Olde Vassalboro Mill owner Ray Breton with Spiderman, left, and Batman, right, during the Sci-Fi Festival on Feb. 6. (photo by Mark Huard)
A great day of chasing the winter blues at the Sci-Fi Festival, even mill manager Samantha Lessard got in on the fun. (photo by Mark Huard)
Front row, from left to right, Jacob Blais, Willow Mudie, Scarlotte Mudie, Elizabeth Blais, and Tom Carey. Back, Fr. John Skehan, Anthony Fortin, Ian Martin, Connor Poirier and Tristan Morton. (contributed photo)
Augusta Scouts from Scout Troops #631 and #603 joined with Cub Scout Packs #684 and #603 at St. Mary’s Church, in Augusta, on February 6, as part of the annual celebration of Scout Sunday.
Scouts joined parish leaders in distributing bulletins to parishioners, assisting with the offering, altar service, and recited both the Scout Oath and Law for the assembled congregation. Fr. John Skehan officiated and made the Scouts feel very welcome.
“Not every family attends the same church, but every Scout is taught to respect the religious freedom we enjoy in the United States. Our Scouts, today – on Scout Sunday, participated in this Catholic Mass and through this experience learned to appreciate the Catholic Faith,” said Scout leader Jeff Morton. “St. Mary’s Church and Father John opened their doors and hearts to our scouts. We were welcomed, allowed to participate, and learned so that our scouts can better understand their community and its religious culture.
Diversity, and tolerance are fostered through understanding and respect – this is what Scouting teaches.” According to District Chairman Joe Shelton, the BSA asks its members to affirm a belief in God. That doesn’t mean the Boy Scouts of America tells its members which religion to practice. Scouting provides youth members with opportunities to deepen their personal faith through programs such as the Scout Sunday event, leadership positions in their troop such as chaplain, and the religious emblems program. Scouts have a “Duty to God” and the Scout Law’s 12th and final point is that a “Scout is Reverent.” Lord Robert Baden Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, said in 1908, “No man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His laws. So every Scout should have a religion.”
Folks enjoying last year’s event. (photo by Sandra Isaac)
When I went out to interview Tom Rumpf, president of China Four Seasons Club, I wanted to find out more about the China Lakes Ice Fishing Derby and how this event become our town’s biggest annual event so quickly? Here’s what I found out:
Tom Rumpf, president of China Four Seasons Club
“About three years ago–because this is the third one coming up–the four seasons club and myself got talking and we wanted to start the ice tourney back up. It hadn’t been run in 20 years. So we got a plan together and brought it to Tim [Fire Chief Tim Theriault] and everybody at the fire station because they are the ones that originally did this whole thing way back. They were all fully on board. So, it’s a joint venture between China’s 4 Seasons Club and the China Village Fire Department.”
Tom went on to explain they only had about two months to plan and implement the ice derby. The two organizations felt it went well and were encouraged to immediately start planning their next year’s derby for February 2021 with monthly meetings all year. Many events were closed in the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic including our town’s China Days. By the winter, it was considered safe to host outdoors events. Tom Rumpf met with Becky Hapgood, China Town Manager, to get approval to use the fireworks that were purchased for China Days for the Ice Derby. Tom felt that adding the fireworks turned the derby from a day event into a town-wide, weekend celebration, something the residents of China, Maine, needed after a tough, isolating year.
“It really hit me last year when the fireworks hit and I saw the amount of people. I hadn’t seen that many people enjoying the outdoors in, I don’t know, in 20 years on that lake.”
The 2nd annual China Lakes Ice Derby was a success in boosting residents’ spirits, bringing visitors to town and raising funds for the China’s 4 Seasons Club and the China Village Fire Department. Tom estimates between 600-800 people participated, including all ages and genders. The ticket sales raised $5,675.18, after expenses, providing China’s 4 Season Club and the China Village Fire department each with $2,837.60.
