Hats for Haiti in South Berwick and Eliot

ELIOT/SOUTH BERWICK—
“What can we do to help?” That was the question asked by Maria and Robbie Christian and Sophie and Manu Ritchie in Eliot after the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12th. Thanks to Amy Miller, South Berwick resident and active supporter of Life & Hope Haiti, and Grace Jacobs, World Ambassadors Club advisor, children in our community are given a chance to help.
The World Ambassadors Club at Marshwood Great Works School in South Berwick kicked off the fund raising to help the children of Haiti. They organized a Hats for Haiti day at their school. Sophie, fourth grader, and Maria, fifth grader, set up a table at the door of their school to collect money from students if they wanted the privilege of wearing a hat all day. This idea spread throughout the MSAD 35 district. Vicki Stewart, principal at Central School in South Berwick, says, “Seeing other students and adults wearing hats-it was a sea of hats wherever you looked-allowed children to connect and sent the silent message, ‘I care.’”
After seeing what her older sister’s school did, Manu, first grader at Eliot Elementary School, said, “Our school needs to do something, too!” Manu and Robbie, a third grader at EES, made posters to hang around school and in classrooms, announcing EES’ Hats for Haiti Day. They then collected money from fellow students and teachers. When Robbie was asked, “How do you feel knowing that you are helping the children of Haiti?” his response was, “Helping the people of Haiti makes me feel happy and proud…and awesome!”
Hats for Haiti has raised over $3,000 at the three schools. The money will go to Life & Hope Haiti, a non-profit that MGWS has partnered with in the past to support the Eben Ezer School in Milot, Haiti. Currently, its founder, Lucia Anglade, has a mission to help her sister, Sister Claudette Charles. Sister Claudette’s facility, Aisle Saint Vincent Paul in Leogane, 20 miles west of Port-au-Prince and 5 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter was completely destroyed and many people there have died or were badly injured. The MSAD#35 community is collecting medical supplies, shelter materials, clothing and shoes for the victims in Leogane. Life and Hope is preparing for the long haul, raising funds and gathering emergency supplies to send down. If you would like to make a donation, please go to http://www.lifeandhopehaiti.org/. Article by Nicole Gastonguay Ritchie.
Photo caption: Manu Ritchie and Robbie Christian collecting money for Hats for Haiti at Eliot Elementary School. (Courtesy photo)

Teenagers Dip into Atlantic for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital

WELLS—
A daring group of Wells High School students plunged into the Atlantic on Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Day, to raise money for the sophomore and senior classes and The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital (BBCH) at Maine Medical Center in Portland. When the pledges were totaled, the students had raised $1,300, $500 of which for the BBCH.
The group had initially wanted to dip into the ocean at Wells Beach at noon, but powerful storm waves at high tide prevented them from doing so. One of the parents, Paul Littlefield, generously used his truck to plow out a portion of the parking lot at the end of Atlantic Avenue so the group could access the ocean at the adjacent beach area near one of the jetties.
According to Senior Class Co-advisor Kristin Taylor, about 20 students (half seniors and half sophomores) ran in, got wet from head to toe and ran back to dry land to towel off. “They braved it and went in,” said Taylor proudly of the group. “(It was a) grand old time; it was fun.” Taylor is an educational technician in the library at WHS.
Students warmed up at a gas grill and were treated to doughnuts from Congdon’s and coffee from Dunkin Donuts in Wells.
About 40 individuals showed up to witness the plunge. Some of those included Senior Class Co-advisor John Bailey and Brian Pagel, who is a Sophomore Class Co-Advisor. Senior Class President Evan Beals, Senior Treasurer Samantha Paquette, Senior Secretary Shelley Duplisea, Sophomore officers Whitney Lallas and Bee Theerathampitak were part of those to get soaked in the ocean.
Photo caption: Coming out of the water is David Littlefield on January 18th in Wells. (Courtesy photo)

