not known and cannot be ascertained by reasonable diligence; and it is ORDERED that the Petition to Terminate Parental Rights be heard before this Court at 41 Court Street, Skowhegan, Maine 04976 on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at 1:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as it can be heard, and it is ORDERED that UNKNOWN father appear and defend the cause and file a written response to the Petition by delivering it in person or by mailing it to the office of the Register of Probate, 41 Court Street, Skowhegan, Maine 04976, and by mailing a copy thereof to the Petitioner’s attorney at his said address on or before October 6, 2021.

IMPORTANT WARNING: If you fail to file a response within the time stated above, or if, after you file your response, you fail to appear at any time the court notifies you to do so, a judgment may, in your absence, be entered against you for the relief requested. If you do not file a response, you must file a written appearance with the clerk, if you wish to be heard. If you intend to oppose the petition do not fail to answer within the required time.

An order terminating UNKNOWN father parental rights will divest said UNKNOWN father and Bailey Renee Prescott of all legal rights, powers, privileges, immunities, duties and obligations to each other as parent and child, except the inheritance rights between the child and her parent. Furthermore, UNKNOWN father shall not be entitled to notice of the child’s adoption proceedings, nor shall he have any right to object to the adoption or participate in the proceedings, and said order shall have all other effects set forth in 22 M.R.S.A. §4056.

If you believe you have a defense to the Petition, or if you believe you have a claim of your own against the Petitioners, you should talk to a lawyer. If you feel you cannot afford to pay a fee to a lawyer, you may ask the office of the Register of Probate at 41 Court Street, Skowhegan, Maine 04976, or the Office of any other Register of Probate, for information as to place where you may seek legal assistance.

It is further ORDERED that this Order be published in The Town Line once a week for three (3) successive weeks.

Dated: July 8, 2021
/s/ Robert M.Washburn
Judge of Probate

A true copy of the original
Attest: /s/ Victoria M. Hatch
Register of Probate
(9/2)

Legal Notice

TOWN OF FAIRFIELD

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Fairfield Town Council will hold Public Hearings in the Council Chambers, at the Community Center, at 61 Water Street, on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., for the purpose of hearing public comments on the following matters:

• A Secondhand Dealer Application submitted by The Oaks (second hand shop) to be located at 207 B Main Street,
• Proposed revisions to the Fire Prevention and Protection Ordinance.
• Proposed revisions to the General Assistance Ordinance.

Copies are available at the Town Office. All interested persons are invited to attend the public hearings and will be given an opportunity to be heard at that time.

/s/ Christine Keller, Town Clerk

Mosaic workshop to be held on Sept. 13 for grieving children

Hope’s Place for grieving children, a program of Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area, will be offering the art workshop: Create a Mosaic, geared towards children ages 6 to 18. This activity will give children the opportunity to express their feelings of grief and remember their loved one while creating a beautiful piece of art. The workshop will be held on Monday, September 13, from 6 – 7:30 p.m., in the Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area Healing Garden, 304 Main Street, in Waterville. Create a Mosaic will be facilitated by professional glass artist, Lucie Boucher (stoneridgeglass.com). To register, contact Jillian Roy, Phone 873-3615 x 19 or email jroy@hvwa.org. Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area will follow the current CDC COVID 19 guidelines and recommendations for in person meetings.

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Schools – Part 1

Hodgkins School

by Mary Grow

There are four school buildings in the central Kennebec Valley that are on the National Register of Historic Places, two in Augusta and one each in Winslow and Waterville.

Winslow’s Brick Schoolhouse has already been described, in the Jan. 28 issue of The Town Line. The old Cony High School, in Augusta, now the Cony Flatiron Building, will be a future subject.

This piece will describe Augusta’s Ella R. Hodgkins Intermediate School, later called Hodgkins Middle School, and the old Waterville High School, later the Gilman Street School.

