Civic Center excited to showoff facelift - By Michelle Libby

Saturday, March 22, the newly renovated Cumberland County Civic Center (CCCC) will open its doors for a public open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be three bands, refreshments, giveaways and tours of the new facility including some backstage areas that general admission tickets never see. 
 

The CCCC has been open since February 15, has had 12 event days and 50,000 people have been through the doors, said director of event services Roberta Wright. “Wednesday we had the certificate of occupancy and the home show moved in the next day.”

The renovations completed by Cianbro and WBRC Architects were paid for with a $33 million bond. The construction moved the exterior of the civic center to the edge of the property line, Wright said. It also brought all of the stairs leading to the civic center under cover. “We are no longer shoveling mounds of snow and acres of stairs,” she added. The entire building is also Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compatible in all areas of the CCCC. Elevators can take a person on a stretcher from the upper level to the floor of the civic center. All public areas are accessible to people in a wheelchair.  

The former platforms leading to upper seating areas are now bigger and have seating for 72 handicapped ticket holders and guests, some at ice level. 

There are 90 TVs throughout the building installed by David Munster of Windham. He also donated a plasma TV to give away at the open house. 

The Free Street concourse did not change much, Wright said. It was painted to match the entire civic center. At the beginning of that concourse a grill was added that will serve hamburgers, steak and cheese and pulled chicken sandwiches. The first of two family restrooms is located near this section of the civic center. There are other new bathrooms located throughout the CCCC as well. The Spring Street concourse was expanded by four feet.  

There is also a new window to sell Maine microbrews and the CCCC is now a Dunkin Donuts franchisee.  

New additions to the facility included suites added on two of the corners of the building, stacked three high. The first one is owned by The Libra Foundation, the first founding partner for the CCCC. The suite will be donated by The Libra Foundation to non-profit organizations for their entertainment. It will not be used for fundraising, said Wright. 

Each suite has a private bathroom and will have a personal attendant for snacks and drinks at the events. 

The other change is the amount of natural lighting that streams into the public spaces. “It was a smart design choice,” said Wright. The lighting has been switched to LEDs. She also pointed out the wood trim around the soffits of the civic center, which were added by Windham Millwork, who did all of the woodwork in the suites, railings, tables, back offices and ticket counters. “Anything wood or plastic laminate we did there,” said a representative of the Windham company. 

The CCCC also wanted to maximize saleable seats, since the remodel did not include a large increase in the number of seats. The operation booth was moved over to give better seating in the center of the arena. The almost 8,400 new seats are from Hussey Seating Company of North Berwick, the same company that put the original seats in in 1977. There are three different sized seats to fit the differently configured rows. 

There are two new recaptured spaces that will be used for private dining and gatherings. One is the Club Room which replaced the Captain’s Club. It’s a premium seating option. There are ways to be a part of the civic center by buying seats that help to directly pay off the bond on the building. There is also the addition of The Pavilion, a food and beverage lounge, above the Spring Street stairs and the CCCC’s first escalator.  

“There will be partitions for providing privacy. Here we’ll feed (the entertainers) a couple of lobsters and they’ll remember Portland, Maine,” said Wright. The bathroom in this area of CCCC has more fixtures than in the entire building before the renovation. 

The renovation has directly addressed the issues brought to the CCCC by people who have used the arena, including the addition of two new loading docks. 

Other additions include a new fire suppression system and upgrades to all of the mechanical systems. “This is where a significant amount of the money went,” said Wright. Seats were removed from where the concert stage is usually placed thus making the stage sit further back and opening up more concert seating, however they added telescopic seating to increase seating at other events. New flooring was put down on the concourses. In the backstage areas there are new suites and seven locker rooms. The new Portland Pirates locker room, still under construction, will be a large multi-use area for the team. 

There is also a new first aid room with attached bathroom and direct access to the outside where an ambulance would have access. 

The CCCC employs 11 full-time and 409 part-time staff. 

 “We hope to have more events and this gives us hope to maintain the events we have had. I’m not sure we’ll see Beyonce, but we’ll do more events,” said Wright. “Our plan was to improve the fan experience and bring us up to the standard in our industry.” 

Windham childcare teacher honored with national award - By Elizabeth Richards

Birchwood Day Nursery School teacher Heather Marden has been selected by the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation (TLLCCF) to receive the 2014 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children’s TYLENOL® National Child Care Teacher Award. Marden is one of 54 recipients selected for the award from a nationwide pool of applicants. Marden will receive a grant of $1,000 to fund a project she created for her classroom, called “Light up Learning.”

