New Dimensions FCU gets large business award

Left to right, Sara Fifield, Bruce White, Terry Gagne, Darla Frost, Sharon Storti, Elizabeth Dixon, Jeanine Derosby, Ryan Poulin, Tammy Poissonnier, Lori Schmitz, Jason Michaud, Lee Breton, and Tanya Verzoni. (Contributed photo)

On November 4, 2021, CEO, Ryan Poulin, and his team at New Dimensions Federal Credit Union, in Waterville, humbly accepted Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Large Business Award at the Enchanted Gables, on Hussey Hill Road, in Oakland.

Because of New Dimensions FCU’s mission, “Educate. Empower. Evolve.” applies to both the community and its staff, they work to ensure the growth of membership and employee retention are equally balanced. In 2020, they worked on that balance of achievements that awarded them the honor of receiving such a prestigious community award.

In 2020, New Dimensions positioned itself for growth, and innovation, by constructing a state-of-the-art main office located at 94 Silver Street, in Waterville. The building was designed to be as green as possible including solar energy, heat pumps, natural gas-heated hot water, and energy-efficient lighting. It was imperative to use local contractors and vendors in the construction.

After the move to Silver Street, NDFCU renovated its previous Grove Street location into an operations center, now known as the Digital Branch. With this, the Credit Union expanded its workforce by adding a call center that fields over 7,000 calls monthly.

During the pandemic, New Dimensions focused on retaining all employees and training some of them to assist members in a new capacity including processing numerous SBA PPP loans for businesses.

New Dimensions provides the latest technology to conduct personal and business banking and continues looking for updated, useful and reliable solutions in its products and services that will serve their members well. Board Chairman Jerome Allen states, “We want our members to choose “how” they conduct business with us. From paying for groceries with cell phones to applying for loans or opening accounts from the comfort of their home. But if the member wants to visit a branch, our team is happy to provide that type of personal service, too.”

Ryan Poulin asserts, “New Dimensions doesn’t want to offer just a job to someone, it wants to offer them a career where they can learn and reach their professional goals. NDFCU has staff dedicated to training and career advancement for every employee. This has helped to retain valued, seasoned employees.

Financial Education is one of the key pillars of New Dimensions. Dedicated staff are available to provide members with one-on-one financial counseling. Members can meet with staff to review their credit report and get tips on how to boost their scores, craft an effective household budget, and more. It takes its financial education lessons on the road to local businesses with their Eat, Learn and Prosper program, as free lunch-time classes for the businesses’ employees with lunch provided by NDFCU. Additionally, Financial Educators can be found in classrooms teaching students from Kindergarten through High School with age-appropriate lessons. Deciphering between needs versus wants, how to save money for future goals, and how to use credit responsibly are popular topics. NDFCU has been able to work with hundreds of students both in classroom and through Google Classroom when remote.

Additionally, NDFCU and be credited for its fundraising efforts including their popular Cruise for a Cure Care Show. Fundraising for Ending Hunger Maine, Maine’s Special Olympics and Children’s Cancer Program are also a priority. Similarly, staff members donated over 3,000 hours of their own time in 2020.

CEO Ryan Poulin further adds, “We are in the dream fulfillment business helping people make their dreams come true by giving them the tools they need to be successful.”

Don Plourde named CMGC’s 2021 Developer of the Year

Don Plourde

Central Maine Growth Council is pleased to present its annual 2021 Developer of the Year award to Don Plourde, broker and co-owner of Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate, in Waterville. The award was presented at Central Maine Growth Council’s Annual Meeting, sponsored by Central Maine Motors, Kennebec Savings Bank, MaineGeneral Health, New Dimensions Federal Credit Union, and Huhtamaki.

Don’s passion for developing central Maine through commercial real estate has been exemplified by his commitment to growing businesses and supporting economic and community development throughout the region. Beyond Don’s day-to-day real estate operations, his investments within the region, along Robert LaFleur Airport Business Park, and, most recently, acquiring two flagship buildings in downtown Waterville – 36 Main Street and 70 Main Street – have all made significant contributions to the local economy and will support further investment and new business development opportunities during an exciting period of redevelopment within the municipality.

