July 27, 1988

The Westbrook City Council got no fight from the School Committee Monday as it passed a new city budget with $100,000 less for the schools than the school department wanted. However, Superintendent Edward Connolly said he doesn’t know where the schools will get the money if the committee settles with the teachers for more money than is in the budget. Contract talks with the teachers union have gone to mediation. The budget covers only what the committee was offering when mediation began. The City Council voted to appropriate $23,149,431 for the city and school spending in the year that began July 1. That’s up $1.9 million, or 8.7 percent, over last year’s spending.

In addition to his duties as mayor of Westbrook, Philip Spiller is officially the commander in chief of the police department. The title is honorary, but it’s one he doesn’t take lightly. Police Chief Ronald Allanach knows what an asset Spiller is to the force; that’s why he recommended Spiller for a certificate of recognition for his “personal involvement in providing suspect descriptions to police and for his support of the crime watch program.” Spiller, 66, and four others were honored at a ceremony last week at Portland City Hall. In March 1987, Spiller noticed a man run out of the Maine National Bank in the Bradlees parking lot, and hop into a car. Spiller’s leg was in a cast at the time. Later, as he and his wife were leaving the shopping center, Spiller said he saw the blue flash of police lights and decided to investigate. He called Allanach and gave him a description of the man he saw. The man was later caught after trying to rob an Auburn bank – thanks to Spiller’s description that he gave to Westbrook police.

Terrence McCullough of Westbrook was a lucky winner in the July 16 Tri-State Megabucks drawing, picking 5 out of the 6 winning numbers to win $1,000.

The best question about the western turnpike spur proposal at Thursday’s Gorham Town Council workshop came from Councilor John Emerson, who asked, “Is the funding there? If the funding isn’t, it’s a tempest in a teapot.” The best answer was an optimistic “maybe” from Town Manager Donald Gerrish, who said he had asked Transportation Commissioner Dana Connors that question. After many other questions were raised, Gerrish said the only person who could answer them was Connors, and said he was sure Connors would come to a local meeting. Gerrish agreed to set one up with Gorham, Portland, Westbrook and Standish.

Geraldine Levesque, 17, leaves for home in France this week after a 30-day stay at the Westbrook home of Robert Blais and family. She is one of 60 French students who stayed in various homes in Maine and New Hampshire in a student travel program.

Gorham residents who have returned home after travels include Alfred Clarke, Willow Circle, who visited his daughter and family in Burlington, Conn.; Jim and Dotty Dame Burnham, Gray Road, who were in Las Vegas for a business convention connected with his work.

July 29, 1998

The Westbrook City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted 5-0 Monday to recommend that the mayor, City Council, city clerk and School Committee serve three-year, staggered terms. It would be a radical change in city government. For 90 years, voters have picked a full team of city officers every two years. The change would prevent any future repeat of the 1997 election, when voters put new people in every council seat except one, where the incumbent had no opponent. The School Committee is elected now for staggered four-year terms. Charter changes are sent to voters by vote of the municipal officers. This one, probably the most radical ever brought forward, will come up for action in the meeting in City Hall Monday. Mayor Don Esty may be opposed. A public hearing on each charger change must be held before Sept. 7 if they are to be on the November ballot.

The Westbrook School Committee gave first approval this week for the Westbrook High School Marching Band to go to Orlando, Fla., Dec. 27, 1999-Jan. 2, 2000, to take part in the Florida Citrus Sports Music Festival. The Citrus Bowl football game is part of the action. The band was invited back on the basis of its 1995-96 performance at the Citrus Bowl.

St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Westbrook was packed Sunday for a memorial service for the pastor, the Rev. John Dougher, 61, who died last week after open heart surgery in a Portland hospital. He had been St. Mary’s pastor since July 1, 1991, and was described as “a very popular priest.”

Purchase orders given first reading approval by the Westbrook School Committee Wednesday call for spending $204,723 for additional computer equipment. The order calls for financing $150,000 of the total by a lease-purchase agreement at an interest rate of 5.26 but floating. One purchase is for Wescott Junior High School, for 12 printers, 37 monitors and 38 speakers. Other purchases include 25 Apple computers and various installation equipment.

Adelbert Lombard, Solomon Road, Gorham, is selling a mile-long corridor of land to Gorham Trails, to be used as a tail connecting the Gorham High School area to Lombard Estates and Weeks Road. Gorham Trails will pay $9,000 for the land. The width of the corridor ranges from 15 to 60 feet and it totals about 10 acres.

Ed Benson, owner and operator of Kay-Ben dairy farm, Plummer Road, Gorham, has purchased an option to buy 30 acres of abutting property to build a five-lot subdivision to be known as Simmons Meadow. The option is being purchased from Woodland Development Corp., owned by Al Juniewicz, Westbrook. Juniewicz has proposed in February a nine-lot subdivision on the same property to be known as Buttercup Acres. Benson opposed Buttercup, concerned that the smell from his dairy farm and compost pile and noise from his working gravel pits would lead to problems with new neighbors. The houses he proposed for Simmons Meadow are nearly identical to those for Buttercup acres, but he proposed four fewer homes. The Buttercup proposal was awaiting Planning Board approval.

50 years ago

The Westbrook American reported on July 24, 1963, that Scoutmaster George Stiles of West Gorham would accompany 19 boys from Scout Troop 73, who would be spending a week at Camp Hinds in Raymond.

Blanche Barnes of West Buxton was to spend the weekend visiting a couple in Solon.

Dr. Albert D’Arche, a well-known physician occupied this house at 782 Main St., at the corner of Spring Street, for many years. The house was eventually purchased by the Chevron Oil Co. and demolished to make was for a service station. The business eventually became a Humphrey Farms Store. C.N. Brown purchased the business and opened a Big Apple Store. The old building was demolished several years ago and a new Big Apple Store was built on the site. 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.