“Light Up Learning” includes the purchase of a light table and hands-on materials to use with the table. Marden said that she didn’t want a one-time project, or something that would only be used for a little while and put aside. “I want something that’s going to be a permanent fixture in the classroom, that I can take any curriculum we’re doing or anything the kids are interested in doing and put this in,” she said. Having attempted numerous times to create her own light box with minimal success, Marden feels that the commercial unit will be an investment for the classroom. The box will allow her to incorporate many different materials, from letter tiles and x-ray cards to translucent building bricks, and involve all learning areas, including math, science, literacy, art and dramatic play. The versatility of the light box will also be a big advantage, as it can be used for large groups, small groups and individually. “That’s kind of how I made my choice, looking at the many benefits this would have,” said Marden.

Marden and Birchwood director/owner Connie DiBiase will fly to Philadelphia for events honoring the recipients on April 2^nd. At a luncheon that day, the top ten will speak about their projects. The following evening, the awards and grant money will be presented at a banquet. 

Marden applied for the recognition and grant after DiBiase put the paperwork and a note encouraging her to apply in her mailbox. At first glance, Marden said, she was intimidated by the idea of applying for a national award but ultimately decided to go for it. She collected the necessary recommendations from a parent, a colleague, and DiBiase, filled out the application, and put together the project proposal. Marden submitted her application in late fall of 2013, and was notified by letter in early February that she had been selected.

Marden began her career in education after college, working as a educational technician in special education for three years, then becoming a certified Wilson reading specialist, working one-on-one with children in Kindergarten through 12^th grade. The field was a little too structured and routine for her, she said, and didn’t allow room for her creative side. Seeking an outlet in education that would incorporate this aspect of her personality prompted a move to the early childhood field. When she was offered a preschool position after moving to Portsmouth, NH, she jumped right in. “It was an age I hadn’t done yet, and I thought it would be interesting to learn more about that age,” she said. “Immediately, I just knew, this is me.”  She enjoys the preschool age group, she said, because there is room for creativity, and teaching this age allows her to play a large role in the children’s first introduction to learning.

“I just love that they ask so many questions, and that I can ask just as many back. That’s the fun part for me,” she said of working with preschoolers. “They’re asking questions because they want to learn. When you get to that point in teaching when they’re not asking questions any more, something is wrong.”  

DiBiase said that she encouraged Marden to apply because of the creativity she has seen her use in the classroom, from finding ways to engage a child with trouble entering into play by using his interests to her detailed artist studies. 

Marden has worked at Birchwood for four years. She has two classes of nine children, a Monday/Wednesday/Friday group and one on Tuesday/Thursday. The children in her classes attend for 3 ½ hours a day, from 8:30 am to12 pm. Marden said the things she enjoys most about her job are the creativity and flexibility. “I love how I can have a lesson plan written up for a day and come in and never touch it because of what the children are doing. It’s what keeps the day interesting. No two days are alike,” she said.

 

Winning the award was a very humbling experience for her, Marden said. She had convinced herself that she didn’t have a chance in a nationwide competition, thinking that awards like this were only for teachers who were on committees, or working with the state chapter of NAEYC. “I haven’t really gotten to that point in my career yet. All my efforts are focused here in these four walls. So when I opened it up and saw that I got it, it was very humbling to know that the efforts you put into a classroom can be rewarded like that,” said Marden. She said she always feels personal satisfaction in her job, but to have someone outside recognize her efforts validated what she does even more.

Get healthcare marketplace help before deadline, March 31. - By Michelle Libby

Need health insurance and now it’s the last minute before the government imposed deadline? Portland Community Health Center and The Opportunity Alliance are co-sponsoring an opportunity for community members in the lakes region to make an appointment or to walk in for assistance with navigating the Health Insurance Marketplace. The event will take place at the Windham Public Library on Monday, March 24, from 1:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and is being organized by Libby Cummings.

“This is a last minute opportunity for folks to procure health insurance without an insurance tax penalty for 2014,” said Richard Wurfel, a Windham resident and volunteer for the organizations. 

When a resident has an appointment or drops in, it could take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half to select insurance from one of the two insurance carriers, Anthem or Maine Health Care Options, said Wurfel. He recommends that clients bring in their most recent tax forms or know the adjusted gross income from the tax forms, which is written in bold lettering. Also know the social security number and date of birth for all members of the family who are signing up for health coverage and what those individuals may have as income. “Come prepared to guesstimate or project what they believe their adjusted gross income will be in the 2014 tax year,” said Wurfel.  

