Raymond skating rink to reopen at Sheri Gagnon Memorial Park

By Dina Mendros

Public ice skating is back in Raymond. After several years on hiatus, residents can once again lace up their skates and enjoy a favorite winter pastime at the newly reopened rink in Sheri Gagnon Memorial Park.

Workers put together a public skating rink on the basketball
courts at Sheri Gagnon Memorial Park in Raymond last
week. The rink will be opened once staff determine that
the ice is safe and solid enough for public skating.
COURTESY PHOTO  

The rink, overseen by the Raymond Parks and Recreation Department, was first created in 2021 on the park’s baseball field under then–Raymond Parks and Recreation Director Joseph Crocker. COVID restrictions, warmer winters, and an expanding slate of Parks and Recreation programs kept the rink closed in recent years. But the demand for a place for public ice skating in Raymond never went away.

“It was popular enough that people kept asking when it would return,” said Raymond Parks and Recreation Director Riley Silvia. “I think people are super excited about it this year.”

This winter, the rink has been relocated to Sheri Gagnon Memorial Park’s basketball court at 63 Mill St. in Raymond, and was chosen for its benches, sturdier infrastructure, and easy access to parking. Measuring 85 by 50 feet, the rink was assembled last week through a town-wide effort.

Parks and Recreation staff worked alongside Raymond Public Works, Raymond Fire and Rescue Department firefighters, and other Raymond town employees to put up boards, install a liner, and fill the rink with water. The final step, which is waiting for the ice to freeze, depends upon the weather.

Raymond Public Works Director Nathan White said that his team was eager to pitch in. “

Anything to do with helping the public, helping another department – that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “We do everything from roadwork to maintenance to putting ice rinks up. Any time you can do something that brings the community together, that’s what we’re here for.”

The rink is named in recognition of Sebago Lake Boat Rentals, which donated the liner to be used for it. The rink will be opened once staff determine that the ice is safe and solid enough for public skating.

According to Silvia, skating will be open daily from dawn to dusk throughout the winter, weather permitting. Residents can check the Raymond Parks and Rec Facebook page for updates on the rink’s opening times and conditions.

The return of the rink reflects the Raymond Parks and Recreation Department’s growth since its founding in 2020. Originally a one-person operation, Parks and Recreation now has three full-time and two part-time staff members. Silvia said that the expansion and popularity of programs has allowed the department to broaden its offerings.

Current programs include afterschool care, summer camp, youth and adult sports, while some new offerings are vacation camps in February and April, and RECreate, a youth program design lab. The Raymond Age Friendly program has also joined Raymond Parks and Recreation, along with Together on the Trail, a new walking program led by a registered Maine guide.

In September, the Parks and Recreation Department revived and then expanded the UCan 5K, which honors the legacy of Candace Woolston, a mentor in Raymond schools who passed away in 2012.

“This run is more than just a race,” a post on the Raymond Parks and Recreation Department’s Facebook page says. “It’s a chance to rally together as a community and raise support for incredible local causes.”

For Silvia, the return of the skating rink at Sheri Gagnon Memorial Park is just one more way to strengthen Raymond’s sense of community.

“My goal is really just bringing the community together,” she said. “That’s something the town has been focusing on, not only children, which was our original focus, but all ages.” <

Windham Town Council establishes sewer rate for North Windham wastewater system

By Ed Pierce

During the final Windham Town Council meeting of the year on Dec. 9, councilors established a sewer rate for the new North Windham Sewer District, setting the amount at $16 per cubic feet per month based upon usage effective April 1, 2026.

Members of the Windham Town Council listen to a
presentation about Freedom of Access Act rules during
a meet8ing at Windham Town Hall on Dec. 9. From
left are Councilors Katie Cook, Maggie Terry, David
Nadeau and Mark Morrison. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

Windham Town Manager Robert Burns said that this initial rate is offset by Tax Increment Financing funding, and the rate could eventually decrease as more businesses in North Windham start using the sewer system.

“We have put in a terrific amount of time doing research and analyzing our budgets and trying to project into the future the operational costs in conjunction with the water district for this facility,” Burns said. “Recognizing that at initial startup the plant will not be anywhere near full capacity or even at half capacity. We will be subsidizing some TIF funds to keep those rates affordable for our businesses.”

Still under construction, a new wastewater treatment facility is being built on the grounds of Manchester School in North Windham. It was approved by voters in 2023 and is expected to remove 25,000 pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants each year being dumped by septic systems into the aquifer and watershed. The installation of sewers is expected to stimulate significant economic growth in Windham and lead to development in the area by industries and businesses not willing to locate here because of associated septic system issues and costs.