The Hodgkins School served students in seventh and eighth grades (one source adds sixth grade) from 1958 to 2009. when the students were moved to a new high school building. The application for National Register status, prepared by Matthew Corbett, of Sutherland Conservation and Consulting, in Augusta, is dated Feb. 26, 2015. The building was added to the register the same year.

The former school, now called Hodgkins School Apartments on the Google map, is at 17 Malta Street, on a 20-acre lot in a residential neighborhood. Malta Street is on the east side of the Kennebec River, northeast of Cony Street and southeast of South Belfast Avenue (Route 105).

Originally designated the East Side Intermediate School, when the building was finished it was dedicated to former Augusta teacher Ella R. Hodgkins. She is listed in the 1917 annual report of the Augusta Board of Education as a Gorham Normal School graduate teaching at the Farrington School.

Corbett described the Hodgkins School as significant both for its architecture and because it was “associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.”

Architecturally, he described the school as exemplifying the Modern Movement; it illustrated “the most recent trends in design and construction.” In terms of historical significance, Corbett wrote that the school was an element of “community planning and development, specifically the town-wide development of educational facilities.”

Augusta architects Bunker and Savage designed the “sprawling” building, Corbett wrote. It rose a single story above the ground and was almost 440 feet long, shaped like an E without a center bar.

The foundation was concrete blocks. The roof was flat; the windows Corbett called “aluminum ribbon sash and glass block.”

Both wings had full basements, giving them two useable floors, the lower partly below ground level, Corbett wrote. The boiler room and the shop classroom were attached on the northeast.

He described the arrangement of corridors, classrooms, offices, bathrooms and other spaces inside. The school had a combination gymnasium and cafeteria, with a stage, and an adjoining kitchen. The grounds provided space for a basketball court and softball and soccer fields.

In the 1950s, concrete blocks, aluminum and glass block windows were examples of modern materials, Corbett wrote. The Hodgkins School was also modern in its emphasis on “natural light and proper ventilation”; architectural drawings “included detailed ventilation and electrical specifications, large windows and skylights, as well as advanced mechanical systems for heating and cooling.”

Hodgkins was the third of three schools built during what Corbett said was “a decade long school building program that updated and consolidated Augusta’s schools to accommodate the post-World War II baby boom.”

He continued, “As the second intermediate school constructed in the city, the Hodgkins School represents the conclusion of the city’s effort to create modern elementary school buildings.”

The first two schools built under the city’s 1953 plan were Lillian Parks Hussey Elementary School (opened in September 1954) and Lou M. Buker Intermediate School (opened in September 1956).

While the Parks and Buker schools have been substantially altered, “The Ella R. Hodgkins Intermediate School retains historic integrity of location, design, setting, material, workmanship, feeling and association,” Corbett wrote.

* * * * * *

Old Waterville High School

Waterville’s Gilman Street School began life as a high school (Waterville’s second, Wikipedia says; the first was built in 1876). It became a junior high, then a technical college and is currently, like the Hodgkins School, an apartment building.

Gilman Street School was added to the National Register in 2010. The application by Amy Cole Ives and Melanie Smith, also of Sutherland Conservation and Consulting, is dated June 11, 2010.

The Maine Memory Network offers an on-line summary of the building’s history. Ives and Smith added details in their application.

The central block at 21 Gilman Street, facing south, was started in 1909 and finished in 1912 as Waterville High School. In 1936, a wing was added on the west side for manual arts classes; and in 1938-1939. a gymnasium and auditorium were added on the east side.

The last senior class graduated in 1963, and the building became Waterville Junior High School.

Meanwhile, Kennebec Valley Vocational Technical Institute (KVVTI), started in the (new) Waterville High School building with 35 students for the 1970-71 school year, rapidly expanded enrollment and course offerings. In 1977, KVVTI rented the Gilman Street building from the City of Waterville; the first courses were taught there in 1978, although some classes stayed at Waterville High School until 1983.

The Memory Network writer said that to save money, vocational students did some of the repairs and renovations the Gilman Street building needed.

