Stockhouse Restaurant & Sandbar Pub to open in Windham

Windham resident Dan Drouin will operate a new sports pub
and restaurant at the site of the former Buck's Naked BBQ
Restaurant which closed in Windham in May. The new
restaurant will employ between 25 and 30 people and Drouin
expects it to be open by October.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Elizabeth Richards         

The owners of a popular Westbrook restaurant will open a second location in Windham in the fall. Dan Drouin, who operates the Stockhouse Restaurant & Sports Pub in Westbrook, hopes the new location will be open by sometime in October.

Drouin and his wife, Jennifer, will operate the new location under a slightly different name, and with a different slant. Instead of a sports pub theme, Stockhouse Restaurant & Sandbar Pub is intended to highlight its location in the Lakes Region, having a little fun with the theme to create a “lake vibe,” Drouin said.

Stockhouse Restaurant & Sandbar Pub will go into the space formerly occupied by Buck’s Naked BBQ, which closed in late May after indoor dining was delayed in Maine due to the pandemic. Drouin said he is leasing the space, with an agreement to purchase down the road. “It probably wouldn’t be an easy venture right now as a restaurant to purchase a building,” he said.

The new restaurant will employ between 25 and 30 people.  Drouin said that the current permit allows for 130 seats inside, though during COVID restrictions there will be less indoor seating.

“We’ll lose anything I can’t socially distance,” he said, estimating that they would end up with about 75 seats indoors.

According to Drouin, there are 20 seats outside on the deck and he is also asking for the permit to be extended to the front porch, which would offer approximately 20 additional outdoor seats.

He said if they can get on the agenda for the next Windham Town Council meeting on Sept. 8, they   Either way, he said, the restaurant should be open by Nov. 1.

hope to open early in October. If they have to wait until the meeting on Sept. 22, he said, that will push the opening to later in the fall.

“I can’t think that we would not be open by then,” Drouin said.

Drouin has looked at other locations for a second restaurant in the past few years, he said. He chose the space in Windham because he liked the building and enjoys the community. Drouin lives on the Windham/Standish line off White’s Bridge Road.

 “I looked at the space and immediately my wife and I both felt like that space would fit us,” Drouin said. “Even with what’s going on with the pandemic I think we can get it off the ground and going, and as things get better that will allow the restaurant to grow with us.”

His experience in the Westbrook location makes Drouin confident they can operate safely under the COVID-19 restrictions.

“We’ve learned a lot in the last few months in Westbrook and we’ve been able to maintain a pretty high volume with making sure that we’re doing everything safely,” he said. “I think if you’re consistent, people appreciate the fact that you’re trying to create a safe environment, and we’ll do the same thing in Windham.”

The menu in Windham will be the same broad offerings as they offer in Westbrook, Drouin said, including burgers, wraps, pizza, home cooked specials like shepherds’ pie and turkey dinners, and wings. Because there’s a smoker still at the Windham restaurant, Drouin said that in Windham, once he is comfortable knowing how to smoke wings, he will add those to the wing lineup in Windham.

Drouin said their goal is to provide another family friendly eatery with affordable prices, good food, and a good selection of beer. He said he plans to keep things as consistent as possible, with food and drink specials, and some entertainment if they can do so safely under the current restrictions. <

Horse and Rider Connection launches campaign for permanent facility

Horse and Rider Connection is a nonprofit organization
that offers equine therapy for teens and young adults.
The group had been renting space in Raymond, but is
now launching a capital campaign to work toward
building a permanent home of its own in the Greater
Portland area. COURTESY OF HORSE AND
RIDER CONNECTION.

 By Elizabeth Richards

Horse and Rider Connection, a nonprofit organization offering equine therapy to teens and young adults, has moved a few times since its inception a decade ago and its last two locations have been rented sites in Raymond. Now, it is entering a new phase and launching a capital campaign to work toward building a permanent home of its own.

Executive Director Debbie Little said that HARC is still an active nonprofit organization, but they are in a transition phase.

The mission of HARC, according to their website, is “to pair rescue horses with teens and young adults facing life challenges, to help them develop and improve life skills.” 

