LEGAL NOTICES for Thursday, December 9, 2021

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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 December 9, 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.

2021-331 – Estate of DOUGLAS P. DENICO, late of Madison, Me deceased. Tamara F. Denico, 160 Longley Road, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-332 – Estate of BETTY ANN KEEFE, late of Athens, Me deceased. Beth A. Keefe, PO Box 51, Athens, ME 04912 and Eva M. McLaughlin, 25 North Avenue, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2021-334 – Estate of TAMMY NEAL, late of Norridgewock, Me deceased. Patrick Neal, 9 McKenzie Cir., Norridgewock, Me 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-337 – Estate of VIRGINAIA T. HEUSTIS, late of Embden, Me deceased. Brandi Jo Barnett, PO Box 64, West Forks, Me 04985 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-338 – Estate of JUDITH M. McLEOD, late of Smithfield, ME deceased. Joni M. Gould, 947 Village Road, Smithfield, ME 04978 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-339 – Estate of PAULA C. MYERS, late of Norridgewock, Me deceased. James Bousquet, 37 Quimby Road, Sanbornton, NH 03269 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-343 – Estate of ARMAS E. MAHONEN JR., late of Hartland, Me deceased. Ailie J. Choiniere, 118 Athens Road, Hartland, Me 04943 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-344 – Estate of EVELYN PALMER LAWRENCE, late of Pittsfield, ME deceased. Marie Lawrence-Hadley, 3915 49th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on December 9 & 16, 2021.
Dated: December 6, 2021
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(12/16)

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 December 22, 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.

2021-287 – Estate of NATALIE LYNN FERRIS. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Brittanie Ludden, 14 Woodman Ave., Apt 2, Fairfield, Me 04937 requesting minor’s name be changed t Natalie Lynn Ludden for reasons set forth therein.

2021-265 – Estate of LUKE SPENCER MORRISON. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Lindsey K. Brann, 275 Skowhegan Road, Fairfield, Me 04937 requesting minor’s name be changed to Luke Spencer Brann for reasons set forth therein.
SPECIAL NOTICE: THIS NOTICE IS ESPECIALLY DIRECTED TO ERVIN MORRISON WHO IS OF ADDRESS UNKNOWN.

2021-316 – Estate of THOMAS JEFFREY WOLF. Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Jessica Lynn Laviolette, 385 Nokomis Road, St. Albans, Me 04971 requesting minor’s name be changed to Thomas Orion Laviolette for reasons set forth therein.

2021-335 – Estate of ANNA J. FREY, adult of Pittsfield, Me. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Anna J. Frey, 36 Dogtown Road, Pittsfield, Me 04967 requesting that her name be changed to Anna J. McGuinness for reasons set forth therein.

Dated: December 6, 2021
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(12/16)

FINANCIAL FOCUS: Retirees fear becoming a burden

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by Sasha Fitzpatrick

It’s human nature to want to make things easier for our loved ones – and to have great concern about adding any stress to their lives. In fact, 72 percent of retirees say that one of their biggest fears is becoming a burden on their families, according to the Edward Jones/Age Wave Four Pillars of the New Retirement study. How can you address this fear?

First, don’t panic. In all the years leading up to your retirement, there’s a lot you can do to help maintain your financial independence and avoid burdening your grown children or other family members. Consider these suggestions:

Increase contributions to your retirement plans and health savings account. The greater your financial resources, the greater your financial independence – and the less likely you would ever burden your family. So, contribute as much as you can afford to your IRA, your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan. At a minimum, put in enough to earn your employer’s matching contributions, if offered, and increase your contributions whenever your salary goes up. You may also want to contribute to a health savings account (HSA), if it’s available.

Invest for growth potential. If you start investing early enough, you’ll have a long time horizon, which means you’ll have the opportunity to take advantage of investments that offer growth potential. So, in all your investment vehicles – IRA, 401(k), HSA and whatever other accounts you may have – try to devote a reasonable percentage of your portfolio to growth-oriented investments, such as stocks and stock-based funds. Of course, there are no guarantees and you will undoubtedly see market fluctuations and downturns, but you can help reduce the impact of volatility by holding a diversified portfolio for the long term and periodically rebalancing it to help ensure it is aligned with your risk tolerance and time horizon. Keep in mind, though, that diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against loss in a declining market.