Energized by the success of the second derby, the monthly planning meetings went to work in March 2021 to turn the third derby into a weekend event including more organizations and adding more ways to enjoy the outdoors in winter. Tom brought out the oversized sheets of white paper his team used for brainstorming to show the creativity behind the scenes to include something for everyone in the next year’s derby weekend. Tom and his team went out to recruit involvement with regional businesses to donate prizes and showcase their products with demos. He also saw the potential in this winter weekend event to galvanize the town at a time when we need to get to know our neighbors better.
[See also: Annual China Lake Ice Fishing Derby to culminate weekend town-wide festivities]
“So that was the big thing to me was bringing in all the nonprofits and all the different entities in town. Bring them all together to share and a whole weekend event. I think it will bring a lot of people out around town. Winter is a hard time. We’re praying for a good weekend, obviously. We have a lot of events for everybody.
“We’re starting Friday night. The Masons are having dinner at the Masonic Hall in China. They’re putting on a lasagna dinner. They keep all the proceeds. After the dinner we’re going to do a snowmobile ride from the Masonic Hall because the trail goes right by there. Out to Tobey’s around town back here for a fire down on the shore.”
The Masonic Hall Central Lodge is asking that if you wish to attend, please send them an RSVP to centrallodge45@gmail.com and let them know how many people will be in your group.
Tickets to participate in the China Lake Ice Fishing Derby are available at China Variety and Redemption, Greg’s Restaurant, Harvest Time Bait, in Winslow, Lakeview Lumber, Maritime Farms (formally Fieldstones), North Country Harley Davidson, Tobey’s Grocery and through any member of the China Four Seasons Club or the China Village Fire Department. Tickets will also be available at tents at the entrance points to the lake in Vassalboro, China and South China.
Sandra Boyce Isaac, a member of both the China Village Fire Department and China Four Seasons Club, created a Facebook page and website for updated information on the weekend’s schedule. She plans to run a live stream of events as they happen and results of the raffle.
In keeping with Tom’s vision of an all-community winter weekend, Saturday will offer activities on and off the lake sponsored by area nonprofit organizations. All day on Saturday, there will be skating at the new rink at the China School grounds with events organized by Martha Wentworth, of the China Recreation Committee. At the skate rink, Martha also has plans for a snow sculpting contest and food vendors. At 10 a.m., on Saturday, there will be corn hole contests run by the Women’s Veterans Glamping group inside the China Four Seasons Clubhouse.
There’s plenty for kids this year as well. The China Baptist Conference Center will be the site again for the cardboard sled race and creativity contest at noon on Saturday. From 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., the Conference Center hill is open for sledding. Take a break and stop into the Conference Center from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., for lunch donated by Big G’s Deli, of Winslow. Members from China For A Lifetime will be helping serve at this event.
What’s a winter celebration without an adventure in the woods? On Saturday starting at 2 p.m., the China School Forest and the China Lakes Association will be hosting a scavenger hunt for loons. Anita Smith, director of the China School Forest, tells us, “The trails are a great asset to our town because almost everyone can enjoy them. At the event, we will have extra child and adult snowshoes for people to borrow if they don’t have their own. This gives people a chance to try a new winter activity.” If no snow is on the trail this weekend, this event will continue on as planned as a hike.
Elaine Philbrook, who helped to organize the loon scavenger hunt, feels that “this is an opportunity for the China Lake Association to build connections with other organizations in the community. I hope this is just the beginning of our connections and maybe start a trend where groups in China work together on other projects. Working together seems to have worked out well for the Four Seasons Club and the Fire Department and it is working out well for the China School Forest and China Lake Association.”
Sunday, February 20, is the day of the fishing derby beginning before the first lights of dawn at 5 a.m. The kids can pick up buckets donated by Bar Harbor Bank and Trust at the China Village Fire Department. There are only 50 buckets, so the first kids to arrive, get them.
For those kids who do not know how to ice fish, Central Church will have members located by The Landing ready to help kids get started. Tom said, “They’ll be teaching kids to fish. So if your kid does not have traps or you don’t have any idea of how to fish, you go see them and they’re gonna set you up.”
When the adults need to take a break from fishing, two regional businesses, Central Maine Powersports and North Country Harley-Davidson, will be on hand with product displays. Tom was quick to point out, “Craig Anderson, from Central Maine Powersports, lives right here in China.”
