Scouts enjoy Halloween at Camp Bomazeen

/0 Comments/in , /by

Mario: Six-year-old Liam Casey, of Palmyra, was ready to set off on the hayride dressed as Mario. (contributed photo)

by Chuck Mahaleris

Dr. Brody: Five-year-old Brody Dyer-Dolley was dressed like a doctor for the event and attended with his dad Jacob Dolley. Brody is a Cub Scout, in Augusta. (contributed photo)

The public is advised that ghouls and skeletons were spotted skulking through the woods of Belgrade on Saturday, October 1. The public is further warned that aliens and Imperial Storm Troopers were also spotted in the vicinity of Great Pond at that same time. Reports have also come in of princesses, cartoon characters and dinosaurs at the same location. There is no cause for alarm. They were all gathered for the annual Haunted Woods program at Camp Bomazeen.

“Haunted Woods is a lot of fun,” said Bomazeen Camp Director Julie McKenney of Belgrade. McKenney runs the summer programs at the camp and is also the Program Chair for the Kennebec Valley District of Scouting that puts on the costumed-event for both the Scouts and the general public. “It is a great way to show off the camp and the programs of Scouting,” she said. “Kids love to get into costumes and spend a day here at camp running the obstacle course through the graveyard (ball field decorated with fake headstones and body parts), going through the haunted house at the dining hall and trying their hand at BB gun shooting. Lots of parents came dressed in costumes too this year. I am not sure if they had more fun or if their kiddos did.”

Violet LeBlanc, aged 4, was dressed as a dinosaur. She said that her favorite activity was decorating the pumpkins. She came to the event with her father, Brett LeBlanc, of Winthrop. Brett is the assistant leader of the Scout program in Manchester and his daughter will be joining next year when she will be old enough to be a Lion.

Campion Poulin and his dad Joe Poulin, of Oakland, ran the archery range. Campion dressed as a creepy skeleton. Joe Poulin serves as the Pine Tree Council training chairman and enjoys teaching adults, but also teaching youth such as Princess Ella Poulin, of Sidney, how to use a bow and arrow safely. Ella is joining Cub Scouts this year as a Lion. Lion is the youngest level of Scouting and a youth – boy or girl – has to be in at least kindergarten to join. Ella is the Princess of the Great Realm but she and Joe are not related. Too bad for Joe.

Dad and Dinosaur: Brett LeBlanc and his daughter Violet, of Winthrop, on the hayride tour of Camp Bomazeen. (contributed photo)

Mario is the star of more than 200 video games and some movies and visited Camp Bomazeen from Palmyra. “I’m Liam Casey,” said the young man dressed as Mario. Liam is a Cub Scout from Pittsfield Pack #428 where he is a Tiger Cub. “The haunted house was a lot of fun,” he said. Just like in the game, our Mario had no trouble finding his way through the spooky happenings in the Bomazeen haunted house.

In all, approximately 100 youth and adults attended the event and medical professionals and those who like to pretend to be medical professionals were on hand. Brody Dyer-Dolley was dressed like a doctor for the event and attended with his dad Jacob Dolley. “I didn’t get scared,” Brody said after leaving the haunted house. Brody is a Cub Scout, in Augusta. Augusta Cub Scout Pack #684 had a family camping weekend at Bomazeen and used the Haunted Woods as the Saturday portion of their activities. Scouts and leaders from Augusta Troop #603 dressed up as evil creatures inside the haunted house and served as guides through the darkened interior.

Princess at the Archery Range: Princesses do not just wave anymore. They have to learn to protect their realm. Princess Ella Poulin, of Sidney, received archery lessons from Joe Poulin, of Oakland. There are many Poulins in her kingdom and she and Joe are not related. (contributed photo)

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Was this past October the warmest on record?

/0 Comments/in /by
Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

The question has been asked: Was this past October the warmest on record?

To come to any conclusion, I did much research and came up with the same answer everywhere I went looking. October 2022 was the warmest October on record.

“October 2022 is definitely set to be by far the hottest October ever on record,” said Christine Berne, a climatologist. “It will ‘probably beat’ the last record in 2001 by 1°C. We could hardly believe it at first,” said the scientist. The temperatures recorded are very rare for the season. Her report was made prior to the beginning of November.

Also, according to CNN, as we rolled into November, scientists discovered last month was the warmest October on record globally.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which analyzes temperature data from around the planet, said October 2019 was the warmest in their data record, until this year, which goes back to 1979.

Globally, October was 0.69 degrees Celsius (1.24 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the average of all the Octobers in the 30-year span from 1981-2010, Copernicus said in its report. Last month narrowly edged out the previous record for October, set in 2015, by only 0.01 degrees Celsius (0.018 degrees Fahrenheit).