Protect yourself from long-term care costs. Even if you invest diligently for decades, your accumulated wealth could be jeopardized, and you could even become somewhat dependent on your family, if you ever need some type of long-term care, such as an extended stay in a nursing home or the services of a home health care aide. The likelihood of your needing such assistance is not insignificant, and the care can be quite expensive. In fact, the median cost for home health services is nearly $55,000 per year, while a private room in a nursing home can exceed $100,000, according to Genworth, an insurance company. To help protect yourself against these steep and rising costs, you may want to contact a financial professional, who can suggest an appropriate strategy, possibly involving various insurance options.

Create your estate plans. If you were ever to become incapacitated, you could end up imposing various burdens on your family. To guard against this possibility, you’ll want to ensure your estate plans contain key documents, such as a financial power of attorney and a health care directive.
It’s safe to say that no one ever wants to become a financial burden to their family. But putting appropriate strategies in place can go a long way toward helping avoid this outcome.

Edward Jones is a licensed insurance producer in all states and Washington, D.C. Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. You should consult your attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: Treat your employees well

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

A few years ago, Herb Kelleher, the CEO and founder of Southwest Airlines shook up the business world by declaring that the employee comes first, and the customer comes second. At first people were shocked, they could not understand such heresy. Of course, the customer comes first, everybody knows that since the customer is always right …right?

But wise old Herb Kelleher went on to explain that the happier the employees were, the more prone they would be to treat the customers like gold, the way they should be treated.

And to those of us who have flown Southwest Airlines we have witnessed first hand that Kelleher was right. Those flight attendants are the cheeriest bunch of people I have ever met. They even have jokes they like to say like, “There might be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only four ways to get off this airline.” And songs they like to sing. Sure it’s all a little corny, but I have to admit that these antics do tend to cheer up even the crabbiest of tired travelers (yours truly included).

I do know from my own experience working with companies that the companies that are committed to keeping their employees happy and satisfied, and the companies that go to great lengths to look out for their employees, are indeed the best run companies and they do in fact have the best customer service.

So here, from a great little book called Amaze Every Customer Every Time, by Shep Hyken, are some very useful tips on how to treat your employees well so they will treat your customers even better:

  • Treat employees the way you want the customer treated, maybe even better.
  • The only way you can possibly amaze your customers every time is by amazing your employees first.
  • Talking about the employees’ golden rule is not enough. You, as a leader, must model it daily.
  • Create a clear and precise mission for your company and make sure that your employees not only know it and understand it…but believe in it as well, and that starts with you as their leader.
  • As a leader you have to walk the walk and lead by example. If your employees see you treating your customers well, they will follow your lead.

And one of my own: Remember that what a company leader or owner says or does resonates very loudly in the company. As a leader be very careful with your words, and never, and I mean never, complain or knock a customer. And never let them see you treat a customer poorly.

In short, if you treat your employees the way you want them to treat your customers it will be a perfect way to run your business and, yes, to grow your business.

Carrabec High School, North Anson, first quarter 2021 honors

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Carrabec High School, North Anson, first quarter honors

Carrabec High School

GRADE 12

High honors: Roger Beaulieu, Cheyenne Cahill, Elisa Corradini, Shyanne Holmes, Trinity Slate, Cassidy Smith and Drake Whittemore. Honors:  Emma Baker, Julia Baker, Abigayle Ballard, Elijah Canales, Erin Clark, Alexander Cloutier, Xavier Cloutier, Charlee Davis, Isaiah Dunphy, Sean Olson, Courtney Rollins, Seth Sayles, Devon Spencer, Garrett Wilson and Ethan Wyman.

GRADE 11

High honors:  Luke Carey. Honors: Laci Dickey, Joel Gehrke, Lindsay Hamilton, Kaitlyn Junkins, Robert Lindblom, Jr., Caitlyn Oliver, Conner Peabody, Isabelle Slate, Hunter Sousa and Josiah Wyman Jr.

GRADE 10

High honors:  Jayden Cates and Devyn DeLeonardis. Honors: Kolby Carpenter, Riley Crocker, Cooper Dellerma, Molly Hay, Summer Lindblom, Alyssa Schinzel and Hailey Wyman.

GRADE 9

High honors:  Machaon Pierce and Desmond Robinson. Honors: Zackary Crawford, Kobi Jennings, Dayna Jean LaBonte, Seth Price, Gerald Rollins, Levi Small and Brooks Sousa.