Tom reminds us, “You have to bring your fish before 4 p.m., hopefully well before because we’re gonna be weighing the fish and counting the perch for the kids category. The tickets stop selling at noon time because at 1 o’clock we will start drawing door prizes. It’s gonna be Facebook live, so if you win, you can just come down and pick up your prize.”
At 6 p.m., on Sunday, the all-community, winter weekend celebration of the China Lake Ice Fishing Derby concludes with the spectacle of fireworks at the head of the lake. This will be the same sight that impressed Tom Rumpf by seeing so many people out enjoying the winter and encouraged him and his team to expand the event to more groups, businesses and ages.
Mason Lodge Lasagna Dinner: at 6 p.m., at the Lodge, located at 50 Main Street, in China Village. Dinners will be $15 and dinners for children under 12 will be $5. Seating will be limited to the first 100 people.
In order to plan for the event, Central Lodge is asking that if you wish to attend, please send them an RSVP to centrallodge45@gmail.com and let them know how many people will be in your group.
Following the Mason’s dinner, there will be a Guided Nighttime Snowmobile Trail Ride finishing up with a bon fire at the China Four Season Club Beach.
All Day: Ice skating with a food truck on site selling refreshments presented by the China Recreational Committee.
All Day: Central Maine Power Sport Set-up and Demonstrations by the China Four Seasons Clubhouse.
10 a.m.: Cornhole Games at The China Four Seasons Clubhouse. Food and drinks will also be available for purchase. The event will be presented by (and all proceeds going to) Women Veterans Glamping.
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Sledding at the China Conference Center.
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Lunch at the China Conference Center with all of the food donated by Big G’s Deli, in Winslow.
Noon: Cardboard Box Sledding Race at the China Conference Center
2 p.m.: Snow Shoeing (or hiking if there is no snow) and Scavenger Hunt presented by the China Lake Association and the China School Forest.
5 a.m. – 4 p.m.: China Lake Ice Fishing Derby!
5 p.m.: Ice Fishing Derby Awards Ceremony
6 p.m.: Fireworks Display over China Lake.
The Oak Grove-Coburn school today, serving as the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
The Oak Grove School Foundation is accepting applications for grants to support the education and cultural needs of students and nonprofit organizations in the greater Central Maine area.
Recipients must be educational, charitable or religious organizations that are tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) Of the Internal Revenue Service code.
Grant requests should be received by April 1, 2022. Funding decisions will be made in May and shortly after the funds will be distributed in July. Recent grants have ranged $500 – $5,000. The OGSF has also provided seed money for initiatives that last up to three years.
Groups interested in obtaining application forms and guidelines should contact Joann Clark Austin, Oak Grove School Foundation, P.O. Box 150, South China, ME 04358-0150 or Susan Briggs at briggsusan@gmail.com. https://sites.google.com/site/ogsfoundationorg/.
Susanne Bouchard stands in the unfinished pool. (photo by Greg Glynn)
When Susanne Bouchard came to Maine from Germany in 1984, she was surprised there weren’t more warm water pools or spas like she had seen in Europe. If she can raise $300,000, that will soon change.
As a Physical Therapist and Licensed Massage therapist for more than 45 years, Susanne’s life mission has been to build a 92-degree warm water pool and spa in Augusta.
As the Founder and CEO of Advanced Health Physical Therapy and Fitness, in Waterville and Augusta, she knows from her years of experience how water therapy can help patients who suffer from pain, obesity, multiple sclerosis, dementia, arthritis, Parkinson’s and other chronic conditions.
Susanne Bouchard
Bouchard says Maine has one of the oldest populations in the country. This was one of the reasons she started her mission in 2007 to build a warm water pool in Augusta. However, when she started fundraising for the pool at 160 Riverside Drive in Augusta, the 2008 recession quickly halted fundraising and plans were put on hold.
During the past 15 years, Bouchard has forged ahead, reaching out to more members of the community to help build the pool. Donations have come from bottle drives, cookie sales and larger corporate donations. One of her most popular ways to raise money is through donating a brick to the construction of the pool. Bricks range from $500-$1,000 and can be purchased in a person’s name or in memory of a loved one. Bouchard has also tried to reach out to local businesses and secure grants, but it has been tough, especially because of the economy and the pandemic.
