PowerServe 2025 a lasting community tribute to late WHS student

By Ed Pierce

Perhaps our greatest legacy in life is what people remember about us and do in our memory when we’re gone. For Shane Donnelly, his legacy is one of love for his community and the inspiration for an annual event that continues to help neighbors and the town years after his death.

Student volunteers work on a project at the
302 Rotary during a previous PowerServe
event in Windham. The 2025 PowerServe
will be held Saturday, April 26 and is a 
one-day event with volunteers helping
organizations and individuals in the
community who need assistance in
performing various tasks such as 
painting, yard work and home repairs.
COURTESY PHOTO  

Shane Donnelly was just 16 and a sophomore at Windham High School when he passed away unexpectedly in May 2015. His family says that he cared deeply about his community and to show their love for him, his family helped organize the first PowerServe in 2016, a community event where volunteers served Windham area organizations and individuals who needed assistance by performing various tasks ranging from painting to yard work to household repairs and major projects benefiting the town.

The first PowerServe was supposed to be a one-time event in Shane’s memory but following an outpouring of volunteers willing to donate their time to help, it evolved into an annual event growing to include hundreds of volunteers and dozens of projects each year.

“Since that time, we have done hundreds of service projects for the community and residents in need with the help of over 150 volunteers each year on our PowerServe day,” said Shane’s mother Kim Donnelly.

This year, the PowerServe event will be held on Saturday, April 26.

“For this year, we have 160 volunteers signed up so far and 34 projects scheduled to work on,” Kim Donnelly said. “We are looking for more volunteers to meet the need. The day is truly about students and adults in our community giving back to help those here in Windham while serving together.”

PowerServe brings Windham students, coaches, educators, business leaders and residents from all walks of life together to help neighbors, friends and family in Windham on this one day of giving back to our community and those in need who live here.

The volunteers are organized into teams that go out from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to work together doing projects to help residents and organizations in the community.

“Everyone meets back to share stories at the free barbecue at the Windham Historical Society grounds,” Kim Donnelly said. “This gives everyone time to share their experiences. It is a great opportunity to come together to help their neighbors and to meet new people from all ages and walks of life here in Windham.”

According to his mother, Shane loved the peace and beauty of the outdoors. She said he was a good student, a gifted athlete, a kind young man and a loving son.

“When he passed away unexpectedly at the age of 16, it was not only a shock to our family, but to the community and students at school,” Kim Donnelly said. “Nothing can fill the void from Shane’s passing. However, being able to materially see the impact that this event has had on the students, individuals and our larger community does help to feel that he left his mark on this world. Having past classmates of Shane’s and current students come back to Windham to support one another and our neighbors is so heartwarming. The projects that we do mean that our volunteers are working outside together to do good. It’s wonderful to see these students volunteer alongside local business teams, church members, teachers, friends, and families. It truly shows that Windham residents support one another.”

For 2025, PowerServe has 34 projects lined up at this time, the most since it started in 2016. For the larger Windham community, this year volunteers will be doing work at Dundee Park, moving the performance pavilion, building a stage and an overall spring clean-up. They will also build bridges and perform a trail clean-up at Black Brook Preserve.

Past projects performed by PowerServe volunteers include work on the community basketball courts/skate park, building conduits for the 302 Rotary holiday lights, at the Historical Society Community Gardens, on RSU 14’s Cross Country trails, at Manchester School and various plantings at Windham High School.

“The majority of our projects are for Windham residents who are in need of spring clean-ups, outside light stain or painting, spring plantings and mulch, power washing, and more,” Kim Donnelly said. “These are people with disabilities, sickness, who are elderly, an educator or public servant that we want to show our thanks for or just don't have the help and support needed to take care of these projects around their homes. Each year we go out to the town, community, and local businesses requesting nominations for projects for Windham residents to help with.”

As a lifelong volunteer, and Shane’s mother, Kim Donnelly said that in volunteering, you come to understand that simple actions can have a big impact.

“The old adage ‘it is better to give than receive’ or ‘the more you give, the more you get,’ holds true,” she said. “There are many opportunities to volunteer in Maine. PowerServe gives us as Windham residents the opportunity to give back to our own neighbors in need, alongside other Windham residents of all ages. Of course, for me and my family, this is an act of love in memory of Shane, who is remembered by students, teachers, coaches, friends and family for being a kind, loving young man who was accepting of all.”

Volunteers can sign up at PowerServe Windham’s FaceBook page or by visiting www.powerserve.me.

“Volunteering offers invaluable life lessons, a sense of purpose and gratitude for our own life,” Kim Donnelly said. “For our youth, it may take you outside of your comfort zone, but it can develop leadership, communication skills, confidence, and new relationships. This event was originally created in memory of one of our community’s young people. Its success is driven by student involvement in the Planning Committee, outreach to the high school teams and student groups and ultimately the pride our youth feel giving back to their community the day of the event. I would be remiss in not thanking those community members who continue to volunteer year after year. It gives you an amazing feeling of giving back to the community and those around us. You will also meet some wonderful people in your community who are volunteering alongside you.” <

Council workshop examines growth and its continuing impact upon Windham

By Ed Pierce

Windham Town Council members conducted a three-hour workshop to have an in-depth discussion about the need and impacts of growth for items such as taxes, town services, school enrollments, traffic impacts and more subjects on Jan. 23 and examined how to best address growth in an orderly manner.