Vassaslboro Community School honor roll (Fall 2021)

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

GRADE 8

High honors: Emily Almeida and Ava Lemelin. Honors: William Ellsey, Madison Estabrook, Timothy Kiralis, Jacob Lavallee, Alxandria O’Hara and Addison Witham. Honorable mention: Moira Bevan, Addyson Burns, Jordan Cressey, Paige Littlefield, Brayden McLean, Emily Piecewicz, Leahna Rocque and Leah Targett.

GRADE 7

High honors: Taiya Rankins, Bryson Stratton and Landon Tassinari. Honors: Aliya Bourque, Madison Burns, Tallulah Cloutier, Owen Couture, Ryley Desmond, Eilah Dillaway, Alora Esquibel, Madison Field, Xavier Foss, Adalyn Glidden, Bailey Goforth, Kylie Grant, Caspar Hooper, Jack Malcolm, Henry Olson, Josslyn Ouellette and Natalie Rancourt. Honorable mention: Emma Charleston, Peyton Dowe, Wyatt Ellis, Olivia Leonard, Kaitlyn Maberry, Harley McEachern, Alexis Mitton, Mackenzie Oxley, Noah Pooler and Grady Sounier.

GRADE 6

High honors: Drew Lindquist, Paige Perry, Judson Smith, Alana Wade and Reid Willett. Honors: Benjamin Allen, Dominick Bickford, Juliet Boivin, Tristyn Brown, Gabriella Brundage, Dylan Dodge, Ryleigh French, Drake Goodie, Cooper Lajoie, Caleb Marden, Oliver Olson, Bentley Pooler, Trinity Pooler, Abigail Prickett, Kayden Renna, Hannah Tobey and William Trainor. Honrable mention: Zoey, DeMerchant, Jennah Dumont, Zachary Kinrade, Brooke Reny and Jade Travers.

GRADE 5

High honors: Samuel Bechard, Keegan Clark, Basil Dillaway, Fury Frappier, Allyson Gilman, Chayenne Lizzotte, Mia McLean, Agatha Meyer, Mackenzy Monroe and Ava Woods. Honors: Davontay Austin, Peyton Bishop, Bryleigh Burns, Kaleb Charlebois, Emily Clark, Preston Duenne, Baylee Fuchswanz, Zoe Gaffney, Bayleigh Gorman, Lillyana Krastev, Jack LaPierre, Kaitlyn Lavallee, Aiden McIntyre, Jaelyn Moore, Kaylee Moulton, Weston Pappas, Kassidy Proctor, Emma Robbins, Landen Theobald and Grace Tobey. Honorable mention: Mason Brewer, Olivia Dumas and Elliot McQuarrie.

GRADE 4

High honors: Zander Austin, Xainte Cloutier, Twila Cloutier, Mariah Estabrook, Dawson Frazer, Sarina LaCroix, Olivia Perry, Cassidy Rumba, Haven Trainor and Cameron Willett. Honors: Aliyah Anthony, Kiara Apollo, Lukas Blais, Jayson Booker, Sophia Brazier, Grace Clark, Kaylee Colfer, Samantha Craig, Wyatt Devoe, Riley Fletcher, Peter Giampietro, Lucian Kinrade, Landon Lagasse, Isaac Leonard, Elliott Rafuse, Isaiah Smith and Meadow Varney. Honorable mention: Dekan Dumont, Camden Foster, Aubrey Goforth, Jade Lopez and Juliahna Rocque.

GRADE 3

High honors: Hunter Brown, Levi DeMerchant, Cooper Grant, Tanner Hughes, Olivia Lane, Simon Olson, Landon Quint, Willa Rafuse, Alexis Reed, Jackson Robichaud, Liliana Tassinari and Gabriel Tucker. Honors: Alexander Bailey, Amaya-Lynn Belanger, Rylee Boucher, Maverick Brewer, Kandryn Couture, Braiden Crommett, Ashton Derosby, Addison Dodge, Sophia-Lynn Howard, Kendall Karlsson, Jase Kimball, Brooklyn Leach, Landon Lindquist, Christopher Santiago, Asher Smith, Elliot Stratton, William Vincent and Robert Wade. Honorable mention: Ryder, Austin, Reese Chechowitz, Liam Dowe, Mikkah-Isabella Grant, Aubrie Hill, Desmond Landreth, Aria Lathrop, Jace Reeves and Addison Suga.