Today, the physical pool is still under construction supported by the $1 million she has raised, but the COVID-19 pandemic has again deterred her work. The rising cost of materials and construction has impacted the plans to finish the pool, so it sits empty.
One example says Bouchard is the dehumidification system. In the past two years, the cost of the system went up by more than $40,000. This is one reason why raising the money now is more urgent than ever.
Bouchard also says patients and the community are waiting desperately for the interior of the pool to be finished. Her goal is to complete the project by the end of 2022, but she still needs $300,000.
The winter months are especially tough on the elderly, who are less active and don’t get the exercise they need to stay healthy. It’s not just the older population that is waiting.
Trisha Audette, of Winthrop, says, “My body is like a tin man that runs out of oil, so I need that heat during the winter and that’s why I am on board helping out for the pool because it will help so many people that I know, and so many people that I don’t know. It will help children, teenagers, adults, elderly people, it will be beneficial for any age.”
Once built the pool will be open to the public, with affordable membership options ranging from day passes to annual or life-time membership. The Healing Waters Pool is anticipated to bring people to Augusta from across the region and entire state, which would have a positive impact on the local economy.
Hot tub. (photo by Greg Glynn)
The plans for the Healing Waters Pool will include a large wheelchair ramp, making it easy for anyone to get in and out of the pool. Bouchard said many of the local area pools don’t have a 104°F hot tub, 55-65°F cold water tub, which allows for patients to experience a contrast bath. This helps to increase blood flow and promotes healing; it also helps boost the immune system.
The Healing Waters Pool will be a salt-water pool, better for people who have lung or skin conditions and can’t tolerate chlorine. The 92-degree warm water will be warmer than any pool in the region because she wants it to be gentle on muscles, joints and bones. The large saltwater pool will also feature five special massaging jets that are specifically placed for the neck and back. The pool will also have handicap men and women locker rooms and a sauna.
The community facility will also have a gym with a basketball court. Bouchard’s vision is a place where health and fitness can go hand-in-hand with fun and education for all ages. Bouchard gives tours of the pool and facility to anyone who is interested in learning more or donating.
“If everybody just gives $5 or $10 a month, it could make a big difference. I am also trying to find local businesses and sponsors that can help make this dream come true. We offer a lot of fundraising options, including signage inside the pool. If you know anyone or a business that can help, please tell them we would love their support,” said Bouchard.
The Healing Waters Pool is a division of Light of Life Ministries, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. People can donate in person at Advanced Physical Therapy locations in Augusta and Waterville, mail a check to the Healing Waters Pool, 160 Riverside Drive, Augusta ME 04330, or donate online at HealingWatersMaine.com.
Centenarian Gladys Benner
Gladys Benner, a resident of Fairfield and shared over 50 years with her now deceased husband, Harlan (Bud) Benner, celebrated her 100th birthday on February 5, 2022. She has two children, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
She had worked at the creamery, in Fairfield, when first moving to Fairfield. She had also worked in a local chair factory and woolen mills. She was a creative lady and her last years of working were as a florist at Sunset Greenhouse, in Fairfield. She retired from there to help take care of her grandchildren. She was a care-taker most of her life. She cared for her grandmother until her death, as well as her mother-in-law, and for a neighbor for many years.
She credits her sharpness to playing solitaire and doing crosswords puzzles every day. She was even found “dancing” from her wheel-chair at her great-granddaughter’s wedding this past fall, and was one of the last to leave that night. She is known for always having a smile on her face.
Linda and Ron Morrell today.
When I popped over to the China Baptist Church to ask Pastor Ron Morrell if he was willing to do an interview, there he was having lunch with his wife Linda in his book-filled office, enjoying each others’ company and taking a pause on a busy day to be together. That scene alone spoke volumes. The three of us sat down for an interview two days later to hear about their journey of a 58-year marriage and what they felt makes it successful.
