Editor’s Note: The following is the first of two articles highlighting some of the top news stories from 2012. This article highlights January to June. Next week, the Houlton Pioneer Times will feature July through December.
It was another year to remember in southern Aroostook County. Budgets dominated talks in many communities as the local and national economies continued to struggle. Still, people persevered and a number of positive human interest stories drew local headlines.
January
• While state law permitted the use of fireworks starting Jan. 1, shooting them off within Houlton’s town limits is not thanks to a new ordinance adopted by the town council. By a unanimous vote, councilors approved revisions to the town’s ordinance that make it illegal to light fireworks in the town, but there are a few exceptions to that rule. The council received no public comments on the matter.
• Houlton Regional Hospital welcomed its first baby of the year. Lauren Elizabeth Sylvester, the daughter of Kirby Sides of Sherman and Matt Sylvester of Hodgdon. Lauren weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 18 inches in length.
• Houlton Police Officer Stephen Nason has officially become the department’s first Community Resource Officer (CRO). Officer Nason had been with the department for six years and been the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer for the past four years.
• Could anything be done to boost revenues at the John Millar Arena? That was the question weighing on the minds of Houlton Town Councilors as the group conducted a special workshop on the Civic Center to discuss ideas and get a review of the building’s expenses and revenues for the past year. The building costs taxpayers nearly $100,000 every year.
• High school students who were interested in learning more about careers in law enforcement had an opportunity to do so at the Region Two School of Applied Technology. The course was open to mostly juniors and seniors and was designed as a two-year course, with students receiving about 700 hours of training. Fort Kent and Caribou also offer law enforcement programs.
• Tiffany Karnes was named the new Houlton Southside School principal. She replaced Jason Tarr who resigned in December, 2011. Karnes was in the middle of her first year as the Wellington Elementary School principal. Cindy Peterson was named as Karnes’ replacement at Wellington.
• The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians celebrated another step in their long struggle to have surrounding governments recognize their inherent sovereignty with the seating of Maliseet citizen David Slagger of Kenduskeag as the first Maliseet Tribal Representative to serve in the Maine House of Representatives.
• Two non-profit groups in the town of Littleton were able to work on renovation projects thanks to the generous donation of a South Portland man. According to Littleton Town Manager Courtney Toby, the town received a $10,000 gift from Marshall “Jack” Gibson, president and CEO of Gibson Realty. Gibson ran a private road paving business from 1945 until 2004 and his company paved many roads in Littleton over the years.
• The Houlton Town Council approved a 2012 municipal budget in the amount of $9,045,947. Only one member of the public attended the budget session, which lasted about one hour and 40 minutes. The 2012 budget represented a decrease of $60,364 over last year’s spending, but the tax rate still rose 1 mill thanks to increases in the SAD 29 budget.
• Plans to erect a new sign welcoming motorists exiting Interstate 95 took another step to fruition when the Houlton Town Council entered into a 20-year lease agreement for the property where the sign was to be located, next to the Sears store.
• Island Falls had a new town manager to guide the municipality following the hiring of Dave Dionne of Presque Isle. Dionne replaced Joseph Clark, who served as town manager for about a year before resigning at the end of December.
• First Wind’s plans to erect 50 wind turbines in Oakfield passed another hurdle when the Department of Environmental Protection gave its approval to the project. Situated approximately 2.5 miles from the center of Oakfield, the project will consist of 50 3.0-megawatt turbines, standing 450 feet high that have the capacity to produce enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 48,000 homes. Some of the windmills will be visible from Interstate 95.
February
• Paul and Jody Miller Hovda and their children, Catherine and Donovan were the guests of honor at the Littleton Baptist Church. The Hovdas left for Serbia, a country located at the crossroads of central and southern Europe. They are affiliated with Church Resource Ministries based in Anaheim, Calif. and act as a resource for existing churches by lending support in a variety of ways.
• Paula Young Lee, formerly of Houlton, finished her first novel “How to be a Homeless Frenchman,” which proves to be comical and enlightening. Lee’s father was minister of the Houlton Methodist Church for six years. She attended Houlton Elementary School before heading off to boarding school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. for high school.