Enrollment Continues to Surge at York County Community College

WELLS—
For the fifth consecutive year, York County Community College (YCCC) has experienced and sustained growth unmatched, in history, by any public or private college or university in Maine. During this period, credit-hour generation (the actual number of credit-hours for which students have enrolled) has increased 71%, while the total number of students enrolled at the college has increased 60%.
“The dramatic admissions growth can be attributed to a variety of circumstances,” said Dr. Charles Lyons, college president. Two major factors behind the enrollment growth are displaced workers returning to school and traditional-age students looking for a more affordable education, Lyons said. At $84 per credit for in-state residents, a student taking 12 credits would pay $1,008 in tuition costs as well as other fees.
YCCC, which is the youngest of Maine’s seven community colleges, showed the largest gains (up 44%) but the upward spiral continues throughout the Maine Community College System (MCCS). MCCS President John Fitzsimmons noted that in spite of severe budget constraints, the colleges remain committed to providing as many students as possible with the education they need to gain a foothold in a difficult economy.
York County Community College, established in 1994, is one of seven community colleges in the Maine Community College System. The college enrolls over 1,400 students in associate degrees and transfer programs and over 1,600 individuals in non-credit continuing education and professional development areas.

Passionately Pink for the Cure at Five-O in Ogunquit

By Jim Kanak
Staff Columnist
OGUNQUIT—
Ogunquit will be in the pink, so to speak, on Saturday, Jan. 30. That’s when the Donato J. Tramuto Foundation and staff at the restaurant Tramuto owns in Ogunquit, Five O Shore Road, team up for a fundraiser to battle breast cancer. The restaurant will be hosting a brunch that day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to help support the Susan G, Komen Foundation’s fight for a cure for breast cancer.
“Cancer and especially breast cancer is such a serious issue,” said Matt Linder, a manager at the restaurant. “Some of our patrons have been affected by it. We hooked on to their needs, wants and concerns. Cancer has affected all of us as a group significantly.”
Linder said Tramuto liked the idea of the fundraiser immediately. “He pledged to donate $10 for every diner that attends,” Linder said. “He’ll also donate a portion of the proceeds. We all try to reflect Donato’s interest in charity.”
The brunch will offer Five-O’s standard brunch menu, with a variety of crepes, waffles, and benedicts, as well as sandwiches from the lunch menu. Reservations are not necessary, Linder said. Guests should simply arrive between 10 and 2. “We’re calling it Brunch for Breast Cancer - Passionately Pink for the Cure,” Linder said. “We’ll all be wearing pink and we encourage people who come to wear pink.”
Linder said choosing to partner with the Susan G. Komen Foundation was easy. “They’re one of the leaders in the fight against breast cancer,” he said. “This is a cause we really believe in. When I was going around town and putting up posters, I heard some really phenomenal stories from people. People seem to be responding well to this.”
If you can’t make the brunch, or you’re not hungry that day, there’s still the opportunity to donate. “We have already had people come in and donate,” said Linder. “There’s an envelope in the cash register near the bar. Any donations go directly to the Komen Foundation.”
For more information, visit www.five-oshoreroad.com, the Five-O Shore Road facebook site, or call 646-5001. For information about the Komen Foundation and the work it does, visit www.komen.org.
Photo caption: Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon. (Courtesy photo)

Where in the World is La Romana?