Through an agreement between RSU 14 and the Town of Windham, in exchange for locating the new wastewater treatment site at Manchester School, the town has created four new playing fields for youth sports at the school. RSU 14 will also be able to shift its wastewater treatment operations at Windham High School to the new facility.

The new North Windham Wastewater Treatment facility will use Membrane Bio-Reactor technology with innovative drip dispersal and will be the first system to use drip dispersal of this scale in Maine. This technology is designed to improve the quality of local groundwater and local waterways, and was selected for its reliability, flexibility, and cost effectiveness.

Burns told the council that the TIF subsidy is $6 per cubic feet per month and amounts to more than $1 million in TIF funds.

Councilors also awarded $1.2 million to Wyman & Simpson, Inc. for the town’s portion of $607,250 in general obligation bond funding for replacing Varney’s Bridge on William Knight Road in conjunction with the Maine Department of Transportation. Seven bids were submitted to replace the bridge, which was originally built in 1950.

During a MaineDOT inspection six years ago, issues were found with the bridge’s concrete abutments, and reduced the allowable load to 3 tons, making it not possible for construction trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and other large vehicles to cross the bridge because of the weight limitation.

The bridge is a steel structure and scouring from the river has caused erosion where the bridge’s concrete abutments contact the water. There has also been rusting on the steel supports which need to be replaced.

Bridge replacement work is expected to start this coming spring and be completed by summer 2026.

The council also awarded a disbursement of $3,766 from the Substance Prevention Grant Program Fund to fund Windham Middle School’s orchestra and choral student participation during the Trills & Thrills Music Festival in New Hampshire next spring. Councilor Maggie Terry questioned how the funding fits the criteria for a substance prevention grant but was informed that the program allows grants for healthy and positive activities. The Trills and Thrills Music Festival is a non-competitive, motivational, one-day music festival for students participating in elementary, middle school and high school bands, orchestras and choirs.

In other actions, the council voted to appoint Councilor Katie Cook as representative to the Natural Resources Advisory Committee, and the Master Fee Schedule pertaining to Shoreland Zoning application review fees.

Councilors approved updating the town’s Shoreland Zoning District fees to $75 for clearing or removal of vegetation and the zoning review fee to $250. Burns said that the fee changes are intended to better reflect the complexity and staff time involved in reviewing applications within the shoreland zoning districts, particularly those involving expansions of non-conforming structures and "greatest practical extent" determinations which often require moving structures away from the waterbody or wetland.

The council also received Freedom of Access Act training presented by Town Attorney Ben McCall of the Drummond Woodsum Law Firm and reviewed an informational handout regarding the upcoming sewer connection process in the new year. Windham Planning Director Steve Puleo briefed councilors about a new timeline for an updated 2016 Town Comprehensive Plan requiring changes mandated by the Maine Legislature’s approval of LD 1751 requiring legal compliance, address housing affordability, and sustainable growth for the next decade. LD 1751 requires municipalities to adopt housing-friendly policies, including density allowances and streamlined permitting. <

WMS Altitude Program completes 4th annual Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital Book Drive

By Masha Yurkevich

Windham Middle School (WMS) Altitude students took a trip to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital to donate books that they had collected on Nov. 25. This is the fourth annual book drive that the Altitude program has done for the Children’s Hospital, and this year, Altitude collected 132 books.

Students from Windham Middle School's Altitude Program
collected books in November and then donated them during 
a visit to Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in Portland as
part of the 4th annual Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital
Book Drive for ill children last month.
PHOTO BY MASHA YURKEVICH
    

To collect the books, students set up collection boxes around the school and made announcements to let others know about the book drive.

“We also made posters and posted them around the school and also went to the Windham Public Library to see if we could put a collection box there,” said WMS student Ava Arterton.

An Altitude teacher also posted about the book drive on the internet and ended up raising $230, which was then used to buy books at Shermans Maine Coast book Shop and Walmart for the book drive.

“If I were in a hospital, I would be very happy if someone thought of me and brought me a book,” said Angelina Malan, a WMS Altitude student.

“When I read, it calms me down and makes me feel better,” said student Lee Small. “Maybe these books can do the same thing for the children here.”

The students all agreed that it is important to help people in need and that it feels good to make a difference.

“A little bit goes a long way,” said McKenna Grass-Goodwin. “It is a big hospital and compared to how many books we brought, we did raise a lot but compared to how many children there are in this hospital, a little goes a long way. These books might just help these children feel a little bit more normal during this hard time.”

Some of the students went over to their teachers from the previous year to talk to the kids and tell them about what happens at the Children's Hospital and why they collected books.