While the organization has been working with teens for a long time, board member Laurel Salamone said that they’ve also been interested in offering services to recovery centers, veteran’s groups, and other at-risk populations.  However, there wasn’t the space, enough horses, or enough staff to be able to offer programs like that.

The capital campaign will focus on raising funds to purchase land and build a permanent facility of their own in the Greater Portland Area.

“We want to be able to help more people, and in order to do that we need to be closer to the Greater Portland area,” Salamone said.

She said that they’ve been focused primarily on the Westbrook area, since there is still farmland, and public transportation is available.

Little said they’re looking for something along a bus route, so that when participants have a bad day and just need to get to the barn, they can do so. 

“We’ve seen significant growth in kids, adults and veterans just by letting them come in and hang,” Little said.  Before the pandemic, for instance, she worked with young adults in the MainStay program on a weekly basis. 

MainStay is a program of The Opportunity Alliance that provides residential treatment for young adults ages 18 to 25 experiencing significant mental health symptoms. Working with MainStay helped keep young adults in the program since they looked forward to being with the horses each week, Little said.

Little is currently working out of Fernwood Cove, a camp for girls in Harrison, under the Natural Horsemanship Center umbrella. Her work isn’t just about riding, she said. 

“It’s about relationship with the horse, and understanding the horse, and being able to read the horse and understand what they’re asking as well, so the kids learn life skills through it,” Little said. 

Meanwhile, HARC is working toward their long-term goal while still offering scholarship money to teens who could benefit from a relationship with horses to attend equine programs that the organization works closely with, including Little’s programs.

Little said she wants the community to understand that the organization is not going anywhere.

“I want the community to know that we’ve had great success with kids, and we want to keep going there, so we’re at a transition period,” she said. I don’t want people to think we’ve disappeared.”

Having a facility of their own would allow HARC to expand and operate the way they want.

“Unless you have your own place it’s really hard to run a program the way you really want to do it,” Salamone said. 

Ideally, she said, they’d love to have someone gift the organization some land and build not only the barn, but a place for a stable manager and, at some point, space for recovery meetings and therapy sessions to allow participants to process what they learned through working with horses.

“It is a huge undertaking – it’s not going to happen in a year,” Salamone said. “It’s probably going to be at least a five-year plan.”

Salamone knows first-hand how valuable the program is, since her daughter participated in the Maine Mustang Project.

“I know it works.  I’ve seen it. It’s magical,” she said. “People don’t know just how much they can get from a horse.”

HARC will kick off the capital campaign by offering a clinic with author Tim Hayes who wrote the book Riding Home: The Power of Horses to Heal. This is not a riding clinic or a horse show suitable for young children, but a clinic focusing on body language, emotions, attitudes, breakthroughs, and both equine and human coping skills.

HARC is excited to offer this clinic because “what he talks about is what we do,” Salamone said. “We’re hoping to draw mental health professionals, social service people, teachers…anybody who works in a healing industry.”

The clinic will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 29 at Ashland Farm in Falmouth. CEUs for PATH professionals are available for both participating and auditing. 

The cost for the clinic is $250 to participate and $25 to audit.

Visit the news and events page at https://www.horseandriderconnection.org/ for more information and to register. <

Windham Library’s ‘Calm as a Critter’ Program promotes relaxation, self-awareness in children

Windham Library Children's Room Coordinator
Diana Currier leads a session of 'Calm as a
Critter' for a You Tube segment on July 25.
The program promotes relaxation and self-awareness
for children. COURTESY PHOTO,
WINDHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY

By Elizabeth Richards

The Windham Public Library’s Saturday morning Calm as a Critter Program may seem perfect for helping children deal with life during a global pandemic, but it began long before the days of COVID-19.

Children’s Room Coordinator Diana Currier said the program has been offered in the summer every year since 2017. 

The program was designed to give children things to do with their body, hands, mind and breathing to relax and feel good about themselves, she said.

Over time, the audience began to get younger, Currier said, so she modified activities appropriately.  Adults who came with their children were invited to participate, and did so, even asking if there was a similar program for adults.