SOUTH BERWICK—
Adults and children who answer geography questions at the Great Works School Friday Jan. 29 will be helping to outfit a new emergency room at a hospital in southeast Dominican Republic, The workers that use this hospital are mostly Haitian cane-cutters and do back-breaking work Dominicans generally don’t want.
Where in the World is La Romana, a geography quiz planned by volunteers and local Rotarians, will take place 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan 29 in the gymnasium of the Great Works School. The quiz night is meant to introduce residents of this area to this border area of the Dominican, and to raise $5,000 or more for medical care for a group of people who would otherwise be unable to get even basic health care.
The money raised will help equip a new emergency wing at the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana, DR. Haiti, the poorest nation in this hemisphere and the site of last week’s devastating earthquake, and the Dominican Republican share the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean and Haitians who live and work in the Dominican often lack legal standing and are the nation’s poorest residents.
The quiz is organized by the Moloney family of South Berwick, with Kennebunk Savings Bank Manager Mike Moloney acting as Quiz Host. The request to use the money in La Romana came from Travis Gatter, a local Rotarian and pastor of the First Baptist Church of South Berwick.
Last April, Gatter took his first trip to La Romana with the Good Samaritan Mission Council. He visited the Good Samaritan Hospital and learned that a new emergency wing was being built and needed supplies.
The Rotary district will donate $5,000 and the South Berwick Rotary club hopes to raise another $10,000. Individuals and churches have already pledged about half this amount and Gatter hopes the Where in the World is La Romana geographical quiz night will raise much of the rest.
The money raised in South Berwick will go to the International Medical Equipment Collaborative, a non-profit organization based in North Andover, Mass., that provides equipment to doctors in developing countries. IMEC fixes US donated equipment so it can be used in hospitals around the world. Organizations like the Rotary then oversee shipment.
The Good Samaritan Hospital was created to provide medical care to bateys, the small communities of cane workers around La Romana, which is the Dominican’s third largest city. Construction began in 1991, with American volunteers doing most of the labor, and it opened in 1997. The first year it served 10,000 people. By 2002, 48,000 people were getting medical care there.
Although the hospital was created to serve the families of Haitian sugar cane workers, it has grown to offer basic health care to all of the poor in La Romana.
At last year’s geography quiz, Where in the World is Haiti?, students, parents and teachers in South Berwick and Eliot worked with the Eliot South Berwick Rotary Club to buy books for Life and Hope Haiti, which runs a school in Haiti. They raised $4,300.
Today, the Eben Ezer School, which is in the north, has been spared the worst devastation of the Jan. 12 earthquake. But Life and Hope Haiti is now central to helping the school’s curriculum advisor, Claudette Charles, who runs a home for the needy just five miles from the earthquake epicenter. Sister Claudette was in South Berwick in September 2008 to collect hurricane supplies donated by residents here. Her entire compound serving 200 of the neediest of Haitians has been decimated, with many people dead or injured and all buildings and materials destroyed. All of Life and Hope’s efforts right now are going to help Claudette and other rescue efforts. Those who want to give to Life and Hope can go to the website: lifeandhopehaiti.org or email sobobooks@earthlink.net for more information.
This year’s geography quiz will feature teams of four people – two students and two adults – answering questions in a TV quiz show format. Each team must raise $150 to participate. The sponsors are Bondgarden Farm, South Berwick Baptist Church, York Chiropractic, Spring Hill, P. Gagnon and Son, Attar Engineering, Lassel Arch., Civil Consultants, employees of the Town of South Berwick, Friends of the William Fogg Library, Good Girl Graphics. Prizes provided by Oscar Stone of The Stone Agency and Richard Donhauser of Eliot Rent-a-Space Self Storage.
A raffle will be held with many donated items.
Where in the World Is La Romana is free and open to the public. For more information contact moloney7@comcast.net.
The Geography Quiz was first held in 2008 and raised money for a water system in Bangladesh.

Centurion to Turn 101 at Kittery Estates

KITTERY—
Alice Mayhew of Kittery will celebrate her 101st birthday Feb. 8th, 2010. She was born in Eliot, Maine, daughter of Charles D. and Georgia Tobey Tetherly. To celebrate reaching the 100 year mark last year, she fulfilled her dream of riding a motorcycle. There will be a lunch celebration to honor her at Kittery Estates Retirement Community, where she has been a resident since September of 2009.
Photo caption: Alice Mayhew (left) enjoys dancing with Gabe Friedman at a special event at Kittery Estates. (Courtesy photo)

TV’s Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Comes to Sanford

By Devin Beliveau
Staff Columnist
SANFORD—
A handful of Maine 5th graders are getting their shot in the national television spotlight.
On Jan. 6 several 5th graders from around southern and central Maine made their way to the Bonanza Steakhouse in Sanford for a chance to be on the popular Fox TV show: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
The game show is a trivia contest that pits 5th graders against adults. The 5th graders who showed up in Sanford, however, were not auditioning to be contestants on the show. These students were being recorded asking and answering trivia questions for viewers at home watching the show.
“It’s not an audition to be on the show, but the question that’s asked (on the local broadcast) is what was taped using these kids,” explained Geoff Titherington, the owner of Bonanza.
“In this way the folks at home can play along and have some local community involvement,” said Jen Myles, an account executive with the CW. “(These taped questions) will actually be in the show. It’s the third break in the show. Then it goes to a commercial break, then the show comes back with these kids saying the correct answer.”
Kayla Bott, a 5th grader from Mt. Vernon who enjoys watching the show, came to Bonanza because “I want to be on TV.” Her favorite part of the show is “when people lose. It’s funny,” Bott said with a laugh.
Jaycee Roberts came to Sanford from Buxton because “I love the show. I like answering the questions.”
Titherington’s restaurant was selected to be the audition location because he advertises with WPXT, the Portland CW Network affiliate that airs Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? “One of the things that they do with the local sponsors of that show is have sessions where the kids can come in and they ask a question which is shown on TV,” explained Titherington.
Titherington has owned and operated the Sanford Bonanza for 25 years, a notable achievement given that only 35 of these restaurants remain from a franchise that once boasted 650 restaurants nationwide. “We have a very stable staff here. There are actually two employees who have been here longer than I have,” said Titherington, explaining his restaurant’s against-the-odds longevity. “We try to be consistent with our service.”
“We look for businesses that are really in the community, and Geoff’s been a really great community supporter so we thought it would be a good fit for him,” commented Myles. Myles also said she believes that these kids questions will be put on the air immediately.
Photo caption: Jaycee Roberts, a 5th grader from Buxton, answers a question at the Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader audition in Sanford. (Devin Beliveau photo)