"It was a lot about presentation skills, too, and the opportunity to think about others,” said Altitude teacher Lisa Anderson.

Altitude teacher Autumn Carlsen-Cook said that this book drive shows the students a larger community.

“A lot of these students have connections with either themselves who have been at the Children’s Hospital or family members who have been at the Hospital,” she said. “We are all about community at Altitude and this book drive helps the students serve their community as well as practice empathy and compassion.”

“It is a big confidence booster for these students,” said Sophie Simonson, Altitude teacher. “Doing something like this makes the kids feel good about what they are doing.”

Sharon Granville is the Child Life Program Manager at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, with a goal to help children experience emotional safety when they are at the hospital.

“We look to help children understand the ‘why’ behind their healthcare; why are they here, who is everyone that is caring for them, what is their role,” she said. “We look to provide that information to then support coping, with the aim and goal that these children then grow up to be an adult who seeks healthcare when they are not feeling well and are not afraid to see a doctor when they are sick.”

Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital is the only children’s hospital in the state of Maine and areas of northern New Hampshire, caring for pediatric patients of all ages from neonates up to older adolescents.

“We want children to enjoy something from home,” said Granville. “Doing something that you enjoy really makes a difference when you are staying somewhere that is not home, meeting all new people, and not feeling your best, so having things like books is fantastic. We are very grateful to the Windham School Program that comes and visits us with their book drive. Our library here is unique in that our books are gifts to the kids that are here.”

By partnering with community support, such as the Windham Altitude Program, the Hospital can continue to fill their library with a variety of books to offer children of all ages and developmental levels. Specifically for the holiday season, the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital has an Amazon Gift Registry that are specific items that children will enjoy during their hospital stay.

“We always welcome any community supporters that would like to select an item from that gift registry,” said Granville. “We also have a volunteer program where we look for a minimum of a weekly six-month commitment to volunteer with us on the pediatric unit, which includes having direct contact with children and their families, playing with them, arts and crafts, games, holding babies, and just helping children feel comfortable while they are here at the hospital.”

The Amazon Gift Registry can be found on the Barbara Bus Children’s Hospital webpage, as well as more information regarding the volunteer program. <

Oldest RSU 14 employee forgoes retirement for custodial job

By Ed Pierce

When students at Raymond Elementary School seek out inspiration about developing a proper work ethic, they need not look any further than their own school custodian Bob Cole.

Bob Cole, RSU 14's oldest employee, celebrates his 90th
birthday on Friday, Dec. 12. He has served as a custodian
for Raymond schools since 1998 and has no plans
to retire. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

He is celebrating his 90th birthday today as he has for decades, spending another day cleaning bathrooms and classrooms, emptying trash cans, sweeping and mopping floors, and performing minor school and building repairs. Cole happens to be the oldest employee in the RSU 14 school district and says he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

“Back in 1998, I saw an advertisement in the Raymond Road Runner newspaper for part-time help at Jordan-Small School,” Cole said. “I called them at 11 a.m. and they told me to come in for an interview. By 2 p.m. they were putting me to work that very same day. When Raymond Elementary School was built in 2000, I started working over here.”

Cole was born on Dec 12, 1935, and grew up in Portland before moving as a teenager with his family to South Portland. He attended South Portland High School for a year before having to quit school to help support his family.

For 14 years he worked at a shoe shop in South Portland before landing a job as a truck driver for a local laundry which serviced hospitals and other facilities in Maine.

“I drove for them for 38 years before retiring,” Cole said. “I had only been retired for six months when I landed the job with Raymond schools. I live close to the school in Raymond and could walk there if I chose to.”

He says the best part of his job at Raymond Elementary is working in a school environment.

“I like being around the children and the teachers and staff,” Cole said. “There’s really nothing challenging about this job. I love doing it because I can’t sit still. There’s always something here that needs to be done.”

He’s been married for 72 years to his wife, Bernadette, and they have a daughter, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

When school is not in session and Cole isn’t working, he says that he and his wife will go to visit with friends, drive to the casino in Oxford or spend time with their grandchildren.

But his job as school custodian is something that he doesn’t take for granted.

“I look forward to each day,” he said. "I’m not planning on retiring ever. I’m just trying to keep as busy as I can. It keeps me feeling young.”

He thinks the public has a misconception about what school custodians do.

“They believe all we do is pick up after the students,” Cole said. “It’s really so much more than that and is constant and keeps me busy all day long.”

During his career working at Raymond Elementary School Cole says he has many fond memories and it’s hard to pinpoint just one as his favorite.