The program was going to be phased out this summer, Currier said, but had a tie-in that reflected the need people had to be able to handle themselves. 

“Calm is the key word here, of course,” she said.

Though Children’s Librarian Samantha Cote “stepped right up to the plate to do virtual story time,” Currier said she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the platform.

But before summer began, she offered “Good Old-Fashioned Fun with Miss Diana” online on Saturdays at 9 a.m., and they carried that time slot over to Calm as a Critter. Although that’s when videos are posted, since they are pre-recorded, people aren’t limited to watching on Saturday mornings.

Currier puts a lot of effort into the information she presents, using books and other resources to design the program each week.  Each episode offers a craft so children can do something with their hands, a breathing activity, and a challenge or “homework.”

In the Fresh Air episode, for instance, she challenged children to try going for an extended period of time without talking, and to watch either a sunrise or a sunset.

She tries to keep episodes to about 15 minutes to hold the attention span of her young audience.  She also plans the order intentionally, such as putting the craft first to keep their hands busy so they can focus better when she is talking. Feedback is appreciated, she said, so she can please the audience.

There was a demand for this type of activity even before the pandemic, Currier said.

Parents often come to the library asking for books to help their children deal with nervousness and anxiety. And the suggestions she offers are things she enjoys, Currier said, adding that she tries the suggestions first to see what works for her before suggesting them to others. 

“I really want to make the world a better place,” Currier said. “I’m trying to do it through these videos somehow, and if people can walk away with a good thing or two, hopefully it’ll pay it forward somehow, someday.”

The Calm as a Critter program will run on Saturday mornings through Aug. 22. 

Past episodes are available and are posted in the Calm as a Critter Playlist on the Windham Library’s Facebook page. <

Summer recreation program for children still popular in Windham

A total of 115 children are participating in
the Summer Kids' Club recreation program
at three different locations this summer in Windham.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Elizabeth Richards

Windham Parks and Recreation has continued to offer summer programming even in the face of the coronavirus pandemic through their Summer Kids’ Club and Summer Track programs.

Sarah Davenport, Recreation Coordinator for Windham Parks and Recreation, said the Summer Kids’ Club has a significantly different structure than the summer day camp program of prior years.

In late June, the program opened to students entering first grade through eighth grade.

There are three programs running concurrently, each with a maximum of 40 children.  A total of 115 kids are participating in the Summer Kids’ Club this summer in Windham.

Two of the three programs are housed in separate wings of Windham Middle School, with the third at Windham High School. 

Davenport said the school district has been very helpful in facilitating appropriate spaces, as well as new sanitizing and disinfecting procedures.

“It’s been really great to work with them on that,” she said.

Within each program, kids are assigned to a group of 8 to 10 children with two or three counselors that they rotate through activities with and remain with for the entire summer.

“What’s great about that is the relationships that the kids get to build with each other and the counselors are maybe a little bit deeper and more meaningful than if you’re in a group of 50 kids and you’re changing activities all the time,” Davenport said.

Programming includes many traditional camp activities, such as arts and crafts, board games, and plenty of outdoor time. Though summer camp has always included a lot of outside time, Davenport said they’re being even more intentional about that now, incorporating more nature based and outdoors activities.

“Our oldest kids have really enjoyed being in the woods down near the high school cross country trails,” she said. “I’ve heard them talking about building forts, or trying to identify plants, and going on nature hikes and playing nature games in the woods, which is pretty great.”

In previous years, field trips happened twice a week to places like Funtown, the Maine Wildlife Park, and Seacoast Adventure Center.  This summer, field trips were not an option, because many places weren’t open initially, and because of transportation challenges.

The students going into middle school have begun participating in an outreach program with the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, going to the Black Brook Preserve to do both community service and educational programs.  This is the second summer that they’ve worked with the Land Trust, Davenport said.

“It’s great to continue that partnership even if it looks a little bit different than it has in the past,” she said.

Though certain aspects of the summer programs cost more this year, such as staffing and providing individual activity bags to children, not having the cost of field trips has balanced things out.