“Temperatures were much above average in large parts of the Arctic, while much of western USA and Canada experienced much below average temperatures,” the report said.

This year has seen multiple other hottest-month records, including July, which Copernicus said was the warmest month of all on record, replacing the record set in July 2016. Every month in 2019 has ranked among the four warmest for the month in question.

According to Copernicus, 2016 through 2018 have been the three warmest calendar years on record.

Monthly temperatures over the past 12 months have averaged close to 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.16 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels, Copernicus said. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in November 2018 warned of impacts to climate and weather if warming exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.

This recent report came the same day more than 11,000 researchers from around the world issued a grim warning of the “untold suffering” that will be caused by climate change if humanity doesn’t change its ways.

Copernicus assesses that since the 1970s the overall average rate of warming of the world is around 0.18 degrees Celsius (0.32 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade.

CNN’s Emma Tobin, Ivana Kottasová and Isabelle Gerretsen contributed to this report.

The frightening part to all of this is that the warmest seven years have all been since 2015 (do the math); the top three being 2016, 2019 and 2020. An exceptionally strong El Niño event occurred in 2016, which contributed to record global average warming.

With the weather being so warm, does this qualify as an Indian Summer?

According to the definition, the answer is a clear “yes”!

An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several references describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, which we have had.

Weather historian William R. Deedler wrote that “Indian summer” can be defined as “any spell of warm, quiet, hazy weather that may occur in October or November,” though he noted that he “was surprised to read that Indian Summers have been given credit for warm spells as late as December and January.” Deedler also noted that some writers use Indian summer in reference to the weather in only New England, “while others have stated it happens over most of the United States, even along the Pacific coast.

Why Indian? Well, no one knows but, as is commonplace when no one knows, many people have guessed.

Some say it was from the prairie fires deliberately set by Indian tribes; from raids on European settlements by Indian war parties, which usually ended in autumn; or, in parallel with other Indian terms, it implied a belief in Indian falsity and untrustworthiness and that an Indian summer was a substitute copy of the real thing.

But my grandfather, who could spin a yarn with the best of them, had the best I’ve ever heard.

It seems an Indian chief was concerned about a hunting party that was delayed in returning from a late summer gathering of meat for the winter. The year had been an extremely difficult one and the tribe needed the buffalo, deer and turkey meat for their winter consumption, and the hides for clothing and shelters. Fearing the crops in the fields would go to waste before the braves returned to harvest, the chief sat at his campfire and began to feverishly smoke a pipe, and did so for days, until the air was filled with smokey, hot air. Once the hunting party made its return, the air was still warm enough to gather the crops that had not been damaged by frost, that the chief feared would be destroyed by the impending cold weather. By warming the air with the smoke from his pipe, the chief, essentially, saved the crops.

There is a lot to think about here.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Who is the New England Patriots’ all-time single season leader in touchdown receptions?

Answer can be found here.

Roland’s Trivia Question for Thursday, November 3, 2022

/0 Comments/in /by

Trivia QuestionsWho is the New England Patriots’ all-time single season leader in touchdown receptions?

Answer:

Randy Moss, 23, in 2007.

SMALL SPACE GARDENING: Fall care of perennials

/0 Comments/in /by

The seed heads of rudbeckia attract seed-eating songbirds to the winter garden.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com

by Melinda Myers

As you transition your gardens from fall to winter, you may be contemplating a bit of garden clean up. Before reaching for the pruners and rakes, consider all the benefits and beauty of leaving healthy perennials stand for winter.

The seed heads of many perennials like coneflower, rudbeckias, liatris and bee balm attract seed-eating songbirds like finches, sparrow, chickadees, juncos, and jays to the winter garden. These winged visitors add motion and color to the winter garden. Best of all, you don’t need to refill and clean this natural food source.

Many of these plants provide homes for beneficial insects, including native bees and other pollinators. A variety of these insects overwinter in or near the stems of perennials.

Native plants have evolved with many of these insects, birds and wildlife and most provide homes and food for native insects, songbirds, and wildlife. Purple coneflower, liatris, rudbeckias, sunflowers, asters, goldenrod, yucca, and Joe Pye weed are just a few of these native plants you might be growing.

Enjoy the winter foliage of evergreen and semi-evergreen perennials by leaving them intact in the garden. Watch for and avoid disturbing the green leaves at the base of perennials like yarrow, Shasta daisy, and globe thistle.

Leave borderline hardy perennials intact to improve their chances of surviving a harsher-than-normal winter. The stems capture any snow and helps retain any additional winter mulch, both providing needed root insulation.

