Breez note

There are slight schedule changes to the Metro Breez starting Aug. 28, including an additional afternoon trip weekdays. Check gpmetrobus.net for the latest schedule.

Service award nominations sought

Freeport Community Services is now accepting nominations for the Carol Kaplan Memorial Community Service Award. The award is named after the longtime general services director for the town of Freeport. It is given annually by Freeport Community Services to an individual who embodies the mission of FCS, and who has had a positive impact on client services and/or the organization. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 9.

Past recipients include: 2001 Edgar Leighton, 2002 Bob Melargno, 2003 Marie Forbus and Sally Amory, 2004 Johanna Hanselman, 2005 no recipient, 2006 Peter Warren, 2007 Jan Newlin, 2008 Judy Miskell, 2009 Fran Stevens, 2010 Daric Ebert, 2011 Kate and Jonas Werner, 2012 Carol Southall, 2013 Stephen Cogswell, 2014 Marjorie Perkins and Joan Plourde, 2015 Judy Higbea (posthumous).

Nomination forms are available at the Freeport Community Center at 53 Depot St., or on the website, www.fcsmaine.org. Nominations can be submitted by email to Kim Hudak at khudak@fcsmaine.org, mailed to Freeport Community Services at P.O. 119, Freeport, ME 04032, or submitted in person at the offices.

Freeport lawyers selected for honor

Berman & Simmons, the Portland law firm, has announced that six of its attorneys have been selected for the Best Lawyers in America 2017 directory. Three of the lawyers live in Freeport, including Benjamin Gideon for civil rights law, medical malpractice, personal injury and product liability; Daniel Kagan for medical malpractice, personal injury and product liability; and Steven Silin for medical malpractice and personal injury.

In addition, Gideon was named a Maine Lawyer of the Year for product liability litigation for plaintiffs. Silin has been recognized by Best Lawyers each year for more than 20 years.

Sewer district awarded dividend

Municipal officials announced that the Freeport Sewer District has received a $763 dividend check from the Maine Municipal Association as a result of its good loss experience and loss-prevention programs.

The Maine Municipal Association offers three self-funded pools for municipal and quasi-public entities in Maine. The programs are overseen by governing boards of elected and appointed municipal officials. Each year the boards review the programs’ loss experience to determine if dividends may be paid. Patricia Kablitz, director of risk Mmanagement services for MMA, said more than 78 percent of program participants received a dividend this year for their good risk-management practices and loss experience.

Sustainability panel seeking members

The newly named Freeport Sustainability Committee needs residents to show an interest in membership by early September. The Town Council renamed the Recycling & Solid Waste Committee the Sustainability Committee in July. The Sustainability Committee will have a broader reach than the Recycling & Solid Waste Committee. In addition to recycling and solid waste issues, the committee will deal with energy consumption and production, transportation and Co2 production.

Josh Olins, chairman, said that only two or three former Recycling & Solid Waste Committee members are returning. The new committee needs seven members. The old committee had five members.

The Town Council Appointments Committee will appoint committee members on the second week of September.

The Appointments Committee also is seeking to fill vacancies on the Shellfish Conservation Commission and the Coastal Waters Commission. Application forms are available at the Town Office and can be downloaded from the town website.

Final concert at Winslow Park

The last of the summer Thursday Evening Concerts Series at Winslow Park features the eclectic mix of music of Greybeard, at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 25. The cost is $2 for Freeport residents, $3 for non-residents; and free for campers and season pass holders. For more information on the park, see www.freeportmaine.com.

New chamber benefit includes golf ball drop

The Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Great Freeport 9-Hole Scramble Tournament and Golf Ball Drop, a new fundraiser, on Sept. 9. The event aims to support the chamber’s Budding Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund and future member programming.

The tournament will begin at 1 p.m., and the golf ball drop at 5, at Freeport Country Club, 2 Old County Road. A helicopter will pick up pre-numbered golf balls and drop them onto a target at the golf course. The closest ball to the target wins $2,500 and there will be a maximum of 1,500 balls sold. Tickets are $10 each and golf ball numbers will be assigned randomly prior to the drop. You do not need to be present to win.

A barbecue provided by Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. will be available to the public for an additional fee starting at 4 p.m. The event is family friendly so all are welcome to come to watch the drop or enjoy the barbecue.

To register as a golfer, sponsor, buy a chance or get more information, contact the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce at 847-5240 or visit www.freeportmainechamber.com.