At the beginning of the program, kids were provided with age appropriate activity bags that included playdough and art supplies that are frequently touched and non-consumable. Consumable supplies that are only used once, like plastic lacing for bracelets or paint, are still shared. Once these supplies are removed from the common stock, they are not returned after use.

Davenport said they haven’t experienced major challenges, but they’ve had to become accustomed to the culture shift of what it looks like to provide a fun day for children while following social distancing, masking and other health protocols.  Children are not required to wear face coverings if they maintain six feet of space between themselves and others. She said those who find face coverings a challenge have become good at communicating around maintaining that distance.

Success depends on helping kids and staff understand the importance of why it’s necessary and that “we’re all taking care of each other,” Davenport said.

The program was provided clear guidance written specifically for day camps and summer recreation programs to help them set up the program, she said.  In addition to social distancing, masking, sanitizing and hygiene practices, drop off and pick up are curbside and all children and staff have temperature checks in the morning and are asked some basic screening questions.

“Parents have been really good about understanding if kids need to stay home because they’re showing some symptoms. They’ve been good about doing that and notifying us,” Davenport said.

The Summer Track program is a five-week, skills-based program this summer, which looks quite a bit different than it has in previous years.  There is no inter-team competition or travel involved this year.

“Kids are having the opportunity to try lots of track and some field events to develop their skills and compete against themselves,” Davenport said.

The program received such positive response that they ended up with two sessions to stay under the 50-person group maximum.

“We feel really fortunate and pleased that we were able to do this. I know that there are communities who, due to various restrictions in the facilities they were using, just weren’t able to offer any kind of a summer rec program,” Davenport said.  “I don’t think we really could have done it without the district being so open and willing to partner with us and without the staff. We have some really great counselors and some really great administrative and leadership staff who are committed to making this happen in a way that’s safe, and healthy, and fun.”

Windham Parks and Recreation is not accepting new registrations for summer programming at this point in the summer. <

HART of Maine provides comfort and care to cats awaiting adoption

Addison is a 3-year-old female domestic cat available for
adoption at the HART Adoption Center & Shelter for cats.
COURTESY PHOTO, HART OF MAINE

By Elizabeth Richards

Since 1997, the Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART) of Maine has placed about 10,000 cats in adoptive homes, averaging about 500 adoptions per year. 

HART of Maine is a feline only shelter located in Cumberland and Operations Director Andy Hanna said their main goals are to provide medical care and comfort and a healthy place for cats to live temporarily until an adoptive home is found.

The HART of Maine shelter got its start on Long Island, New York, Hanna said. A woman there had taken in about 100 feral cats, and in 1997, she moved all of those cats to a renovated barn in Cumberland and started HART of Maine right down the road from where the current shelter stands. 

At that time, the shelter was entirely run by volunteers.  In 2004, those volunteers pulled together resources and funding to build the building located at 302 Range Road, Hanna said. 

The shelter is still primarily run by volunteers, with only two paid staff members, the Operations Director and the Medical Manager. 

Hanna said the shelter takes in cats surrendered by their owners and helps rescue operations both in Maine and out of state whose areas are overpopulated find those cats homes as well. The shelter has space for 85 to 100 cats, and kittens live in foster homes, rather than at the shelter.

“Their immune systems won’t support them living here and exposing them to all of the things that happen in the shelter would be really detrimental,” Hanna said.

At the current time, HART of Maine has 168 cats, with about half in the shelter and the other half in foster homes.

The need for foster homes is currently met, Hanna said, but they are working to create long term medical care foster homes, which would provide a home environment while HART of Maine provided the mediation and medical care.  The hope, Hanna said, is that getting these cats out of the shelter environment will allow their conditions to improve, which will help them become more adoptable.

The biggest need that the shelter has, Hanna said, is monetary donations. Because they do not have town or county contracts, all funding comes from donations from individuals, foundations, or businesses. 

Physical donations are also welcome and there is a link to their Amazon Wish List on their website, where people can purchase needed items for the shelter.

Canned food is always a big need, Hanna said, and donations can also be dropped off on the shelter porch. Details about what they are able to accept during the COVID pandemic are on the website.