• A new $1 million, six-unit family apartment complex located on tribal land was unveiled by the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians during a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured several distinguished guests.
• Making the leap from junior high to senior high can be a daunting challenge for some students. To help ease this transition Houlton High School has created a new mentoring program. Its purpose is simple. The mentoring program’s goal is to increase personalization, a sense of belonging and assist with positive transition to high school, according to program coordinator Dee Butler, who also serves as the school’s Jobs for Maine Grads instructor.
March
• State Police were investigating a robbery at the Katahdin Trust Bank in Island Falls. No weapon was shown and only two tellers were in the building at the time, police said. The robber, who was dressed from head to toe in black, demanded money and made off with an undisclosed amount in a blue bag that he had brought with him. Two Hancock County men were later arrested in connection with the robbery.
• Whether it was building bridges, running a major wood products corporation, or starting his own construction company in Houlton, Peter Chase has always been a hands-on type of person. The Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce lauded Chase for his accomplishments when he received the organization’s highest honor — the Lifetime Achievement Award during a gala event. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual(s) for a lifetime of constant community contributions. It’s about the actions, achievements and contributions of the person(s) that evoke admiration and respect throughout the community and beyond.
• Three solo acts — Brandon Clark, Bailey McNally and Nathen Cyr — and one performing group (Brittani Suitter and Cassidy Nason) received a coveted “golden ticket” at the Houlton Community Arts Center during the 2012 Northern Star singing competition and advanced to the show’s finale. The event is a fundraiser for the United Way of Aroostook.
• Houlton was looking for a new town manager following the surprise resignation of Town Manager Doug Hazlett. He served as Houlton’s town manager for the past seven years. He left to take a position with MMG Insurance in Presque Isle.
• After more than a year of raising funds, Houlton Regional Hospital was the proud owner of state-of-the-art digital mammography equipment. The hospital unveiled its new technology when it invited those who donated to the cause to come see the new digital mammography equipment and patient room.
• Tony Bowers of Island Falls was sworn in as the new potentate for the Anah Temple Shriners, which covers an area from Fort Kent to Lincolnville and Skowhegan. Bowers was initiated with a ceremony in Bangor that was attended by more than 300 people. As potentate, Bowers was responsible for managing all aspects of the Anah Temple.
• Disposing of personal trash remained a free service to residents of Littleton following the town’s annual meeting. By a vote of 38 “yes” and 44 “no,” residents shot down a proposal that would have created a pay-per-bag system for disposing of garbage at the town’s solid waste facility. Before the vote, Board Chairman Bob Bartlett stated if the measure failed, selectmen would likely drop the issue for the foreseeable future.
• Oakfield’s town meeting was all business-as-usual, but voters may have made local history at the polls when voters chose Taylor Locke, an 18-year-old high school student, to fill one of two vacancies on the town’s board of selectmen. Locke, who won the office with 50 votes, beat four other candidates including incumbent Dennis Small and came in second to incumbent Willis Green, who received 69 votes. Both Locke and Green were elected to three-year terms on the board.
• It was the end of yet another era for the town of Littleton. After 24 years, Rae Johnston stepped down from the town’s board of selectman at the end of her term. Her final duties as selectman were during the town’s annual meeting. Johnston joins Jerry Miller, Ray Wotton, Ken Eleiott and Arnold Bartlett as selectman who retired from service at the 24-year mark.
• Jane Torres was named the new executive director for the Greater Houlton Area Chamber of Commerce. Torres replaced Lori Weston, who departed from the Chamber in September, 2011 to take a similar post as the economic and community development director for the town of Houlton. She had served as the Chamber’s executive director for five years.
• Electrical wiring issues were believed to be the cause of a barn fire in Sherman that destroyed a farm, killing about 200 pigs. According to Sherman Fire Chief Todd Hayes, Sam Sides, owner of Sides Family Farm on the Sleeper Road, reported the fire. At the time of his call, Sides was inside the barn trying to rescue some of his animals, Hayes said.
April
• The overall health and well-being of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI) will hopefully receive a much-needed boost following the unveiling of a new $2.5 million health center on tribal lands. More than 100 Tribal Elders, Wabanki leaders, state and federal officials and invited guests took part in the ceremony. A moment of prayer was followed by recognition of the many visiting chiefs from other tribes. A Native American song was also sung in front of the new facility.
