Thumbs up to the Sanford Town Council for making it clear that they acknowledge text messages as public information. By voting to add the term “electronic transmissions” to the council Code of Conduct, council members show that they respect the Freedom of Access statute and know that the town’s business should be done in public, regardless of what new techno-wizardry comes into use.

Thumbs up to Biddeford Community Development Director Linda Waters and residents of the South Street/Green Street area of downtown who are getting plans together to improve the neighborhood. The revitalization and pride-instilling efforts put forth on Bacon Street have made a difference. A similar project will help this area of town, which has struggled, as evidenced by the murder of the Greene brothers earlier this year.

Thumbs down to Most Holy Trinity’s decision to boot the Saco Head Start program from its rented facility at the church. Because the program, which helps economically disadvantaged prescshoolers get a jump on their education, must have special facilities by law, it cannot afford to move. This will cause several of the children to be removed from the program, which may cause them to have more struggles with their education. Though the church has been supportive in helping Head Start find a new location, it would have been more helpful of the Diocese to find a different location for the church offices, which don’t require a specially-designed space. The move will also cost the church revenue, as Head Start was paying rent.

Thumbs up to the plowing crews and first responders who do their respective jobs to keep the roads safe and help those who run into trouble driving in snowstorms. We’ve certainly had our share so far of snow and slick roads and it’s nice to know we can depend on prompt road clearing ”“ and help if we end up needing it.

Thumbs up to Smitty’s Cinema of Sanford and several of the local veterans groups that have come together to provide a send-off to members of the 1136th Transportation Unit of the Maine Army National Guard, which will soon ship off to Afghanistan. Hopefully, the community will show their support of our service members by donating to this event, which will give local military families a chance to enjoy an activity together before the deployment.

Thumbs up to the Saco Planning Board for finally deciding that the application for a proposed CVS Pharmacy downtown is incomplete due to a lack of review of the nearby buildings, which date to the 1800s. Before the buildings are demolished to make way for new development, it is only prudent to investigate their significance to the town.

Thumbs up to the local volunteers who have offered their services to weatherize homes, thereby saving on heating costs for low income residents. Their work is making a real difference for those who can ill afford to watch their expensive heat go out the windows, outlets and doors.

— Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.