Church reunions

On Sunday, Aug. 28, retired Rev. Anne Roundy will return to the First Parish Church Congregational, 40 Main St. in Freeport, for a visit. Pianist David Ernst will be visiting on Aug. 28. Services are at 10 a.m., with coffee hour afterward.

Free camping next month

Two weeks of free camping for Freeport residents will be offered at Winslow Park, from Sept. 10-24. Winslow Park and Campground offers 100 campsites and wooded trails with views of the harbor and Casco Bay; rental picnic shelters for reunions, company picnics, weddings, etc.; picnic tables, grills and a tidal beach; a boat launch for anything from trailered boats to canoes and kayaks; and a Thursday summer concert series with local bands. For more information, call 865-4198 or see www.FreeportMaine.com.

Raffle items include American Girl doll

The Freeport Elders Association is selling raffle tickets to support its bus fund. The winning tickets will be drawn on Dec. 9.

Items include an 18-inch American Girl Doll with bed and 10 outfits, with tickets $2 or three for $5; queen-size handmade quilt, lobster-trap coffee table, $100 gift certificate to Hannaford, $100 gift certificate Walmart and a fox family latchhook rug. Those tickets are $1 or six for $5.

All tickets are available at Freeport Elders Association at the community center, 53 Depot St.

College Guild sets presentation

A presentation by Brunswick-based College Guild, the nation’s only provider of free correspondence courses and dictionaries to more than 6,500 prisoners across the country, will be held Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m., at the Freeport Community Library.

College Guild’s special guest is Woody Hanstein, a lawyer for 35 years. He lives in Farmington, where he also teaches classes at the University of Maine at Farmington. He is the author of six published mysteries and a number of short stories, but he says his writing career would never have gotten off the ground were it not for the College Guild’s Julie Zimmerman, who managed a small publishing company in one of her earlier lives. During that time, Zimmerman was approached by a prisoner whose work she published. That led to her focusing the business on prisoner issues and literature, which then led to the formation of College Guild in 2001.

At the program, prisoner students’ poetry, artwork and testimonials also will be shared.

Grange hosting dinner Saturday

Harraseeket Grange, 13 Elm St. in Freeport, is hosting its monthly public, all-you-can-eat bean supper, Saturday, Aug. 27, from 5-6 p.m., at the Grange hall. The menu includes three kinds of home-baked beans, hot dogs, biscuits, brown bread, potato salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, homemade pies and beverages. The cost is $9, or $6 for children 12 and under. For more Information, call 865-3363.

Wolfe’s Neck Farm secures USDA grant

Wolfe’s Neck Farm Foundation Inc. has been awarded a three-year grant totaling $573,256 to support expansion of its Organic Dairy Farmer Training Program to other farms throughout the region.This grant is coming from the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The Organic Dairy Farmer Training Program launched in 2015 with major support from New Hampshire-based Stonyfield, the leading organic yogurt producer. The program is a two-year residential apprenticeship based at the Freeport nonprofit farm. Wolfe’s Neck Farm aims to revitalize and strengthen the organic dairy industry in Maine and New England while ushering in the next generation of organic dairy farmers. The training program is offered in partnership with Wisconsin-based Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, the first accredited farming apprenticeship in the nation.

The farm has four apprentices enrolled in the program and is accepting applications to fill four additional apprenticeships within the next year, bringing the total to eight. For additional information, see www.wolfesneckfarm.org/dairy.

Nomination papers now available

Nomination papers are now available at the Freeport Town Clerk’s Office for residents interested in seeking the municipal offices in the town. Nomination papers are due back to the no later than 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Council seats up for re-election include a three-year councilor-at-large post; a three-year District 1 seat and a one-year District 3 seat. There are two three-year seats on the Regional School Unit 5 board, two three-year seats on the Sewer District and one three-year seat on the Water District.

For more information, call Freeport Town Clerk Christine Wolfe at 865-4743, Ext. 123, or email cwolfe@freeportmaine.com

Online services available

Online services available at www.freeportmaine.com include re-registrations for car, ATV, trailer and snowmobile; hunting and fishing licenses and dog licenses; and viewing of municipal meetings on demand. Credit cards are now accepted at Town Hall but there is a 2.5 percent user fee on all credit card transactions ($1 minimum).

Upcoming meetings

Ordinance Committee, Thursday, Aug. 25, 6:30 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

Freeport Board of Appeals, Monday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m., Town Council Chambers.

South Freeport road construction information meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 6 p.m. Town Council Chambers.

A full listing of upcoming town meetings and agendas is available at www.freeportmaine.com.

Benjamin Gideon

Daniel Kagan

Steven Silin