Scenic Landscaping Project to Begin on Mount A

YORK—

A scenic landscaping project at the summit of Mount Agamenticus is on target to begin this month.

The project will restore and enhance views of the eastern seacoast, inland ponds and distant mountain ranges for the over 30,000 people that visit the area each year.

The cutting is scheduled to begin November 14 and is expected to take approximately three weeks to complete. Mount A’s summit, road, and trails will be closed to public use Monday through Friday during this time. The area will be re-opened for public access on weekends throughout the operational period with the exception of temporary trail closures in sections as needed.

The Town of York and the York Water District have partnered with five other landowners in the Mount Agamenticus Conservation Region to protect the scenic and natural resources of the area including wildlife habitat and water quality while continuing to provide for safe and enjoyable access and sustainable recreation. These partners make up the Mount Agamenticus Steering Committee and include the Towns of York and South Berwick, the York Water District, the Nature Conservancy, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the York Land Trust, and the Great Works Regional Land Trust.

In 2009, the “Mt. Agamenticus Summit Guidelines for Usage” was developed by the Mt. Agamenticus Steering Committee with assistance from the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission and the Piscataqua Garden Club to create a vision and help guide the management of the summit area. The summit views were a major focus of this plan and approved recommendations included seeking the assistance of certified foresters for developing and/or maintaining the viewshed.

Wadsworth Woodlots, Inc., a consulting forestry firm and Murdough Logging N’ Excavation have been hired to conduct the work and will ensure good forest practices while improving the aesthetic scenic values at the summit of Mount Agamenticus.

Funding for this project comes in part from the Nathaniel Wheeler Trust.

Sprite® and Wells Community Break Ground on New Basketball Courts

WELLS—

Sprite and Coca-Cola representatives, Wells residents, local leaders and players from the Wells Recreation basketball programs came out Friday to break ground on the construction of the renovated courts at the Walter Marsh Recreation Area. Local youth will soon have a safer, cleaner place to play thanks to the $20,000 grant it earned through the support it got from Wells in the national Sprite Spark Parks Project.

“The renovations will make a huge difference in the court’s safety and appearance, but it was the excitement and happiness the youth expressed that made me most thankful for Sprite’s donation,” said Tina LeBlanc, Recreation Director, town of Wells. “It is so important for our community’s youth to have a place where they can have fun and get active with their friends.”

Joining Tina LeBlanc was Senator Ron Collins, Chairman of Selectmen Karl Ekstedt, and Wells Town Manager Jonathan Carter. The group accepted the $20,000 check on behalf of the Wells Parks & Recreation Department. They were joined by eager residents who had voted for the court to receive the improvement grant through the Sprite Spark Parks Project. The funding is going towards a complete overhaul of the courts, including a new playing surface, basketball backboards and nets, and a hand-painted mural by artist Steve Lavigne.

“Thanks to the effort by Tina LeBlanc and the residents of Wells, this recreation area will become a better, safer place for our youth to enjoy,” said Sen Collins.

Coca-Cola’s Maine State Manager David Dumont echoed the praise. “This community deserves this improvement and we at Southern Maine Coca-Cola are proud to play such a vital role in the communities that we are a part of.”

The Walter Marsh courts are just one of 21 basketball courts across the country that will receive a makeover through the Sprite Spark Parks Project, a multi-year commitment to build and restore play environments where community members can get outside and be active. Sprite will invest approximately $2 million into building or revamping more than 150 basketball courts, community spaces, playgrounds and athletic fields in cities across America throughout 2011. As a result, an estimated one million young people will have greater access to clean, safe and fun places to play for years to come.

Photo Caption: Karl Ekstedt (Chairman of Selectmen), David Dumont (Coca-Cola), Christine Boettcher (Coca-Cola), Tina LeBlanc (Wells Recreation Director), Al Haart (Coca-Cola) and Jonathan Carter (Wells Town Manager), breaking ground. (Courtesy photo)

Chip’s Picks for Kids: Three Picture Books for the Family

By Chip Schrader
Staff Book Critic

“Mirror”

The first book is “Mirror,” by Jeannie Baker. “Mirror” begins with a paragraph about two boys, one from a city in Australia, and the other who lives in Morocco. The book is actually constructed like a mirror as the pages to the Australian boy’s story are bound on the left, and the Moroccan boy’s life is depicted on the pages bound on the right.

