“Wreaths Across America” to Stop at Wells Junior High

WELLS—
Christopher Chessie, Principal of Wells Junior High School (WJHS), has announced that “Wreaths Across America” will make a stop at WJHS at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, December 6. This stop has become part of the journey that this organization takes on its annual 750-mile trip from Harrington, Maine, where the wreaths are made at the Worcester Wreath Company, to Arlington National Cemetery. The convoy will be carrying thousands of “remembrance” wreaths to be placed at gravesites of veterans in Arlington and at many other cemeteries in the country.
After the convoy arrives at WJHS, there will be a brief wreath laying ceremony to honor deceased veterans at Ocean View Cemetery. All local veterans and the general public are invited to attend. For more information, please call Principal Chessie at WJHS at 207-646-5142.
Photo caption: From left to right are Mrs. Laura Bohlmann; fifth grade students Kayla Looper and Charlotte Merrifield; Gerald “Gerry” Dillon, a veteran of the U.S. Army and Navy; and Robert Bohlmann, Director of the York County Emergency Management Agency and a veteran of the U.S. Army, at the Dec. 7, 2009 “Wreaths Across America.” This year’s exhibit will be on Dec. 6. (Photo by Reg Bennett)

Local Library Seeks New Ground

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
KITTERY—
The Rice Public Library is interested in moving its operation onto the Frisbee School property, and has taken the first step in that direction.
The library, established 1888, currently operates out of two buildings in downtown Kittery, neither of which is handicapped accessible.
The library Board of Directors has voted unanimously to make the move. The town has already proposed that the Kittery Community Center, a theater, and the library be located on the former school site.
Rachel Dennis, chairwoman of the library trustees, said the Frisbee Revitalization Committee has given the library until the end of December to make a final decision.
She said several things had to be done before that decision could be made. These included getting an estimate on the value of the current facilities, a process that is ongoing, and hiring a consultant to look at the options. The buildings are mortgage free.
These options include doing nothing, putting an addition onto the current Rice building, and moving to the Frisbee site.
Ms. Dennis said the consultant’s report is not finalized as yet, “but it was finished enough to give us enough information that we could comfortably vote unanimously that we wanted to move.”
She said the final report will probably be presented to the revitalization committee early in January.
The library is now located in two separate buildings, neither of which is handicapped accessible.
“We’ve had phone calls and letters over the years from people who are in wheel chairs … they can’t get into our buildings,” Ms. Dennis said. “It’s been very, very difficult for us to say ‘there’s nothing we can do.’ The time is right, Frisbee closed. There is something we can do about it now.”
“We’re far away from that,” she said, “but at least we’ve gone that first hurdle and voted that we’re wanting to do this.”
She said the Rice building itself is a wonderful structure but it is “not a library for the 21st century.”
Ms. Dennis said having the community center, the theater and the library on the same property would create “sort of a one stop shop” for the people of the town.
Ms. Dennis said that being in one building is “a big piece for all of us” who have been working with the library over the years.
The library is not a town department but receives about 97 percent of its operating cost from the town.
Kittery Town Manager Jon Carter said the library is one of the “three participants envisioned moving to the property” but noted, “They will have a long way to go.”
Voters have already approved a bond issue for work to begin on the Community Center project.
According to its web site, the library currently contains 54,765 volumes and circulates an average of 71,769 items each year. The web site sets Kittery’s population at just over 9,000 people.
Photo caption: The Rice Public Library in Kittery is beginning the process of moving to a new facility. The Library has until the end of December to make a final decision. (Photo courtesy www.rice.lib.me.us)

