Feb. 24, 1993

George Goggins’ $6,232 raise for adding the Forestry Department to his duties as Westbrook’s public services director survived a City Council reconsideration Monday. Final action, however, will come March 1. Aldermen Paul LeConte and Don Richards voted against the raise in Finance Committee. LeConte said he wanted the raise reconsidered because it seemed to be an arbitrary amount. The raise seemed excessive to several citizens who called him, he said, especially since the city is hiring Wesley McKague, former Forestry Department head, as a consultant. He also said the city should be investing in training someone for the work McKague will do as a consultant. Council President Kenneth Lefebvre said merging the departments saves the city $38,000.

A treacherously icy place on Central Street’s hill on Feb. 16 sent a Westbrook Public Works Department front-end loader skidding backward into pedestrian Shirley Lavoie, and caused both Police Chief Ronald Allanach and Public Works worker Elwin Cole to slip and fall. Lavoie and Allanach were unhurt. Cole suffered severe bruises. Allanach said he hit the ground with a thud that several people heard.

Laurence and Florence Partridge, North Gorham Road, celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary Feb. 8 with a quiet dinner out. On Feb. 11, Florence had a birthday, with family dropping in for cake and ice cream.

Advertisement: C.N. Brown Heating Oil. 68.9 cents. Low cash price. 10 days to pay with approved credit. K-1 is available.

Robert Frazier’s offer to trim up stumps in Robie Park is getting a cool response from Gorham Town Manager Paul Weston. “I don’t want Mr. Frazier out with a chainsaw in Robie Park. This is a never-ending saga. It is actually getting almost humorous,” he said. Last week, a criminal case against Frazier, charged with stealing a tree from Robie Park, was dismissed in court. Judge Leigh Saufley ruled that the prosecutor failed to prove any intent by Frazier to deprive the town of anything of value. Frazier said the action was part of a public service project in which he supervised a group of high school seniors during Senior Service Week. He said only dead trees were cut. Weston said Frazier did the work without permission.

Looking towards Main Street from Bridge Street around 1920, the large building on the left is the back of the Westbrook Hammock Factory that was located in the rear of the J.W.Morris Grist Mill. The mill was located on Main Street opposite Central Street. In 1932 a fire severely damaged the building and it was later demolished. The three-story building in center of the photo was the Odd Fellows Hall across Main Street (later home of the Brooks Theater and American Legion Post #197.) The building on the right is the Armory Apartments located at 901 Main St. In later years the municipal parking lot and a gas station occupied this site. Urban renewal acquired the property and built the Bridge Street Spur and Saccarappa Park. The spur was replaced by the new bridge connecting Bridge Street to Main Street. A portion of  Saccarappa Park still remains.