As the reader flips through these pages simultaneously, they can compare each story. There are no words, but illustrations show how each boy’s life has the same situations, and they have different ways to fulfill similar needs. In Australia, the family works in the day, driving through the heavy traffic and the young boy goes through the bedtime ritual of being tucked in by his mother. On those same pages on the right side, the Moroccan child kneels upon his prayer rug and rides a camel through dirt pathways that weave between mountains that might resemble Australian skyscrapers. The agricultural and bartering culture of Morocco intersects with the Australian family as they go to a store to find “Magic Carpets.”

“Mirror” shows that what we might consider primitive culture runs parallel to Western civilization, and there is room for adult observers to even pick up on the inequities of modern commerce. Meanwhile, the point would not be lost on children. Being wordless, it invites conversation rather than straight ahead teaching, and opens up the age range of readers.

The illustrations are imaginative and innovative, constructed mostly of cloth and woodcarvings. The last page explains this process. “Mirror” is a deep, conscientious story presented in an amazing book that collectors will want to buy.

Reading level: Ages 5 and up. Hardcover: 48 pages. Publisher: Candlewick; Bilingual edition. (Courtesy book cover image)

“Blue Chameleon”

On the lighter side, “Blue Chameleon” by Emily Gravett will entice young readers with its simple illustrations and single word per page structure to encourage beginning readers. Words like “yellow,” “swirl” and “gray” correspond with creatures that wear these colors or shapes. The simple setup builds not only reading skills, but helps develop the logical skills children will need for comprehension.

As children learn to read the word on the page, there is an interactive step left for children to point out the yellow color on the banana, or the swirl on the snail’s shell. Patterns and snippets of dialog in balloons are also scattered throughout to add a little fun and friendliness to readers.

“Blue Chameleon” is beautifully sparse in illustration, at least until the end. But, its deceptive simplicity invites and engages readers into the puzzle of pattern recognition and builds cognitive skills for children in a playful, non-instructive way.

Hardcover: 32 pages. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. (Courtesy book cover image)

“Interrupting Chicken”

Finally, on the silly side is David Ezra Stein’s “Interrupting Chicken.” This story depicts the timeless ritual of bedtime stories, but this time it is a father and daughter chicken. Promising not to interrupt, the father goes through three fairytales, and as we can expect, Little Chicken does not keep her promise. Just as each fairy tale is about to take a dangerous turn, Little Chicken interrupts and warns the characters of the impending danger.

When it comes to these fairy tales – Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and Chicken Little – every reader, big and small, was a little chicken at one time or another, and thus is the brilliance of this book. Being a perfect bedtime story, the littlest readers will learn about the fairy tales, but get a shortened version that will bring a laugh instead of a fright. For the bigger readers, the humor and layers of cleverness are engaging, and will not make them lose sleep either.

The illustrations are a lush pastel like old oil paintings, the characters are cute, at least as cute as chickens can be, and Stein’s use of framing for the images to fit the story are well thought. “Interrupting Chicken” is a classic read-aloud story ideal for bedtime, and doesn’t require any interactive participation from the little chickens.

Reading level: Ages 4 and up. Hardcover: 40 pages. Publisher: Candlewick. (Courtesy book cover image)

Winter Gateway Farmers’ Market Opening Saturday, Nov. 5

YORK—

The Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce our 2011 - 2012 Winter Farmers’ Market season beginning on November 5th at the American Legion!

Steph Oeser, the market manager, says, “We’re looking forward to kicking off this winter season! Last year was a great first year. It usually takes a few years to really establish and develop an event, but the market took off in a way we didn’t fully expect. It was a fantastic learning experience and I’m so excited to see how this season takes shape. Based on vendor surveys and customer feedback from last winter, we changed the hours to 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The new location at the American Legion also provides easy access from Route One and tons of parking (including designated handicap spaces).”

The market is again sponsored by The Bank of Maine.

The 2011 - 2012 Winter Gateway Farmers’ Market will take place on 11 Saturdays between November and March indoors at The American Legion (next to Hannaford), in York, Maine. The dates are as follows: Nov. 5 and 26, Dec. 10 and 17, Jan. 7 and 21, Feb. 4 and 18 and March 3, 17 and 31. The market will run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and there will be 25-30 vendors each Saturday. Many of our vendors are back from last winter’s market and several of our regular summer food and craft vendors are also attending. Just like our summer market, this event is always free to attend.

The goal of this market is to support local farmers, food-producers, artists and artisans, while offering a one-stop shopping experience for customers looking to buy all of their produce, breads, sweets, meats and specialty foods for the week. The select crafters at this market offer locally made, unique gifts for you or someone special (especially during the holiday season)!

Check out www.gatewayfarmersmarket.com for a complete list of participants and when they’ll be attending the market. Vendors interested in participating should download an application at www.gatewayfarmersmarket.com or contact Steph Oeser at the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce at 207.363.4422 or stephanie@yorkme.org. Space is limited and filling up quickly.