Maine Diner Named 2010 Restaurateur of the Year

By Jim Kanak
Staff Columnist
WELLS—
Maine Diner owners Myles and Dick Henry added another acknowledgement to the list they’ve compiled for their restaurant over the past 26 years. The Maine Restaurant Association recently gave the Wells establishment its 2010 Restaurateur of the Year Award. The Henry’s will receive the award at the association’s annual dinner at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland on March 30.
“I was shocked,” Myles Henry said, noting that association CEO Richard Grotton had visited the restaurant recently to inform the Henry’s of the award. “He came in with balloons and everything. It was a nice surprise. This is a great award for us to get. I’m thrilled about it.”
The award has been given annually for the past 30 years by the association, with recent winners including the Union Review Lobster Pot in Ellsworth, Slate’s in Hallowell, and Arrow’s in Ogunquit. Grotton said the Maine Diner has long been acknowledged for its quality.
“We have watched them for a long time,” he said. “We watched when they got four and then five million customers and said ‘wow.’ You have to have a really strong game plan to last as long as they have and been as successful. Food fans are fickle.”
The restaurateur award is one of four the association awards annually, along with Chef of the Year. Allied Member, and Lifetime Achievement. “We put out amongst our membership a nomination form asking for the four categories,” said Grotton. “Then a committee reviews the nominations. Generally, one nomination ends up standing out. We cover the gamut of (restaurant types). It’s how well you do what you do and the Henry’s do it very well. You get a measure of the restaurant by the way the help responds. When we went there, they were all out clapping and were pleased for Myles and Dick. It was clear we made a good choice.”
The award culminates a notable few months for the Diner. The Henry’s celebrated their 25th anniversary a couple of years ago and hosted their 5 millionth customer in December 2008. Gov. Jon Baldacci visited recently to acknowledge the diner’s milestones. In addition, the Henry’s will be participating in the New Orleans Food Festival this spring, showcasing their hallmark seafood chowder.
“We’ll be in it annually from now on,” Myles said.
The association is creating a video about the Diner that will be shown the night of the award ceremony. Tickets to the event are $70 and can be ordered online at www.mainerestaurant.com. The ticket price includes a Chef’s reception prior to the diner, the dinner itself, and the ceremony.
The award recognizes more than the Henrys’ 26 years of effort. “It’s a reflection on the restaurant,” said Myles. “It’s an award for the employees and how they do their job. I’m very proud of them.”

Photo caption: (L to R) Myles Henry, Richard Grotton; President, Maine Restaurant Association, Derek Henry, Dick Henry. (Courtesy photo)