KVVTI outgrew its new space, too, and by 1986 had completed the move to its current Fairfield location – a process that took six years, the Memory Network writer said.

The Gilman Street building housed educational offices and served other public and private purposes until Coastal Enterprises Inc. “in conjunction with a developers’ collaborative” turned it into an apartment building named Gilman Place. Its introductory open house was held May 11, 2011, as the first tenants moved in.

Ives and Smith said the original part of the building was designed by Freeman Funk and Wilcox, of Brookline, Massachusetts. The school is one of only a “few known examples of educational architecture” by that group, Wikipedia adds.

Ives and Smith called the school’s architecture “simplified collegiate gothic style.” All three sections are brick with cast stone trim.

The first building, Ives and Smith wrote, is a “symmetrical central three-story five-bay building.” The doors are in the two end bays; the central bays had windows on all three stories.

The doors described in 2010 “had Tudor gothic door surrounds with a four-centered pointed arch, white painted paneled intrados, and flush modern replacement doors with multi-light transoms.” Above each door is an arch over a stone sculpture: on the west, an eagle, wings spread wide, above the City of Waterville seal, and on the east an identical eagle above the Maine State seal.

Centered at the top of the building is a decorative stone rectangle with the words “Waterville High School.”

The 1930s additions were partly financed by the federal Works Progress Administration and were designed by Bunker and Savage of Augusta. Each wing is narrower and lower than the original building, and its front projects out slightly from the main building.

The exterior materials were chosen to match the original building, but Ives and Smith documented stylistic differences.

Of the west wing, they wrote, “Designed with more of the Art Deco influence of the 1920s-30s, the Manual Arts Building was simpler in massing and more streamlined in decoration than the original building.”

The east wing is more elaborate than the west. Ives’ and Smith’s description included a “substantial projecting stylized Tudor gothic tri-partite entrance,” framed by “cast stone quoins,” with its doors “recessed within gothic arched door surrounds” under “three original trios of four-over-six double hung lancet windows.”

They continued, “A cast-stone Tudor arch at the cornice level is elaborated by two round relief sculpture plaques of athletic themes (football and basketball) on either side; the arch fascia is infilled with fancy relief scrolls.”

In this wing, the combination gym and auditorium had an 84-by-68-foor basketball court in the middle; 15 “graduated rows of elevated seating” above the entrance in the south wall; and a 36-by-24-foot stage, with dressing rooms on each side, under a “painted wood Tudor gothic arch” along the north wall. “The aisle-end of each seating row is elaborately carved and painted art deco design,” Ives and Smith wrote.

Showers and locker rooms were in the basement below the stage.

Ives and Smith concluded that the Gilman Street School deserved National Register status for two reasons: its architecture, and its role in illustrating, with its 1930s additions, changes in education, specifically adding courses for non-college-bound students and accommodating increased enrollment.

They concluded, “[T]he property retains integrity of location, design, setting, material, workmanship, feeling and association and has a period of significance from 1909-1940.”

* * * * * *

For readers who wonder when this series will describe the district elementary schools that for years provided all the education many residents got, the answer is, “Not until the next writer takes over.”

The subject is much too complex for yours truly. Many local histories cover it, some writers basing their information on old town reports that contained detailed annual reports on each district.

Kingsbury wrote in his Kennebec County history that what is now Augusta was divided into eight school districts in 1787, 10 years before it separated from Hallowell. Eventually, he found, there were 27 districts.

The China bicentennial history has a map showing locations or presumed locations of schoolhouses in the town’s 22 districts. Sidney started with 10 districts in 1792; lost one to Belgrade in a 1799 boundary change; and by 1848 had 19, Alice Hammond wrote in her history of that town.

Millard Howard found detailed information on Palermo’s 17 districts for his “Introduction to the Early History of Palermo, Maine”. Windsor’s highest number was 15 in 1866-67, according to C. Arlene Barton Gilbert’s chapter on education in Linwood Lowden’s town history.