Points in History

By Chip Schrader
Book Review Editor
“Decision Points” is former President George W. Bush memoir surrounding one of the most turbulent periods of American History. His presidency endured 9/11, two wars, and ended during an economic meltdown. As with any presidency during turbulent times, many of his decisions were questioned and criticized.
“Decision Points” is an attempt to get beyond the soundbites that satisfy the Television World’s attention span, and he details how his background, knowledge, friends and associates shaped his decisions. Rather than doing a chronological account of his presidency, he breaks the memoir up around pivotal issues he faced serving his term to allow for a clear extraction of incidents and anecdotes that lead to his decision.
While avid Bush supporters are sure to desire this read, critics will have plenty of interest in what Bush has to say. Some incidents, like his decision on stem cell research, or to go to war with Iraq will remain controversial after reading this. However, there is an opportunity for understanding why he made these decisions. Rather from shooting from the hip, as it appeared, Bush weighed every opinion regarding using stem cells.
Eventually, he decided to compromise and allow the current stem cells to be used, but after that, to allow research find another way to get these cells. As the current administration has learned, compromise only makes both sides angry.
One issue that takes up a bulk of the book, as it should, is the war in Iraq. Bush recalls the unilateral call to deal with Iraq after Afghanistan. He stated in a debate in 1999, in opposition to Gore, that nation building should not be a priority of our foreign policy. He admits that during the Afghan War, his opinion had switched upon seeing the liberated people rejoice and stand in line for their first free election. According to Bush, 80% of registered voters showed up to the poles facing threats from extremists.
While Iraq and Afghanistan were completely different situations, it’s apparent that Bush had the same vision for a free Iraq. This war began, Bush assures, after several sanctions Hussein failed to abide by, and using UN money intended to feed his people to build weapons. Whether one agrees with him or not, he lays out his thoughts, feelings, and knowledge of the issue so that skeptics can at least see it was a very difficult decision, and a great deal of reason was applied to the decision process. At the beginning of the book, Bush admits that time will tell with some of these decisions.
Decision Points is a forum where Bush uses Abe Lincoln’s advice to convince readers they’re his friends to make allies. His anecdotes are sensitive, funny, and told with colorful language at times. His writing is enjoyable, even when the reader doesn’t see eye to eye with all of his decisions. What he does achieve, though, is he paints himself as a compassionate, fiery, and caring person who spent a great deal of his time weighing the hefty consequences of his decisions. This book could well serve as a great document of our nation’s history beside the writings of Kennedy and Clinton. Recommended for righties and lefties!
Photo caption: Book cover for Decision Points by George W. Bush (Courtesy photo)

York Announces 2010 Citizens of the Year

YORK—
The Board of Directors of the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce selected Lorea and Howard Merrill as the winners of the 2010 Citizens of the Year Award. Howard and Lorea are the past owners of Inn Between the Beaches. As an example of their willingness to help their neighbors and as owners of the Inn, Howie and Lo would open their doors to a local person or family in need of a roof over their heads, regardless of the season.
They are very active in the York Lions Club, the St. Aspinquid Masonic Lodge, the York Senior Center and the Union Congregational Church.
Howie has been an active member of the Lions Club since 1983, the same year he received the “Rookie of the Year” award. They have coordinating and/or volunteering at numerous fundraising events for the Lions. They can be seen each Holiday season during the day selling Christmas trees in the village. This year, Howie was awarded the Melvin Jones Award. Lions International recognizes outstanding individuals by bestowing on them an award that is named for its founder, Melvin Jones. This Fellowship Award LCIF is the highest form of recognition and embodies humanitarian ideas consistent with the nature and purpose of the Lions. The recipient of this award becomes a model because of the exemplary service to his club and the community that it serves.
At the Masonic Lodge, they are involved in diverse projects including blood drives and the operation of the kitchen to coordinating transportation of their lobster bisque to Harvestfest each year. They are involved in preparing and serving community meals throughout the year. They provide lunch for the kids when they come back from the Shriner’s Circus. They started and now coordinate a run each week to the food bank in Alfred to deliver bread from When Pigs Fly and Pepperidge Farm. They recently helped raise $1150 at a Rummage Sale.
Lorea’s individual contributions make their way around our community and literally halfway around the world. She’s always knitting. Whether it’s a blanket for the hospital or dozens and dozens of hats for troops going overseas, the two of them are always reaching out to make the world a better place.
Dr. Nancy Flolid, a member of the Chamber’s board, said, “This couple is the best example of what is great about our town. They have flown under the radar for many years doing good deeds. They never sought recognition for their acts of kindness---they simply believed it’s just what you do---you help each other, whatever it takes! And that is exactly what they have done, quietly and without fanfare.”
The Citizen of the Year nominations are vetted through the Festival of Lights Committee, which forwards up to five nominations to the Chamber’s board of directors for selection of a final recipient. Nine individuals were nominated this year. The Merrills join the ranks of previous Citizens of the Year including Bill & Phoebe Foster, Verna Rundlett, Rosie Lent, Bainbridge Parsons, Pat Bacon, Harold Radochia, Leo & Diane Flynn, Rita Turner, Michael Lee, Alan Junkins, Gordon & Donna Lewis, Rick Mace, Russell Peterson, Marianne Quinn & Fran Koerschner, Betty Kehoe, and Ginny and Dexter Spiller.
The announcement was made at the Chamber’s monthly Icebreaker, which took place on Wednesday, November 17 at Savings Bank of Maine. The Merrills will be the Grand Marshalls of the Festival of Lights Parade on Saturday, December 4 at 4:30pm. The public is invited to attend a reception for the Merrills on Sunday, December 5, from 12:30pm to 1:30pm at The York High School Commons. Past recipients will also be invited. This is an opportunity for the community to come out to congratulate and thank the Merrills for their service to the townspeople of York and beyond. For more information, please contact Cathy Goodwin, President/CEO of the Chamber at 207-363-4422.
Photo caption: Lorea and Howard Merrill, 2010 York Citizens of the Year. (Courtesy photo)

