April 13, 1988
Gorham voters will decide in a June 14 referendum whether to drop from the town charter language adopted during a taxpayer revolt in 1979 that gave the Town Council veto control over the 13 cost centers in the school budget. The council unanimously voted to hold the referendum at a meeting last week after school department officials argued that the 13-line requirement does not correspond to accounting methods used by the state, and has created an accounting nightmare.
Bernard P. Rines, the Gorham resident who was instigator of the westward turnpike proposal, has drawn up an altered version of Route 6A that would have an elaborate interchange on Stroudwater Street, Westbrook, instead of the interchange proposed in the 6A plan for Rand Road, Portland. Route 6A has drawn strong opposition in Westbrook because it slices across the center of the city with a high-speed limited access highway. The Rines proposal seems likely to intensify that opposition because it continues the slice and adds the taking of much more land. Rines said he is attempting to move forward the discussions between the Gorham and Westbrook councils on a route for such a turnpike extension. Their first meeting was inconclusive, he said. He expects the Gorham council to meet to try to reach unanimity before a second Gorham-Westbrook meeting.
Scott Paper Co.’s S.D. Warren Division has given the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce and the city of Westbrook a new brochure to promote the city. Printed on Warren’s coated stock, the brochure has eight pages of full-color photographs and art work accompanied by a detailed report on the city and its advantages. The company has had nearly 30,000 copies printed. Member companies of the chamber of commerce will get 50 or more copies, according to their needs, and the city of Westbrook will be supplied with up to 15,000 copes.
Members of the Friends of Walker Memorial Library have a free hand in raising money for things connected with the new library addition, but the Westbrook City Counicl must approve of how those funds are spent, the city administration has ruled. The City Counil granted its approval for the first time this week with a final reading for $2,458 to buy a MacIntosh SE computer. Carolyn Watkins, library director, wrote to Marti Blair, the mayor’s administrative assistant, asking, “Do we have to go through the City Council for approval of the use of the funds we have received to date?” Blair’s answer was yes. About $5,000 was available in the gifts fund, said Watkins.
More than 75 people gathered on April 10 at Gorham’s School Street Methodist Church to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Gorham Cooperative Preschool. While a lot has changed during its 20 years, much has remained the same. The school is still a cooperative, run by and for parents and their preschool-aged children.
Easter Sunday 1988 for Philip and Constance LaViolet, 79 Chestnut St., Westbrook, was no different from the Easter Sundays for more than 30 years. They have been hiding eggs every year for their five children to find and now they are doing it for their grandchildren.
In tie votes, Westbrook aldermen refused last week to pay two claims against the city. Louis Lampron asked for $156.95 for damage to his rail fence at 34 Cardinal St. It was pushed over when a city snowplow winged back a snowbank along the street. Eric and Deborah Hoy, 8 Pioneer Road, asked for the return of $7.23 they had to pay as interest on a tax bill of $611.08. They said the city lost their first check.
April 15, 1998
Exit 8, at the Westbrook-Portland border, is solidifying its position as the new car Mecca of southern Maine and showing other signs of commercial growth, as well. Bill Dodge is paying $1 million just for the land to move his Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Infinity dealerships from Falmouth to Westbrook. Dodge has purchased about six acres of land along Saunders Way off the arterial from Wallace Camp Sr., owner of Rowe Ford. Dodge is planning to build three new showrooms, as well as a large used car lot. Already on the scene around Exit 8 are Buick, Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Isuzu, Geo, Lincoln, Mercury, Suzuki, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Kia, BMW, Pontiac, Saturn, Chrysler, Plymouth, Saab and GMC.
The Westbrook School Committee has voted to send home 20 students from Congin, Canal and Wescott Junior High schools who have not received their measles-mumps-rubella vaccinations as required by state law. Parents have until May 15 to either have the children vaccinated or apply to the state of an exemption. “We’ve been trying since last summer to get parents to comply,” said Superintendent Robert Hall. He said almost 300 students were not immunized as of Christmas vacation.
Sweetser Children’s Services has begun construction at 85 Pride St. in Westbrook of a “bridge home,” a facility for children whose families or foster parents are in an unstable situation. Under state law, no city permits are needed, and some neighbors are upset to have it suddenly appearing in their midst. The home will be a short-term (45-60 days) care facility housing up to six children at one time, none older than 12, according to Sweetser’s Jean Grigbsy. She said the home will allow children from the area to continue to attend school, participate in activities and see friends just as they normally do, until their family situations stabilize.
The Westbrook City Council approved on first reading Monday a commercial loading zone behind Amato’s Bakery, 855 Main St. Final approval could come April 27. The amendment creates a 22-foot wide, 32-foot long loading zone, which Jack Amato has been asking for. He has told the council that his business needs the space 24 hours a day for loading and unloading. The space, however, will not belong to him. It can be used by any vehicle with commercial or combination license plates that needs to load or unload in that area. “I still find this a difficult thing to support,” said Alderman John O’Hara. “I have commercial plates. I can park in that space and Mr. Amato can do nothing about it.”
Gorham’s R.J. Grondin & Sons has received highest safety honors from Associated General Contractors of America, a national organization with 32,000 member companies, for logging 500,000 work hours without a single injury serious enough to result in lost work time.
The Gorham Planning Board has scheduled a second site walk for Buttercup Acres, a proposed seven-lot subdivision off Dunlap and Plummer roads in Gorham, on April 16. Planners and neighbors toured the site Feb. 2 with Alexander Juniewicz of Woodland Development. At its meeting last week, the board turned down Woodland’s request for preliminary approval. Members of the board said concerns about flooding, wetlands disturbance and the potential contamination of wells were unresolved.
The beautiful old home at 795 Main St. was built in 1861 for the family of S.C. Clements. The Italianate style and floor plan is similar to the historic home of President Ulysses S. Grant in Galena Ill. In 1903, local undertaker Harry F. G. Hay purchased the house and moved his business from Main and Church streets to this location, along with his family. In later years, he decided to pursue other business interests and turned the house and business over to his son, John W. Hay. John Hay and his wife, Effie Knowlton Hay, operated the business for many years. She died in 2001 and her husband in 2003.The Hay family sold the home and business to Robert and James Blais. They merged the business into the Blais & Hay Funeral Home at 35 Church St. This photo shows the building when it was the Hay Funeral Home. The building was later resold to a local businessman who converted it into several business suites. It is now for sale. 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.
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