Taking the final step in a long project - By Michelle Libby

Students in Sabrina Nickerson’s fifth grade class raised $450 to help purchase markers for GAR soldiers after fundraising since September.  According to one historian, the GAR was a similar organization to the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars, but for Civil War veteran. The GAR was discontinued in 1956. 

On Tuesday, the class walked to Arlington Cemetery across the street from their school to replace the rusted GAR markers with new markers that were made in Maine at Auburn Stove in New Gloucester, which poured the bronze and Ken Murch of Falmouth Road did the finish work. The markers were designed by Brian Brigham.

“I’m glad you took part in this project. I’m proud of you,” said American Legion Commander Mel Greenier to Nickerson’s class. “I salute all of you.” 

There were 23 children in the class and 23 graves that received new markers. Each student was responsible for taking down all the information on one grave to bring back to class to research on the Maine Memory Network, a database website with historical information. 

“It was one of the best educational experiences I have ever had with students – a great day!” said Sabrina Nickerson. “I will always remember the looks on their faces, and how they really seemed to listen and appreciate what these men did for their country. I thank them for their cooperation, their hard work, and the reverence they showed by honoring these soldiers with a GAR marker today.”

In attendance to assist the students were Greenier, Vice-Commander Karle Leonard and Peter Morgan, who did most of the research locating the soldiers’ graves. David Manchester, a relative of Civil War Veteran Joseph K. Manchester, was also there for support. 

“All of them were heroes. They fought to preserve the union and make our country more unified,” said Morgan to the students. 

More markers will be placed at Knight Cemetery over Memorial Day weekend by the 3^rd Maine Civil War encampment group.

Milfoil in our waters - a presence that can't be ignored - By Michelle Libby

Milfoil is an invasive species of weed that grows in the water and if left untreated chokes and kills the lake it inhabits. 
 

Raymond Waterways Protective Association (RWPA), a volunteer, non-profit group, is doing its best to stem the spread of milfoil in Raymond. 

In 2000, Maine began to see the spread of milfoil in its lakes and waterways. RWPA, which was once only concerned with the water quality in the region, changed its focus to eradicating the weed. In 2002, the State of Maine began requiring the milfoil sticker to raise money to help with the control of the weed. Approximately $1 million goes into the fund, but according to Ben Severn, vice president of RWPA, RWPA is one of the 26 associations who receive money from this fun, but what they did see was around $6,000, which isn’t enough to do a complete job. Lack of money is hurting the efforts to pull milfoil from lakes like Sebago. RWPA relies heavily on donations from owners of waterfront properties, but still needs more to continue pulling and checking for regrowth. 

 

In 2009, the Maine Milfoil Initiative gave RWPA $13,000 and said they would give them an additional $10,000 in the next three to four years. 

The first allotment of money went to purchasing the supplies needed to get started with a diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) boat. Port Harbor Marine donated the boat and the motor and work began clearing milfoil in the Jordan River. 

“We were a bit naive about how much effort and amount of funds you need,” said Severn. “Everybody owns it and nobody owns it.”

Diane and Gary Potvin of Turtle Cove have donated money for RWPA to remove the milfoil in front of their property as well as the rest of the cove. 

“It’s never how much milfoil you pull. What’s important is for the individual land owners, that they can see there’s less milfoil. 

To run a DASH boat, RWPA has to hire at least one diver, but two would be better, a captain, someone on the boat to manage the way the weed comes up and then someone in the water looking for fragments, usually in another smaller boat. It costs between $600 to $1,200 a day to run a DASH boat including MEMIC costs and insurance, said Severn.  

“We now have been struggling,” said Severn. “Jordan River is like a road we have. Instead of potholes and ruts, we have milfoil.” 

RWPA knows that they have made some mistakes in their milfoil collection, but Severn said they have learned from their mistakes and “we are prepared to employ what the Lake Environmental Association (LEA) is very successful at. We’re ready to go.” They are going to use the LEA approach for the whole season this summer, which involves the sucking up of plants, then going back a few weeks later and collecting what was missed. It is recommended that the work is checked three times through the summer.

