Raymond appoints new lead Code Enforcement Officer

By Dina Mendros

The Raymond Code Enforcement Office has a new head of the department, but he isn’t exactly a new face. Jason Williamson was hired last July as the assistant head of the town’s Code Enforcement Office, and after some on-the-job training by Chris Hanson, he was promoted to his new position by the Raymond Select Board on June 9.

Jay Williamson has been promoted from
Assistant Code Enforcement officer to
be the head Code Enforcement Officer
for the Town of Raymond by the
Raymond Select Board. He has worked
for the town since July 2024.
COURTESY PHOTO   

Williamson, 46, who is married with two young children built a home in Raymond and he and his family moved there about four years ago. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire and has a background in carpentry and building.

He says he got to a point where he didn’t think carpentry and building was a kind of work that he could do for many more years, so he decided to go into code enforcement.

“I thought maybe this would be a good transition for me,” he said.

Williamson says he enjoys his code enforcement job, which he finds both challenging and rewarding.

“The biggest challenges, I would say are when you’re dealing with some issues that crop up with neighbors,” he said. “It seems like you’re taking sides … but you’re really trying to be fair and not infringe on anybody’s rights.” Getting people to see the other side’s point of view “can be extremely difficult,” he said.

Some of the most rewarding parts of his job, Williamson says, include “I’ve gotten to meet a lot of really great people.” He said, “it’s nice when you can help someone figure out and navigate the ordinances and the codes to build a house.”

Also rewarding, Williamson said, is helping people figure out how to work with some of their land so they can sell it to a relative for them to build a house.

“It’s definitely rewarding if you can get somewhere for someone to live,” he said. “Housing is difficult to find these days and when someone can put on an addition to bring in an aging parent or for their child who can’t afford a place. I would say that’s probably the most rewarding.”

An important part of the job, Williamson says, has to do with enforcing shoreline zoning and protecting the waterways, as much of the building that takes place in Raymond is along or near lakes.

For example, in 2021 the town of Raymond was alerted to significant changes along Sebago Lake that violated shoreline zoning. The property owner reached a settlement in the past year which included payment to the town of $640,000 for legal fees and damages as well as replanting trees and shrubs and more, according to a report aired on WGME television.

Although this took place before Williamson was hired, he says that he’s responsible for making sure the remediation takes place and is on track.

“Protecting the water quality, making sure and informing homeowners when they are doing projects in and around the lakes and showing them how to do it in a manner that’s going to be respectful to the lake,” is one of his biggest responsibilities. Williamson said, “Everybody wants to do what they want with their property, but most people understand that there’s a responsibility of being down by the water. When you get people who understand is the most rewarding, I would say.”

According to Williamson, there’s no such thing as a typical day in code enforcement because “each situation can be so different.”

“Some days you might have two, three, four people come in just to make a complaint,” he said. “Other days you’ll have a lakefront property come up for sale and you’ll be fielding calls from real estate agents pretty much one right after the other because the competition is so fierce.”

Other reasons a typical day is hard to define, Williamson said, can be because the types of duties the department takes on not only includes code enforcement but also building inspections and land use. There are a lot of different responsibilities to the job and with only four people in the department, with only two of whom are code enforcers, staff are filling a lot of different shoes.

During his tenure with the town of Raymond’s Code Enforcement Office, Williamson says, “I’ve learned how difficult and multifaceted the job is. I hope I can perform in the job as well as I can.” <

Students from Bolivia visiting Windham are part of an exciting science revolution by Lorraine Glowczak

The four students from Bolivia with their instructor

Four high school students from Bolivia arrived in Windham on Thursday, July 5 to participate in a 16-day independent, experiential learning program developed and led by Adam R. Zemans, a summer resident of Highland Lake. The environmental educational experience will focus on citizen lake science and conflict resolution, with the intention to learn ways to increase lake stewardship participation and collaboration in the context of climate change.

But perhaps just as important, is the knowledge the students will gain as they become international leaders in water and environmental science; bringing the two countries together to work collaboratively on an important natural resource.

The students, who attend Hughes School in Cochabamba, Bolivia (a private school that provides quality education with emphasis on English, university level science and math as well as training in music and dance), will make their home base at Highland Lake while they explore and learn the various waterways in Maine.