Ron and Linda’s journey began when they met at Owosso College, a small Christian college in Owosso, Michigan. Linda says, “The girls were whispering because here’s a guy from California with dark curly hair and a little red ‘sporty’ car.” Ron added it was a red 1959 Studebaker and not exactly a sports car.
They met in November 1963. They were with a group of students who gathered to play parlor games. That evening the game was Password. Linda was seated on the floor near Ron’s chair as it was an informal setting. At one point, Linda nudged Ron’s leg in a friendly way and said he must be cheating since he was doing so well. She got Ron’s attention because he remembers it vividly.
After that evening, Linda surmises other people finagled to bring them together. She waitressed in the dining hall and somehow Ron always was seated at her table. It didn’t take long for a spark to develop and they started dating. On New Year’s Day, 1964, Ron asked Linda to marry him. Ron’s father officiated the ceremony on August 21, 1964.
When asked how they knew they had the right type of love for a strong marriage, Linda confidently said, “You marry your best friend. That’s what it’s all about, and yes, he still is my best friend.”
Money was tight for the young couple. Ron continued his classes at Owosso College and worked for Montgomery Ward in the electrical and paint departments. Linda worked multiple jobs as a nurses’ aid at Riverview Hospital and in factories assembling electrical motors and making sandpaper.
The next year, they decided to move closer to Ron’s family in San Fernando, California. They rented a four-by-six U-Haul trailer and towed it with their 1963 Chevrolet Corvair all the way from Michigan to California. They enrolled in Azusa Pacific University. Ron got rehired on with Montgomery Ward, held a job on campus as coordinator of public information and as a printer for Air Cold Sales to pay for tuition and their living expenses.
Ron and Linda Morrell, in Bell, California.
With a degree in hand and experience at other churches, Ron became a youth pastor at Bell Friends Church, in Bell, California. Linda worked at the Los Angeles county probation Department in East Los Angeles. They welcomed Ron Jr., their first child, into the world on January 2, 1970.
In 1971, Ron received a challenging position at Pico Rivera Friends Church as pastor and to oversee the building of their new church. The congregation was primarily Hispanic with many of the older members speaking only Spanish, so services were regularly translated. Ron explained, “We had a little side room, like a nursery with a glass window and somebody would translate the sermon.”
At this time Linda also began a challenge of working while going back to college at Cal State LA. Linda was working on a degree in corrections with plans of becoming a probation officer. At night she worked at Los Padrinos juvenile hall in Downey, California.
Ron spoke proudly of Linda, “And in the process of all that and working on her degree, she had two babies. Yes, we already had our son. He was born before that time, but the girls were both born while she was working and working on her degree.”
Linda and Ron Morrell and son.
Ron and Linda kept this pace up for nine years. He had raised the money and acted as the general contractor for the building. The church was built and it was time for a change.
From 1980 to 1983, Ron was the Minister of Christian Education for Whittier First Friends Church, which is a campus church for Whittier College, in Whittier, California.
Linda and Ron Morrell as a young couple.
They were also looking for a bigger, geographical change as well. Dear friends of theirs, Lee and Ann Austin, had recently sold their home in California to move to a town called China, Maine. In March 1980, Ron went out to Maine to visit the Austins.
Ron said, “It was March and I was never so cold in all my life. We spent Saturday night at Myrtle and Ralph Austin’s house, in South China, and they had a big cook stove. That’s the house that Ron Maxwell lives in now. There were beans and cinnamon rolls on the stove. I sat in the corner, warming my feet on the stove and decided then that Maine was the place.”
History shows that Linda agreed. Ron and Linda took a leap of faith that moving their family across the entire continent would be a good future. They have been in China, Maine for nearly 40 years in which time they raised three children, welcomed five grandchildren and guided the many members of China Baptist Church. Ron and Linda have shown us that there are many leaps of faith in every marriage and it is best to take those leaps with your best friend, as Linda has advised us.
In his roles as Pastor, Ron has counseled couples on what makes a strong marriage. Here are some of his words of wisdom on the subject:
Good advice from a couple married for 58 years.