Donations they receive that can’t be used in the shelter are passed along to rescue partners in the state who may not have the same outreach capabilities as HART of Maine.

“It’s really nice to be able to give to those folks as well,” Hanna said.

Two other unique ways to support the shelter include their Sponsorship program, where for $15 per month or $150 annually, a person can sponsor a cat at the shelter, and the Cars for Kitties vehicle donation program.  HART of Maine is a 501©3 non-profit corporation, so donations are tax deductible.

The shelter can always use volunteers as well, especially those interested in transporting cats to medical appointments.  Currently, there are a couple of days when cleaners are needed, and some other volunteer administrative tasks, Hanna said.  All volunteer needs can be found on the website.

Those looking to adopt a cat can visit the website to look at available cats and complete the online application.  Currently, adoptions are by appointment only because of social distancing restrictions.

“They have to have an appointment. We will turn folks away if they don’t have one,” Hanna said.

Anyone coming for an adoption appointment should be ready to take a cat home with them, he said.

The fees to adopt are $160 for kittens up to 6 months old; $95 for young adults from 6 months up to 5 years old; $80 for adults ages 5 to 10 years; $50 for seniors ages 10 to 15 and for special needs adults; and a donation for seniors ages 15 years and older. The adoption fee is non-refundable.

According to Hanna, supporting the shelter by following their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram and helping let others know about them is also appreciated. 

For more information about the HART of Maine shelter and other different ways to help, visit https://www.hartofme.org/ <

Public Access cable channels moving to easier-to-find positions

By Elizabeth Richards

Spectrum cable television subscribers in Windham and Raymond will soon notice a change in where public access channels are located.

A Maine law has been upheld by a federal judge, requiring cable TV providers to relocate these channels to their previous, lower channel number positions to make them easier for the public to find.

In 2017, Spectrum moved their community channels in Maine to the 1300s, a move that created a stir among critics.  One called these high channel numbers “digital Siberia” in a Portland Press Herald article in March 2019.

Community channels, often referred to as “PEG” stations (Public, Education and Government), are negotiated by municipalities in franchise agreements with local cable providers.  These channels provide viewers the opportunity to watch events such as town meetings, public hearings, school-related programming, and other community produced programs.

In March 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen upheld the Maine law that was passed in response to the changes in a lawsuit filed by NCTA – The Internet and Television Association.

In a statement responding to the decision, NCTA said they were disappointed with the decision. 

“We continue to believe that Maine’s burdensome network build-out and PEG requirements conflict with federal law and should be preempted, and that the PEG mandates independently violate cable operators’ First Amendment rights. We are reviewing the ruling and considering next steps.”

In her decision, Torresen ruled that the plaintiff had not met the burden of showing that the State’s PEG provision infringe on cable operators’ First Amendment rights, saying that the State wanted to put PEG channels on equal footing with other channels and return them to channel placements they held previously.

Historically, these channels had been placed on lower channel numbers near local broadcast channels, making them easier for people clicking through channels to find.

The law also requires cable companies to offer service to lower-density areas of the state, broadcast content produced locally in the same format it is provided and provide programming information on a channel guide.

“Charter Communications, locally known as Spectrum, will be making changes to our channel lineup for customers in the Cumberland County channel lineup,” said Heidi Vandenbrouck, Senior Communications Manager, New England for Charter Communications.  “On or around July 31, 2020, Public Access channels 1301 will be dual illuminated on channel 2, channel 1302 will be dual illuminated on channel 3 and Community Access channel 1303 will be dual illuminated on channel 5,” she said. 

The changes apply to cable channel listings in both Windham and Raymond.<

No Empty Bowl Pet Food Pantry II helps keep pets nourished

The No Empty Bowl Pet Food Pantry II is a new
initiative in Cumberland and York counties that assists
pet owners in obtaining food for their pets at no
cost. SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Elizabeth Richards

Backpacks for Homeless Dogs, a project of the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance, has recently expanded its reach to become a pet food pantry for anyone in need.  The name for this new program is No Bowl Empty Pet Food Pantry II.