Shakespeare group to hold auditions

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Recycled Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 2021 (Photo credit: Recycled Shakespeare)

Recycled Shakespeare Company (RSC) is holding a fundraiser, A Literary Tea, on a Sunday , January 2, 2022, at 2 p.m. Enjoy hot tea and lovely desserts while listening to winter poetry, passages of prose and music performed by Recycled Shakespeare Company and Friends, in the warm and inviting hall of the historic South Parish Congregational Church, 9 Church Street, in Augusta, ME.

Tickets are $20 and make wonderful Christmas presents for a memorable day. Seating is limited, and must be reserved by December 24, so buy early. Please text or call Lyn at 207-314-4730 for tickets or send comments on the RSC Literary Tea Facebook event page. Your purchase supports free community Shakespeare theater.

If you purchase a ticket and would like to join our readers, please contact Lyn by December 19 with your selection – or we can choose for you. Pre-approved original poetry is welcome.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Seeing another rare wild animal

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

This column was a long time coming. A couple of months ago, while driving to an engagement on Eustis Parkway, in Waterville, I noticed a grey squirrel cross the street in front of me. What’s so great about seeing a squirrel, you ask? Well, just a few weeks prior to this sighting, I had seen a black squirrel, in Vassalboro, which are somewhat rare. Well, this particular squirrel was even more rare. It’s tail was white on the tip. Never seen, or heard, that before.

Well, the reason it took so long to write this column is that there isn’t much information on them that I could find. My research took me to different parts of the country, but not in Maine. What does it mean when a squirrel has a white tail?

According to an article on globegazette.com, white-tailed squirrels are not albino squirrels. The color variation can come from a recessive trait that will occasionally appear in the genetic line. … If the mother has a white tail, that characteristic is carried to offspring.

I found that white-tailed antelope squirrels are found in the southwestern United States and the Baja California Peninsula of northwestern Mexico. Their range extends north to south from southwestern Oregon to New Mexico, and east to west from western Colorado to Baja California, Mexico.

So, what about here, in central Maine?

White-tailed squirrels are uncommon but locally they can become common. James H. Harding, an instructor and outreach specialist in the Department of Zoology at the Michigan State University Museum, comments: “These unusual squirrel coloration variations are not rare; they can turn up in any population and are probably related to the same types of genetic (or developmental) variants that can lead to albino (white) and melanistic (dark, black) individuals,” he said.

“Because inheritance of color involves many genes, and can be modified by environmental factors, it is more common to see these partially odd-colored variations. Presumably, these types of anomalies would be more common in suburban and urban areas, where inbreeding can occur, due to partial isolation of populations hemmed in by roads and other human activities.

“In addition, whereas wild squirrels with white tails might be more likely to be seen and killed by a predator, in the city they are more protected from these dangers.”

Of course, the fox squirrel also comes into play. In the western part of its range, it is gray above and rust colored on its undersides. In the southern part of its range, it is black and brown with a white stripe on its face and a white tip on its tail. The fox squirrel is also known as the eastern fox squirrel.

The fox squirrel’s natural range extends through most of the eastern United States, north into the southern prairie provinces of Canada, and west to the Dakotas, Colorado, and Texas. They are absent (except for vagrants) in New England, New Jersey, most of New York, northern and eastern Pennsylvania, Ontario, Québec, and the Atlantic provinces of Canada. More questions arise from this information, but not enough answers.

In Osage, Iowa, Vince Evelsizer, a wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the white-tailed squirrels are “unique.”

The white-tailed squirrel is also described in old folklore. What does seeing a white-tailed squirrel mean? They can be symbolic of good luck, especially because they’re so rare that you’re unlikely to find them. But when you do, they might symbolize good luck to you in the future. Peace. This type of squirrel is also symbolic of peace.

White squirrels also exist, but are far more rare than a white-tailed squirrel. Albino gray squirrels are the rarest form of white squirrel. Mammalogists estimate that the odds of a female gray squirrel giving birth to an albino offspring are 1 in 100,000.

Based on what I could find, the squirrel I saw that day in October could, and possibly was, a vagrant eastern fox squirrel. It all happened so fast I didn’t get a really good look at the rest of the coloration. But the white-tipped tail was very obvious.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Now that the Detroit Lions finally won a game, can you name the five NFL teams to go winless in a season, since 1944?

Answer can be found here.

Roland’s Trivia Question for Thursday, December 9, 2021

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Trivia QuestionsNow that the Detroit Lions finally won a game, can you name the five NFL teams to go winless in a season, since 1944?

Answer:

The 1960 Dallas Cowboys (0–11–1), the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0–14), the 1982 Baltimore Colts (0–8–1), the 2008 Detroit Lions (0–16), and the 2017 Cleveland Browns (0–16).