Remove any diseased or insect-pest-infested plants. Removing this from the garden in fall reduces the risk of these problems occurring next year. Discard do not compost this material as most compost piles do not heat up to high enough temperatures to kill them. Contact your local municipality for disposal options.

Remove hosta leaves once the fall color fades and leaves die to reduce the risk of leaf nematodes overwintering in the crown of the plants. It also eliminates a winter home for slugs and their eggs.

Wait for several hard frosts when cutting back perennials in the fall. In milder climates, wait for leaves to brown and dry completely. This ensures the plant has stored all the energy it produced in the roots for healthy growth next spring.

Use sharp bypass pruners to make a clean cut through the stem. Disinfect tools by dipping in rubbing alcohol or spraying with a disinfect spray to prevent the spread of disease.

Rake leaves into the garden over the soil surface around the plants instead of to the curb. Fall leaves make great mulch that moderates soil temperature, suppresses weeds, conserves moisture, and improves the soil as they break down. Plus, they are free.

Wait to finish removing perennials until spring temperatures regularly hover in the 50’s. This allows overwintering insects a chance to leave their winter homes. It also provides songbirds much needed food in spring before many of our plants begin producing seeds and berries.

Once the garden is set for winter, you can relax and make plans for the spring garden.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her website is www.MelindaMyers.com.

OBITUARIES for Thursday, November 3, 2022

/0 Comments/in /by

BETTY L. GERVAIS

WATERVILLE – Betty Lee Gervais, 74, passed on Saturday, October. 5, 2022, at Maine Medical Center, Portland. She was born March 3, 1948, in Waterville, the daughter of Philip and Ruth (Parks) Gervais.

She grew up in St. Charles, Illinois, graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a botany degree. She managed a greenhouse of fast-growing trees for a reforestation project.

Betty loved plants and she loved cats. She was a single lady who enjoyed reading extensively. When she was younger she adventured on a trip around the country to see the redwoods and the Florida Keys, always looking for kinds of plants she hadn’t seen before.

Betty is survived by her mother, Ruth Gervais, sister Gloria Gervais and brother, James Gervais, all of Unity.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, Fairfield.

RICHARD MEADER

WATERVILLE – Richard “Dick” Meader, 76, passed away on Sunday, October 16, 2022.

The son of Arlene and Everett Meader, Dick was raised on a farm in Solon, where he and brother, Bob were legendary Solon High School basketball and baseball players for Coach Ray Leary. Dick is proof that coming from a small town can lead to a successful and rewarding career. His dream of becoming a coach came true.

When Dick arrived at Farmington State Teachers College in 1964, he soon became one of the top college players in Maine under Coach Len MacPhee. His ball-handling and passing skills filled the bleachers at Dearborn Gymnasium. From scoring 40 points and making 19 consecutive free throws in one game to receiving the most votes for the inaugural Maine small college basketball team, he had an impressive career. Perhaps his crowning moment was when Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek leaped to his feet in amazement at one of Dick’s plays in the Boston Garden his senior year.

In baseball, Dick led the Farmington State College team in hitting as a senior and received the MVP Award under Coach Roger Wing. He graduated as all-time stolen base leader.

Following graduation in 1968, Dick married college classmate Betty-Jane Stanhope, from Dover-Foxcroft, and began his coaching career as the freshman basketball coach at Nokomis High School, in Newport, where they became best friends with Sue (Greenleaf) and Jim Flynn, now of Monson, during the summer months. In 1970, he served as the University of Maine at Orono graduate assistant under Coach Skip Chappelle while earning his master’s degree.

From 1971 to 1988, Dick was the Thomas College men’s basketball coach, in Waterville, and from 1972 to 1990, he was the director of athletics. Dick coached his brother, Don, in basketball for four years and his brother, Bruce, in baseball for two years. While at Thomas, he co-founded the Pine Tree Basketball Camp with Dick Whitmore in 1973; the camp involved over 37,000 players and 6,000 coaches in 38 years.

After a short hiatus in order to watch his sons’ Waterville High School games, Dick returned to his alma mater to coach basketball and baseball and later coached his two sons, Lance and Daren. At the University of Maine at Farmington, he took pride in recruiting and coaching predominantly Maine players; many of them, like himself, were from small towns. Coach Meader was also proud of the number of his former players who joined the coaching ranks.