“Let’s just say I have met a lot of good people during my time here and certainly have made a lot of friends,” he said.

According to Cole, the only time that he’s ever really missed while working for the school was a few years back when he had heart surgery.

“I took some time off when I had surgery,” he said. “The doctors told me to stop eating junk food and I feel a lot better and am in pretty good shape today. I can’t believe that I am now the oldest employee in the entire school district. I can’t believe it’s really happened. I love this job and have no plans of leaving it.” <     

Local dancers preparing for spectacular fairytale inspired holiday performance

By Erin Rose

A group of fairytale characters will need to hurry to save Christmas in a new holiday dance production, Christmas at the Castle, premiering on Saturday, Dec. 20.

Adrienne Pelletier leads dancers from the Maine Dance Center
as they rehearse in Raymond for a production of 'Christmas
at the Castle' to be performed on Saturday, Dec. 20 in Auburn.
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

The new 90-minute show will have a single performance at 4 p.m. at the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center, located at Edward Little High School, 77 Harris St. in Auburn.

Dancers of all ages from the Maine Dance Company and the Maine Dance Center, located on Roosevelt Trail in Raymond, will take the stage to help the Sugar Plum Fairy retrieve her lost wand to ensure Christmas magic will carry Santa Claus across the globe.

“If Sugarplum Fairy doesn’t have her wand, Christmas is in jeopardy,” said Adrienne Pelletier, one of the two authors of the show’s storyline, when detailing the adventures the cast will face.

After gathering at the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Palace to celebrate the season, a mischievous Elks on the Shelf named Tinsel takes the wand before being summoned back to the North Pole. A group of friends then journey through various realms, including the Candy Cane Woods and the Chocolate Falls, to reach the North Pole and retrieve the wand, allowing Sugar Plum Fairy to empower Santa’s sleigh and host of reindeer with magic for their Christmas Eve journey. On the journey, the group will encounter familiar characters, including Rapunzel, Belle and Ariel, along with another unnamed princess who controls the winter winds.

Pelletier, along with her sister and co-author, Rhiannon Pelletier-Guerrette, worked to develop the show for almost two years, after a performance at Windham’s Summerfest in 2023.

“It was the first time we had combined play acting with the dance industry that we were already a part of, and that kind of stuck the idea,” said Pelletier-Guerrette. “We said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this show. What if we turned it into a holiday thing?’”

Once the duo founded the company in 2024, they realized they had talented dancers to fill the roles and develop a full performance. They began writing in January of that year, and spent almost two years in completing a script and patching the music together.

“I searched the bowels of the internet to find all these different, random songs that somehow worked together to tell a story,” Pelletier-Guerrette added.

In addition to a varied musical score, the show also will feature multiple dance styles, from classical ballet to musical theatre and jazz, and even includes acrobatic tricks.

“The Candy Cane dance has all the crazy acrobatic skills, the tumbling, and lifts,” Pelletier said. “That one is very exciting.”

“We work with so many students who are not just ballerinas”, Pelletier-Guerrette said. “They train in many different styles of dance, so we wanted to put together a show that felt like The Nutcracker, in that it is all the themes of Christmas and the holidays, but incorporates those styles of dance that our students spend so much time training in.”

The Nutcracker is a tale both Pelletier and Pelletier-Guerrette are very familiar with, as they are each principal dancers with the Maine State Ballet. Pelletier will be performing in the play again this year, in addition to directing the new show for the company.

The different dance styles will also help those who are unfamiliar with ballet or hesitant to attend a ballet performance become more comfortable with all types of dance.

“Part of our goal with this show is to soft launch into ballet,” Pelletier-Guerrette said. “There is a lot of serious dancing in this show, of a very high caliber, but it’s interspersed with moments of play acting where these characters you know come out and talk and narrate the story.

“What we’re seeing that it’s very approachable,” she said. “Anyone can go see this show and enjoy it and not necessarily need to be in the arts community to get it.”

The show will also hopefully help connect new people to the expression that is found through dancing.

“I think it’s [dance] something that’s human, something that in my opinion is one of the most genuine forms of self-expression,” Pelletier added. “It’s a way of connecting with people and human nature and storytelling that we don’t get in other forms of art.”

The cast of 60 dancers will range in age from four to professional adults, with the duo pulling from the Center’s students to complete the cast. Previous performances have been smaller, but this show has opened the opportunity to involve more children, including Pelletier-Guerrette’s own son as the youngest performer.

Family is very close to the pair, as the sisters work with their mother, Beth, to run both the company and the center.

“This is a family effort,” Pelletier said, explaining how the sisters are able to take care of their personal lives while depending on the other to run the business, something especially helpful as Pelletier-Guerrette is expecting her third child in early spring.

