Local Landmark for Sale

At least six commercial properties are for sale on numbered highways in Gray. You could take them all home if you had a little more than $4 million in your pocket.

One of those properties is a local landmark, The Busy Bee Restaurant and Cabins. It’s been closed for almost a year but many locals still mourn the baked beans and famous “Beehive” breakfast.

Many visitors to Cumberland Fair used to stay in the “motor cabins” there. The property hasn’t changed much. In fact, except for the trees that have been allowed to grow between the cabins and the road, the property is virtually unchanged.

Susan Chase is the owner and also the Realtor listing the property. She said she is actively exploring the prospect of converting the property into a women’s shelter that could offer vocational training in the restaurant, but in the meantime the property is on the market.

The asking price for the 7.53 acre Busy Bee property is $593,000, which includes the restaurant, nine cabins, and a three-unit apartment building. A 3.53 acre portion of the property is undeveloped and could be sold separately. The property is commercially zoned and is near the Cumberland town line, which is in the process of creating business-friendly zoning on Route 100 towards Gray.

Just to put it in perspective, a Wal-Mart can use as little as 6 acres to build a store – now that would really make me lose my appetite.

Need Help with Medicare Part D?

It’s time for seniors to take another look at their Medicare Part D plans. The enrollment period starts Nov. 15. Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging volunteer Philip Ohman of Gray, wants to help you through the process. He will be at the Gray Public Library on Thursday afternoons from Nov. 15 until the end of the year.

It could be someone’s first time through it, but “everybody who has a plan right now should take a look,” he says, because medical needs may have changed.

Ohman will sit with applicants at the computer keyboard and guide them through the process, inputting information on drugs, frequency and dosage.

“Depending on the situation, it only takes an hour, occasionally two,” he said. The goal, he said, is to reduce the cost of prescription drugs to the premium, eliminating all or most out-of-pocket expenses for drugs. Ohman had high praise for the agency on aging and the work it is doing on behalf of seniors.

The assistance will be offered in the reference room of the library on Thursday afternoons from 1-3 p.m. For more information and/or to assure timely assistance, call Ohman at 657-5446 for an appointment.

ATV and Snowmobile Online Re-registrations

You can re-register your ATV and snowmobile online at www.graymaine.org. Simply click on the link on the home page. This will take you to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife online form.

You will have to wait one week for processing and the department will send your official registration through the mail. ATV and snowmobile registrations are valid from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. ATV renewals submitted before May 1 will expire June 30 of the current year; renewals submitted after May 1 will expire June 30 of the following year. New registrations must be done at the town office or the fish and wildlife department’s main office in Augusta. Registration is $34 for residents and $69 for non-residents. Before you click, have at the ready your registered owner information, vehicle information and credit/debit card (MasterCard, Visa or Discover).

Free Skiing for Fifth-Graders

If you have a fifth-grader, they’re eligible for the WinterKids Passport. The program allows students to ski for free in the state of Maine at many venues including Pineland Farms, Mt. Abram, Sunday River and many more. Sign up online at www.winterkids.org.

It Wasn’t $50,000

Thank you to Matti Gurney, a planner and GIS systems analyst for Greater Portland Council of Governments, for clarifying information about the funding for a proposed commuter bus service. Gray’s contribution would be $5,000. The $50,000 figure reported is actually the combined contribution from all towns participating in the project. Those funds will be matched by Job Access and Reverse Commute and the Community Development Block Grant funding will be used for free or reduced fares for low- to moderate-income riders, and possibly for signs and bus shelters.

Gurney also advised that while the council of governments will invite stakeholders to participate in the Exit 63 study it is conducting for the Maine Turnpike Authority, any citizens who wish to participate are invited to join the advisory committee. In fact, the council hopes many citizens will participate. You can find more information about both projects online at www.gpcog.org.

SMCC is coming to Gray

In an outreach effort to the local communities Southern Maine Community College will be offering two general education classes next semester to be held at Gray-New Gloucester High School. Students can register online now for the following classes beginning Jan. 14: HTY-112 World History, Wednesday 6-8:45 p.m. and SOC-100 Intro to Sociology, Tuesday 6-8:45 p.m.

Please call the office at 657-2620 for additional details.