Windham company wins QVC Sprout contest - By Michelle Libby

Entrepreneur Shelly Afthim is not afraid of the word “no”. Perhaps that is why she has gone from cooking for her friends to selling her three varieties of meatballs to a national audience through QVC Sprouts program.

“I’m just not afraid of the word ‘no’. I have nothing to lose. If you want it you’ll find a way to make it happen,” she said. 

For two weeks, Afthim competed through a public vote to beat out two other companies for the honor of being the “best up-and-coming products from inventors and entrepreneurs,” according to a QVC Sprouts press release. Gourmet Passionista won with 2,500 votes, Afthim said. 

My friends and family in the community are generally happy for me. They’ve been behind me from the start. There were my taste testers and helped pick my logo,” she said. 

The biggest perk for her business is the relationship she now has with QVC. “QVC does $8.6 billion in business and has $1.6 million homes it reaches in the US. If you’re gonna do it, aim high,” she said. 

“I can’t even believe it’s my story. It’s a great story, but when it’s yours it doesn’t seem like it was that bad, but it was bad,” she said. Afthim spent time in the hospital with heart issues and chronic illness caused by Lyme disease and has spent a lot of time recovering from that. 

She also gives credit to her husband Phil for taking that initial leap contacting QVC. “He’s been there through sickness, physical, emotional strain and financial strain,” she said. She wouldn’t have done this without him, she added. 

Another first for Afthim and her one-woman company is that Gourmet Passionista was the first gourmet food company to compete in and be selected for the Sprouts Program. The other products that week were a bag designed for girls that had swappable panels on the outside and a tooth timer used to time how long a child is brushing his or her teeth. 

“It was a win. No one can take that away from me,” Afthim said.  No matter what happens, Afthim knows she started and finished her quest to be successful. “There are two ways of looking at it. You can see the bad or the good. It’s a teaching moment for (my children),” she said. The children are 13 and 11. 

Now, Afthim is licensed to sell the meatballs out of her home in Windham and has started testing the next flavor, a bacon cheddar southern-barbeque sauce meatball. “I’m growing the business on a small scale,” she said. 

Her long term goal is to bring manufacturing from Bangor to Windham. She’d like to hire five to 10 employees, “which will give me more control and provide jobs for the community,” she said. 

The Sprouts Program is very nurturing, Afthim said. She hopes that sales will be strong enough so that they can be sold on-air soon. 

The Meatball Lady as she is more often known as is looking to develop local markets to sell the products as well including restaurants and caterers.  

For more information about Afthim visit www.gourmetpassionista.com. To learn about QVC Sprouts, visit www.QVCSprouts.com.

Windham-Raymond Athletic Boosters searching for new ideas - By Michelle Libby

The Windham-Raymond Athletic Boosters is a large organization run by only a handful of volunteers. They raise money year round to support athletics in a way that is above and beyond what is in the athletic director’s budget through a car show in September, a craft fair in November, Summerfest, Relay for Life, Special Olympics and homecoming events. 
 

The more than 30-year-old club is in danger of losing some of its fundraising events for lack of participation from its several hundred members. 

Many of the people in charge, like president Dan McGowan, no longer have children who make up the 1,500 athletes in the RSU. “We need leadership. Some of us would like to step down and continue to help in other ways,” said McGowan. “We are looking for parents to step forward to run the boosters.”

 

Photo by Stephanie Coffiin

The group admits they are not looking for someone to walk in day one and volunteer to be president, but they would like someone to make some phone calls or join one of the committees. “Three people come to the car show meetings,” McGowan said.  

McGowan is not the only board member to have athletes who have graduated. Laura Begley the treasurer no longer has students in the school system. When asked why they stay, they said for the athletes.

“A lot of people still don’t know what the boosters do,” said secretary Elaine Hurzig. “Maybe they don’t realize all we do.” 

In many schools each sport has their own booster organization, but Windham is unique that all money raised is equally divided by all of the sports programs. At the beginning of each season, the Boosters give each coach a $500 enrichment check to spend on something for the team. That totals $12,500 each year, which is thousands more than the car show made last year. 

“A unified boosters in the way to go. A smaller program reaps the benefit of a group like this. They’re all paddling in the same direction,” said athletic director Rich Drummond. “There is a great model here. At this point the old blood is ready to go. They’ve served their time and served it well.”

“It’s for the kids. We have a great school We have top notch fields, nice snack shack and when people come they are in awe of what we have,” said McGowan. 

The boosters gave money for the bleachers at Saint Joseph’s College pool for the swim teams, cheering mats, scholarship expenses and trophies for senior athletes, athletic banquets three times a year, flowers for senior parents on senior nights and athletic cords for eligible senior student-athletes. 

“Over the years it’s been really big ticket items that I can’t budget for,” said Drummond. The athletic budget is $135,000, only two percent of the total RSU14 budget, according to Drummond. 

“Somebody’s paying for all that. It’s the boosters,” Hurzig said. “Sign up to volunteer to be a part of the solution.” 

“We’re looking for fresh minds,” said Nancy Graves. 