Over Dick’s 44-year career as a head college coach, he led his basketball teams to 513 wins and received 16 Coach-of-the Year awards. He was inducted into five athletics halls of fame: 1994 Thomas College Sports Hall of Fame, 1995 University of Maine at Farmington Athletics Hall of Fame, 2015 New England Basketball Hall of Fame; 2015 Maine Basketball Hall of Fame, and 2018 Maine Sports Hall of Fame. In 2020, he received the National Association of Basketball Coaches Outstanding Service Award. That year, the UMF Athletics Hall of Fame Room was to be named after him. The night following Dick’s stroke, Thomas College planned to dedicate the Athletics Hall of Fame digital wall in the new Sukeforth Family Sports Center to Dick and his wife, who taught at Thomas College for 41 years.

When Dick’s Parkinson’s disease became progressive, he retired in 2020. Thanks to the assistance of Jamie Beaudoin, his former UMF player, a previous UMF women’s basketball and men’s soccer coach, and now director of athletics, Dick was able to coach until the pandemic began.

Dick is survived by his wife of 54 years, Betty-Jane Meader; his sons Lance and his wife, Amy, of Falmouth and Daren and his wife, Jennifer, of Gorham; his grandchildren Jace, Jaelyn, Drew, and Bode Meader; his step-grandchildren Jackson, Georgia, Griffin, and Hudson Banks; brothers Bob and his wife, Pam, of Portland, Bruce and his husband, Joe DiLorenzo, of Saco, and Don and his wife, Melissa, of Oakland; aunt, Beverly Shaughnessy, of Skowhegan; Norma Gorham, of Saco; sister-in-law, Nancy Smith and her husband, Steve, of Stonington, and Port St. Lucie; brother-in-law, James Stanhope and his wife, Laney, of Tampa, Florida, and Winslow; brother-in-law, Robert Stanhope and his wife, Fran, of Raymond; and several nieces and nephews and their children.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m., in the University of Maine at Farmington Dearborn Gymnasium, on 163 High St. Doors will open at 1 p.m. This event will be live streamed as well; go to umfbeavers.com for updated information. A reception will follow in the South Dining Hall, in the Olsen Student Center, on 111 South St.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Giberson Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

To leave a condolence for the family and to view the online obituary, please visit http://www.gibersonfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dick Meader’s memory to University of Maine at Farmington Athletics by visiting goumfbeavers.com/giving or by mailing a check to Ferro Alumni Center, 224 Main St., Farmington, ME 04938 or Thomas College Athletics by visiting www.thomas.edu/give and choosing Athletics-General or by mailing a check to Advancement Office, Thomas College, 180 West River Rd., Waterville, ME 04901 and noting Athletics in the memo line.

LUCILLE LaROCHELLE

WINSLOW – Lucille LaRochelle, 95, of Winslow, passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 23, 2022, at her home, in Winslow. She was born in Waterville on May 31, 1927, the daughter of Denie and Aglaee (Marcoux) Picard.

Lucille married Roland LaRochelle on October 9, 1948. She was a devout Catholic and a member of Corpus Christi Parish, in Waterville/Winslow, who truly believed and lived her faith. She devoted her life to raising and caring for all her children. She was truly in awe of all God’s creations. As a young adult her interests included skating, sledding, sewing, playing and teaching the piano. She was gifted with a beautiful voice.

She graduated from Winslow High School, class of 1945. Prior to starting her family she was in sales in the catalog department with Montgomery Wards.

Lucille is survived by seven children, Muriel (Thomas) Howells, Theresa (Ronald) Bailey, Raymond (Brenda Shea), Elaine (David) McQuillan, Ann (Michael) Roderigue, Lisa (Michael) Whisman, and Donald; 16 grandchildren; and 23 great- grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents; her husband Roland of 70 years, twin sister Muriel; her infant daughter Francine; brothers Ronaldo, Romeo and Gilbert Picard, sisters Fernande Marcoux, Yvette Mathieu, Doris Lizotte, Julia Bolduc and Connie Bolduc.

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated Saturday, October 29, 2022, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, in Winslow, followed by a burial service at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, Grove St, Waterville.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at http://www.VeilleuxFuneralHome.com for the Larochelle family.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Veilleux and Redington Funeral Home.

RAYMOND A. SENECHAL

SIDNEY – Raymond A. Senechal, 87, passed away Monday, October 24, 2022, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, in Augusta. He was born in Saint Jean Port Joli, Québec, Canada, on July 31, 1935, a son of Francois and Florida (Caron) Senechal.

Ray moved to Connecticut as a young man and was married to Audrey Bernece until her passing in 2000. For 33 years, he was employed at Pratt & Whitney, in Connecticut, as a mechanic assistant. Following Audrey’s death, he met Joan Haskell, moved to Windsor, and the two became loving companions. They spent their retirement years wintering in Nobleton, Florida, where Ray was content sitting outside on the swing watching the neighborhood activity and rarely missed his morning walk and stopping to chat. In 2020, following Joan’s passing, Ray moved to Bella Point, in Sidney, where he was affectionally called “Papa” by all.