For five years, Nadine Molloy ran the No Bowl Empty Pet Food Pantry out of her Waterboro home.  Earlier this year, when the undertaking became too large for one person to manage, Pittie Posse Rescue and Sanctuary took over the program. The new No Bowl Empty Pet Food Pantry II is run by Journey, who has no legal last name.

While working with the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance, Journey noticed that several of the homeless, especially in Portland, had dogs – and one woman had a cat. Inspired by seeing a homeless woman who had dogs help a homeless man with his dog, Journey began the Backpacks for Homeless Dogs project.  

“I started thinking if the homeless lady can help the homeless guy with a dog, why can’t I,” she said.  She, and others with the MHVA, began bringing backpacks filled with dog treats, food, and other necessities when they went out to help the homeless. “It snowballed from there,” she said.

Journey began receiving messages from others in tight situations, such as a woman who, at the end of the month, had to decide between buying milk and bread or cat litter.  She also helped families who had been homeless, got an apartment, and were suddenly faced with many bills to pay, by providing dog food for a few months to give them time to adjust.

“It kept getting bigger and bigger, and then the coronavirus hit,” Journey said.  Suddenly, people who never thought they’d have trouble getting pet food either couldn’t afford it, or simply couldn’t find what they needed.  There was a backlog at Chewy.com, and stores were thin on supplies, Journey said. “People started panicking,” she said. 

With three cats, a dog, and a hermit crab rescue, Journey could empathize.  “I just couldn’t imagine if I didn’t have a way to get my animals some food,” she said.  “I would be devastated.”

 “Some other folks who were giving pet food were telling people that if they couldn’t afford to feed their pet, maybe they shouldn’t have it. And they’re supposed to be helping,” Journey said.  “I put out [a message saying] if someone’s telling you that, please, please, contact me and I’ll make sure that you have food.”

News channels began to show interest in what she was doing, so Journey went on several programs and ended up with so many donations her entire living room was filled.

Molloy has been one of the biggest supporters of the Backpacks for Homeless Dogs program, Journey said. When Journey decided to launch a full-blown pet food pantry herself, Molloy offered to help get it set up.  Some donors who had given to Molloy’s efforts had already begun donating to Journey, and people recognized the name. So when Molloy gave her permission to use the No Bowl Empty name, “people loved it,” Journey said.

Molloy also donated a 12x16 shed that her father, a marine, had built more than 30 years ago to house the pantry.  It was hauled to Steep Falls, where Journey is located, and they’re renovating it to suit their needs.  “We’re slowly getting gall of the stuff out of the house and into the ‘Chow Hall’ so that we can sit on our couch again,” Journey said. The goal, Journey said, is to have regular days where people can come and get what they need, though that hasn’t happened yet.

Donations can be made to the project by contacting Journey through Facebook or the Maine Veterans Alliance website.  Monetary donations are best right now to help finish setting up the building and allow her to purchase the pet food brands people are already using to avoid causing stomach issues in the animals. The best way to reach Journey is through Facebook messenger to her personal Facebook page (Journey Ramsey), the Backpacks for Homeless Dogs page, or the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance page. Because the project is through the MHVA it has nonprofit status, and tax receipts for donations are available. <

Windham Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge goes virtual

By Elizabeth Richards

The Windham Public Library is presenting a full slate of summer reading activities for children, teens and adults this summer.  This year, all programs will be held online. The summer reading program, with the theme “Imagine Your Story,” runs from June 22 to Aug. 22, 2020.

The reading program will use an online platform called Beanstack, as well as the library’s Facebook page, You Tube channel and, for teens, Discord.

In Beanstack, participants can find activity lists and track their progress to receive virtual badges that qualify them to be entered into prize drawings at the end of the summer. Paper copies of the activity ideas and reading trackers are also available.

For children, there is a program for kids who are not yet school aged and another for kindergarteners through sixth graders. Participants need to complete a set number of tasks to receive a prize at the end of the summer. 

Younger children will need 15 badges, while the older children need 25 to receive the prize bag, which will include a book and some other small items, said Children’s Librarian Samantha Cote.

