Nov. 18, 1987

A leftover load of wet concrete was dumped into Westbrook’s Spring Street sewer, though no one knew about it until a TV camera towed through the sewer to inspect the condition showed the solidified concrete. It is 21 feet down, at a point in the sewer near Union Street where the sewer runs underneath a vault built by the Portland Water District for a set of valves in its water mains. The city isn’t doing anything about it right now, but it will have to get to the repair job, said Donald Mannett, director of engineering services. He guesses there’s about a cubic yard of concrete, not blocking it but impeding the flow.

Gorham Town Manager Donald Gerrish was honored by the Maine Association of Town and City Managers with its Linc Stackpole Award as Town Manager of the Year. Gerrish, 37, was quick to point out that his job is made easier by a good staff. “I take pride in bringing good people in to work in town government. I think there’s an openness in our operation here, a willingness to listen to people.” Winning the award at this time in his life carried a particular poignancy for him. He was originally scheduled to receive it in August, but his wife had died the day before after a long battle with cancer, and the presentation was rescheduled for October.

As of yesterday, a month and a half after it happened, there still had been no arrests and no one charged in the murder of 25-year-old Alice Hawkes, found dead in the Spring Street, Westbrook, apartment she shared with her boyfriend. The investigation is being overseen by the Attorney General’s office with help from the Maine State Police and Westbrook police. Asked about the case yesterday, Westbrook Detective Peter Murray said, “No comment.”

A proposed development that lies entirely within the Narragansett Wildlife Sanctuary in Gorham may displace a deer wintering area, some neighbors to the project and a local wildlife biologist say. Paul Gore and Joseph Esposito have proposed a nine-lot subdivision on 38.2 acres within the preserve, beyond existing development at Shirley Lane and Newton Drive. “Hemlock Ridge” would develop 18 of the 38 acres. Gore and Esposito plan to add six acres to the project’s abutters and retain two lots for themselves. Since only 18 acres are being developed at this time, the project will not require scrutiny by the Department of Environmental Protection, which considers impacts on wildlife habitat for subdivisions 20 acres or larger. John Lortie, a wildlife biologist, has written a letter noting that parts of the Gore-Esposito project show evidence of past deer grazing.

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Nov. 19, 1997

Big changes in downtown Westbrook are suggested in ads to be place by the city, looking for a company to plan them. The City Council has voted to spend up to $25,000 for the planning. They ask for plans for parking, traffic flow, river parks, public signs, private signs, sidewalks, lighting, use of vacant buildings, building faces and “an identity for the downtown area.” The suggestions were developed by James Bennett, the mayor’s administrative assistant, and Jeff Manter, city economic development specialist, who presented them to the Downtown Revitalization Task Force on Wednesday.

R.J. Grondin & Sons wants to open up an old quarry at the foot of Brandy Brook Hill on Route 25 in Gorham that produced rock and gravel for construction of the Maine Turnpike 40 years ago. Phil Grondin said Monday that the quarry could be in operation for 20-30 years and is also an ideal location if and when a bypass through Gorham is constructed. Grondin plans a 30-acre quarry operation on a 72-acre site, with a rock crusher and 5-6 acres of stockpiled stone and gravel. If approved by the Planning Board, the quarry would be the third one operating in Gorham and the second operated by Grondin.

Aldermen have a lot of inside information and therefore Westbrook ought to protect itself against the possibility that all of them would be defeated for re-election at the same time, John O’Hara said Monday. O’Hara is the only member of the present City Council who will be on the next one. He was unopposed in the Nov. 4 voting. He said he would be campaigning to switch Westbrook to staggered terms for its aldermen. Each would serve three years. As practiced in other communities, that would mean an election every year, three aldermen one year, two each of the next two years. Mayor Kenneth Lefebvre said he disagrees. He said the present system has worked well for 100 years and still does. He said it’s a healthy thing for the city to take stock of itself with an all-at-the-same-time election every two years as it does.

American National Power, which plans to construct a gas-powered electricity-producing plant off Route 25 in Gorham on land held by Regional Waste System, has started its permitting process. Project director Guy Marchmont said that the company expects to file its permit applications to the Department of Environmental Protection by January. The firm also submitted a request to Central Maine Power Co. for transmission service. CMP is expected to have a transmission system study done to “decide the impact on the current system,” Marchmont said. Shortly afterward, American National Power will file an application for site plan approval by the Gorham Planning Board.

The Westbrook High School Sock ‘N Buskin Society will perform Woody Allen’s comedy, “Don’t Drink the Water,” this weekend at the school. The cast includes Nicholas Buzzell, Anna Schwartz, Seth Dube, Marja Murawski, Dustin Gervais, James Bryant, Nick Clough, Ryan Campbell, Joseph Lack, Rudolph DiPietro, Libby Lord, Sara Gelston, Joseph Hanson, Hilary Stanley, Rachel LeBlanc and Seth Morgan. Robert Fish is directing.

In 1909, Dr. Felix Barrett established a hospital at 537 Main St. to serve Westbrook and the surrounding area. It was for many years known as the Barrett Hospital before becoming the Westbrook Hospital. As Westbrook and the surrounding areas grew it became evident that this hospital was too small to adequately serve the increasing needs for medical services, and a group of volunteers organized a committee and fundraiser to build a new hospital. The photo shows the Westbrook Community Hospital on Park Road that was built in 1962. Several years ago Mercy Hospital of Portland purchased the hospital and renovated it. It now serves as Westbrook Mercy Primary Care. To see more historical photos and artifacts, visit the Westbrook Historical Society at the Fred C. Wescott Building, 426 Bridge St. Inquiries can be emailed to westhistorical@myfairpoint.net. The website is www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org.    The Westbrook American reported on Nov. 14, 1962, that Lucille Moore of School Street in Gorham would entertain the Cosmopolitan Club.Sgt. Doreen Bartlett returned home to West Buxton on a three-day furlough from her duties at Fort Devens, Mass.50 years ago