“The city of Waterville is poised to continue its trend of revitalization and renaissance due to key private sector stakeholders like Don. Similarly, his commitment to regional betterment extends beyond development and associated business expansion and growth initiatives, but is equally reflected in community projects and the innumerable volume of new families and young professionals that have been welcomed into the area housing market, including throughout COVID-19, where Don has transitioned new rural remote workers and Maine ‘boomerangers’ across the country into our local economy,” stated Garvan Donegan, director of planning, innovation, and economic development for Central Maine Growth Council. “Don is a champion of the region and has pursued his projects in a dedicated fashion, encouraging a bright future for central Maine and its residents.”

The Winslow native opened Coldwell Banker Plourde in 1989, growing from a staff of two to more than 20 and counting in its 30 years of operation. Don serves on the Maine Real Estate Commission, where he previously served as the organization’s board chairman. His work in real estate development has laid the groundwork for welcoming new businesses and families to central Maine while contributing to a renewed quality of place throughout mid-Maine and beyond.

Don has served on several boards throughout central Maine, including Waterville Development Corp., Maine State Housing, Winslow Capital Planning Committee, and Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, where he served as the organization’s chairman in 1998. Acknowledging Plourde’s many years of community betterment and service, Don and Irene were recognized as the 2016 Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Community Service winners.

“I am humbled to receive such an honor from the Growth Council,” said Don. “Having the ability to contribute to the vitality and success of the region has been my life’s work, and I could not have done it without the support from the community and my family.”

Katie Brann named emerging leader of the year by CM Growth Council

Katie Brann

Central Maine Growth Council and KV Connect are pleased to present their 2021 Emerging Leader of the Year Award to Katie Brann, chairman of KV Connect, the young professionals’ group of mid-Maine, and Financial Advisor at Golden Pond Wealth Management, in Waterville. The award was presented at Central Maine Growth Council’s Annual Meeting celebration, sponsored by Central Maine Motors, Kennebec Savings Bank, MaineGeneral Health, New Dimensions Federal Credit Union, and Huhtamaki.

Katie has been involved with KV Connect since February of 2020, previously serving as the organization’s treasurer and marketing committee chairman, currently serving as chairman of the organization. A 2016 graduate of Boston University, Katie returned to her home state of Maine to pursue a career in financial services where she supports clients in comprehensive financial planning and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing. Katie received her Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation in March of 2021. In addition to her leadership of KV Connect, Katie also serves on the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s Marketing and Membership committee and serves as the varsity field hockey coach at Messalonskee High School in Oakland.

“Katie embodies outstanding leadership, impact, and performance within the region’s emerging youth workforce and is continually working to create an environment to facilitate responsible investing, creativity, and innovation of young people to excel, develop, and grow. Working closely with Katie through KV Connect, her passion for the Kennebec Valley region shines through her organization of several community initiatives, including our Yoga in the Park and Pints with a Purpose series”, states Sabrina Jandreau, vice-chairman of KV Connect and development coordinator at Central Maine Growth Council. “Her drive and commitment to celebrating the region’s young professionals are a testament to her dedication for making mid-Maine an attractive location to live and work in.”

During a time of robust growth and development in central Maine, Katie’s stewardship has spotlighted KV Connect as an organization that champion’s connectivity through relationship building, community service, social media marketing, and placemaking initiatives, encouraging the continued retention and recruitment of young professionals to the region. At the forefront of KV Connect’s continued growth, Katie’s passion for cultivating opportunities for networking and development will sustain further expansion of the organization’s membership and encourage greater participation by young professionals throughout mid-Maine.

“Waterville is an incredible community and provides a compelling site profile for those who wish to enjoy the area’s eateries, diverse recreational opportunities, or start a business”, said Katie. “Having the opportunity to bridge the gap between young professionals and networking has provided KV Connect with the tools to showcase and celebrate all the region has to offer with those who are new to the area or are just starting out in their careers.”