Milfoil is a business. From Citizen Boat Inspectors (CBI) to DASH boats and someone to organize the work, Severn said that RWPA has hired Jeff Stern to be the program manager for those two aspects of RWPAs mission. 

RWPA would like lake associations to take greater ownership of the lake and put money into the efforts to tame milfoil. RWPA also would like to see an increase of $5 on each milfoil sticker with the money going directly to control the milfoil. 

“It’s a political game, a bit,” said Severn. “We did have an amazing quasi victory this legislative session thanks to Diane Potvin and Mike McClellan spear heading the push to get the State to provide more funding. But, even if we get a significant increase in State via DEP funding for each of the lake associations battling milfoil, there still will be the need to get the private and municipal public sectors stepping up their contributions if we are to be successful in our fight to control milfoil and protect the quality of our recreational and economic environment along what I call the North Windham-Raymond-Casco Sebago Lake 302 corridor.”

Severn estimates that it will take five years to say they have milfoil under control. “We can’t say we have eliminated it. We’re going to have milfoil always,” he said. 

So far Panther Pond, Crescent Lake, Raymond Pond and Thomas Pond do not have milfoil and with proper inspections and maintenance, they will remain free from invasive species. 

For more information on RWPA, visit www.raymondwaterways.org or to donate, use Paypal or send checks made out to RWPA to PO Box 1243, Raymond, Maine 04071.

Raymond Shopping Center and other projects draw positive attention to the town - By Michelle Libby

One of the buzz words around Raymond recently is revitalization. Raymond, through various methods, is undergoing a change in physical appearance and in mindset. Starting with the sprucing up of the Raymond Shopping Center by K.P. Gagnon Company and the construction of new buildings like the one that houses Premier Properties, and the creation of the Raymond Revitalization Committee, Raymond is growing and looking for more people and businesses to see the opportunity in the community and move there. They are actively courting businesses to make Raymond a place locals and vacationers can do all of their business without leaving town. 

“We want to keep the momentum going,” said Kevin Gagnon, owner of the Raymond Shopping Center and lifetime resident of Raymond. “Chipman did a wonderful job,” Gagnon said about the new Chipman Farm building on Route 302. He also pointed out the building owned by Mike Meyer that houses Raymond Florist and Premier Properties all help to add to the new feel of Raymond. 

“We’re starting to brand the town,” said Nick Hardy. “The town as the home of the landlocked salmon is no longer going to cut it.” 

“We really are four season,” said Gagnon. He has looked to find a variety of businesses to go into his properties to make Raymond a destination for shopping. “The mix is so important. The businesses have to feed off one another,” he added. 

Gagnon wanted to thank the Town of Raymond for being so supportive as the reconstruction was taking place. He didn’t ask for tax benefits and worked with the code enforcement officer to benefit everyone. “I wanted no free passes,” Gagnon said. Raymond is becoming pro-business and committed to maintaining the quality of life for its residents. 

Raymond is still in need of a few businesses like a pizza shop, a bank, and perhaps a mini-Kittery trading post, Gagnon mused. “We want people to go there, meet a need, and have an inviting place to shop.”

“We want to tailor the growth and protect the quality of life. We have a really good town government and I’m comfortable and confident in the direction we’re going,” he said.

“It means we’re moving forward when we formed the Raymond Revitalization Committee,” said selectman Sam Gifford. 

“We want to increase residential and commercial development to give the town a better tax base,” said Wayne Holmquist, a member of the Raymond Revitalization Committee. “We surveyed the town to see what people wanted and they said more place to shop and be serviced.”

One of the newest projects is to repurpose the Chipco Building on Route 302 using a $25,188 grant. The building would become a manufacturing incubator. Utilizing the students from USM ventures program, the Town of Raymond and others will help develop business ideas and technology to take plans from concept to reality with the hope that the businesses would grow up and find their own location within Raymond, said Danielle Loring who works in the assessing department for the town. The building would house many different tools from a 3-D printer to a lathe. “We would develop and incubate Raymond as a new home,” said Loring. 