“It’s a constant balance between the two of us, making it all work,” she said. “If she needs someone to lean on, I can be that person, and I know when it is my turn, she’ll be there for me as well.”

The family support will be essential as the center expands in a new location in the North Windham Shopping Center, behind Windham Jewelers. The move is expected to be completed in February 2026.

Tickets for Christmas at the Castle can be found at https://events.eventgroove.com/event/Christmas-At-The-Castle-117940. <

Moody Foundation to honor beloved resident during boys’ basketball home opener

By Matt Pascarella

More than one year after his passing, the memory and character of Windham resident Pat Moody remain within not just the local community but throughout Southern Maine.

The late Pat Moody,  left, joins his son AJ Moody after
Windham High School won its first state boys' basketball
title at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland in March 2024. The 
team will honor Pat Moody while raising money for the
Pat  Moody Foundation during this season's home
opener at Windham High on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
SUBMITTED PHOTO    

The Pat Moody Foundation was launched to keep Moody’s memory and love for helping the community alive. The purpose of the Pat Moody Foundation is to provide opportunities to others in need, whether that be through scholarships or money for athletics, and hopefully encourage them to help others and in turn become more civic-minded.

During the Windham High School varsity boys’ basketball team home opener against Sanford High on at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, “Pat Moody Night” will pay tribute to a genuine community hero and legend.

“Pat was truly a pillar here,” said wife Sherma Moody. “His passion for basketball and his belief in giving kids a chance to grow through the sport shaped so much of who he was. Pat always made it a point to include as many kids as possible, teaching them the fundamentals of basketball but also the value of teamwork, perseverance, and belonging.”

The goal of the Pat Moody Foundation is to put the funds raised right back into the community and into forming positive influences and experiences for youth. It currently aims to expand scholarship offerings for more students in the coming year and continue fundraising events for kids in need, including educational support and extracurricular activities.

“It's hard to believe it's already been a year since Pat's untimely passing,” said Pat Moody’s best friend and Pat Moody Foundation board member Tyler Graves. “Not a day passes that I don't think of Pat. I believe all of us can attest that after knowing someone for so long that they become part of you, they're the thread that becomes stitched into your life. I think being involved with the foundation has given me a sense of well-being in knowing that Pat would have been proud of our efforts to continue selfless acts of kindness that in some way will help benefit, support, encourage, and even inspire our youth.”

Basketball was more than a game for Pat Moody. It gave him lifelong friendships, mentors, and a network that supported him throughout his life. He wanted every child, regardless of circumstances, to have that same opportunity. Through the Pat Moody Foundation, young athletes can join teams, get basic equipment or a pair of shoes, and most importantly, discover the joy and confidence that come from playing the sport he cherished.

“Within that year the foundation has grown considerably because of the generous donations from our local communities,” said Moody’s sister and Pat Moody Foundation President Tracey Lydon. “I think I can speak for the entire board and say that we are humbled by the outpouring of support that has transpired in the wake of losing Pat. We've been afforded the opportunity and privilege of providing over $6,000 in multiple scholarships to some very deserving, civic-minded student athletes, and have sponsored children to participate in youth sports who may have not been able to afford it otherwise.”

It's heartwarming for Graves to see people within the Windham community and Southern Maine wearing any Pat Moody-related T-shirts. Graves said he has had people stop and ask what WWPD (What Would Pat Do?) means; this has started conversations and allowed him to explain the random acts of kindness that embodied Pat Moody’s persona.

“The firsts are hard, very hard,” said Lydon. “Being part of a team that is keeping Pat’s legacy alive by making sure that the community and the kids have access to the opportunities that basketball gave him makes me feel his presence in everything we do.”

Windham’s boys’ basketball team honored Moody last year at their first home game and people really enjoyed it and it was well-attended. The team wants to keep the tradition going and all T-shirt sales that night go directly to the Pat Moody Foundation. The night will also be a great opportunity for everyone to learn more about the Pat Moody Foundation, its accomplishments, its purpose. and its plans for the future.

Donations made to the Pat Moody Foundation stay here and directly serve our community's children; this will hopefully inspire them to continue to play sports and give back in their own way.

“The Pat Moody Foundation is so much more than a charitable effort, it is a way of keeping his spirit alive in the community he loved so deeply,” said Sherma Moody. “The Pat Moody Foundation reflects his heart, focused on children in need, committed to opening doors, and dedicated to helping young people continue learning and growing. Carrying on this mission allows me to honor Pat every day and ensure that the love and generosity he poured into this community continue to inspire future generations.” <