PHOTO: Heading to state championship game

The Waterville Panthers football team is headed to the state 8-man large schools championship game on Sat., Nov. 13, vs Cheverus, at Fitzpatrick Stadium, in Portland. Front, Dustan Hunter. First row, from left to right, Wyatt Gracie, Spencer Minihan, William Place, Cobe LeClair, Tyson Smith, Adam Sirois, Julian Nebrowsky and Jarrod Cayford. Middle row, Pierce Delaware, Benjamin Foster, Dawson Harrison, Gage Hubbard, Dusty Bearce, Joel Retamozzo and Max Field. Back row, Brady Delaware, Brendan Beckwith, Coach Mike Hamel, Donovan Porter, Head Coach Isaac LeBlanc, Ethan Gilman, Liam VonOsen and Coach Kevin Acorn. Absent from photo, Volunteers coaches Ben Foster and Trafton Gilbert, Liam Pelotte and Griffin Pelotte. (photo by Kevin Giguere, Central Maine Photography)

The Waterville Panthers football team is headed to the state 8-man large schools championship game on Sat., Nov. 13, vs Cheverus, at Fitzpatrick Stadium, in Portland.

Lions Club holds successful food drive

Waterville Lions Club member Michelle Shores, right, with a volunteer worker display the many items donated to their annual food drive. (contributed photo)

The Waterville Lions Club held their 2nd Annual Drive Thru food drive on October 23. The response from the community was overwhelming, again. In addition to individual donations the following local businesses offered their support by gathering donations: GHM Insurance, the Maine Tourism Association and One River CPAs.

Because of everyone’s generous support the Lions were able to distribute supplies and cash donations to the Waterville Food Bank, St. John Church Food Pantry, in Winslow, and the Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry. The Waterville Lions Club is a member of Lions Club International and is dedicated to serving the needs of the local community through service and fundraising efforts.

Those interested in becoming a member of the Waterville Lions Club should contact Membership Coordinator Jill Huard at 314-1039 or jhuard@surette-realestate.com. “Where there is a need, there is a Lion!”

PHOTO: Waterville advances

The Waterville Purple Panthers quarterback Liam Von Oesen with the carry during last Friday’s game vs. Mount Desert Island. The Panthers captured the win, 50-40, and will advance to the Regional North Large School 8-man football game this coming Saturday, November 6, versus Morse High School, of Bath. (photo by Kevin Giguere, Central Maine Photography)

Children’s book author to hold book signing at Retail Therapy in Waterville

Jeanine Deas

Local children’s book author Jeanine Deas will be signing copies of her new book, We’re All in the Kitchen, at an appearance, at Retail Therapy Consignment Boutique, 270 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville, on Saturday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Personally-signed copies of We’re All in the Kitchen, along with the author’s previous books, Anna’s Little Buddy and Twinkle, Twinkle, Where You Are, will be available for $10 each.

Throughout We’re All in the Kitchen, Jeanine Deas and illustrator Rebecca Reinhart bring their unforgettable storytelling magic to the pages of a delightfully infectious, sing-songy story about one diverse family’s rib-tickling kitchen experience. It’s too-much-fun—and PERFECT to share with the wee readers you love!

For more information, please call Retail Therapy Consignment Boutique at (207) 213-4600.

HALLOWEEN EVENTS 2021

HALLOWEEN EVENTS

CHINA

Erskine Academy will host Trunk or Treat from 6 – 8 p.m., this Friday, October 29, at the school.

There will also be a haunted house inside, around the gymnasium.

CHINA VILLAGE

Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, in China Village, will be welcoming trick or treaters from 5 – 7 p.m., on Sunday, October 31.

FAIRFIELD

Due to the impending inclement weather, the Fairfield Trunk or Treat has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 31, 2 – 5 p.m., on Eskelund Drive.

PALERMO

The Palermo Consolidated School eighth graders will hold a haunted trail on Saturday, October 30, from 3 – 8 p.m. The scariest experience will take place from 6 – 8 p.m. Admission is $5 per person and will include games, pineapple juice. You will not be touched. All proceeds to benefit the eighth grade heritage tour. The school is located at 501 ME-Route 3, Palermo.

WATERVILLE

The Alfond Youth and Community Center will be hosting a trunk or treat open house, family fun Halloween event for all ages and abilitites on Sunday, October 31, from 3 – 5 p.m., in the parking lot and facility, 126 North St., in Waterville.

