WINDHAM – Peter Busque, vice chairman of the Windham Town Council and a well-known and often controversial businessman in the Lakes Region, was found dead Wednesday in the quarry he owned on Nash Road in Windham.
According to Windham Police Lt. David DeGruchy, Busque, 50, committed suicide at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The state medical examiner, Dr. Michael Feranc, said there were “no signs of physical trauma or criminality.”
DeGruchy said Busque’s body was found deep in the quarry and said it would be six to eight weeks before a toxicology report would be complete.
Court documents show Busque, who owned several quarries and other properties in the area, had recently experienced significant financial problems.
Scott Hayman, the council chairman who was elected along with Busque in November 2009, was reeling from the news Thursday morning.
“I’m still in a state of shock still trying to process what happened,” Hayman said. “Not only was he a colleague of mine on the council, he was a good friend. At this time, my thoughts and my prayers are going out to his family.”
Busque leaves a wife and several children, who attended his swearing-in ceremony when he was elected to the Town Council, as well as the post-election celebratory “Winds of Change” party Busque threw for the whole town. The party was attended by more than 1,000 people and was held at the quarry on Nash Road.
The family lives on Sabbady Point Road in North Windham, which is also where Busque’s business, Busque Construction, is based. Busque’s many large dump trucks often drove the roads around North Windham hauling from several pits he owned.
Busque, who also started a concrete delivery business in April of this year named Concrete Xpress, was an outspoken advocate for local business, recently proposing that businesses get airtime on Channel 7 TV.
“He was on the front lines of business, the wheels were always turning with Peter,” said friend Tom Noonan.
Noonan also said Busque had a heart for charitable giving, donating time and materials for the annual fishing derby on Sebago Lake that Noonan headed.
“Whatever we needed, he was always there,” Noonan said. “He never hesitated.”
Busque, a native of Greenville, owned several large tracts of land in Standish, Windham and Raymond. Before the economy faltered, Busque was in the process of developing subdivisions off Route 85 in Raymond and on Boundary Road in Standish. He also owned gravel pits in the area, including the Libby Pit on Route 35 near the intersection of Whites Bridge Road and his quarry at Nash Road, which has been a bone of contention with neighbors since he bought the site in 2005.
Noonan, a local Realtor who helped Busque with property acquisitions, said Busque had recently listed several properties.
Busque had several tax liens listed against properties he owns in Windham, according to county records. Also filed was a notice of lien of $37,444.20 for unpaid work done at the quarry.
In Standish, court records show Busque owed about $10,000 in tax liens that were filed Sept. 20.
Standish Town Manager Gordon Billington said Busque came for a meeting regarding the liens Wednesday morning. Billings said he didn’t note any signs of distress.
“He was here at town hall, amiable as always with the staff,” Billington said. “He was just his usual jovial self.”
Busque missed two consecutive Windham Town Council meetings recently, which he explained Tuesday night, saying he was dealing with “personal issues.” But Busque took part in the discussions Tuesday as usual, especially debate on forest management on the Lowell Preserve and subdivision sidewalks.
“He seemed to be his old self,” Councilor John MacKinnon noted. “He was joking about the sidewalks, for example.”
Councilor Peter Anania said of Busque, “I think Peter’s heart was always in the right place, he was always looking to do what was best for the town.”
Anania, who said he, too, is in a “state of shock and sorrow,” talked with Busque prior to Tuesday’s meeting. He said Busque told him he had had a “‘hard three weeks.’ He seemed a little different before the meeting, but was his old self during the meeting. He knew the issues and was involved.”
MacKinnon also noted that Busque’s recent battles regarding his Nash Road quarry tended to “overshadow all the good things he did for the community.”
“He was a strong athletics booster, was instrumental in bringing about the Lippman Park (next to Home Depot in North Windham) and saving that acreage for the town’s use, and most recently working to build the BMX track. He was always supportive of kids’ activities,” MacKinnon said.
Councilor Kevin Call, who posted comments on Busque’s Facebook page Thursday morning, said, “I have never met someone I was able to get to know so well so quickly. He had an incredible talent to make people feel incredibly at ease the moment they met him. He was so vibrant and passionate about everything.”
Town Manager Tony Plante, speaking for town staff, who dealt with Busque as a councilor and as a local business owner, said Thursday morning, “We’re all stunned. Many people who’ve worked with Peter over the years, to say they’re shocked and saddened sounds cliche?, but they are. Obviously we feel terrible for Peter’s family and extend our deepest condolences to them.”
Windham developer Peter Busque, shown
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