“Most people are not aware of the money value of the tax penalty. It’s a minimum of $95 or one percent of the adjusted gross income for 2014. For a family with $30,000 AGI, that makes the penalty $300,” Wurfel said.

Anyone can obtain healthcare through www.healthcare.gov, but the process can be daunting. This is the way to take care of it with help, he said.

“There’s a lot of negative media trying to tank the whole affordable health care, but for an individual making under $20,000 there are always subsidies that are applied through the marketplace,” Wurfel said.

There are usually three volunteers ready to assist at most events. This is determined by the number of appointments that are scheduled, Wurfel said. “We prefer folks to call and make appointments. It’s better for the whole situation,” he said.

In February, 4.2 million people have signed up for their health insurance through the marketplace. In Maine almost 26,000 people have signed up as of February.  “We are seeing a real spike,” said Wurfel. “It’s up 40 percent after the President appeared on the Internet show “Between Two Ferns.”

“The intent of the ACA was to get more people insured so the cost for healthcare for the uninsured decreases,” said Wurfel.

“We are thrilled to be of assistance. We know it’s been a difficult and confusing situation for the public and we’re happy to help,” said Wurfel. “We’re just plodding along one sign-up at a time.”

For more information visit www.enroll207.com or www.mainecahc.org (Consumers for affordable healthcare) or for an appointment call 207-874-2141 ext. 5007.

Windham High School wins regional One Act competition - By Michelle Libby

The Windham High School One Act ensemble cast took home first place at the regional One Act competition held at WHS on Saturday. The cast of approximately 30 stormed the stage when Windham was announced as the winner surpassing ten other schools with their performance of “The Spirit of Life – A play in one act.” The play was based on the book Hassidic Tales of the Holocaust by Yaffa Eliach and adapted to stage by David Eliet. 
 

The play about the Holocaust was described as “horrifically amazing” by some students and brought others to tears. 

Senior Brenna Ryder helped to choose the play after she and her father went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. 

“The tower of life struck me more than anything thing else there,” Ryder said, who has been a part of the One Acts for eight years. “I always felt I wanted to do this.” 

The woman who created the tower of life also wrote the book the play was based on, Ryder said.

The subject was a difficult one for some of the students as they learned about what the Jewish people went through and how it felt to be persecuted through the series of vignettes. 

“We wanted to win because we wanted to bring this message to other schools. The overall message was intolerance of any kind is not okay. One group is not better than another and never letting something like that happen ever again,” said Ryder. 

The One Act competition has many rules and regulations. There can be no musicals. There can be no more than five gallons of water on the stage. There is a five minute set up time. Take too long and the team is disqualified. The play cannot be over 40 minutes or…disqualified. There is finally a five minute strike period (clear the stage) or…disqualified. 

As soon as last year’s One Act competition was over, Ryder and her father, Matthew Ryder, the director of the One Act plays, began looking at what to perform for this year. Once they chose “The Spirit of Life” Brenna chose the music to accompany the actors. “I wanted authentic Jewish music and traditional Jewish folk songs,” she said. Rehearsals began in December. 

Having home court advantage was good for the WHS team. “There’s an advantage when you’re using your own lighting and things you’ve been practicing with,” Ryder said. “I wouldn’t have designed the stage I did if it were at Bonny Eagle or another school with a smaller stage.”

Three of Windham’s actors, Kyah Morrissette, Will Wheaton and Johanna Stanley were recognized for the All-conference cast and Brenna Ryder was given a special commendation award for instrumental and vocal conducting. 

“We scored the most points overall of any school at our regional site and received a perfect score for lighting design thanks to our amazing lighting designer Jennifer Bernier,” said Matthew Ryder. “We also had a near-perfect score for costume design thanks to our costumer Kyah Morrissette!” 

The judges did nit-pick a bit, Brenna said. “They said, ‘you have a diamond here, we just want to help you improve.’ We only want to improve now that we are going onto states,” she added. States will be at Camden Hills Regional High School in Camden on March 21 and 22. 

The cast will spend the next couple of weeks fine tuning the performance and hopefully will have another public performance and another school one, possibly, said Brenna. 

One of the other goals for the cast is to raise enough money to go to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C.

The cast and crew have started a Go Fund page to raise money for that. The link is www.gofundme.com/5UQXVG.