Register by March 4th for Apple Pruning Techniques hands-on workshop at Midcoast Conservancy’s Trout Brook Preserve in Alna
Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District is pleased to collaborate with Midcoast Conservancy to offer a program on pruning techniques needed to keep your apple trees productive. on Saturday, March 12, from 9 a.m. – noon, at Midcoast Conservancy’s Trout Brook Preserve in Alna.
Cheryl Denz, owner and operator of Terra Optima Farm and Landscaping, in Appleton, will teach this popular class! Whether you have a small home orchard or one old tree that feeds the deer, this workshop will teach you the basic pruning techniques needed to keep your trees alive – and bearing fruit
Prior registration is required by Friday, March 4, for this class as space is limited. Dress appropriately for the weather and please bring any pruning tools you may have (pruners, loppers, handsaw). A limited number of additional tools will be available. In the event of inclement weather, the alternative date is March 19; they will contact registrants by 7 a.m. on March 12 should they need to postpone. Class fee is: $20/individual; $35/2 members of one household (plus $1 online payment processing fee).
To register, go to Knox-Lincoln SWCD’s website: https://www.knox-lincoln.org/events-workshops. For more information, please call 596-2040 or email info@knox-lincoln.org.
Space-filling model of the perfluorooctanesulfonic acid molecule, also known as PFOS, a fluorosurfactant and global pollutant.
Many of you may have recently seen an article posted by the Town of Palermo about PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” and learned that the DEP would be investigating sites in our town. During the fall of 2021, you may also remember local headlines like this: “Toxic Water in Fairfield: Residents with drilled wells deal with sky high levels of PFAS.” PFAS are man-made chemicals known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances. They are a byproduct of plastics that resist degradation to the extreme that they are referred to as “forever chemicals.” They are linked to a number of health problems, and they are showing up in our well water and in our food supply. According to a Fairfield-area DEP investigation fifty-two wells were tested and found contaminated, some with rates as high as 1800 parts per trillion (new legislation calls for 20 parts per trillion as safe).
The article on the Town of Palermo site, composed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), asserts that this is not just a Fairfield problem. Truth is: PFAS are everywhere, from the peaks of Mt. Everest to the bottom of our oceans, including Palermo. The Maine Department of Agriculture first identified the problem in Fairfield through a milk test from a local dairy farm. Further testing revealed the chemicals existed in drilled well water, chicken eggs raised in infected sites, and even prompted the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) to issue a “Do Not Eat” advisory for areas in Fairfield when excessive levels of PFAS were found when five of eight harvested deer were tested.
By their very nature, PFASs are here to stay and will be showing up in more headlines and in human bloodstreams. The post on the Town of Palermo website “A Brief History of PFAS (in Palermo)” Town of Palermo website, outlines Palermo’s status with this toxic substance. It is necessary to educate ourselves about the thousands of chemicals in PFAS and limit our exposure from products like: grease-resistant paper, fast food containers/wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, and candy wrappers, nonstick cookware, stain resistant coatings used on carpets, upholstery, and other fabrics, water resistant clothing, and fire retardant materials. Because PFAS are at low levels in some foods and in the environment (air, water, soil, etc.) completely eliminating exposure is unlikely according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Although these products contribute to contamination, the most common way in which PFAS can infiltrate groundwater in Maine is through the spread of sludge and septage on fields. The DEP defines these materials as:
When you call to have your septic system pumped, it must be disposed of. Wastewater treatment plants do not store treated materials indefinitely; it has to go somewhere. The volume of sludge and septage production is prodigious and must be managed properly.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) offers an online map that charts the locations of approved land application sites and updates as more information becomes available. Among the hundreds of identified locations in Maine, this map shows three licensed application sites in Palermo, but the DEP cautions that “not all locations statewide were utilized and site status will be confirmed based on actual spreading records.” Testing for PFAS is complicated and expensive and currently has to be sent out of state for results, however, test kits are available through DEP. Additionally, fish test results from dozens of Maine lakes are reported on the map. Being from Palermo, I noted that a 2014 test result derived from a “skinless filet” was found to have the chemical PFOA (Perfluorooctane sulfonamide, PFOA info). It is unclear who collected the sample and why, although the “concentration level” was listed at “0.0.” A conversation with Mike Jakubowski at ME DEP indicated that this is a collaborative effort among departments and “testing of Tier One sites may extend through the end of 2023.”
