Thumbs up to Old Orchard Beach High School geometry teacher Don Blodgett for his efforts to make math more interesting by showing a real world application ”“ in snow. Blodgett’s honors class created snow sculptures last week using geometric shapes, of which they later calculated the surface area and volume. Math classes can often be abstract, leaving students wondering why they should care about the skills, but this activity showed them that geometry is not a theoretical discipline ”“ it’s a necessity not only in architecture, whether it’s snow or steel, but in many other spheres, as well.

Thumbs up to the City of Biddeford’s proposal to raise fees for burials in Woodlawn Cemetery, the city’s public cemetery. Because the fees have been lower than those of surrounding towns, nearly half the burials each year have accommodated non-residents, which is not the general intent of a city cemetery. By raising the fees, the city could discourage this and also take some of the burden off taxpayers, who are contributing $35,000 each year for maintenance of the burial ground.

Thumbs down to the Sanford Town Council’s decision not to use $250,000 from the town’s $7 million surplus account to offset a budget gap this year. Due to voters’ rejection of a pay-as-you-throw waste disposal system, the town is facing a shortfall of $700,000. Town Manager Mark Green has already found $450,000 worth of savings by cutting proposed paving projects and leaving positions vacant. It will be difficult to find more places to cut without impacting services or possibly cutting employees. Taking an emergency one-time withdrawal of $250K out of $7 million in savings is not a fiscally imprudent move. Conversely, refusing to do so will most likely result in an noticeable decrease in town services.

Thumbs up to the Biddeford City Council for its vote to petition the Legislature to amend state gambling laws on behalf of the Biddeford Downs racino project. We are not urging a “Yes” vote at the state level, but voters in the city endorsed the idea of a racino with about 60 percent in favor and councilors have an obligation to voters on both sides of the issue to make a formal expression of their opinions as well.

Thumbs up to the proposal to host a Central Maine Power smart meter transmitter at the Old Orchard Beach Ball Park, for which the town would be paid at least $250 each month. The transmitter needs to be up high, so hopefully, the town will be able to negotiate a better rate for the prime location on one of The Ballpark’s light poles. Town Manager Jack Turcotte should be commended for being forward thinking by bringing the issue to the council and pursuing negotiations.