Kindness Week at Manchester School ends with a celebration and a dash of color - By Michelle Libby

Last Friday over 400 students at Manchester School in Windham celebrated kindness at an assembly featuring skits, speeches and the introduction of a color run to take place in the spring. 

“The best part was last year fourth grade students approached Mrs. Weatherbee to start an anti-bullying club,” said principal Danielle Donnini. The team worked to create the name Team Kindness and met at lunch recess to plan activities. The group consists of approximately 30 fourth and fifth graders. 

 “It has evolved from September into today,” said guidance counselor Jessica Weatherbee. “One little idea can turn into something this huge,” she told the audience of fourth and fifth graders. 

On Friday, some of the team put on kindness skits showing how to be nice to someone who gets tripped or drops their books. 

The whole week was dedicated to doing something to help others. “They want to expand kindness throughout the whole school,” said Weatherbee. “We want to create a culture of kindness in the building.”

The whole school, led by the chorus, sang a kindness song about “reach out your kind-hearted hand.” All of it part of The Great Kindness Challenge, an online program that encourages schools to devote one week to performing as many acts of kindness as possible, choosing from a 50 item checklist. The items vary from smile at 25 people to walk a dog or cat. 

 

The school also held a door contest on way to show kindness. Many of the classrooms had interactive doors that had quotes and special touches to show and give suggestions on ways to be kind. One door was made to look like an iPhone with apps for kindness, for example Kindness Watchers (Weight Watchers), Teamwork, KindFlix (Netflix), FriendBook and InstaKind. 

Student Adrianna Libby said her favorite app was Stand up. “It’s about standing up for yourself.”

Donnini declared that everyone won the contest because it’s all about kindness and everyone wins when it comes to kindness. 

Donnini quoted Ellen DeGeneres, “I just think that kindness is something we should all have…We need more of that out there.” 

“This week reminded us just a little bit about how we want to be,” said Weatherbee. During the week the students were asked to bring in a food item for the Windham Food Pantry for the privilege of breaking dress code and wearing a hat in school. With a two day notice the school rallied and brought in 283 items to donate. 

The also held themed dress up days like “tied together with kindness” where kids wore curly ribbon and bow or neck ties, “crazy for kindness” where they wore mismatched clothes and the “dreaming of kindness” where the students wore pajamas. 

The students made iMovie videos about what kindness means to them and they continued talk about “creating a chain reaction,” which they learned about in Rachel’s Challenge. 

The Kindness Team has been meeting twice a month and according to Weatherbee, “the students are teaching and guiding me” about what they want to accomplish. 

“I’ve seen so much kindness and I know this is going to continue,” said vice principal Kristal Vargo-Ward. 

Weatherbee also announced that Mrs. Carle’s class will be organizing a color run as their Community Day project. Manchester hosts a community day every year to celebrate each class doing a year-long project to benefit something in the community. The color run will be a one or two mile, untimed race. Weatherbee, Vargo-Ward and gifted and talented teacher Jennifer Breton volunteered to demonstrate how the color run would work, with students tossing a colored chalk-like substance on their white shirts creating a colorful art piece. The color run is scheduled for April 10^th.

Family of SS Pendleton survivor gathers to watch "The Finest Hours" - By Elizabeth Richards

For one local family, the Disney movie “The Finest Hours” released last weekend is more than entertainment. The story is one they grew up hearing first hand, a part of their own family history.

Casco resident Letty Tucci was four years old when her father, a crew member on the SS Pendleton, was rescued at sea amid a nor’easter that made this rescue one of the most dangerous Coast Guard rescues in history.

Tucci’s father, Fred Brown, was a 36-year-old merchant marine, on his way back from an oil delivery to Louisiana when the blizzard hit on February 18, 1952. According to his granddaughter Caroline West, Brown told a story of being asleep, and waking to a terrible sound. He ran to the deck, and saw crew members bailing water.

Another story Brown frequently repeated was of being unable to save his best friend, ship cook Tiny Myers. “He wanted my dad to take his wallet and the possessions in his pocket because he said ‘I won’t make it, I can’t make it down there to the rescue boat’ and my dad said ‘No, you’ll make it’ and he put his stuff back into his pocket,” said Tucci. But as Myers tried to descend the rope ladder he slipped, and was crushed between the rescue boat and the ship. Although he was already dead, Tucci said her father reached out to grab him, trying to pull him onto the boat, and the Coast Guard team had to force his hands away from Myers. 

Myers was one of nine to lose his life that day. The eight officers on the ship were killed when the ship split in two, and the crew had to watch them float away on the bow of the ship.