Children’s programming will also include the typical preschool Storytime on Monday and Thursday mornings, as well as Books and Babies on Tuesday Mornings. 

Other special activities for children are also offered in the summer.  On Tuesdays, Lab Coat Adventures will feature science programs.  Wednesdays will alternate between a craft program and building challenges.  Finally, on Saturdays, the library offers the Calm as a Critter program, which features calming activities like breathing exercises, simple crafts, relaxing activities and a personal challenge.

For the interactive programs, Cote said there are some make and take bags available at the library. 

“We tried to plan them all to use materials that people would commonly have at their house,” she said, but if families need them, the bags contain all the supplies needed for the entire summer. Those bags are available for all the programs except the building challenges. 

For building, Cote said, “I’ll probably be using Legos, but people can use whatever they have at home.”

The make and take bags can be picked up at the library, either inside or as part of their curbside service, which can be requested by calling the Children’s Room.

Two stand-alone Zoom programs for kids will also be offered this summer.  On Monday, July 6, Sharks4Kids will present a program on the world of sharks, and on Thursday, July 30, Marine Mammals of Maine will present one about seals. To participate in these programs, contact the Children’s Room for the Zoom link.

A Beanstack account can be created at windham.Beanstack.org.  Families can create one account with multiple readers in the account. There is also a smartphone app available. 

Designing an entire summer program online had challenges, Cote said. In the summer, they’ve historically offered a lot of interactive programming.

“Trying to figure out how to still make an active and engaging program without the personal contact was hard,” Cote said.

It was important to keep up the summer reading challenge tradition, she added, to provide some sense of normalcy and give families new ideas.

“If you’ve been quarantining for a while, you might have gotten into a routine and maybe you’re starting to get a little bit bored,” Cote said. “Now, through our different programs you can get ideas of new things to do and try.”

One popular summer activity in the month of July has been to hunt for the rubber chicken hidden throughout the library.

“This year we partnered with Parks and Rec and the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust and our chicken is being hidden at some trails around Windham so people can still get the joy of hunting for the chicken while also enjoying some of the trails we have,” said Cote.

This is just one of the activities that can earn a badge in Beanstack.

The teen program includes tracking reading, writing book reviews, and Blackout Bingo.  Summer Reading program events for teens will be held on Discord. Teens must sign up for the Discord server by filling out a form at http://www.windham.lib.me.us/teens.  Discord events will include Make it Monday, Teen Movie Tuesdays, Wellness Wednesdays, Teen Anime Thursdays, and Escape for the Weekend Fridays.  Details can be found on the library website.

“I tried to balance out social screen time and active time with activities teens could learn and do quickly at any time,” said Teen and Emerging Technology Librarian Cassandra Lull.

She also created a teens’ only closed Discord server to provide a safe place to chat, discuss interests and host online programs, as well as creating a teen specific Instagram account so they see information that only pertains to them.

“I hope to start cultivating the idea that the library isn’t just for kids and adults, but teens have a place here, too,” she said.

For the adult reading challenge, Reference/Technology Librarian Ray Marcotte has designed five tasks that incorporate the theme and Maine’s Bicentennial.  There will also be three online events and attending one of these is one of the five tasks.

On Tuesday, June 30 at 6 p.m., New England Author and Humorist Tim Caverly will present “So You Think You Know Maine” via Zoom.  This presentation will also be aired on the library’s Facebook page.

On Wednesday, July 29, a Maine Bicentennial Concert featuring Bilodeau Family Music will air at 6 p.m. via their YouTube channel. A link will be posted on the library website on the day of the event.

Finally, on Wednesday, Aug. 5, USM History Professor Libby Bischof will offer a visual history of Maine via Facebook Live on the library’s Facebook page.

Marcotte said it was a challenge to figure out how to present the events, but it’s working out.  “It’s definitely not the same, but we’re making it work,” he said. 

Marcotte has been doing virtual book group and Socrates Café for months now, he said, with decent participation.