Holiday Celebration Comes of Age in South Berwick

SOUTH BERWICK—
South Berwick’s annual Home for the Holidays festivities set for December 3 and 4 have taken another leap forward this year with more groups than ever working together on the community celebration of the town’s artists, merchants, citizens and children.
Artists from the Women’s Holiday Art Sale will be in Town Hall, as always, but also will sell their wares on Main Street. And downtown storekeepers have boosted the celebration with the fullest lineup yet of song, food, art, children’s activities and music since Home for the Holidays began six years ago.
Friday evening’s stroll will include cookie decorating, a visit with Santa, holiday karaoke, a boxing demonstration, craft fairs and Hanukkah games. Also this year, strollers will be able to make stained glass or lantern ornaments and see the premiere of a short video about the history and future of the South Berwick Public Library. Free treats and warm beverages will be offered at all the shops.
Downtown decorations also have been enhanced this year. Dozens of merchants and individuals purchased signature Home for the Holidays woodpecker flags to hang throughout the village, and the South Berwick Eliot Rotary Club donated luminaries to shine on sidewalks and lead strollers from one happening to the next.
In the last six years, Home for the Holidays has become a centerpiece of community life in the holiday season, as downtown business owners keep their doors open into the evening and hundreds of residents fill the streets with cheer.
The Home for the Holiday’s umbrella sponsor, SoBo Central, will share space on Main Street with Stained Glass Stained Images studio, a new stained glass gallery and supply shop on Lower Main, to host a variety of ornament making.
The festival originally grew out of the Women’s Holiday Art Sale, now in its 12th year. This year, the artists have expanded into downtown’s newest business, Film Barn Studios at 245 Main St. Film Barn will serve as a creative community space, showcasing local art, music and films, and will house Pip Productions, a video and multimedia design company.
Local videographer Tim Benoit will be at Vacuum Village showing his video on the South Berwick Public Library, featuring photos from the Old Berwick Historical Society, interviews with founding members of the Library, and a glimpse of future plans for the Young Street property.
In addition to Santa Claus welcoming children for a photo op at P. Gagnon & Son, Mrs. Claus will read stories at the Library. People’s United Bank will help children write letters to Santa, and York Hospital Medical Services is inviting children for face painting and snacks.
On Saturday, December 4, the Women’s Holiday Art Sale, craft sales at the First Parish Federated Church and First Baptist Church, the holiday bazaar at Marshwood High School and the Jewett House all will be open.
For a complete listing of activities, the Home for the Holidays brochure is online at www.southberwickmaine.org.
Photo caption: Kristen Wiese-Adelman of Rollinsford and 28 other local craftswomen will participate in the 12th Annual Holiday Women’s Art Sale, Dec. 3 and 4. (Courtesy photo)

