Curtis Coming Back Better than Ever

January started out with a bang at Curtis Library — literally. After three weeks of freezing weather, a pipe leading to one of the library’s sprinklers froze and broke. The result was a cascade of water flowing down the walls and out of the ceiling in the library’s west entrance for 10 minutes until the pipe was shut down.

Thanks to the quick thinking and acting on the part of the library’s staff and the Brunswick Fire Department the damage was about as minimal as it could be in that situation. The library was emptied out in less than 5 minutes, books were moved away from the waterfall, and a quick thinking staff person even stuffed rags into the elevator door entrance so water couldn’t flow in there.

The result? We lost seven computers, three boxes of books, some carpeting, some pipes and insulation, and a lot of sheetrock and paint. Almost all of these items should be covered by insurance as best we can tell at this time. Several wonderful library supporters immediately wrote checks to help cover whatever expenses would not be covered by insurance. Their generosity and concern made a difficult situation much better.

On behalf of the Curtis Library Board of Directors, I wanted to say a heartfelt “thank you!” to our community, which has been so supportive of the library during the post- flood recovery. I also wanted to express my sincere appreciation to the Brunswick Fire Department, as well as the Topsham and Freeport fire departments, all of whom arrived to help. We are indeed fortunate to have such an amazing group of people working in our community.

The library will be in a state of “transition” for approximately the next 4-6 weeks as walls are rebuilt and painted. We will work hard to keep the disruption to a minimum and thank the community ahead of time for their patience. Curtis Library is already back to its normal hustle and bustle and when all is repaired, it will be better than ever!

Elisabeth Doucett,

Executive Director,

Curtis Memorial Library

Save the Pilings

A vacation back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, be it a day trip or a week stay in one of the grand sea side hotels, Casco Bay was the destination of choice. Before roads were built, before automobiles, steamers carried the romantics down the bay to hotels that were not accessible by any other means.

Sailing down Casco Bay on a steamer to visit Orr’s Island, Bailey’s Island or Popham Beach was very popular with the people of Southern Maine and those from away. The Popham Beach Steamboat Company serviced Bath, Popham Beach and Boothbay Harbor with the staunch and comfortable steamer “Eldorado.” A few hotels of this era remain today but not the one at Popham Beach. What remains at Popham Beach is the pilings of the pier that serviced the hotel. The pilings are now Motif #1 for the artists that visit the beach each year. The 120- year-old old pilings are a historical site that has prevented the beach from eroding in that area.

This historical site is now threatened by the people who can afford waterfront property on Popham Beach. Threatened by people who think our Motif #1 is ugly and that it should be removed. The historical pilings are not on waterfront property. They are state property, they are in the river, as they have been for over a hundred years. The permit to remove the pilings was obtained without the permission of the town fathers of Popham Beach, and without the consent or knowledge of the residents of Popham Beach. It was obtained without regard to anyone but the people who want the space for personal reasons.

The desecration of this historical public property must not be allowed, permit or no permit. It is an outrageous act of selfishness. If the residents facing the pilings do not like the view from their property, they should not have purchased the property. It is time for the lovers of Popham Beach to protect our beach’s historical site from the destruction. We need lots of help to save Motif #1.

T. L. Davis,

Bath