The authors of the Fairfield bicentennial history didn’t even try to count theirs. Three paragraphs on pre-1966 elementary schools in town included this statement: “There were many divisions of the Town into districts for school management by agents” before state law changed the district system in 1893.

Alma Pierce Robbins summarized the difficulty of describing town primary schools in her Vassalboro history: “In 1839 the School Committee was directed to make a large plan of the twenty-two School Districts. They did, but it was of little value. The next year there were many changes and another school opened.”

Gilman Place

An undated, but recent, online piece by Developers Collaborative begins: “Gilman Place has structurally preserved and bestowed new life into a vacant neighborhood treasure, while repurposing it as affordable workforce housing for area families.”

The article says there are “35 affordable apartments in walking distance from the city’s award winning downtown. Gilman Place is an example of smart growth development simultaneously addressing two concerns many Waterville residents shared: how to preserve and reuse the former Gilman School as well as the need for more quality apartments in Waterville.”

Gilman Place won the 2011 Maine Preservation Honor Award, the piece says. It says state and federal tax credits helped the project, and quotes recently-retired City Manager Mike Roy calling the reuse of the building “one of the best success stories in the city in the last 25 years.”

Correction & Expansion of one of last week’s boxed items

The update on the First Amendment Museum should have said that it was 2015, not 1915, when Eugenie Gannet (Mrs. David Quist) and her sister Terry Gannett Hopkins bought the Gannett family home on State Street, in Augusta, that now houses the museum. The same wrong date was in the account of the Gannett printing and publishing businesses in the Nov. 12, 2020, issue of The Town Line.

The First Amendment Museum website says the Pat and John Gannett Family Foundation bought the building. The foundation is named for Eugenie’s and Terry’s parents, Patricia Randall Gannett and John Howard Gannett.

They met in Florida when he was assigned there as an Army lieutenant during World War II and married July 5, 1943. Patricia Gannett died Feb. 12, 2013, at the age of 91; John Gannett died July 16, 2020, at the age of 100.

[Editor’s Note: The online versions have been corrected.]

Main sources

Corbett, Matthew, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Ella R. Hodgkins Intermediate School, Feb. 26, 2015, supplied by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.
Ives, Amy Cole, and Melanie Smith, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Waterville High School (former), June 11, 2010, supplied by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

Websites, miscellaneous.

FINANCIAL FOCUS: Start thinking about your retirement income plan

by Sasha Fitzpatrick

If you’re getting close to retirement, you’re probably thinking about the ways your life will soon be changing. And one key transition involves your income – instead of being able to count on a regular paycheck, as you’ve done for decades, you’ll now need to put together an income stream on your own. How can you get started?

It’s helpful that you begin thinking about retirement income well before you actually retire. Many people don’t – in fact, 61 percent of retirees wish they had done better at planning for the financial aspects of their retirement, according to an Edward Jones/Age Wave study titled Retirement in the Time of Coronavirus: What a Difference a Year Makes.

Fortunately, there’s much you can do to create and manage your retirement income. Here are a few suggestions:

Consider ways to boost income. As you approach retirement, you’ll want to explore ways of potentially boosting your income. Can you afford to delay taking Social Security so your monthly checks will be bigger? Can you increase your contributions to your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan, including taking advantage of catch-up contributions if you’re age 50 or older? Should you consider adding products that can provide you with an income stream that can potentially last your lifetime?

Calculate your expenses. How much money will you need each year during your retirement? The answer depends somewhat on your goals. For example, if you plan to travel extensively, you may need more income than someone who stays close to home. And no matter how you plan to spend your days in retirement, you’ll need to budget for health care expenses. Many people underestimate what they’ll need, but these costs can easily add up to several thousand dollars a year, even with Medicare.