It was an experience that impacted the rest of Brown’s life, and a difficult thing for him to talk about, said Tucci. She said the rescue was a miracle that the crew did not anticipate. They had been shooting off flares and blowing a whistle with no response. “When they gave up all hope, all of a sudden they saw a little light in the dark in the distance, and it was a miracle to them,” she said. 

One thing Tucci hopes people get from the movie is how brave the Coast Guard crew was. “It was an extremely dangerous mission, but had it not been for them, my dad never would have come home.”

When Brown did make it home, he went immediately to the hospital where his son, Stephen, had been born the morning after the storm. Tucci said her father arrived in the same brown tweed clothing stained with blood that he’d had on when rescued. Her mother, she said, hadn’t known her father was shipwrecked until after the baby was born, and Brown had been saved.

Her father would never have dreamed that a book would be written about the experience, or a movie made. She herself found out about it when she overheard the story on Fox morning news. 

Having a book and movie written about the incident allows the family to understand some of what Brown went through, said granddaughter Jennifer White, who lives in Raymond. “It helps me to understand some of the struggles that he had as my grandfather,” she said. In 2014, White took a trip to Chatham in Cape Cod, where the wreck took place. “It was quite emotional to stand there and look out and to see where this all occurred,” White said. 

White and 33 family members gathered at Smitty’s in Windham to see the show on Saturday. It was a sold out show, so only 23 of the family members present were able to get tickets, but they all gathered afterwards in the function room at Pat’s pizza to talk and process the movie. 

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White felt that the movie took some creative liberties, not portraying events the same as they were written in the book, or things they had heard from her grandfather. It didn’t show some of the relationships between characters that they had heard about, particularly the relationship between Brown and Myers. That was likely, she said, a direct reflection of the fact that no one involved was able to speak directly to her grandfather, who passed away in 1997.

White also said she and her family were confused by a character called “Brown” who was portrayed very differently than the man they knew her grandfather to be. At the end, the credits showed that that character was actually a David Brown, who was no relation to Fred. 

Watching the rescue on the screen was amazing, White said. “You got a little bit of a feeling of what they went through,” she said. “It was an important story to tell.”

Tucci said the movie is important because there’s a lot on the screen these days that isn’t real. “It’s amazing to have a story like this on the big screen that is absolutely real and true to what actually happened,” she said. “It should have an impact on people because it’s true.”

One step forward, two back for Mallison Falls project

Plows take a break and save on budget in Raymond

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One step forward, two back for Mallison Falls project - By Walter Lunt

The lengthy process of gaining approvals for the conversion of an old Windham mill site into a 109 unit apartment complex has taken a tentative step forward. The Windham Town Council on Tuesday voted 5 – 1 (Muir; Gleason absent) in favor of a request for the town to apply for a Community Development Block Grant to upgrade utilities and other infrastructure for the project. The $320,000 grant, if approved by the county, would help fund new water, electrical, gas, stormwater controls and sewer lines, and improvements to the road intersection. Included in the request was an intent for the town to include an affordable housing TIF (tax increment financing) that would contribute toward both the redevelopment and for housing rehabilitation in South Windham. It was the TIF portion of the request that gave pause to most councilors, many of whom said they needed more information before going forward.
 

“I don’t want to be in a position where we move forward now and figure out the details (of the TIF) later,” said council chair Donna Chapman. She indicated support for the redevelopment, but added, “We’re not doing due diligence to the community by not knowing all the facts.”

Councilman Dennis Welch said he favored a workshop to work out all the details and the numbers of a TIF. 

Bob Gaudreau, owner of Hardypond Construction of Portland which is developing the site, said he agreed. “We need to meet with the council. Our numbers haven’t changed, and we’ll be there.” He said he views passage of the block grant proposal as “a positive step.”

Windham Economic Development head Tom Bartell said that without the TIF portion of the block grant request, “…the project is dead.”

Hardypond Construction of Portland proposed last spring to purchase and redevelop the largely unused 5.2 acre complex on the Presumpscot River into apartments for seniors and upwardly mobile Millennials. Under the plan, estimated to cost around $15 million, at least 30 percent of the units would be affordable, that is, dedicated for low and middle income individuals or families. 

Town officials say they intend to utilize tax increment financing (TIF) to support not only the redevelopment project, but other housing concerns, such as the deteriorating conditions in South Windham village. 

Bartell said that a TIF has advantages for both the town and the developer because the value of the property that is under improvement increases the valuation of the town proportionately – normally this would result in higher county taxes and lower state subsidies for schools and revenue sharing. Under a TIF however, the higher valuation is “sheltered,” and this money can be used to support the TIF project, as well as capital improvement in the town, in this case rehabilitation in South Windham village. Also, with a TIF in place, a developer has more leverage to secure loans related to its project.