• By nearly a two-to-one margin, voters in Ludlow agreed to move forward with the concept of withdrawing from SAD 70. Residents gave the go-ahead to start the withdrawal process by a referendum vote of 67-36. The withdrawal proposal was initiated with a petition circulated in the community a couple of weeks ago, according to Town Manager Diane Hines. The withdrawal was on ongoing issue for the town before ultimately failing at the polls in November.
• After three days of narrowing down a jury pool to eight men and seven women, the trial of an Ellsworth man accused of killing two Amity men and a 10-year-old boy began at Aroostook County Superior Court. Thayne Ormsby was charged in the stabbing deaths of Jeffrey Ryan, 55, his son Jesse Ryan, 10, and Jason Dehahn, 33, all of Amity back in June 22, 2010. Ormsby was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
• Riding an all-terrain vehicle along a town road, provided the rider is trying to gain access to a trail, will became a reality in Houlton. The Houlton Town Council approved the new ordinance by a vote of 5-1, with councilor Sue Tortello opposed, to allow ATVs to use town owned roads, for the sole purpose of accessing a trail.
May
• Customers who used the scales to weigh garbage at Pine Tree Waste Service in Houlton learned it would cost more money to toss their garbage away. Under the new system, customers who use the vehicle scales to weigh how much garbage they have, will be charged a flat fee of at least 200 pounds, or about $20, per visit. Those with trash in excess of 200 pounds will be weighed and charged an appropriate weight.
• Katahdin Valley Health Center opened its newly renovated Community Health Center to the public with an open house and tours. The Community Health Center project added 6,040 square feet of new space to the existing 9,364 square foot building. The supplementary area was to be used for four dental exam rooms, additional medical exam rooms, laboratory, office space and reception office. The dental portion of $560,000 was 100 percent funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through the Affordable Care Act, with the medical portion of the project funded by Bangor Savings Bank with a loan guarantee by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development for $1.9 million for a total $2.5 million project.
• RSU 50 hired a new superintendent to lead Southern Aroostook Community and Katahdin Middle/Senior High schools. Larry Malone, a former high school principal at SACS, was chosen to take over the position from Interim Superintendent John Doe. Malone previously served as the middle school principal at Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln.
• A bleak economic picture was painted by SAD 29 officials as the district’s finance committee met with town officials to discuss the potential impact of the 2012-13 school budget. As presented, the SAD 29 budget for 2012-13 will be $12,499,244, an increase in spending of about $411,177 (3.4 percent) over the previous year. In neighboring SAD 70, the school board approved a “bare bones” budget of $6,281,988 that featured an increase of $43,344 in spending over the previous year. Both budgets passed at the polls.
• Harvest recess was now nothing but a fond memory for students in southern Aroostook County. The SAD 70 (Amity, Cary, Haynesville, Hodgdon, Linneus, Ludlow and New Limerick) school board approved a 2012-13 calendar that did not include the traditional harvest recess. SAD 29 (Houlton, Littleton, Monticello and Hammond) also chose not to break for harvest next year.
• A small, but eager crowd of bidders turned out for the second annual Charity Auction to benefit the Health Services Foundation. And when the final gavel sounded, $14,000 had been raised for improvements to medical care and services in the region.
• Renovations to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department building in Houlton were in the works. Numerous leaks had been reported in the building, according to County Administrator Doug Beaulieu. Commissioners reviewed bids to replace the roof at the Sheriff’s Department. The work was scheduled for the summer. About $65,000 was budgeted for the project.
June
• Voters OK’d spending $1.6 million in TIF (Tax Increment Finance) funds to extend water and sewer lines along the North Road. It marked the second time water and sewer has been extended on North Road.
• A plethora of clowns, life-sized cartoon characters and of course go-karts were front and center as Anah Temple Shriners held a parade through the heart of Houlton as part of the Shriners’ three-day Ceremonial Weekend.
• The final school bell has rung for a longtime educator and administrator at the Region Two School of Applied Technology. Mike Howard retired from his position as administrator for Region Two at the culmination of the school year.