WINDSOR

This year we will be having our Trunk n Treat on Friday, October 29, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the field across from the fair grounds. This will be a walk through event, you will park in the field and we will have the trunks in a line for the kids to walk through. We will be selling glow sticks for a $1.00 at the front of the line. All monies will go help the kids at Windsor school this year. Parking will be in the big fields where the camping is.

WINSLOW

Trick or Treat at the Winslow Public Library on Friday, October 29, 2 – 6 p.m. Ring the library doorbell for a trick or treat surprise. This will include candy, a snack, a craft, a bookmark and more. Let us know if you need an allergy friendly option. Feel free to wear a costume. Open to youth of all ages.

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville Liberal Institute

Waterville College, 1909. College Ave.

by Mary Grow

In Waterville, in addition to the private and public schools already described, there was Waterville Liberal Institute.

An on-line list of Universalists’ “higher institutions of learning” says Waterville Liberal Institute opened in 1835. It was the second such school in Maine; Westbrook Seminary opened in 1831 and ran until 1925, when the website says it became a non-sectarian school. These are the only two Maine Universalist high schools on the list.

Another on-line site has the Institute’s Feb. 28, 1835, legislative charter (and its 1851 catalog). Legislators said they were approving “an Institution for the purpose of instructing youth in the several branches usually taught in High Schools and Academies.” The charter listed the initial 10 trustees and said the board should in the future have at least seven and not more than 15 members.

Waterville Liberal Institute Trustees: Rev. Calvin Gardner, Waterville; Hon. Alpheus Lyon, Sec., Waterville; Silas Redington, Treas., Waterville; Jediah Morrill, Waterville; Erastus O. Wheeler, Waterville; Hon. Isaac Redington, Waterville; John R. Philbrick, Waterville; Thomas G. Kimball, Waterville; P. L. Chandler, Waterville; Joseph Percival, Waterville; Rev. William A. Drew, Augusta; Hon. Joseph Eaton, Winslow; Josiah Prescott, M.D., Waterford; Hon. G. M. Burleigh, M.D., Dexter; Hon. Wyman B. S. Moor, Bangor.

Ernest Marriner, in his history of Colby College, said that the Liberal Institute attracted so many students that there were too few left for Waterville Academy, established in 1829 as Colby’s preparatory high school and later Coburn Classical Institute (see The Town Line, July 29), so that the Academy closed from mid-1839 to the fall of 1841.

The 1851 Liberal Institute catalog lists the maximum 15 trustees. Ten were from Waterville, with one each from Augusta, Bangor, Dexter, Waterford and Winslow.

The Principal in 1851 was Rev. James P. Weston, A.M. Seven other faculty members were listed, although two apparently were job-sharing; Miss C. L. Fullam is listed as preceptress and Mrs. H. C. Henry as preceptress for the fall term.

That year there were of 174 students, 91 boys and 83 girls. The majority came from Waterville. Nearby towns that were represented included Albion, Canaan, Clinton, Fairfield, Gardiner, Readfield, Sidney, Skowhegan, Smithfield, Winslow.

Other students came from more distant Maine towns, including Bangor, Bingham, Calais, Cape Elizabeth, Dexter, Hiram, Plymouth and Waldoboro. One girl was from Holliston, Massachusetts. A boy and four girls, three of the girls named Hill and presumably sisters or otherwise related, came from St. Stephen, New Brunswick; another boy’s home was listed merely as Canada.

Not all the students attended all year. The spring term had the smallest enrollment, with 51 students. Only in the winter term did the woman outnumber the men, 41 to 38; in the popular fall term, the 112 students were evenly divided, 56 men and 56 women.

The catalog says the Institute was “situated in a convenient and retired part of the healthy and delightful village of Waterville.”

In 1851, the Institute’s leaders listed four goals: to give both men and women “a good English education”; “to prepare young men for College”; “to communicate a critical knowledge of the modern languages”; and “especially to qualify teachers for their calling.” The teachers’ classes were described as getting the Principal’s personal attention.

Facilities had been improved since the Institute opened 15 years earlier, including by making the “Female Department” permanent and providing “superior accommodations” for women.