For more information about any of the summer reading challenges and events, visit http://www.windham.lib.me.us. <

Windham Open Space Planning Team seeking mapping input

Windham Planning Director Amanda Lessard looks out over
the town's open space maps. The Windham Open Space
Planning Team has initiated a project for mapping
open space in the town including conserved lands, parks, water
access, and trails, as well as critical habitats and water systems.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Elizabeth Richards

The Town of Windham is currently working with Northstar Planning and Aceto Landscape Architects to develop an Open Space and Recreation Plan that will help guide decision making around parks, preserves, recreation spaces, trails, and conserved lands.  

“An Open Space Plan will be a guide to elected and appointed town leadership by identifying high priority properties to protect or acquire, provide land stewardship guidance for existing open space lands, identify opportunities to expand connectivity between open space assets, neighborhoods and trails and to outline programs, ordinances, and partners that could be instrumental in securing the future of the identified high priority properties,” said Windham Planning Director Amanda Lessard.

An open space plan is something Windham needs, town officials say.

“Current world conditions have resulted in people taking to the outdoors more than ever. Windham has long needed an open space plan to provide both direction and a mechanism by which to identify and preserve Windham’s rural spaces,” said Linda Brooks, director of Parks and Recreation, in a video on the project website.

Lessard agreed.

“Rural character is central to Windham’s identity as a community. Being proactive about open space in the face of strong residential growth pressures will help preserve community character and ensure that Windham’s most important open spaces will remain available for future Windham residents,” said Lessard. 

She said that thinking about how to manage and develop Windham’s current open spaces will add value for today’s residents.

Finally, building partnerships with organizations that value conservation and outdoor recreation will help the town meet its own open space goals,” Lessard said.

Currently, the project is in Phase 2, public engagement.  The team is focusing on online engagement through the website, www.windhamopenspace.com, where there is a community survey, an idea board, and a map room for input. 

“The goal of Phase 2 is to identify the types of open space and recreational uses that are most important to the community,” Lessard said.

The Windham Open Space Planning team has begun mapping open space in the town including conserved lands, parks, water access, and trails, as well as critical habitats and hydrology, according to Lessard. They are looking for input on places that the community feels should be prioritized or preserved in the future.  

The topic of open space planning is a crucial topic to towns and municipalities across Maine and the future of our open spaces is uncertain as development pressures straining open space resources continue as more people move into rural areas surrounding major population centers.

Increasing populations mean the demand for more homes, shopping facilities and recreational activities is rising. But population growth also results in environmentally insensitive development eliminating valuable natural wetlands and vital wildlife habitat from Maine communities.

By mapping current open space, Windham officials can have a better grasp of creating policies used to help protect environmental corridors and natural ecosystems important to the town.

Looking at open space planning now will provide Windham with an opportunity to assess where the town is currently, where the community would like to go and how it might eventually get there, Lessard said.

She said that this type of planning assists in the protection of important open space and will be used to encourage compatible growth in the future by managing aspects of growth and development in ways that preserve, protect, and enhance the environment. And it also can expose potential problems while there is still time to prevent them from arising in the future.

Open space planning and mapping allows the benefits of open space that make up the character of the community and helps protect the "green infrastructure" of a community. It also can provide long term economic benefits by helping Windham avoid the costly mistakes of misusing available resources.

Protected open space typically raises the taxable value of adjacent properties and is less costly to maintain than the infrastructure and services required by residential development.

The maps created by this project will ultimately help the town identify current and future needs of parks, fields, trails, water access, and creation of open spaces.

“Our working definition of open space is the network of permanently protected public and private lands that provide recreational, environmental, and social value to Windham,” said Lessard.

To provide input, community members should visit the Map Room on the website and review the draft maps.  Then, using the interactive map, participants can place pins on places they think should be added to the maps.  In the discussion tab, people can start conversations about favorite places and spots that should be identified and inventoried during the open space planning process.   Users must register on the site to provide input.

Public input will be gathered through July. Once a registered user of the site, people will receive email notification when new content is added to the site. Any Windham resident who registers will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to the Windham restaurant of their choice.

Toward the end of phase 2, the team will start identifying priorities and at the end of this phase, the team will begin to identify priorities.

A draft plan will be presented for public review in August, and a final plan with recommendations will be ready by late September or early October. <