The sidewalk system within Raymond also is helping the development. From the library to the beach and the stores, people can walk around Raymond safely. 

The comprehensive town plan for Raymond expires this year, so the town officials will start looking at where additional development and rezoning might happen. Gagnon mentioned that he still has one 6,000 square foot and one 2,000 square foot business to rent.  

 
“If we can meet the needs in Raymond, it’s a homerun for everybody,” said Gagnon. 

Village Green approved by planning board - by Elizabeth Richards

The Windham Historical Society is one step closer to their goal of creating the Village Green living history park after obtaining Planning Board approval for the project on Monday evening. 
 

Twenty members and supporters of the historical society attended the meeting, and applauded the unanimous vote to approve the plan. The decision comes after several years of negotiations, said Linda Griffin, president of the historical society. One of the challenges was to obtain a right of way from RSU14 so that the entrance to the park could come off Windham Center Road rather than busy Route 202. 

Engineer Jon Whitten of Teradign Engineering has led the historical society through the process, which is similar to planning a subdivision, said Griffin. He presented the final plan at the meeting, complete with a large color map. 

Now that the plan has approval, the hard work of fundraising for the project begins in earnest. “Everything is going to cost money,” Griffin said. “As soon as we can raise funds we’ll move buildings on and put them on foundations and do sidewalks and do parking lots.” How long that will take is unknown at this point. The project will be expensive, said Griffin, and the goals include building an addition onto the meeting house eventually. 

Griffin said the historical society hopes that the townspeople will get involved and participate in their upcoming activities, which include a large plant sale at Windham High School on Memorial Day weekend, as well as a civil war encampment that same weekend. That encampment will give people a chance to see where Village Green will be, said Griffin. A full slate of activities is planned with programs every hour on life as a soldier during the Civil War.

Griffin said the Village Green will be a smaller scale Sturbridge Village or Willowbrook, offering great opportunities for the local school children to learn history. “We’re hoping we are going to put Windham on the map, and we’ll put the center back in Windham again,” she said. 

The Village Green will be on Windham Center Road, which was Main Street many years ago. It will be recreated to depict Windham in the late 1800s, just after the Civil War, said Griffin.

Saint Joseph's 101st Commencement celebrates the achievements of 564 graduates

On Saturday, May 10, Saint Joseph’s College held its 101st Commencement, from its Standish campus on the shores of Sebago Lake. This year, the College recognized the accomplishments of 564 graduates: 202 from its on-campus programs and 362 from its online programs.
 

Special guests included Bishop Robert P. Deeley, the 12th bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, and three honorary degree recipients — Peter Geiger, the editor of Farmers’ Almanac and the executive vice president of Geiger, Inc.; Maureen McCullough, JD, the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic regional director of Catholic Relief Services; and Dr. Ann Lemire, the medical director of the India Street Clinic for the Health and Human Services Division of Public Health for the city of Portland. Peter Geiger was the Commencement speaker.

Dr. Ann Lemire and Maureen McCullough, JD were presented with honorary Doctor of Public Service degrees. Peter Geiger received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

At the opening of the ceremony, Saint Joseph’s president, Dr. James Dlugos, recalled the College’s humble beginnings, when, in 1912, students of Saint Joseph’s Academy asked Sister Xaveria Toohey to prepare them to become teachers, “a request that led to the founding of our wonderful institution,” said Dlugos.

Geiger continued, encouraging the Class of 2014, if they hadn’t already done so, to volunteer. “It’s a powerful experience,” Geiger said. “I have volunteered all my life…. As graduates of Saint Joseph’s College, you have the skills to live a full life and the foundation to exhibit compassion for others.”

The Class valedictorian, Shannon Chisholm, gave an emotional address to her fellow graduates: “It is both a joyful and sad day for a lot of us. We have finally attained our ultimate goal, but we must also say goodbye to the place that has been our home for the last four years and the people who have become our family. After today, we will all part ways and chase after new dreams and new goals. Our paths in life will lead us all in different directions. But no matter where life takes us, Saint Joseph’s will be the place that keeps us connected. It is where we discovered ourselves, and it is the place our paths will branch out from.”