Ray enjoyed listening to country music, going for boat rides with the family, and cheering for the Red Sox. His favorite pastimes include being around family to whom he was affectionately known as “Uncle Ray”. He will be remembered for his charm and good sense of humor.

He is survived by his brother, Francois Senechal and his wife Fernande; his nieces, Helene, Pierette Celine, Michele, Dorothy, Linda, Cathy and Carol; nephews, Jean Marie, Christian, Richard, and Bill Drisko, as well as other relatives; his stepchildren, Diane York and her husband Brian, Deborah O’Clair and her husband Walter, Douglas Haskell and his wife Diane and Doreen Haskell and her husband Neil Carmichael; grandchildren, Jody, Shawn, Jason, Erin, Jenny, Adam, Danielle; and great-grandchildren, Sophie, Taylor, Riley, Yanic, MaKayla, Zane, Ethan, Ariella, RyLeigh, Cameron, Mason, Josiah and Kingston.

He was predeceased by his first wife Audrey Senechal, his companion of 20 years, Joan Haskell; a step-daughter, Sharon Light; sisters, Marguerite and Marie-Anne and brothers, Jules and Aime.

A celebration of life will be announced for the summer of 2023.

Arrangements are in the care of Plummer Funeral Home, 983 Ridge Rd., Windsor, ME 04363. Condolences, stories, and photos may be shared by visiting http://www.plummerfh.com

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Ray’s name may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 383 US Route One #2C, Scarborough, ME 04074.

JO ANN NIVISON

WINSLOW – Jo Ann (Williams) Nivison, 87, of Winslow, died peacefully on Tuesday, October 25, 2022. She was born the fifth of seven children (and the only daughter) to the late Guy J. and Pauline (Deschesne) Williams on March 21, 1935, in Fort Fairfield.

Jo Ann and her family withstood the hardscrabble years of the Great Depression through the support of two pillars, their Catholic faith, and their large, extended family. When tuberculosis took the life of Guy Williams in 1940, the family leaned on these pillars. And when the economic prospects of the area turned following the World War II, threatening to break the family up, Pauline Willams moved her family to Waterville, where a cousin had lined up a job that would permit her to support her children. Jo Ann would learn well from her mother’s example of resilience and grace.

Jo Ann entered Waterville schools, graduating from Waterville High School in 1953. Around that time, through mutual friends, she met Jack Nivison. Married at Sacred Heart Church, in Waterville, on June 22, 1957, they lived for a time in Waterville before moving into the Nivison family home at 4 Bowden Street, Winslow, in 1963. There they forged a partnership for the ages, raising seven children, hosting countless holidays and celebrations, and providing a true homestead for their children and grandchildren for more than half a century.

Jo Ann was active in the life of St. John the Baptist Parish and School, in Winslow, where her children matriculated. She served on the school board and was a founding chairman of the St. John Christmas Fair. After a time, when her children reached school-age, she became the childcare provider for a generation of young children of Winslow area teachers, providing a warm environment filled with play, creativity, and lots of cookies.

In 1980, she began work as a teller at Waterville Savings Bank, starting a 17-year career that would see her rise to the position of head teller. Ever the caregiver, she took in her mother for several years following a series of medical setbacks, until her needs demanded more regular care. Following her retirement, with customary determination, focus, and joy, Jo Ann took up the game of golf, becoming a member of the Waterville Country Club and a regular player in its Ladies’ Day outings. In her retirement, she also served on the Board of the Winslow Community Federal Credit Union.

Blessed with boundless energy and optimism, she was unsparing in her love and generosity toward her grandchildren. Nowhere was this more true than in “Nannie’s kitchen,” where batch after batch of meals, snacks, and baked goods of all varieties were always at the ready as children of all ages and appetites breezed through the homestead.

In her final years, Jo Ann settled into a routine of family visits and walks around the grounds of Winslow’s schools and athletic fields with Jack. Fixtures at Winslow sporting events and eager for a conversation wherever they went, they were rarely without a story to tell or a smile to give. As Jo Ann began to suffer the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, Jack embraced the role of primary caregiver with selfless charity, ensuring her health, safety, and comfort until her passing. They possessed a matchless devotion to each other throughout their marriage.

Jo Ann was predeceased by her brothers Reginald, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Richard, of Manassas, Virginia, Paul, of Rocky River, Ohio, and Guy (Joseph), of Skowhegan.