Photo Caption: Greens from Riverside Farm at last year's winter market. (Courtesy photo)

Updates from the Bridge

By Larry Favinger

Staff Columnist

KITTERY—

The replacement of the Memorial Bridge that connects Portsmouth, N.H., and Kittery continues to move forward on several fronts.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has named a Chicago firm as the apparent team for the design/build contract for the bridge and the Maine Legislative Council has unanimously approved the submission of a bill by State Sen. Dawn Hill, (D-York) to allow signage on Interstate 95 to aid downtown Kittery businesses by directing travelers to them.

Other legislation submitted by Sen. Hill to provide immunity from tort claim lawsuits for a New Hampshire based transportation company looking to expand its one Maine route through Berwick to include Kittery and Eliot since the closing of the Memorial Bridge failed to receive support from the Legislative Council. It was voted down in a 5-5 vote.

Sen. Hill said Monday she will appeal that decision.

A team headed by Archer Western Contractors had been selected for replacement of the bridge that carries Route 1 across the Piscataqua River.

Archer Western submitted a bid price of $81,420,000 to replace the 88-year old lift bridge that is closed to motor vehicle traffic. The projected date for opening the new span is July 2013.

The bid opening is “another important milestone in our aggressive approach in partnership with the Maine Department of Transportation towards building a new Memorial Bridge," Christopher Clement, NHDOT commissioner, said.

"We will get the successful bidder on the job to restore this vital transportation link between New Hampshire and Maine as soon as possible."

Design-build is a process in which the design and construction phases of a project are combined into one contract, with the goal of expediting project completion.

On the legislative front Sen. Hill said she appreciates “the support of legislative leaders to recognize the importance of signage on Interstate 95 “to the people and businesses of this area. I look forward to discussing this issue in the upcoming session.”

“The bridge may be closed, but the community is still open for business,” she continued. “This bill will help the people and businesses of Kittery during this period.”

Sen. Hill said the signage will not be billboard-type that is prohibited by State Law but will help direct traffic to popular local destinations, similar to detour signage.

As to the tort immunity proposal, Sen. Hill said she would like to reinforce the importance of it with help from the business community. She is seeking individuals and businesses to write in support of this legislation.

“I think once I am given the chance to explain the situation, there will be a clear understanding that this bill is of emergency status,” she said. “Input from local businesses and residents will be very helpful in garnering the support needed to move forward.”

At present the New Hampshire company does not fall under Maine’s immunity from tort claim lawsuits because it is located in New Hampshire.

Sen. Hill noted that without protection in Maine Law, the transit business faces insurance issues and is thus reluctant to expand its services. Maine transit organizations are protected from tort claim lawsuits.

A date for appeals has been scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Maine legislators filed over 290 bills for the upcoming session but none is allowed to be processed before the full Legislature unless approved by the council.

The State Constitution limits legislative business during the Second Regular Session to budgetary matters and legislation of an emergency nature.

The legislative session is scheduled to begin Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012.

Young, Loud and Snotty: A Review of Steve Jobs’ Biography

By Chip Schrader

Staff Book Critic

Biographer Walter Isaacson has covered the lives of innovative thinkers Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Henry Kissinger. Being his latest subject, Steve Jobs approached Isaacson about being his biographer while still working on the Einstein biography nearly ten years ago. This was shortly after Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The book was released only weeks after Jobs’ death, but was not necessarily intended for a posthumous release.

The first chapters focus on Jobs’ childhood. His adoption, his biological parents’ more privileged background, and his adoptive parents’ blue collar background lead all the way up to the day his adoptive parents realize this emotional and manipulative child was more intelligent than they were.

The next several chapters borrow and quote heavily from Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak’s autobiography “iWoz.” In fact, the chapters in this section mimic “Woz’s” autobiography by naming and organizing chapters after the Apple products that were being introduced at this stage in their lives: “Apple I, Apple II, Lisa, Macintosh,” etc.

Those who had read “iWoz” can almost skip a good portion of the first one hundred pages without missing too much vital information, but this fact also reinforces that Isaacson’s research seldom, if ever, conflicts in perspective. This consistency of facts about the relationship between Wozniak, Jobs, and the foundation of Apple validates Isaacson’s research. Moreover, Isaacson freely elaborates on many of Jobs’ associates’ backgrounds throughout the book, providing a small biography of each important personality that comes into his life.