The DEP has categorized one sludge application site in Palermo as a “Tier One” location, which means it will be investigated and sampled. A Tier One site has specific criteria: involves the application of 10,000 cubic yards or more of sludge to the land, have homes within a ½ mile of the application, is likely to have PFAS in the sludge based on the sources and contributors of the sludge. While the material used in Palermo was similar to the Fairfield sites, the volume applied was substantially less: over 147,000 cubic yards in Fairfield, but only about 5,000 cu/y here, and only for a period of about five years, from 1997-2002. The DEP website includes a table with dozens of Maine towns currently identified as areas with the need for immediate testing. Despite these concerns, according to current laws and regulations, DEP can test land and water “by permission only,” and the spread of septage and sludge continues to be permitted through the DEP.
So who is responsible for the problem? These chemicals get into our air, water, and soil through human consumption. Consumers assume that these FDA-approved products are safe, that testing and regulation makes the spread of sludge safe. It is not safe and we continue to understand how to limit exposure and minimize the damage.
Manufacturers like 3M and Dupont have known for decades the potential risks and toxic effects of PFAS. Areas of our country where these and many other chemical companies operate are highly contaminated and municipalities are seeking compensation for clean up and for legislation to hold corporations accountable. Here is recent testimony related to PFAS for the Committee on Government Oversight and Reform. I also recommend the documentary The Devil We Know concerning Dupont and PFAS contamination. Organizations like EWG (Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization) provide information and support these efforts for reform and action. For more about the illnesses that may be linked to exposure, consider these sites: EPA website and Natural Resources Defense Council.
We will be forever living with these “forever chemicals.” Although the human body is an amazing structure of systems that can tolerate exposure to an array of substances, there are things we can do to coexist with PFASs as safely as possible. We can stop assuming products are safe and demand rigorous, responsible government oversight. We can resist attitudes that value deregulation and promote corporate profit over human life and environmental protection. We can support citizens and community activists who seek change and advocate for research. We can educate ourselves. Here are further actions recommended by various biomonitoring sites.
Above all, strive to be involved and work to preserve our towns and our world for future generations.
Pam McKenney, a Palermo resident, is a free lance writer, and teacher at Erskine Academy, in South China. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Sheepscot Lake Assn., and is not associated with any agencies or organizations mentioned in the article. She may be contacted at pamckenney@yahoo.com.
Katrina Smith
Katrina Smith, a Republican from Palermo, has announced her run for State Representative for District 62; China, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor and Hibberts Gore.
Katrina, a real estate broker and small business owner is excited to meet her constituents and listen to the concerns and hopes they have for Maine.
“I care deeply for what is happening to Mainers which is why I have chosen to commit myself 100 percent to winning this district for Republicans. In the past two years Maine has faced a rapid loss of freedoms, one party legislation, jobs being lost and our elderly being abandoned. Our children have undergone undue stress and a severe loss of education that must be reversed. Mainers are now facing extraordinary cost of living increases which deeply worry families, and I cannot sit by and let it happen. The time to be quiet is far past and we must elect officials who will speak loudly for the people of Maine. I promise to be that person.
“I have spent my life in Maine and have lived in Palermo for the past seven years with my children attending the local elementary school and Erskine Academy, worshiping in local churches and enjoying the natural resources that abound in our area. We call this area home because we love the hard working people who believe in the way life should be. I am running because we need to ensure future generations can recognize the Maine we have always loved.”
In 2020 Katrina was a Republican candidate for District #96 against a two- time Democrat incumbent. After speaking to thousands of people and working every day to listen to constituents she won five out of seven towns and lost by only 67 votes. In 2021 Katrina became chairman of the Waldo County Republicans and focused on giving hope in tumultuous times, educating the public on pending legislation and working, with her team, to prepare for 2022 by raising the most money to elect Republicans of any county in Maine.
A graduate of Gordon College, she and her husband Mike have five mostly grown children and two granddaughters.
For more information you may visit www.katrinaformaine.com or on Facebook under Katrina Smith for Maine.