Members of the Windham Town Council conducted a 
three-hour workshop on Jan. 23 to examine town growth,
state regulations regarding growth ordinances, and how
to address impacts and issues associated with growth
such as housing, school enrollment and traffic.
PHOTO BY KEITH MANK

During the meeting, town attorney Mark Bower of Jensen Baird reviewed with councilors the town’s existing growth ordinance and how state regulations affect municipal growth.

“For starters, a municipal growth ordinance must be consistent with the town’s Comprehensive Plan,” Bower said. “Many towns don’t have any growth caps.”

According to Bower, Windham is only one of six communities in Southern Maine that has an ordinance on file addressing growth and there are 22 other communities in the area that do not have any limitations regarding growth.

He said state rules mandate that Windham’s growth ordinance can be recalculated every three years to review growth rate details and based upon that information, the town’s growth ordinance can be updated or amended accordingly.

Councilors also heard from RSU 14 Superintendent of schools Chris Howell, who shared with them that RSU 14 schools have experienced a flat rate of growth enrollment over the past decade.

“The greatest overcrowding we have is at Windham Middle School,” Howell said. “The new Windham Raymond Middle School will help and long term we will be able to accommodate needs for the next 10 to 15 years.”

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts presented figures for Howell to discuss how recent housing projects in town impacted local school enrollment.

From 2019 to 2024, there were two condominium projects completed in Windham totaling 49 units. From those condos, RSU 14 gained 14 students, Howell said. From 2018 to 2024, there were six duplexes constructed in Windham totaling 142 units. From those duplexes, RSU 14 gained 68 students. From 2021 to 2023, there were three multi-unit complexes finished with a total of 85 units. From those multi-unit apartments, RSU 14 gained six students.

Howell said the RSU 14 is calculated each year to take growth in Windham into account.

Windham Assistant Town Manager Bob Burns shared with councilors the results of a traffic evaluation conducted by the Gorrill Palmer engineering firm and how future developments could further impact traffic congestion.

“Based on discussions with the town, there are five potential developments within the immediate vicinity of the Route 302 study area,” the survey report detailed. “Trip generation was calculated using ITE Trip Generation Manual or other methods based on discussions with the Town. Trip distribution was based on our knowledge of the area and traffic patterns as identified from traffic counts that were provided in the North Windham Moves study.”

The traffic evaluation examined potential traffic from each of the developments including a proposal to build 172 residential units near Manchester Drive; construction of 80 condos at the end of Turning Leaf Road; additions to be built to the Microtel Inn & Suites; a potential development behind Home Depot with a possible hotel and 300 residential units; and two possible new hotels and 400 units of multifamily housing behind the Ice Cream Dugout on Enterprise Drive.

The survey report indicates that the three highest percentages for increased traffic are located in the densest portion of the downtown area.

“As one moves out of the downtown area the growth rate decreases. The current average growth rate for Route 302 within the study area is approximately 2 percent,” the report says. “This indicates that Windham is currently experiencing a growth higher than what was forecast (0.5 percent) when the North Windham Moves Study was completed. It should be noted that the 0.5-percent yearly growth was consistent up to the design year 2040. If Windham should experience a plateau in growth or a negative growth between now and 2040, the average yearly growth from now to 2040 may decrease from 2 percent closer to the 0.5 percent, or more likely somewhere in between.”

Based upon their evaluation, Gorrill Palmer says that both regional background growth as well as local development growth in Windham appear to be higher than was forecast or assumed in the North Windham Moves Study.

“This means that Route 302 corridor traffic volumes would reach the 2040 design hourly volumes earlier than 2040 if the existing growth trends continue,” the report says. “Even though the traffic volumes are increasing quicker than originally forecast or assumed, the recommended East and West alternatives identified in the North Windham Moves Study are forecast to provide acceptable levels of service. Since the originally forecasted levels of service were relatively high, there appears to be some considerable allowance for increasing traffic volumes and still maintaining acceptable levels of service throughout the corridor. The one exception along the corridor may be Boody’s Corner. This intersection level of service was forecast to be low but acceptable in 2040 with the construction of the East and West Connectors. It should be noted that in addition to the connectors, there were safety recommendations proposed for this intersection which should also improve the operations of the intersection, and the benefits of those safety improvements are not represented in the levels of service results. Based on this evaluation, it is our opinion that even though overall traffic volumes for the corridor are increasing faster than forecast, the recommended connectors should maintain overall acceptable levels of service, and in fact make the recommended connectors even more critical to maintaining the mobility and safety of the corridor than originally envisioned.”

In looking at Windham Fire, Police and EMS totals from 2014 to 2024, Tibbetts said figures show first responder calls only rose 0.02 percent since construction of new developments during that time frame.

Windham Town Council Chair Jarrod Maxfield said the workshop was helpful and he believes reviewing all the presented information will be useful for councilors when looking at potential growth issues or updating the town’s current growth ordinance.

“I think we really need as council to gets the facts out there,” Maxfield said. “The misnomer is that growth is what’s causing your property taxes to go up when it’s the opposite.” <