MLK Day Celebration to Host Projects for Maine Soldiers

YORK—
Want to spend a couple of hours making a difference on a national holiday? You can, on Monday Jan. 18th during York’s first Martin Luther King Day of Service celebration.
The MLK Day of Service Committee has just announced two afternoon projects that will reach out to Maine soldiers –those who have just returned from Afghanistan and those that are leaving for that part of the world later this month.
You can spend the afternoon baking and decorating cookies for Maine National Guard troops and their families or you can design and write thank you letters to the National Guard troops about to be deployed. The letters will be held and then sent to the soldiers once they are settled in Afghanistan.
“This is a way to tell them they are appreciated and not forgotten,” according to Zoe Keefer-Norris of Old York and the MLK Committee, who initiated these projects. “It will be a ‘day on, not a day off’ as part of a nationwide service program to honor Dr. King’s life and teachings,” she added.
The mass baking effort will begin at 1 p.m. in the Remick Barn on Lindsay Road, and the letter writing will be held at the York Library off of Long Sands Road at the same time.
More than 20 non-profit organizations are participating in the day’s events. Volunteers can choose whatever project most interests them – for the Maine soldiers, at the York Community Services Thrift Shop, York Hospital, or others.
Other non-profits will have informational booths during the morning program to be held at the York High School. They include the 4-H Club, Center for Wildlife, the York Schools’ Civil Rights Teams, ELKS Lodge, Think Again, Hospice of York, Caring Unlimited, the York Art Association and others.
The Day of Service begins at 9:30 a.m. at the York High School with a performance by seventh grade students led by musical artist Randy Armstrong and a performance by Jasmine Shah’s Indian Dance troupe. An inspiring keynote address will by given by Richard Haynes on his experience as an African-American artist. A Community Service Fair will showcase the area’s various non-profit organizations.
Both children and adults can then spend the afternoon on the specific service projects.
People and/or groups are encouraged to register by sending an email to yorkmlkservice@gmail.com or through Facebook (MLK Day of Service: York), or by calling 207.752.0843.

York County Senior College Announces Winter Seminar Series

SACO/SANFORD—
York County Senior College’s annual winter seminar series will focus this year on science, culture, mystery and music. The “intellectual smorgasbord” is designed to help seniors find respite from the winter doldrums with full days of learning, plus lunch provided by the Brothers of Christian Instruction in Alfred.
The seminars of Wednesday, Jan. 13, focus on China, as participants will hear from Noah Miner, an engineering graduate of Maine Maritime Academy, who sailed natural gas tankers throughout the Far East. Miner will describe his trip to China and his cruise to view the “eclipse of the century” taken off the coast of Iwo Jima, in “The China Eclipse Cruise.” That afternoon, Professor Ronald Morrison of the University of New England will shed light on the intellectual foundation and burgeoning of this no longer sleeping giant in Chinese Philosophy and Contemporary China.
The sea takes center stage on Feb. 10, with presentations that carry attendees from ocean to ocean. Sheri Poftak and Kathleen White, of the Friends of the Wood Island Light, will illuminate the history and personality of this 200-year-old landmark, one of just two island lighthouses in Maine open to the public, as part of their discussion of Wood Island Light: On the Road to Recovery. Following lunch, David Jordan, founder of Nauticos, a deep-sea exploration company, recounts his experiences in Adventures in Deep Ocean Exploration: The Search for Amelia Earhart and Other Tales, which took him 20,000 feet under the sea off Howland Island looking for Amelia’s Lockheed Electra.
St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) will provide a focus on immigration. The featured morning speaker is Dr. John F. Sutherland, retired history professor, whose illustrated talk will describe the immigration waves and roles of immigrants in the U.S. industrial explosion of the 19th and 20th centuries in They Came to America. During the afternoon session, Kennebunk’s Monica Grabin will bring her special brand of musical history to Ethnic Music of the Labor Movement, with a particular nod to the musical contributions of the Irish.
All seminars meet at Denis Hall on the campus of the Brothers of Christian Instruction, 133 Shaker Hill Road (off Route 202) in Alfred. Morning seminars run from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and afternoon sessions take place from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. The $15 fee for each day’s program, payable at the door, includes a lunch of soup, salad, sandwiches, dessert and beverages, and coffee breaks. If Sanford Schools cancel due to inclement weather, the seminars will be cancelled. Call 1-800-696-3391 for reservations. All seminars are open to the public; membership in Senior College is not required to attend.
York County Senior College, providing low cost educational and social opportunities for York County adults 50 years of age and older, is affiliated with the University of Maine System. The University of Maine System, established in 1968, consists of seven unique universities and 10 university college regional outreach centers.