 Although details have not yet been worked out, Bartell said that because the TIF would be tied to affordable housing, the funds must be used to address a local housing issue, so a portion of the sheltered money might be used to support the redevelopment project while the rest would be used to help correct blight and neglect in certain parts of South Windham village, which has long been a concern of residents, the town and elected officials.

Resident concerns over the redevelopment project have focused on the developer’s proposal to turn Mallison Falls Road into a one-way street. Sight distance is near zero for drivers exiting the mill site as well as for traffic traveling west down the steep hill. The road is a connector for commuters coming from and going to Gorham and other towns. As a result, traffic engineers for Hardypond will now suggest a 4-way stop at the intersection of the mill’s driveway and Mallison Falls Road, subject to approval by the Windham Town Council.

Two hurdles that have already been addressed successfully involved zoning and ground contamination around the site’s main building. Last July, in a unanimous show of support for redevelopment of the mill site, the Windham Town Council approved a contract zone for the project, allowing the developer to increase the number of units to be built from 74 to 109. In addition to increasing residential density, the council action reduced some setbacks and increased building height to accommodate two additional buildings that will be constructed near the old mill. The developer plans 45 units in the rehabilitated main building and 54 additional units in the two new multi-story buildings to be built. Ten units are also planned in two existing smaller buildings on the site. 

In early December Hardypond was awarded funds by the Greater Portland Council of Governments to correct ground contamination at the mill site, adjacent to the Presumpscot River. Toxic substances, including arsenic, had been detected in soils surrounding the main building, which has been used for industrial activity since the 1700s.The site has served as a saw mill, woolen mill, and housed a steel products firm and Rich Tool & Die. An environmental assessment of the grounds classified the contamination as minor, “typical of long-time industrial sites.” 

Frank Carr, business development director for Hardypond, said clean-up may begin as early as late spring, pending final approval of its site plan by the Windham Planning Board. 

Carr said his firm has applied for listing the main mill building on the National Register of Historic Places. The town’s pre-application for a community development block grant notes the proposed “new multi-family residential community (is located) at the heart of South Windham while preserving…an integral part of the town’s industrial heritage.” Carr also points out that placement on the National Registry allows for certain federal and state tax credits for his firm as the redevelopment project proceeds. Carr said his research on the site’s history revealed the spot as the site of Windham’s first saw mill and a landing for the “King’s tall pines,” that were floated down the Presumpscot  to be used for masts on British ships.

Carr said future plans call for an open complex. A kayak and canoe launch on the property would be gifted to the town. Historically, the location was known to the local natives as Nagwamqueeg, meaning canoe landing.

One tale related in Samuel Dole’s Windham in the Past, a preeminent source of Windham’s history, discusses the source of an early name for Mallison Falls. It seems the contractors employed to build the township’s first dam and saw mill were rewarded by their proprietors a barrel of beef, “which they pronounced to be of the finest quality, until one unlucky day, the cook produced the hoofs of a horse that were in the bottom of the barrel. The hoofs were put back, the barrel (sealed) and rolled over the falls, which were then and there named Horsebeef.” Horsebeef Falls. The name stuck until 1866 when it was re-named Mallison’s by a new company. Some local historians doubt the story, however Windham newcomers and local school children always seem to enjoy hearing it.

On the subject of name changes, all references to the Mallison Falls redevelopment project are referred to as the Robinson Mill Housing at Mallison Falls. Carr says the name is historical and refers to the owners of the mill when it was used to process wool.

Carr said the latest timetable for the project, pending further hurdles and approvals, is for construction to begin this summer, completion of the mill building (45 units) conversion by late fall, and the entire complex ready for occupancy by the winter of 2017. 

Bartell said a council workshop on the TIF district will probably be held within two to three weeks. And he urges residents interested in any or all aspects of the project to monitor the town website for future council meetings and public hearings.

Plows take a break and save on budgets - By Michelle Libby

In January, residents expect to see their town trucks with plows keeping the roads safe and clear, but this year the plow trucks aren’t as busy as in past years, saving money in the budget and wear and tear on the trucks. 
 

In Raymond, most of the plowing is contracted out to P&K Sand and Gravel. P&K plows 40 miles of Raymond’s 50 plus miles of road. 

The town has a $180,000 contract with P&K for winter plowing. Public works director Nathan White estimates that he spends $40,000 on winter sand, $60,000 on salt and $15,000 on over time and fuel most winters. 

“We’d be happy if it didn’t snow,” White said. With a cold winter, they’re not heating as much and it helps the whole public works budget. 