Along with her husband Jack, she is survived by her children and their spouses, Jane and Dean Quirion, of Winslow, John and Wendy Nivison, of Winslow, Margaret and Thomas Baker, of Keene, New Hampshire, Marsha and Paul Pelletier, of Williamsburg, Virginia, David and Asha Nivison, of Madison, Tennessee, Mary Beth and Jim Bourgoin, of Winslow, and Kenneth and Kristen Nivison, of Pembroke, New Hampshire; 18 grandchildren, Kevin Quirion, of Sidney, Kristina Boudreau and her husband Joe, of Lisbon, Lauren Nivison, of Falmouth, Jack Nivison, of Newbury, Massachusetts, Colby Baker, of Manchester, New Hampshire, Hillary Van Clief and her husband Dan, of Saco, Paul Pelletier and his wife Jessica, of Matthews, North Carolina, Alex Pelletier, of Williamsburg, Virginia, Patrick Pelletier and his wife Ashley, of Roanoke, Virginia, Benjamin Pelletier and his wife Jessica, of Union Bridge, Maryland, Austin Nivison and his wife Alli, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Hannah Scott and her husband Ryan, of Greenbrier, Tennessee, Olivia Nivison, of Madison, Tennessee, Sonali Hajari, of Madison, Tennessee, Conner Bourgoin, of Waltham, Massachusetts, Jo Ann Bourgoin, of Portland, Campbell Nivison, and Caroline Nivison, both of Pembroke, New Hampshire; ten (soon to be 12) great-grandchildren; her brothers, Melvin Williams, of Oakland, and Earl Williams and his wife Jane, of Nashua, New Hampshire; her brother-in-law, Kenneth Nivison, of South China; her sister-in-law, Nancy Nivison Soper and her husband Robert, of Martinsville, Virginia; and several nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 9 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 26 Monument St., in Winslow, followed by a celebration of Jo Ann’s life in the Parker Reed Room, at the Schair-Swenson-Watson Alumni Center, Colby College.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Veilleux and Redington Funeral Home. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at http://www.VeilleuxFuneralHome.com

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to MaineGeneral HomeCare and Hospice or Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

JANE M. DORNISH

WINSLOW – Jane Millett Dornish, 89, died peacefully at home on Tuesday, October 25, 2022. Jane was born in Waterville on August 28, 1933, to E.W. “Bill” and Mary (Rollins) Millett.

She grew up in Waterville and spent summers at Rollinsville, at China Lake, with her extended family. She graduated from Waterville High School in 1951 and from Colby College, in Waterville, in 1955.

Jane met the love of her life, Karl, at Colby and they married on a very hot day shortly after her graduation. They moved to Gorham where they raised their three daughters together, Deborah, Katherine, and Martha. In 1985, after a few years in Muskegon, Michigan, Jane and Karl moved back to Maine and lived in Winslow.

Jane and Karl had many adventures together with their family and with dear friends. They traveled extensively in the U.S. and Europe, canoed many a river, skied a few mountains, and climbed a lot more. Jane and Karl always enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and the morning word jumble in the newspaper, and still balanced their checkbook together. They celebrated their 67th anniversary in June of this year.

Colby College played an important role throughout Jane’s life, starting from childhood when she was a “rink rat” during her father’s time as hockey coach, continuing through her own student days, then happily visiting daughter Kathy when she was a student there. Once she and Karl moved back to the area in 1985, they were enthusiastic and frequent supporters of Colby arts and athletics. The college recognized her commitment and support by awarding her a Colby Brick and the Marriner Award.

A dear and caring friend to many, Jane made a point of remembering birthdays and anniversaries. She loved to entertain and has notebooks filled with menus and guest lists from many occasions. She loved to bake, and reading cookbooks was a favorite pastime. She played the piano, loved getting together with her epicurious book clubbers and was a lifelong knitter as she couldn’t just sit, she had to be producing something.

Jane was an amazing mother to their three daughters, Debbie, Kathy, and Martha, and stayed in close touch with them and their children. Her grandchildren only know they “go to Maine” for Christmas and did it for 32 years. She worked from sun-up to bedtime caring for her family and for others. Jane was generous with her love to all, in word and deed.

Jane will be sorely missed for her impressive warmth and hospitality, generous and humorous spirit along with an exceptional desire to ensure all who entered her home were made to feel special. In her honor, please do something kind for someone.

She precedes Karl in death and is survived by children Debbie, of Waterville, Kathy and Robert, of Vermont, and Martha and Paul, of Virginia; her grandchildren, Luc, in Colorado, Rachel and husband Stephen with great-grandchildren Jack and Oliver, in Virginia, Jonathan and wife Maya, in Biddeford, Regina, in Washington, DC, and Isabel, in Virginia.

A celebration of life will be held Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 2 p.m., in the Lorimer Chapel, at Colby College, with a reception following in Page Commons.