Review your investment mix. It’s always a good idea to review your investment mix at least once a year to ensure it’s still appropriate for your needs. But it’s especially important to analyze your investments in the years immediately preceding your retirement. At this point, you may need to adjust the mix to lower the risk level. However, you probably won’t want to sell all your growth-oriented investments and replace them with more conservative ones – even during retirement, you’ll likely need some growth potential in your portfolio to help you stay ahead of inflation.

Create a sustainable withdrawal rate. Once you’re retired, you will likely need to start taking money from your IRA and 401(k) or similar plan. But it’s important not to take too much out in your early years as a retiree, since you don’t want to risk outliving your income. A financial professional can help you create a sustainable withdrawal rate based on your age, level of assets, family situation and other factors.

By planning ahead, and making the right moves, you can boost your confidence in your ability to maintain enough income to last throughout your retirement. And with a sense of financial security, you’ll be freer to enjoy an active lifestyle during your years as a retiree.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Edward Jones, Member SIPC.

LakeSmart designation awarded to two China Lake residents

Bob O’Connor

LakeSmart Award to Bob O’Connor

In 1967 Bob’s father bought five parcels of property on the Lakeview side of China Lake. One of the lots is where Bob now calls home. The original camp was converted to a year around home in 1980. Bob eventually moved his family to the home full time in 1987.

You may know Bob because he has lived in China for a long time. Or, you may know him because since 1990, he has been the coordinator of the China Lake loon count, which is done on the third Saturday of July at the early hour of 7 a.m., rain or shine every year. Volunteers are assigned specific areas of the lake to ensure we count each adult and chick they see. This information is gathered on most lakes in Maine at this very early hour to help monitor the loon population in our state. Because of the initiative, people pay better attention to our loons.

We learned to stay 200 feet away from them. We keep a “no wake” speed within 200 feet of the shore because we don’t want to flood their nests and wash away the eggs! And every fisherman knows that using Leadfree tackle and properly disposing of monofilament lines protects the life of our loons.

What stands out at Bob’s lovely lakefront property is that he seldom mows. He prefers to see the native vegetation which includes flowering plants that attract the pollenating bees. He likes the natural setting. Bob mentioned that the wild plants have deep roots. I would say he is right on.

If you would be interested in having a China LakeSmart volunteer visit your lakefront property to see if you can help protect the lake, please email us at ChinaLakeSmart@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you!

Cynthia Hart

LakeSmart Award earned by Cynthia Hart

The China Lake Association’s LakeSmart Program recently awarded Cynthia Hart the LakeSmart Award. Her family has owned this lake front property for many years. It consists of a narrow strip of undeveloped land that has a very lake protective natural berm in front of the shoreline. The land slopes towards the lake. The land above the berm consists of undisturbed duff, young and mature trees, and native shrubs.

When we experience heavy rains, the mature trees create a canopy to shield the land from the damaging impact of fast traveling rain. A canopy will reduce soil erosion. Soil has the potential to send phosphorous and pollutants towards the lake. Phosphorus feeds algae and that can cause our lake to turn green.

With the natural berm and strong effective buffers, Cynthia Hart earns the China LakeSmart Award.

Maybe your property is already LakeSmart. Please contact us for a visit and we can find out if you too, can post a LakeSmart Award on your property. People are observational learners. Being a role model helps others to understand what they can do to protect our Lake. We can be reached at ChinaLakeSmart@gmail.com.

Scouting lets you escape the inside

Gabriel Daniel Lawyerson, of Troop #216. (contributed photo)

by Chuck Mahaleris

This Fall, as students go indoors back to school, the local Scouts will be inviting those students to join them as they “Escape the Inside.” The Membership Recruitment theme “Escape the Inside” will be used on promotional material such as fliers, posters, and lawn signs as a way of informing youth and their parents that Scouting plans to deliver fun programs in outdoor settings.

“A boy is not a sitting-down animal,” – Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of Scouting.