Students could board with “good families” at prices that ranged from $1 to $1.75 a week for men and were a flat $1.00 a week for woman. Board included “room, washing, lodging, and lights.” (The difference between “room” and “lodgings” was not explained; the catalog explained that fewer “accommodations” lowered the price and advised that “clubbing” could make board very inexpensive.)

The school offered “Prep­aratory Studies,” a mélange of subjects featuring English language plus introductory mathematics, history and geography. This introduction was followed by three years – Junior, Middle and Senior – with four terms each year, during which the preparatory courses were extended and science and philosophy added.

The English department was considered central, and students were expected to take three years of English. Most courses were open to all. A few were considered not suitable for women and others were substituted; and apparently women seeking “a good Academic education” were expected to take courses in order, while men could drop in and out as their qualifications or schedules allowed.

The department of languages offered Greek, Latin, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Foreign language tuition was most expensive, at $5 a term. “High English” was $4 and “Common Studies” $3. Two extras were offered, music for $6 a term and drawing for only $1 a term.

Each day began with reading from the Scriptures, with all students expected to attend. The catalog said all students were also expected to go to the church of their family’s choice on Sundays.

Here is the paragraph on “Government” from the 1851 catalog:

“The Government of the school, though strict, is designed to be kind; and obedience is secured, if possible, by awakening the scholar to a sense of his moral obligations and by appeals to his better feelings. Those who cannot be induced by such means to correct their perverse habits and to submit to wholesome discipline, will be removed from the Institution as unworthy of its privileges and hurtful in their influence upon others.”

The previously-referenced list of Universalist high schools says the Institute closed in 1857.

In or about that same year, 1857, according to the Fairfield bicentennial history, a former public-school teacher named Naomi Bunker opened Bunker’s Seminary.

Bunker’s Seminary was a boarding school “in the old brick house on the corner of Newhall Street and Lawrence Avenue.” The main building had two wings, a gymnasium and the boarding house.

The history does not say whether the seminary was coed. It calls it a college preparatory school that offered music and painting in addition to academics, and that enrolled out-of-town students as well as local ones. No date is given for the closing of the seminary.

James Partelow Weston

In the fall of 1939, a 24-year-old Universalist paster from New Hampshire, Rev. Giles Bailey, visited central Maine and became friends with James Partelow Weston, a Bowdoin College senior taking time off to teach “at a private school in South Montville” to earn money to return to college. Bailey was impressed enough with Weston to follow his career, and to write an essay on his accomplishments for the January 1869 issue of the Ladies’ Repository.

Bailey said Weston was born in the section of Bristol that later became Bremen, on July 14, 1815. On-line genealogies add that he was one of 11 children of Eliphas or Eliphaz and Elizabeth Betsey (Longfellow) Weston.

(For readers who collect unusual names, the genealogies say his siblings included Arannah Weston, Arunah Weston and Greene Longfellow Weston.)

A farmer’s son, Weston grew up with little formal schooling, but in a community that valued education and supported a library. Bailey called him a devout Universalist who preferred teaching to the ministry, and said he started teaching when he was 16.

In 1832, Bailey continued, Weston entered Lincoln Academy, in Newcastle. In 1834 he switched to Maine Wesleyan Seminary (a Methodist school), in Kents Hill, to finish his college preparation. After two years at Waterville College, starting in August 1836, he transferred to Bowdoin, earning degrees in August 1840 and in 1843.

Bailey wrote that after Weston taught a fall term in 1840 in Readfield, he “took charge of” the Waterville Liberal Institute until April 1843, preaching his first sermons there. He also preached in West Waterville (later Oakland), Sidney and other nearby towns. He was ordained at the June 1842 session of the Maine Universalists’ Convention, in Augusta.

Meanwhile, one genealogy says, on June 9, 1841, at an unknown (to the genealogist) location, he married Eliza Elden Woodman (1816-1892). Bailey gave the wedding date as Jan. 9, 1841, and wrote that Eliza was one of Weston’s students in Readfield.

On April 15, 1843, Weston became Augusta’s Universalist pastor, Bailey wrote. He served there until May 1850, when he returned to Waterville Liberal Institute until the winter of 1853.