Isaacson has interviewed ex-girlfriends, friends, foes, current and former colleagues. There are no pulled punches, and the cheap shots are free game, as they were in Jobs’ life. In later chapters, Isaacson reminds us of how Jobs had worked with the likes of Ross Perot, founded Pixar, and played a major role in Disney picking up a contract with Pixar to supply the 3-D animation technology. We even are given a glimpse at his part in the creation of the “Toy Story” Franchise.

Isaacson’s detailed account of these business endeavors and friendships brings the reader back to the eighties when Atari video games were king, and his description of American culture’s continual evolution. The cast of characters surrounding Jobs’ life paint a vivid reminiscence of a bygone era. Moreover, the biography shows how long and how short the span of thirty years really is, and how quickly the world changed.

Thoroughly researched, and written with a balanced perspective and detail, the book reads like an intelligent conversation. It never lags or gets dull, even the explanation of the technology and business negotiations keep the reader engaged. Isaacson keeps the details pertinent without driving the descriptions over reader’s heads, a tall order when trying to aptly explain such a rapid technological evolution.

With all of the headlines coming out showing how unpleasant Jobs’ disposition, hygiene, and ethics are, the story provides something deeper than just headline gossip. In fact, the last chapter consists mostly of Jobs’ own words and statements on his own life. This biography is a time machine that brings every reader back to recent eras we can easily access. It is epic in scope as it covers a revolutionary personality who forged a revolution.

Hardcover: 656 pages. Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 24, 2011).

Photo Caption: (Courtesy book cover image)

New-Look Pirates: Not Looking Too Good

By Scott Andrews

Staff Columnist
PORTLAND—
The Portland Pirates sport a new look for the 2011-2012 season. There’s been a near-total turnover in players plus a new NHL parent club and a new head coach.
But the new-look Pirates aren’t looking too good on the ice, at least so far. At press time (on Tuesday) the Pirates sported a 2-3-0-1 record over the first three weeks of their 80-game season, good for a .417 percentage. They’ve shown flashes of brilliance to be sure, but the overall picture is dominated by a sputtering offense and a porous defense.
That’s a far cry from the recent past. Last year’s Pirates had excellent results, posting a 47-24-7-2 record for a .644 percentage, one of the best showings in Portland history.
What’s the story? As in all minor league sports, changing parent club affiliations is a constant factor. Following the 2010-2011 season, the Buffalo Sabres transferred all of their American Hockey League players from Portland to Rochester, N.Y., to become the newest incarnation of the Rochester Americans.
(The American Hockey League is the game’s second tier, a single step below the big time. AHL players are under contract to their NHL parent clubs, and they can be called up at any time.)
Soon after Buffalo’s move, Pirates principal owner Brian Petrovek inked a new affiliation pact with the Phoenix Coyotes to move their AHL players to Maine. As a result, the Portland Pirates are now the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate. Or another way of putting it, they’re last year’s San Antonio Rampage.
But Phoenix is a franchise with a troubled financial history. The team is currently owned by the NHL in a caretaker role. The NHL is trying to unload the club, and a change of home city will likely accompany any transfer. On a positive note, the Coyotes have enjoyed two consecutive winning seasons.
From the fans’ point of view, the principal consequence of the above moves is an almost-total turnover of players. The lone holdover is Igor Gongalsky, a Ukrainian-born forward who made a minor impact over 54 games with the Pirates in 2010-2011.
In an unrelated move, Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen, who was popular with both the players and the fans, seized his well-deserved – and long overdue – opportunity to step up to an NHL head coaching position. Dineen, who owns the best coaching record in Pirates history, now helms the Florida Panthers.
Ray Edwards, in his second year as an AHL head coach, will stand behind the Pirates’ bench this season. With San Antonio last season he posted a 40-33-0-7 record for a .544 percentage.
This year’s Pirates? A big question mark.
Unquestionably the Coyotes’ top prospect is Andy Miele, a Michigan native who won last year’s Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey. Miele is a sparkplug whose stature on the ice far exceeds his 5-foot-8 height and his 180 pounds. He enjoyed a stellar game on Oct. 19, tallying two goals and three assists as the Pirates beat Manchester. At press time, Miele had been called up to Phoenix.
Like Miele, the Pirates are young and relatively inexperienced. Edwards will be relying on a few veterans to help guide his up-and-coming players. In particular, look for center Ryan Hollweg, defenseman Dean Arsene and goalie Curtis McElhinney to provide a crucial center of gravity.
Edward summarized the situation. “There are a lot of new people in the organization,” he said. “Every day we’re learning who we are.”
Photo caption: Forward Andy Miele promises to be one of the top players for the Portland Pirates this season. He’s shown here in the Phoenix Coyotes September training camp. (Jeff Gross photo)