Although Raymond doesn’t break out its winter budget from the year long budget, the amount of supplies and money that will roll into other items is substantial. White estimates his budget on a winter like last year. When he plans for a harsh winter, and there is less ice and snow, he is able to have money to even out the heavy winters that have more overtime or higher fuel costs. 

“Fuel and overtime are the only wildcards. I have to budget every year for fuel,” he said. 

White runs a staff of four fulltime employees and two additional part-timers in the summer for grounds and maintenance. When it’s not snowing, the crew works on maintenance of buildings and equipment, especially summer equipment. They do some brush cutting and sign repairs. Although the vehicles at public works are relatively new, the small equipment needs constant repairs. “The town’s been very generous in the last year or two,” said White.  

The public works crew is also busy with sign maintenance. People keep stealing the town’s stop and street signs, he said. It cost approximately $100 each to replace the stolen stop signs. 

The challenges in public works are to “try to get done everything that everyone wants us to do with the small stuff to keep everybody happy and satisfied,” White said. “My guys do an outstanding job getting done what has to be done in a timely manner. We always have work.” 

The trend in public works is to contract out the plowing, said White. Twenty-five years ago, Raymond contracted out all of the plowing. In 1997, the town started plowing to keep the staff busy during the winter. They now plow parking lots and other town sites. RSU14 set the plowing of Jordan-Small Middle School and Raymond Elementary School out to bid recently. 

The community is very supportive of the work Raymond Public Works does. “They respect what we do and work with us. People in town are great to work with,” White said. “My whole staff appreciates the support from the town. I’m happy to serve the town.” 

Raymond is getting ready to pave roads with a paving bond that was approved by voters. The paving is subcontracted out with Raymond Public Works doing the ditching and culverts, according to White. For the last two years the town has been doing aggressive paving, he added. 

“There’s nothing good about winter as it relates to the roads,” White said, making the need for road work more pressing.

Raymond Fire Department readies new truck - Michelle Libby

LePage holds town hall meeting in Windham - Michelle Libby

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Raymond Fire Department readies new truck - By Michelle Libby

Raymond Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Bruce Tupper, is outfitting the first new fire truck in many years. The new truck is fresh off the assembly line with a design created in part by the people who will use the truck the most, Raymond fire fighters.
 

Tupper asked his staff to design a fire truck with all of the components they wanted to see and they came through with a design that is functional, safe and ready to handle any challenge that Raymond and the surrounding communities have for it. 

The new truck has a stainless steel body, which won’t have the same problems the aluminum ones do, like reacting with the road treatments in the winter and bubbling paint. 

 

The truck has “tons of room”. It was designed with efficiency in mind. The truck is taller, but shorter and much more maneuverable than the trucks already in use, according to Tupper.   

The truck carries compressed air foam and water is pushed out at 1,500 gallons per minute. The price difference between a 1,250 gallons per minute unit and this one was not much, Tupper said. 

The fire truck cost $424,999.99 out the door. Tupper was able to get some discounts through different group buys and a local bond to provide payment up front. 

When making a 20-year purchase, the department had to think about what they might need in the future. “The capabilities of this are great. It seats four, is comfortable, efficient and engineered for what we do,” Tupper said. “This is the working man’s truck. It’s not designed to be the parade piece.” It has a galvanized frame and rails and many of the additions to the truck were with Raymond in mind. A front suction means that filling the truck with water can be easier from any of the lakes and ponds in the town by driving straight in and not having to turn the truck sideways. Its size makes it better to fit down the many camp roads. The LED lights make everything safer in the long run, and all of the equipment is on the inside. 

With ladders and hoses inside the truck, the items take less of a beating by the elements saving money. The truck also has a back up camera and air bags. The technology this truck provides helps to keep the fire fighters safe while they do their job. 

Right now, the truck has many open spaces and compartments, but soon they will hold the equipment needed to fight fires, respond to accidents and keep Raymond and beyond safe. 

The crown on the new truck is the $1,800 chrome bell donated by Captain Cliff Small. 

“It’s tradition,” Tupper said. Small said he wanted to see a bell on the truck, so he made it happen. Tupper and all the fire fighters are grateful. The bell can be rung from inside the compartment creating the loud, clear sound reminiscent of fire trucks from the past. 

“It’s nice, pretty, tradition. It creates a lot of pride within the department,” Tupper added. 

The truck still has two more months of set up and transfer of equipment before it will be put into service, Tupper said. For now they are figuring out where to put equipment and mount it. 

In addition to the new truck, the Raymond Fire-Rescue Association is raising money to purchase new ice rescue equipment.