He next became head of Westbrook Seminary, which Bailey said he restored from near collapse. His work there “attracted the attention of the Trustees” of Lombard University, in Galesburg, Illinois, which also needed rescuing. He started work there Oct. 17, 1859, and was “formally inducted” as president on Jan. 11, 1860.

(Lombard University began life in 1851 as Illinois Liberal Institute. It became Lombard University in 1857 and operated until 1900. A series of 20th-century changes and mergers created what is now the Meadville Lombard Theological School, in Chicago, described as a “Unitarian Universalist Seminary.”)

Weston was still alive when Bailey finished his article, although he had almost died of smallpox in the winter of 1866. Bailey had high praise for his work to improve Lombard, and called him the “respected and honored President” of the school.

The genealogies say the Westons had two daughters, Caroline Eliza Weston, born in 1844, and Mary Emeline Weston Woodman, born in1849. Bailey wrote in 1869 that Mary Emeline was the only surviving child; he believed she had graduated from Lombard University.

Weston died Dec. 31, 1888, probably in Portland, Maine. His burial site is listed as Pine Grove Cemetery, in Portland.

Main sources

Fairfield Historical Society, Fairfield, Maine 1788-1988 (1988).
Marriner, Ernest Cummings, The History of Colby College (1963).

Website, miscellaneous.

Waterville StoryWalk to launch on North Street Community Connector Trail: Daniel Finds a Poem

The Waterville Public Library and partners are delighted to announce the launch of a StoryWalk® at the North Street Community Connector Trail, in Waterville. Beginning Saturday, October 23, 2021, please visit and enjoy reading the book Daniel Finds a Poem, by Micha Archer, as you walk along the trail behind the North Street playground and alongside the Messalonskee Stream. Daniel Finds a Poem celebrates the poetry that is in and for everyone and everything. What is poetry? If you look and listen, it is all around you!

StoryWalk® promotes reading, movement, relationships, outside time, and exploration. “A StoryWalk® is a lovely way for children and adults to wander in discovery and delight with great children’s books immersed in nature,” said Liz Davis, Children’s Librarian. A StoryWalk® offers laminated pages of children’s books along a walking trail. As you stroll down the trail, discover the unfolding of a story with engaging prompts. The North Street Community Connector Trail StoryWalk® starts at the trailhead across the street from Quarry Road, in Waterville. New stories will keep coming along. While supplies last, copies of current StoryWalk® books will be available for pick-up for free at the Waterville Public Library, located at 73 Elm St. ­

“The Waterville StoryWalk® launch is a marvelous demonstration of positive outcomes made possible through partners coming together to empower people and strengthen community,” said Tammy Rabideau, Library Director. Waterville StoryWalk® organizers invite you to participate in the upcoming FREE fall programs for all at the North Street Community Connector StoryWalk®.

  • Grand Opening Event for the North Street Community Connector StoryWalk®
    Saturday, October 23 @ 1p-2p. (Rain date: 10/24). Guided tours led by staff of the Children’s Discovery Museum, Waterville Creates, and Waterville Public Library! Cider, donuts, and apples! Free copies of “Daniel Finds a Poem” available while supplies last. Free for all ages – adults welcome!
  • Outdoor Adventure, Tuesday, October 26 @ 10 – 11 a.m. (Weather permitting). The Children’s Discovery Museum’s weekly Outdoor Adventure program will take place on the StoryWalk® trail this week. Collect leaves during the walk to use to create leaf rubbings. Free for youth and their caregivers!
  • Art and Nature Walk, Saturday, November 6 @ 1 -2 p.m. (Weather permitting). They will walk and create a mini art journal using collage methods as seen in the book, Daniel Finds a Poem. Led by Serena Sanborn, Waterville Creates. Free for all ages – adults welcome!
  • Homeschool Hub, Thursday, November 18, from 1 – 2 p.m. (Weather permitting). Meet Mrs. Liz to walk the StoryWalk® trail followed by writing gratitude poems. Feel free to bring a snack to enjoy with each other after the program. Free for youth and their caregivers!
    Questions? Please email storywalk@watervillelibrary.org or call the library at 207.872.5433.