Arrangements are in the care of Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, 107 Main St., Fairfield, where memories may be shared, and an online register book signed by visiting http://www.lawrybrothers.com.

LETTERS: Smith will stand for us

/0 Comments/in /by

To the editor:

It is unusual to find a political candidate with the courage and conviction to stand up in public for the Bill of Rights and our Constitution.

I know that Katrina Smith will stand for us and with us as we reclaim our freedom of speech, religion, assembly (like in church or synagogue, or family dinners). She will be a formidable opposition to the tyrants who have usurped our state government.

Every vote matters.

Wendy Lee MacDowell

LETTERS: Smith has strong commitment

/0 Comments/in , /by

To the editor:

Thank you for including my letter in support of my wife, Katrina Smith, for State Representative for District #62. While this is not an unbiased letter I think you should know the level of commitment she has to the people of Maine from a personal perspective. Katrina’s heart is for the people. Growing up in Appleton with a single mom she experienced heartache and hardship at a young age that have formed her into the leader she is today. Her community rallied around her family in their time of need and she never has forgotten what it means to help your neighbor, without respect to party affiliation, just the way Maine has always been.

Katrina also holds steady to the belief that with enough work and constant study any obstacle can be overcome, this would serve the state incredibly well in our time of great inflation and need. Katrina is my partner in our successful renovation business that works so well largely due to Katrina’s commitment to a thorough understanding of problems and an incredible ability to think outside of the box to solve those problems. I know she will bring this ability to Augusta and will find ways to advance Maine in the direction it so desperately needs to go. Your faith in Katrina will not return empty.

Thank you.

Michael Smith,
Palermo

VASSALBORO: Town seeks ideas for use of ARPA funds

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

At their Oct. 27 meeting, Vassalboro select board members planned for a December discussion of ways to use federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Town Manager Mary Sabins intends to ask town departments and committees for suggestions, as she did last year. After audience member Holly Weidner offered ideas, board chairman Barbara Redmond invited her to submit them in writing to the town office.

The officials set the end of November as the deadline for suggestions. This timetable should let them consider recommendations and integrate ARPA spending into their proposed 2023-24 municipal budget.

If board members stick to their every-other-Thursday schedule, the December meetings will be on Dec. 8 and Dec. 22.

The first 70 minutes of the Oct. 27 meeting were spent reviewing the personnel policy, 20 single-spaced typed pages. With town employees in the audience and occasionally participating, board members and Sabins discussed a wide variety of provisions.

As planned, board members made no decisions. Sabins said much of the original (November 2011) version was written by a lawyer; she recommended current town attorney Kristin Collins, of Preti-Flaherty’s Augusta office, be asked to review changes.

Town Manager Mary Sabins intends to ask town departments and committees for suggestions, as she did last year.

One change board members seem likely to approve is an increase in the annual amount the town pays to reimburse public works employees for boots. The current figure is $100; an invoice among the bills paid Oct. 27 showed an employee’s new steel-toed, waterproof boots were priced at $169.99 (he bought them on sale, and even with tax exceeded his reimbursement by less than $10).

Since some of the changes discussed will impact the town’s 2023-24 budget, select board members hope to have a final document approved by early 2023. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Nov. 10.

Because the second November meeting would fall on Thanksgiving Day, it will be rescheduled. As of Oct. 17, the tentative date is Tuesday, November 22.

WINDSOR: Solar facilities moratorium extended by 180-days

/0 Comments/in , /by
by The Town Line staff

The October 11 Windsor Select Board meeting opened with a short public hearing concerning a 180-day extension of the Utility Scale Solar Facilities Moratorium Ordinance.

F. Gerald Nault said the only thing he would like to bring up is within the ordinance itself, regarding the question on the solar energy facilities occupying 800 square feet or less. He said within the ordinance it doesn’t say whether an applicant can apply multiple times on the same parcel of land of 800 square feet or less each time, and wanted the select board to be aware that if an applicant applied for 800 square feet or less, they could apply over and over on the same parcel and not have to go through the application process. Nault felt the language should be clarified that only one solar energy facilities occupying 800 square feet or less should be allowed on the same parcel of land within the ordinance.

Town manager Theresa Haskell said the public hearing was to discuss the extension of the moratorium ordinance for an additional 180 days with the problem giving rise to the need for the moratorium still exists, and reasonable progress is being made to alleviate the problem. She also stated the information Nault brought forward could be discussed during the regular select board meeting. No one else spoke at the hearing.

During the regular select board meeting members voted 4-0 to extend the moratorium by 180 days. Selectman Andrew Ballantyne was absent. A special town meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 9, concerning the utility scale solar energy facility ordinance.