Stephen King’s New Epic: Under the Dome

By Chip Schrader
Book Review Editor
Whenever Stephen King comes out with a new book, it seems Maine stops in its tracks to take notice. Never forgetting his roots in the state, his books are filled with local references, figures of speech, and scenery evocative of small town life. Upon the release of Under the Dome, before having a tour in all the major cities, King came to Bridgeton, Maine to sign books and celebrate with the community that inspired his creation of Chester’s Mill.
Chester’s Mill is a small working class town complete with old grudges, trapped citizens who never find their way out, and filthy politics. The police, town council and even clergy are bound by their own corruption and blackmail. When the town pariah, Barbie (Dale Barbara), finally decided he was finished with this place, a strange thing happened, he looked up to watch a plane fly over head, and at that moment, it spontaneously crashed with no apparent cause.
All along the town line people perished by crashing into this invisible wall, and when it came down it maimed countless people who were merely gardening on their property that ran along town lines. Even with the nation’s eye on the town, the people on the outside still had no idea what happens on the inside.
The dome became a lid for this pressure cooker. Almost immediately old factions aligned, and King referenced a scenario from Lord of the Flies where society flips to where the most animalistic personalities take control. After the dome, the police chief taps his son with sociopathic tendencies and his group of misfits to patrol the town. Needless to say, the word terrorize and brutalize is more the word.
Barbie never made it out, and has no choice but to try and help solve this dome mystery. The local journalist, the former chief’s widow, and a handful of middle school kids work together to try and find out just what this dome is before the propane for generators, and the sanity of the town runs completely empty.
Considering the overview this review provides doesn’t do justice to all of the subplots and intrigue in this book, many people are using the word “Epic” when describing King’s latest work. While it is hipper and more relevant than most epics, this word best describes this miraculous work of fiction. Only the greatest mind in American letters could conceive of a story as deep, intriguing and terrifying as this.
Many horror and science fiction writers settle on a page turner that reveals thrill after bloody thrill, and these authors often build distracting back stories to draw out the suspense. King’s writing requires neither of these tactics, even at the 1100 page count. Every citizen’s back story feeds deeply into the plot, and through most of the book, figuring out what the dome is doesn’t even matter as much as the story going on within it. The reader wants to know the situations Barbie and all of the players have gotten into, and what will come of their actions. Sometimes, the characters even surprise the reader when they do something uncharacteristic giving them all a very human color.
King’s portrayal of small town America and the middle and lower class has elevated him to what John Lennon would call “a working class hero.” Under the Dome is a devastating, poignant, funny and masterful political satire that will wedge the legendary author firmly between H.G. Wells and Mark Twain.
Photo caption: Book cover of Stephen King’s newest novel "Under the Dome".

CMP Tree Care in Southern Maine will Enhance Power-System Reliability

AUGUSTA—
More than two dozen communities in York County and southwestern Cumberland County are among an estimated 180 cities and towns in central and southern Maine to benefit from Central Maine Power Company’s (CMP) tree care program this fall. The work along utility lines is part of a $23 million annual vegetation management program to improve the reliability of its roadside distribution lines.
“We have more than 23,000 miles of distribution lines, and along much of it, trees are growing toward the wires or at risk of falling down on them,” said CMP spokesman John Carroll. “Contact with vegetation is the most frequent cause of blinking clocks and power outages, so customers should see better reliability as the crews trim along the roadsides in their towns.”
CMP trims along one-fifth of its distribution lines each year. In the coming weeks, the company’s contractors will continue to trim trees along distribution lines in Acton, Alfred, Baldwin, Berwick, Biddeford, Cornish, Dayton, Eliot, Hollis, Kittery, Lebanon, Limerick, Limington, Lyman, Newfield, Ogunquit, Parsonsfield, Saco, Sanford, Shapleigh, South Berwick, Standish, Waterboro, Wells, and York.
Motorists are urged to use caution when they encounter tree crews working alongside Maine roads.
“These crews play a key role in helping CMP provide the safe, reliable service that customers depend on,” said Carroll. “This kind of work can be difficult, and we urge motorists who come across these crews to proceed slowly and at a safe distance.”
CMP contracts with professional arborists who are required to follow practices established by the International Society of Arboriculture. These include consideration for the health, shape, strength, growth rate, and appearance of trees before and after pruning. CMP notifies customers about its vegetation management activities every year with inserts in its bills. Customers can sign up to receive a notice when tree trimming is happening in their area. For more information, call CMP’s vegetation management department at 1-800-972-8600.
Additional information about CMP’s tree care program, along with tips for tree planting and care can be found on CMP’s Web site at http://www.cmpco.com – click on “Usage and Safety,” then “Tree Care.”
Photo caption: Contact with vegetation is the most frequent cause of blinking clocks and power outages. The heavy snow, ice and winds of winter make it even more likely. (Courtesy photo)