Avoid holiday shipping scams

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image: AARP

This holiday shopping season, BBB Scam Tracker has received numerous reports about shipping tricks that scammers use to steal from online shoppers. The con artists are exploiting PayPal’s polices by delivering incorrect items and using stolen tracking numbers.

How the Scam Works:

People are shopping online and are finding amazing deals, often brand name goods at a significant discount. Often, the items are large – such as pieces of furniture or a vaccum cleaner. The website and the products look legitimate, so consumers are deciding to take a chance and make a purchase. The site directs them to pay through PayPal, which leads many to believe it’s safe.

After checkout, a confirmation email arrives that contains a tracking number from UPS, FedEx, or another shipping service. After a few weeks, the package arrives, but it’s not what was expected. For example, one shopper ordered a 6-foot artificial Christmas tree, but “received a bottle brush Christmas tree no bigger than my hand.” Another shopper told BBB they ordered “a pressured machine washer for $78…” and received “a yellow shirt that’s not worth $2.” In another common version of this scam, the package is delivered… but to the wrong address.

When consumers try to correct the mistake, they are finding that the ecommerce site is either unresponsive or unhelpful. In some cases, the site doesn’t provide contact information; in others, no one responds to emails or calls.

Some scam victims report filing claims with PayPal in order to get a refund. PayPal’s protection promise says customers can open a dispute if the package never arrives, if the item received is counterfeit or differs significantly from what was ordered. However, not all claims were resolved to the buyer’s satisfaction. For example, one shopper reported the following experience after ordering a desk online and filing a dispute through PayPal. “I was contacted by PayPal and told they had found in favor of the seller. They had apparently received confirmation of delivery of said desk to my house according to the tracking number… PayPal did not give me any option to discuss their decision, to argue why they found in favor of the seller. They just closed the case.”

BBB contacted PayPal about the BBB Scam Tracker reports. After looking into the stolen tracking code issue, they replied: “We notified various shipping carriers of this issue allowing tracking data to be stolen and we believe it has been closed. In addition, we made enhancements to our algorithms to identify and disable these fraudulent bad actors. In fact, we are stopping a significant majority of these fraudulent sellers at first transaction through our detection program and have refunded customers impacted by this fraud scheme even if they did not appeal our decision.”

Protect Yourself from a Package Delivery Scam:

Before paying, know your rights and responsibilities. In everything from check cashing scams to cons involving new peer-to-peer payment systems, scammers often take advantage of what consumers don’t know when it comes to processing payments. Don’t make a purchase from a shady seller assuming the purchase will be protected no matter what.

Before buying online, confirm the site has real contact information. Make sure the seller has a working phone number and address on the website, so you can contact them in case of problems.

Don’t wait too long to file a dispute. Scammers know that PayPal and credit cards have time limits for disputes. They often try to delay the process long enough so that shoppers miss the window.

If the price seems too good to be true, there’s probably something wrong. Be wary if the item is selling for significantly lower than what’s been advertised elsewhere.

Review BBB online shopping tips. Many online purchase scams use similar tactics. See BBB.org/ShoppingOnline for more advice.

Learn more about spotting and reporting PayPal fraud. For more resources on shipping fraud, see FedEx’s website and UPS’s online resource center. To learn more about scams, go to BBB.org/ScamTips.

If you’ve been targeted by this scam, help others avoid the same problem by reporting your experience at BBB.org/ScamTracker.

NOTE: PayPal Inc., FedEx Corporation and United Parcel Service are BBB Accredited Businesses.

OPINIONS: Plea to keep Bomazeen a scouting camp

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Chris “Montawagon“ Bernier at his lodge.

COMMUNITY COMMENTARY

by Chris Bernier

My name is Chris “Montawagon“ Bernier. I am a long time scouter from Winslow here in Pine Tree Council. I joined scouting in 1983. I received my Eagle Scout in 1994. Without scouting my life would have turned out drastically different. I was lucky to have both of my parents in our home growing up, however, my father worked a million hours a week it seemed. My two brothers and I got to see him often but not nearly as much as I wished growing up. I would say more than half of my male influences growing up came from scouting leaders. The other half my father.

My fondest memories in scouting were from summer camp. For me that was Camp Bomazeen. For some of the other youth in my troop it was a combination of Bomazeen and Camp Hinds. I was lucky enough to have attended Camp Hinds in 1989 for a week. I got to see both camps and participate in programs at both camps, however, my heart will always lay at Camp Bomazeen.