“One mom loves to work the cash register and writing on the white board. You laugh and joke. You raise money,” said concessions chair Wendy Pesce. She would like to see more volunteers so parents of athletes can watch their children play. “I missed my son’s only touchdown of the season because I was in the concession stand,” Pesce said.

There are 20 chairs in the Alumni board room at Windham High School. Hurzig said she has never seen all of the chairs filled, but she’d love to. The group meets the first Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. except in the summer. 

“Come to the meeting and voice concerns, see where we’re headed and where we want to be,” McGowan encouraged.

Maine Correctional Center building options explored - By Michelle Libby

Building a new prison facility in Windham is a baby step closer to becoming a reality as a feasibility study was conducted and options were discussed on Thursday, February 20, when administration from the Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC) and local elected officials gathered across from the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. The discussion centered around the possible plan to build a new prison on land owned by MDOC surrounding the existing facility.

Also in attendance were corrections officers and neighbors from High Street which would be impacted by some of the tentative locations for the new building. 

The way the land looks now.

“The plans are that Maine Department of Corrections will build a new prison using existing revenue and have money left over. They are here to prove to us it’s a good idea,” said Senator Gary Plummer, who is also a member of the criminal justice and public safety committee. 

SMRT Architecture Engineering Planning Interiors Energy with Pulitzer/Bogard & Associates, LLC, worked together to prepare an independent feasibility study. The four conclusions reached by the study were that: 1. There is a positive economic benefit to the State of Maine and the project is self-funded. 2. This project will enable MDOC to do “more with less.” 3. The alternative to this plan of action will be more costly. 4. This project positively realigns the system capacity. 

Option 1

Although this will affect Windham directly, MDOC is working to reduce costs across all of its facilities. It would close the Downeast Correctional Center, no longer rent the building housing the Southern Maine Women’s Re-entry Clinic and downsize Charleston Correctional Facility. 

Doing these changes avoids capital improvements that will have to be done in the new few years. According to Arthur Thompson from SMRT there will be a positive cost saving to the State of Maine of approximately $8.5 million per year. After 17 years the project would be completely paid off, he said. 

Option 2

Maine has the ninth highest per diem cost for prisons in the country. This project would lower that by 14.3 percent. There would also be increased safety for the public, staff and inmates and the reentry system using existing facilities would be enhanced, Thompson said. 

There would not be a large increase in the number of beds at the facility, but the types of beds would be different. There would be an increase from zero to 85 beds for assisted living inmates who are elderly.

“We can’t continue to put our fingers in the dyke for these facilities,” Thompson said. 

Option 3

When asked what would be the worst thing that could happen with this project, the public was told that doing nothing was the biggest issue. The State of Maine can’t really afford to keep the status quo.

It was also estimated that $118 million would be added to the local income. 

The three sites proposed include one being in front of the existing buildings, facing River Road, one on the opposite side of Mallison Falls Road near River Road and the final and least expensive option would close off High Street and have the prison straddle the road. 

“We need to maintain a facility while we build a facility,” said Thompson. Who said that they couldn’t build on the existing site for that reason. The plans shown were not site plans, but rough layouts to see if the proposed building size would fit on the land parcels. 

The second option would have the advantages of higher elevation and better soils. However, there was not as much buffering for existing residences. The third option has the highest position which helps with gravity sewer that is moved to the far side of the Presumpscot River. It would also make High Street a dead end. 

Representative Jane Pringle asked where the $8.5 million in savings would come from and she was told from increased staff efficiency. Although there will be 13 additional positions in the Windham facility. There will be less staff in the MDOC as a whole. The jobs would change to meet the needs of the new inmates including mental illness. The correctional center will house a whole range of custody levels all in medium security beds, said MDOC commissioner Joe Ponte.

“Many (inmates) come to us in crisis and need to be stabilized,” Thompson said. 

“This is a feasibility plan at this point,” said Ponte.

“There are still people who think this is a reformatory. We’ve grown up and people don’t know it,” said Frank Dube. The inmates housed at the correctional center range from sex offenders to murderers. 

The timeline for the project is approximately three years to completion after it goes through the legislature and the bidding process, said Ponte. 

Ponte called the plan a more efficient system. He also said that other new prison facilities have only had a positive impact on neighboring real estate. “It provides people with a sense of security,” he said.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Dube. 

“This is not a done deal. It will require a great deal of work with the Town of Windham. It’s still a big if,” said Plummer. “The community is a real priority. We will not do anything that will have a negative impact.” 

“It’s not as safe as it used to be (for corrections officers),” said Sergeant Gary Beaulieu. “We need to not deplete (the staff). We really want to see security and staffing. We’re in a 24-hour a day, seven days week business.” 

To read more about the project, visit www.maine.gov/corrections click on special projects tab.

WHS girls' basketball team runner-up in Western Maine Class A play - By Jim Beers - Photos by Stephanie Coffin

The Windham Eagles girls’ basketball team came up just short in their magical run in the 2014 playoffs, losing to top-ranked Catherine McAuley 50-28 in the western Maine final game at the Cumberland County Civic Center Saturday night. The valiant effort by the girls earned them some big respect among the Class A schools. 

