MSAD 15 final budget workshop

MSAD 15 has rolled out a new website, which contains in part the 2012-2013 proposed budget. It shows a total of $21 million, amounting to a budget difference of 2.72 percent over last year’s.

The final budget workshop will take place at the New Gloucester Meetinghouse, 389 Intervale Road, starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25. Public comment is welcome.

Nomination papers due soon

Nomination papers are currently available for board of selectmen and SAD 15 school board of directors. Petitions must have at least 25, and no more than 100, signatures of New Gloucester voters for certification and must be returned to the town office by Friday, April 27. There are two openings for selectmen and two openings for the school board, all for three-year terms. As of April 12, no candidates had been certified.

The town election will take place in conjunction with the primary on Tuesday, June 12, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Memorial School, 86 Intervale Road.

CROP Hunger Walk

Register now to walk or sponsor the annual CROP Hunger Walk to be held on Sunday, May 6. The walk is sponsored by the First Congregational Church of New Gloucester and starts at approximately 11 a.m. (after the worship service is over). One-quarter of the proceeds stocks the New Gloucester Food Pantry and the rest feeds our global neighbors through Church World Service.

The New Gloucester CROP Hunger Walk consists of a 6.2-mile loop from the church located at 19 Gloucester Hill Road, down Intervale Road to Woodman Road, to Meadow Lane, and back up Cobb’s Bridge Road. There will be a water and Popsicle break at Meadow Lane, where a driver could transport you back to the church, if you’ve had enough. Walkers can register at the church, or registrations and donations can be made online at www.cropwalkonline.org. For more information, call 926-3260.

Donate Life Month

State Rep. Ellie Espling (R-New Gloucester) has joined with Secretary of State Charles Summers in calling attention to the Donate Life campaign, which encourages Maine residents to register to become organ and tissue donors. “Organ donation has helped many individuals throughout our state to prolong their lives and greatly improve the quality of their lives,” said Rep. Espling. “Becoming an organ donor is simple but can have a far-reaching impact. One donor has the potential to help save up to eight lives and benefit up to 50 recipients.”

Gov. Paul LePage recently signed a proclamation identifying April as Donate Life Month in Maine. The proclamation notes that more than 113,000 Americans, with more than 4,500 in New England, are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

Maine has set a goal of signing up 50 percent of the driving population in its Donate Life Registry. Of all those who register, 99.8 percent do so at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. A person can become a registered donor by simply checking the “yes box” regarding donations when renewing or applying for a driver’s license or state identification card. Alternatively, online registrations can be done at www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/donatelife/.

“Maine has made it very easy to sign up,” said Rep. Espling. “Last year, the lives of over 240 New Englanders were saved because individuals registered as organ donors on their state driver’s license or online.” One such case hits close to home. New Gloucester resident George Carman, who had battled debilitating cystic fibrosis all of his life, was saved by a highly-successful double lung transplant in Feb. 2011.

Whipping up dairy products

Participate in family education programs at Pineland Farms to learn how to churn butter on Tuesday, May 1, or make ice cream on Thursday, May 3. Programs run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Smokehouse on the Valley Farm and cost $5 per person. Please arrive 15 minutes early to buy tickets at the Market and Welcome Center, 15 Farm View Drive and get to the Smokehouse in time. For more information or to register, contact Paula at 688-4800 ext. 15 or email pletiecq@pinelandfarms.org.

Ladies Day Marketplace

A Ladies Day Marketplace will be held Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church’s Parish House behind McDonald’s in Gray to benefit Open Gates Equine Rescue in New Gloucester. Purchase unique gifts for moms, grandmas, aunts, sisters, brides, special friends or just spoil yourself. Cookie Walk, papercrafting, demonstrations, Lindt Chocolatiers, local arts and crafts, Mary Kay and much more. Call 749-9028 or 926-6083 or email: lwalker7@maine.rr.com for more information.

Fourteen volunteers of the New Gloucester Public Library pose in the Leighton gazebo April 15. They were recognized for their vital contributions to library operations. Special mention was given to Claire Tisdale who is stepping down as a trustee after having served for 10 years at that post. 
At an annual volunteer recognition gathering April 15, a special tribute was paid to the late Peter Turner, who was a trustee of the New Gloucester Public Library for several years. In his honor, the library added three books to the collection, which were presented to the 12 members of his family in attendance.