Many other youth, have made great memories at Camp Gustin, or Camp Nutter. Many at Camp Hinds. Pine Tree council is lucky enough for the moment to have four amazing non-replaceable assets. This is in danger of changing.

The council has incurred some debts and the national Scouts BSA lawsuits are requiring councils to fork over costs of damages. Yet another debt to our council. It is the responsibility of our council board to figure out how to pay those debts. Unfortunately, the executive board feels selling property (even if protected as a trust) is an option to pay those debts. I, as a Scout of 38 years and an adult leader/volunteer of 27 years feels that Pine Tree Council is about to jump off the cliff by the sale of Bomazeen, with Nutter and Gustin to follow.

That is why I am contacting you today. I would like to ask everyone in the district. Every Pack, Troop, and Crew member who wants to see this stay as a camp for Scouts in perpetuity, to write a personal letter stating why you think it is a bad idea to sell Camp Bomazeen, specifically. I would like to see leaders as well as youth include letters. I would ask you to personally sign it. Then either bring it to the roundtable where I will collect them and make sure they are used in a productive way to try to preserve our camps. If you cannot make it out to the roundtable, please mail them to me or you can scan them on your computer and mail them to me via email where I will print them out.

However, a signature is still strongly advised. I would like to put a deadline of getting these letters in my hand by December 15. At that time, I will take all the letters and make sure they get down to Pine Tree Council. Addressed to every board member and council employee. Think of this as a petition but with more bite as you are not just signing your name, you are explaining why you are signing your name. I would urge you to contact me about how you feel about this via email at circleofone555@hotmai.com.

I would ask that you contact your chartering organizational representatives. Encourage them to become active in what council does. Every Troop’s chartering organizational representative has the obligation to vote on who Pine Tree Councils board members are annually. The council hosts a January meeting with a list of board members. If a majority “Yes” vote is passed those people are that year’s board for council. If a majority “No” vote occurs council must wipe the slate clean and start over. I encourage a “No” vote. Our council is in desperate need of a new board of directors. Most people are not aware of this. It is crucial, even vital, now more than ever, that we let council know that selling irreplaceable property potentially protected in trust is not a good use of resources. A better use of their time should be focusing on membership, “quality” program at all four camps and capital campaigns. If done properly this council could easily recover from its debts. Something the current board clearly is not focused on.

You may or may not be aware of it but the attorney general’s office along with the Bomazeen Oldtimers Association 501(c)(3) is suing Pine Tree Council in an effort to protect the property. The deed of Doctor Averill, who gave the camp for use to central Maine scouts, states that the trustees of Camp Bomazeen govern it. If for any reason a Camp Bomazeen Trustee member leaves said board, the council, who has jurisdiction over Camp Bomazeen, “Shall appoint a successor from the vicinity of where the former Trustee resided.” The deed also states that the original Trustees of Bomazeen were all from the Central Maine, Waterville, Madison, Skowhegan area. The last time I heard there was a Camp Bomazeen board of trustees was more than 20 years ago. The council has failed in its duty to put in place successors.

The deed states “First: Said property is to be held by said Trustees for the use and benefit for members of the Boy Scouts of America, said premises to be at all times available for camping purposes to the troops and members of the Boy Scouts of America, and especially for the troops and members of the Boy Scouts of America in the central part of the State of Maine.” If the council were to sell, it is Pine Tree Council’s obligation that the money received be held in trust for Central Maine Scouting, not to pay debts for poor money management. Any sales of this trust are to be done to further the intention of the trust.

In recent years scouting has been on the decline. Covid struck and rapidly helped to disrupt scouting. The answer to debt is not selling stuff and hope membership rises. The answer to debt is increased membership and give as many opportunities to children within scouting, at as many places as possible. Without our well distributed camps, providing outstanding programs becomes that much more challenging. The current board of directors at Pine Tree Council has clearly lost its way. We the leaders of the packs, troops and crews on the ground sometimes need to remind them what they are voting on. This is one of those times as our packs, troops and crews are the larger bases of income to the council.

I want to thank you for your time and I hope you will consider sending before December 15.

Please, let’s band together as a council and help to protect these four great properties for every youth of scouting to enjoy for the next 100 years of scouting.

Send your letter to Preserve Camp Bomazeen Letter Drive, c/o Chris “Montawagon” Bernier, P.O. Box #2444, Waterville, ME 04903.