Sharing Resources

Board members from the Little Sebago Lake Association met with town representatives Jan. 16 to explore ways to share resources in regards to water quality issues within the boundaries of Gray and Windham.

Councilors Kaile Warren and Donna Chapmen from Windham and Deborah Mancini, Council chair from Gray were among those attending. The meeting, which lasted about two hours, was informative and productive with many thoughts shared by all involved.

Little Sebago Lake Association needs support from both towns to help with milfoil mitigation on Little Sebago. Milfoil is a highly aggressive aquatic plant that can form dense mats, which congest waterways and crowd out native aquatic plants. Thick growth can impair recreational uses of waterways including boating, swimming, and fishing. In the last two years Gray has awarded $22,000 Windham, $25,000 to the association.

The Windham Town Council had expressed the desire to see something concrete from money awarded. With that objective in mind, items like creating a suction dredge to be used on other lakes and ponds within the town, plus hiring a grant writer who will be shared by both towns to procure more funds to assist with these projects were discussed. Information gathered will be researched further and it is hoped that a new spirit of cooperation between the towns will be an end result of this meeting.

Soccer Club Holds Annual Meeting

Election results from the annual board meeting of the Patriot Soccer Club held Tuesday, Jan. 8 at Newbegin Hall:

• Bruce Sawyer, president

• Jay Andrews, vice president

• Sharon Giggey, treasurer

• Jim Moreau, director of coaching/player development

• Steve Langlais, director of communications

• Lori Hayman, club administrator

• Dana Giggey, uniform & equipment manager

• Tina Payne, volunteer coordinator

• Penney Ward, registrar/risk manager

• Tony Ward, tournament director

• Kristin Andrews, Tina Martell, Mike Kane and James Carter, directors at large

The Patriot Soccer Club fields boys and girls teams, our program competes in the U-9 through U-14 divisions is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization whose mission is to create competitive soccer programs for the youth of Gray and New Gloucester. Contact the Patriot Soccer Club at P.O. Box 120 Gray, ME 04039 or visit www.patriotsoccerclub.org.

Nominees wanted

Ecomaine, a municipally owned and operated recycling and waste disposal operation, is soliciting nominees for its annual eco- Excellence Awards, which are given in recognition of recycling efforts. Names of nominees must be received at ecomaine by Friday, Feb 1 along with a brief description of the nominee’s efforts on behalf of recycling.

The awards are open to individuals or groups living or working in any of the 30 communities served by ecomaine. Entry forms can be found online at www.ecomaine.org., or by phoning 773-1738. Ecomaine would like to present an award to each eligible community. All the award recipients will be invited to a luncheon given in their honor in Portland on March 18.

Past winners have included a high school ecology club that initiated a school-wide recycling awareness program, a volunteer recycling coordinator who organizes and operates the local transfer station swap shop, a local newspaper columnist who has written articles about recycling, a volunteer who puts in extra effort to participate in recycling events, and two elementary school teachers who incorporated recycling into their curriculum.

Of this year’s award recipients, one will also be named grand winner and will receive an Adirondack chair made with recycled plastic “wood.” A compilation of all entries will be available to the public in print and on www.ecomaine.org

Supper at the Church

A public supper featuring beans, casseroles, homemade breads and desserts will be served starting at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 at the First Congregational Church Parish House, Brown Street in Gray. Dinner costs $7 for adult and $3 for kids under 12. The church is handicapped accessible. For more information call 657-4279 or day of supper 657-3279.

Gray Library News

Newly arrived release at the Gray Public Library on Hancock Street is Stephen King’s “Duma Key.” The novel is the story of an injured man (probably echoing some of the author’s own experiences) on the mend when things start going very wrong on Duma Key. King’s fans should be excited. Library hours are 9 a.m. -8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Thursday; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday. Visit the library at www.gray.lib.me.us.

Potvin Honored

Gary L. Potvin, owner of Pine Tree Food Equipment on Route 100, was named 2007 Business Person of the Year at the Gray – New Gloucester Business Association annual banquet, meeting and fundraiser at Spring Meadow Banquet Center in Gray Jan. 19.

Potvin started his business in 1989, and now has 15 employees. Potvin is a long time supporter of Gray’s Little League, the Gray – New Gloucester Lions Club, Opportunity Farms and Fiddleheads Center for the Arts. His business utilizes a many businesses in Gray and New Gloucester because Potvin feels that good service and giving back to the community is very important.

Many association members attended the banquet, and after a social hour, enjoyed a buffet of beef, chicken potpie and haddock with a variety of side orders, salads and spice cake for dessert. A short annual meeting was held where financial business was discussed, officers and board members were elected and Allan Bartlett of Bartlett Glass LLC, who was re-elected president, spoke about the 10 Great Reasons to be a association member.

Some reasons benefit the member businesses, i.e. networking and member discounts while others benefit the community such as our annual Gray- New Gloucester High School Student Scholarships.

Comedienne Karen Morgan rounded out the evening with her mixture of Maine and southern humor and her “You must be a Mama if…” truthful and funny phrases.

Inside Gray