Nault proposed the select board make the following change to the previously approved ordinance: “Solar Energy Facilities occupying 800 square feet or less on the same land parcel are exempt from the requirements of this ordinance. All solar energy facilities must meet state electrical codes and permitting requirements, and applicable requirements of any other ordinance of the town of Windsor. An applicant may only be allowed one installation of an array of less than 800 square feet on the same land parcel only.” The select board unanimously approved the proposal.

In other business, during public comment, Delta Ambulance representatives Tim Beals and Bill McKenna were in attendance at the meeting. Beals gave a brief history of Delta Ambulance, then went on to say they can no longer run on patient billing alone. He stated Delta depends on patient billing to support its 24/7 operation.

Delta participates with Medicare, MaineCare and private insurance companies. In the event a patient has no insurance, Delta must bill the patient directly. A patient who is not transported is not billed with only two exceptions, cardiac arrest and diabetic emergency.

Waterville and Winslow recently developed their own ambulance services and no longer contract with Delta. After losing both Palermo and Jefferson, the Delta board of directors has reviewed several models of service fee agreements and are looking to charge a straight-forward per capital amount of $15 and would take effect in January 2023. The estimated cost to the town of Windsor would be $39,000. Beals also stressed that any town that does not come to some agreement, would not be served by Delta.

The next Windsor Select Board meeting was held on October 25.

China planners postpone action on solventless hash lab

/0 Comments/in , /by

Daycare expansion approved

by Mary Grow

At their Oct. 25 meeting, China planning board members postponed action on Bryan Mason’s application, and scheduled a public hearing when they return to it on Nov. 22. They approved Angela Glidden’s application.

Mason applied for what he and codes officer Nicholas French considered a change of use for a shipping container, on Mason’s property at 1144 Route 3 (right next to M. A. Haskell Fuel Company, he said).

Mason said the container had been used for storage. He plans to convert it to a solventless hash lab.

A solventless hash lab, he explained, turns marijuana plants into hash oil, which is the basic ingredient for consumer products like marijuana gummy bears. Hash oil is much in demand; there are three other labs in Maine, all backed up on orders, Mason said.

Mason will not make consumer products; he will sell the oil to companies that do. He anticipates no retail traffic at his property, at least not in the near future. The process does not produce any troublesome waste products.

Planning board members found that Mason’s application was incomplete, lacking evidence to demonstrate that the new use would meet all the criteria in the town’s Land Use Ordinance. They asked him to submit a more detailed proposal, accompanied by a copy of his state license.

They questioned whether change of use of a building was the appropriate category, because approval to use the shipping container for storage came from a prior codes officer, with no planning board involvement required.

Their unanimous decision was to hold a public hearing on Mason’s application, followed by board discussion that might lead to an immediate decision. Because their next regular meeting night will be election day, they rescheduled the meeting to Tuesday evening, Nov. 22.

Glidden’s application was to increase the capacity of the childcare she runs at 135 Windsor Road from 20 children to 31 children. Required state approvals and permits are in hand or pending, she said.

Board members again found the application had insufficient information, but because the issue is an expansion of an existing use, with no other change, they took a brief recess to allow Glidden, with French’s help, to respond more completely.

At the end of the meeting, board member James Wilkens led in thanking retiring Scott Rollins for his years of service. Rollins is not seeking re-election.

They then reviewed and approved the application, with two conditions:

  • Glidden is to submit a letter from the appropriate local fire chief saying there is adequate access to the building for emergency vehicles.
  • She is to go ahead with her plan to install a water meter and report results to French; and if water use exceeds the septic system design, she will have a new septic system installed.

Glidden said the building has been a childcare center for more than 20 years, with no objections from neighbors. Operating hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. She takes only pre-school children, she said; the current age range is four months to five years.

Planning board members agreed with Glidden that childcare facilities are much needed in the area.

During the recess, retiring board chairman Scott Rollins led a review of topics for the next board. Focus was on new regulations that might be needed, beginning with the long-discussed ordinance to govern commercial solar farms.

Other activities that board members think might need rules are short-term rentals and food trucks. They mentioned potential problems with short-term rentals: noise and other disturbance to neighbors; and overcrowding, especially an issue in shorefront buildings where overused septic systems might fail and contaminate the nearby lake.

Board member Walter Bennett surmised that short-term rentals, through Airbnb for example, have become big business in China.

Board members do not intend to regulate a food truck that shows up for a few days for an event. Should someone apply to park a truck for weeks or months, perhaps there should be rules, they said.

At the end of the meeting, board member James Wilkens led in thanking Rollins for his years of service. Wilken’s motion to adjourn said: “I move to adjourn Scott’s last meeting and make our next meeting Nov. 22.”