“Scouting works best when we bring the Scouts into the outdoors,” said Kennebec Valley District of Scouting Vice Chairman Chuck Mahaleris, of Augusta. “Our Cub Packs, Scout Troops and Venture Crews have been busy all summer long having adventures. Scouts in this area spent their summer camping, hiking, shooting at the archery range, biking, canoeing, kayaking, and challenging themselves.

They didn’t get a lot of time to sit down. They learned about cooking over an open fire and how to save someone’s life in the woods. Some of our Scouts went white water rafting and many spent part of their summer helping their community. In September, our Cub Packs, Scout Troops and Venture Crews will be opening their doors to new members- youth who are tired of sitting around and want to get outside and have fun and do things.”

The three largest parts of Scouting are:

Cub Scouting which is fun for the whole family of boys and girls in grades K-5. It’s fun, hands-on learning and achievement that puts kids in the middle of the action and prepares them for today – and for life.

The next level is Scouts BSA which is for boys and girls ages 11-17 and is the traditional Scouting experience for youth in the fifth grade through high school. Service, community engagement and leadership development become increasingly important parts of the program as youth lead their own activities and work their way toward earning Scouting’s highest rank, Eagle Scout.

Venturing is for teens age 14-20 and perfect for those kids looking for the next mountain to climb.

There will be Scouting sign up opportunities in every town and fliers will be distributed to students where allowed, and here are the contacts for the Scouting program in your area.

The Kennebec Valley District of Scouting, which covers Somerset, Lincoln, Knox, Kennebec and Franklin Counties, will also be adding Sea Scouting and Exploring programs later this year.

“Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting worldwide, said ‘the open air is the real objective of Scouting and the key to its success.’ Our Scouting leaders are eager to get the youth in their programs out into the great outdoors of our state and let the Scouting shine,” Mahaleris said.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Tips to help you stay active and become a healthier you

Daily walks with your family can help you all look and feel healthier and happier.

(NAPSI)—Following a challenging year, it may be difficult to get back into a healthy routine. Summer is a great time to think about what you can do to improve your health. Wherever you are on your journey to active and healthy living, there are things you can do to help you get or stay on track.

Try these tips to help manage your weight and stay active.

• Try to be active every day. Make physical activity a part of your daily routine rather than something you do occasionally. Invite a friend or family member to make it more fun and to help you stick with your goals.

• Think small. Small changes can add up to big results if you stay consistent. You don’t have to run a marathon or go on a strict eating plan to lose weight. Taking just a 10-minute walk every day or replacing your bowl of ice cream with a piece of fruit are great choices that can improve your health over time.

• Look for creative ways to be healthier. There are many ways to form healthy habits. Walk around a school track or a local park, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or try a hobby that keeps you moving, like gardening or dancing. Look for snacks low in added sugar and salt, like frozen or fresh fruit, hummus, and crunchy veggies.

• Reduce your “screen time.” We may not realize how much time we spend sitting still watching television, playing online games, or being on social media. Try turning off devices and take a walk, try a new sport with your loved ones, or create a playlist of favorite songs and have a dance contest.

• Be mindful of your eating habits. Keeping a food and beverage diary will make you more aware of what you eat and drink, which can help you make healthier choices. Many apps and online tools are available to help you track your meals.

Health is a lifelong pursuit and is more achievable when you turn healthy behaviors into habits. To do that, remember to:

• Be patient. Most people at some point in their lives try to become more active or lose weight. It’s not easy, but it is doable! If you stick to your plan, you can reach your goals.

• Be prepared for setbacks. It’s normal to have slip-ups on your health journey. Don’t feel bad or punish yourself. Instead, remember that creating new habits takes time.

• Celebrate successes. Losing weight and becoming more physically active are big achievements. Be proud of yourself for wanting to become healthier and for doing what you can each day to make that happen.

If you are not sure where to start, visit the NIDDK’s Body Weight Planner tool at www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp to set some calorie and activity goals. Also talk with your health care professional about appropriate goals based on your unique health and lifestyle.

To learn more about weight management and healthy living, visit the NIDDK website at www.niddk.nih.gov.