“The present situation facing Highland Lake is a perfect learning experience in environmental stewardship, collaboration and conflict resolution for these students,” explained Zemans. “The way the Highland Lake Association and the towns of Windham and Falmouth have come together to work on solving the picocyanobacteria issue is very cutting edge.”

Zemans, who lives most of the time in Cochabamba with his two sons, is a lawyer turning professor. As a doctoral student in Conflict Resolution Studies from Nova Southeastern University in Florida, part of his own academic studies includes the development of this educational and experiential curriculum. He, along with the following students: Leandro Jose Villabo Prado, Natalia Siles Choello, Abril Adriana Nina Mollo, Ana Lucia De La Fuente and co-leader Ivon Adela Ramirez D’Alencar have all worked together to make this educational expedition happen.

“I presented a lecture on citizen science at Hughes School”, explained Zemans. “Leandro approached me about the possibility of creating a program for he and [the] other students to participate and receive credit. After much thought and discussion with the faculty, staff and students at the school, what was just an idea became a reality and is what brings us here today.”

The curriculum not only includes exploration of Maine waters, there are daily required readings and quizzes as well. It also includes meeting local and state experts in the fields of water quality, aquatic biology, limnology, watersheds, water monitoring, invasive plant species, conflict resolution, weather and climate change, to name just a few.

Dr. Williams of Highland Lake

The day after their arrival, the students met with Dr. Keith Williams, Aquatic Biologist and Civil Engineer who leads the lake monitoring program at Highland Lake. Other syllabus activities include, but are not limited to, learning to ocean kayak at L.L. Bean’s Outdoor Discovery School, receiving certificates in lake and Secchi disk monitoring from Lake Stewards of Maine (formerly Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program), exploring Acadia National Park and meeting with Dr. Bridie McGreavy, Environmental Professor at the University of Maine at Orono, to discuss environmental conflict analysis. The students will also paddle through Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve to learn about invasive plant species.

The students are eager to learn all they can about water quality, collaboration, citizen science as well as environmental participation and then apply their knowledge at home in Bolivia, a country that experienced a water crisis in 2016 after a 25-year drought.

“Our town, Cochabamba, literally translates into ‘eternal springs – a place where the springs of water meet together underground,’” stated Ana Lucia referring to the drought. “My grandfather remembers digging in the ground and the waters would flow up freely. But that does not happen anymore, and it makes my grandfather very sad. I want to help my country have healthy waters again.”

Leandro states that he also wants to take the tools he learns here and apply them in Bolivia “I want to create healthy lakes at home, using what I have learned on this trip.”

Not only is there a water shortage in Bolivia, but the lakes and streams are very polluted due to the mining industry. The extraction of natural gas and zinc dominates Bolivia's economy, and this is the major contributor to water and environmental pollution.

“The lakes in our country are very bad,” explained Abril. “We want to talk about it to make some sort of change, but people turn their heads and will not listen because mining is so important to Bolivia’s way of life. Money is more important to people than the environment and our waters. It can be very frustrating.”

“People defend nature more here [in Maine], and that is so good to see,” Ana Lucia added.

Despite the dire situation, the students remain positive and hopeful. “I am here to learn how to take our lakes back and make them healthy again,” Natalia said. “We all want to make a difference, and maybe we will actually be able to make a difference this time - in Bolivia and across the world.”

The co-leader in the environmental experiential program is also learning something of great value. “I only swim in a pool,” Ivon explained, referring to the inability to swim in Bolivian lakes due to pollution. “Swimming this morning in Highland Lake was my first time in a lake and I feel very fortunate and happy with the experience.”

“She even saw a fish for the first time,” the students laughed. “And she was calling them mermaids in Spanish.”

All four students and the co-leader are enjoying their stay in Maine as well as participating in the different culture and foods they experience. Ice cream, they all agree, is among their favorite.

Although the 16-day educational program is packed with valuable learning opportunities, time has also been set aside for recreation, including a trip to Portland Headlight and an American meal made for the students by Zemans’ aunt who lives in Portland.

“The whole point to this educational experience is to keep our spirits high,” Zemans explained. “As things get more difficult in terms of water quality and quantity, we must look at our strengths rather than what we lack. This will provide impetus for positive collaboration, conflict resolutions and solutions. And these students have just what it takes to make that happen.”

As Zemans put on the top of the students’ syllabus, “There is a revolution happening in science. And now, more than ever, you can be a part of it.”