Prelude Trolley Rides Offered at Seashore Trolley Museum

KENNEBUNKPORT—
Seashore Trolley Museum will offer holiday railway rides, shopping, and complimentary refreshments during both of Kennebunkport’s Christmas Prelude weekends, starting on Friday afternoons and continuing all day on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Museum will offer railway rides on Friday afternoons from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. The rides continue on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Visitors during Prelude weekends enjoy the winter scenery of the Maine woods and a glimpse of history, while keeping warm in comfortably heated, restored historic trolleys.
Seashore’s historic railway runs for 3 miles along the Kennebunkport-to-Biddeford portion of the Atlantic Shore line Railway, which operated from 1904 to 1927.
Throughout that time, the Atlantic Shore Line was an essential transportation link carrying residents and tourists to work, school, as well as recreation and shopping destinations.
Refreshments and holiday shopping complete a Prelude visit at Seashore Trolley Museum.
The Museum store will be open from noon until 4 p.m. on Friday’s and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays of the festive Prelude holiday weekends.
The store features a huge selection of rail-related gifts including books, toys, collectibles, DVDs and memorabilia. Parents and grandparents delight in the full selection of Take-along Thomas and Friends toys.
Admission to the Museum Store and Visitors’ Center is free. Tickets are $4 per ride, per person (all ages). The trolley rides are contingent on weather conditions.
Seashore Trolley Museum is located at 195 Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport (3 miles north of Dock Square). For more Information, call 207-967-2800 or go online to www.trolleymuseum.org.
Seashore Trolley Museum is the oldest and largest museum of its type in the world and has been in operation since 1939. The museum is owned and operated by New England Electric Railway Historical Society, a 501c3 non-profit educational institution.
Photo caption: The Seashore Trolley Museum will offer holiday railway rides, shopping, and complimentary refreshments during both of Kennebunkport’s Prelude weekends, beginning Friday, December 3. (Courtesy photo)

Bridge Plans Move Forward

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
KITTERY —
Projects to deal with two of the three bridges over the Piscataqua River that joins Maine and New Hampshire are proceeding.
Decisions have been made on replacing the Memorial Bridge that links downtown Portsmouth with Kittery, while three options are under study and consideration for the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge. These include rehabilitation, replacement with a low-level structure, or replacement with a hybrid structure that would allow some of the ships coming up the river to pass beneath it. It would, however, still be a drawbridge as it would lower as well for the railroad that runs under it.
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) is taking the lead on the Memorial Bridge project, while the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) is leading the Sarah Mildred Long project.
“Right now New Hampshire is in the process of obtaining the permits and preparing the documents to proceed with Memorial Bridge,” Kenneth Sweeney, MDOT’s chief engineer said.
“Maine is taking the lead looking at the three alternates that remain on the table for Sarah Mildred Long and doing some more engineering work to determine which one of those remaining alternates we should proceed with,” Sweeney said.
A Tiger II grant of $20 million from the Federal Department of Transportation has been received “basically for that project,” for the replacement of the Memorial Bridge at its current site, according to Bill Boynton, a NHDOT spokesman. “That was a big deal. It certainly was a shot in the arm.”
The project is estimated to cost $90 million overall. The New Hampshire Legislature has earmarked $44 million for the project.
“Maine and New Hampshire are on the same page that we have to replace that bridge,” Boynton said, noting studies are under way to determine “how we’re going to pay for it. There are still some challenges here.”
In October Maine Gov. John Baldacci and New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch co-signed an executive order authorizing the creation of a task force charged with aggressively formulating plans that will allow the two states to develop funding for the projects, identifying joint financing options and proposing any necessary legislation to accommodate bridge construction. Among the two governor’s assurances is a commitment to a full vehicular replacement of the Memorial Bridge.
It is hoped that work on the Memorial Bridge will begin “next construction season,” Sweeney said, noting Maine “still has to go through the legislative process as to funding” for the project. The work is expected to take two years during which time the bridge would be closed to traffic.
Boynton said there is a 16-month waiting period for parts to that structure and some of the units needed would have to be brought in on the river.
Sweeney said work on the Sarah Mildred Long structure would not be done until the Memorial Bridge project was completed so traffic could use it while the other bridge is closed.
Estimates for the work on the Sarah Mildred Long span depends on which of the three projects is finally approved. Refurbishing would be the least expensive and the hybrid would be the most expensive, Sweeney said.
The Memorial Bridge is dedicated to the Sailors and Soldiers of New Hampshire who fought in World War I. It was constructed between 1920 and 1923. It is the only bridge that has provisions for pedestrians and bicycles.
Boynton said a public hearing to discuss the replacement of the Memorial Bridge will be held Tuesday, Nov. 23, in the City Council Chambers at Portsmouth City Hall. That meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
Photo caption: Memorial Bridge, one of the three bridges connecting Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME over the Piscataqua River, will be rebuilt based on recent decisions including both states. (Photo courtesy www.nikiomahe.com)