Starting out ice cold from the field, the Eagles found themselves down 8-2 at the end of the first quarter. Catherine McAuley's swift rotating defense forced Windham into some bad passes and enabled the Lions to get out and fast break. Windham's Sadie Nelson picked up two fouls in the first period, sending her to the bench early. 

Heading into the second quarter, McAuley looked to go inside to Victoria Lux and Olivia Smith early and often. Lux missed a lot of her attempts, though she still had five of Catherine McAuley's nine early points.

For Windham, shots continued to go up, but were not finding the net, as evident by the 5-24 first half shooting. After Ayla Tartre made a free throw to put the Lions up 10-2, Windham's Katie Herzig breaks the drought and nails a jumper from the left side. The Eagles were getting a taste of their own medicine as McAuley limited Windham to one shot on the offensive end. Combine that with some costly turnovers, and Windham had dug a dangerous hole. The Eagles needed a spark offensively and Luisa Sbardella checked in to provide one. Hitting her first three shots, two of which were three pointers, Sbardella ignited the crowd and her teammates and got the Eagles to within six, 19-13 going into halftime. 

As the third quarter began, both teams still couldn't establish any rhythm offensively. Both squads looked to set the tone for the second half, and play was picking up in intensity. McAuley's Alexandra Clement scored 11 points on her own, helping the Lions to a 15-2 run to lead 34-15 at the end of the third quarter. Windham went completely cold in the quarter with their only bucket coming from Nelson at the 4:30 mark. 

Continuing to rack up the offensive rebounds, Catherine McAuley made it 38-15 on buckets by Lux and Clement to start the fourth. The Lions were quick to switch defensive assignments and made it difficult for Windham to get open on offensive. Grabbing a rare offensive rebound, the Eagle's Nelson scores and gets fouled. She converts the free throw to complete the 3-point play, down 38-18 with 6:28 to go. 

After another bucket by Nelson, this time off a length of the court pass by Sam Frost, play was abruptly halted due to an injury. 

Windham's Sbardella got picked above the key by McAuley's Smith, and fell to the floor in a heap. It was a clean, legal pick by Smith. Sbardella was down on the floor for nearly 30 minutes. Looking alert and talking, she was carried out on a stretcher amid great concern by her teammates and the capacity crowd. Still 5:34 to play in the game, both teams had to snap back into action. 

Scoring seven points in the final quarter, Catherine McAuley's Lux proved to be too much for the Eagles down the stretch. Windham still couldn't break through and find the openings it needed to make a run. The Lady Eagles finished their impressive season at 14-8, and as Western Maine Class A runner-ups. Sbardella led Windham with eight points, while Nelson added seven. 

McAuley was led by Clement, who finished with 23 points. Lux chipped in with 14 as the Lions improve to 20-1, and advance to the Class A State Championship game.

Photos by Stephanie Coffin. 

Derby's largest fish ever takes the prize - By Elizabeth Richards

It was a record-breaking weekend at the Sebago Lakes Rotary Club’s 14^th Sebago Lake Ice Fishing Derby. Steve Lothrop of Lewiston pulled in the largest fish ever caught in the history of the derby. His lake trout measured 39 3/8 inches and weighed in at 22.42 pounds.

The enormous trout claimed the first prize in the togue category, which landed Lothrop a 2013 Polaris Sportsman ATV. Second prize, a $500 gift card to Kittery Trading Post, went to Joe Murphy Sr. for his 4.76 pound togue. In third, with a 4.48 pound catch, was Kenneth Corbin, who took home a $200 gift card to Kittery Trading Post.

 

Gifts cards to Kittery Trading Post were also awarded for the big three fish in the pickerel and perch categories, in the amounts of $500, $200 and $100.

Benjamin Carlin took first with a 3.48 pound pickerel. Samantha Labreck came in second with a 2.75 pound catch, and Colin Hudson came in a very close third place with a 2.72 pound fish.

In the perch category, first prize winner was Rob Martin, weighing in at 1.66 pounds. Second place, with a 1.48 pound fish, went to Gunner Harriman. Chris Harriman took third in the perch category with a 1.4 pound catch. 

There were no pike weighed in at the derby, and therefore no prizes awarded in that category.

A wide range of additional prizes was awarded, both for fish pool entries, as well as for the 30 days of derby early registration. The big fish pool winner, taking home a 2013 Polaris Sportsman ATV, was Rob Ritter. He won after catching a 0.18 pound perch. The awards ceremony was held at the Windham Veteran’s Center on Sunday evening.

    Toby Pennels, event organizer, said it was a good Derby year for the Sebago Lake Rotary Club.  While final numbers are not yet available, there were close to 1,400 entries in this year's event.  Pennels expressed many thanks to all participants, and the dozens of sponsors who made the derby possible.  Having a record derby fish was just the icing on the cake, said Pennels.

The weekend was packed with fun, from helicopter rides to a Polar Dip, and snowmobile speed trials Sunday morning. One highlight of the weekend, said Dyer, was a very special moment for one couple. Jon Brideau got down on one knee on the ice and proposed to Jessica Aponte. She said yes.