Editor’s Note: The following is the first of two articles highlighting some of the top news stories from 2013. This article highlights the events from January to June. The second installment will appear in the Jan. 1 issue.
It’s hard to fathom, but another year is in the books and a new one is about to begin. The first half of 2013 featured a number of memorable news stories from southern Aroostook County. Municipal budgets
proved to be a hot topic as the state announced dramatic changes to how much funding towns would receive from revenue sharing. On the national scene, Barack Obama was sworn in for a second term as president and people around the country — as well as the world — were horrified by a bombing attack at the Boston Marathon that killed three and injured nearly 300.
January
School districts across Maine received an unwelcome late holiday “gift” when Gov. Paul LePage issued an executive order to reduce state spending by $35.5 million in the fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2013. The order, called a curtailment, helped to ensure that the state finished the fiscal year with a balanced budget, which is required by the Maine Constitution. Included in the $35.5 million in cuts were reductions of $12.58 million from the state’s education funding.
The Houlton Police Department was investigating reports of a coyote roaming the streets of the Shiretown during daylight hours. Chief Butch Asselin expressed concerns that the animal showed no signs of fearing humans.
In other police news, the chief welcomed Benjamin L. Drew to the force. Officer Drew served as president of the Houlton Area Little League; was affiliated with the Houlton Football Association; and coached basketball. He also served as a Ranger in the U.S. Army and is a former Rotarian.
Hayden James McGraw was the first baby born at Houlton Regional Hospital for 2013. He is the son of Alisha Majkowski and Wyatt McGraw and joined big brother Chase.
The Houlton Town Council approved a $9,478,301 municipal budget for 2013, which may prevent the need to raise taxes after all. Municipal spending, at $6,955,271, was up $117,497 (1.7 percent) from 2012. A large portion of that increase was due to a 2 percent raise in salaries for town employees.
Based on the patients being seen at Houlton Regional Hospital, the numbers of flu cases were on the rise in the Shiretown.
Properties that were overflowing with garbage or other waste items were the focus of a special town meeting in Oakfield. The town’s property maintenance committee was working on an ordinance to deal with the issue of junk and garbage being stored on properties within the community.
February
A request from the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians to waive taxes was denied by the Houlton Town Council. The band initially requested a waiver of $53,961, but agreed to cut that request in half after negations with Town Manager Eugene Conlogue. The town had an agreement with HBMI that allowed the tribe to request a waiver of some or all of their annual payment to the town, provided they did improvements that somehow benefit the town. Councilors felt the items listed by the tribe were the same projects listed in 2012 and therefore denied the request.
Only a handful of SAD 70 residents came out for a public hearing on a proposal to withdraw from the consolidated school union the district formed with SAD 14. Voters in SAD 70 (Hodgdon, New Limerick, Ludlow, Linneus, Amity, Cary and Haynesville) voted 115-6 to withdraw from the school union during a district-wide referendum vote. SAD 70 and SAD 14, as well as Orient and Bancroft formed AOS 48 in January 2011. At the time the AOS was formed, the state was punishing all small school districts (less than 1,000 students) with a monetary penalty that did not consolidate in some manner.
Henry John Bear, a member of both the Houlton and Tobique bands of Maliseet Indians in northern Maine and New Brunswick, was sworn into office by Gov. Paul LePage as the newest Maliseet Tribal Representative to the Maine Legislature.
Lt. Darrell Crandall, a 26-year veteran of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, was chosen as the 2012 Maine Sheriff’s Association Manager of the Year. The MSA Manager of the Year award is given to a full-time employee who is in an administrative position, such as chief deputy, jail administrator, program administrators or high-ranking supervisors.
The Maine Chiefs of Police Association (MCOPA) chose Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin as the 2013 Chief of the Year.
Town officials unveiled a redesigned municipal website filled with a bundle of new features for Houlton residents near and far. Among the features found on the new website are areas where the public can renew or register their vehicle online; obtain a dog license; obtain a burn permit; apply for a marriage license, building permit or business license; register to vote; and request vital documents such as birth, death or marriage records.
A decrease in revenue from the town’s ambulance department, coupled with a large increase in fuel costs, had town officials seeing red as the municipality was facing a shortfall in its 2012 budget based on staff estimates. The town was short about $204,000 in revenue, with the biggest shortage found in the town’s ambulance revenues account ($151,732). The ambulance department is typically one of the largest moneymakers for the town, making income by transporting patients to other medical or mental health facilities.
In response to citizens’ concerns about traffic flow near Houlton High School, local police were instituting a new policy when it comes to picking up and dropping off students at the school. Signs were erected on both sides of Bird Street to help with the flow of traffic in front of the high school during school hours.
Houlton started charging fees to companies that have security systems for false alarms reported to the police department, at the suggestion of Houlton Police Chief Asselin, who told town councilors that his department responds to about 240 false alarms per year. Most of those calls are due to human error.
March
The Houlton Lodge of Elks was the setting for the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner and awards ceremony. Awards were presented to Terry Wade of Monticello, Lifetime Achievement Award; Lori Weston of Houlton, Community Spirit Award; Katahdin Trust Company, Business of the Year and Houlton Masonic Lodge 96, Community Service Award.
Brandon Clark, Keegan Fitzpatrick, Amira Abouleish and Haven Rhoda were finalist in the Norhtern Star singing competition. Clark won the event.
The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians unveiled their plans for a new $600,000 athletic complex. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Native American Programs awarded the grants to the Maliseets to improve or create housing and economic development opportunities for low- to moderate-income families. The grant was for public facilities and infrastructure under the Indian Community Development Block Grant and included the construction of a football field and walking track.
Island Falls residents slashed municipal spending during the annual town meeting. The final budget, after cuts by the public, was $740,803, which was a decrease of $50,277 from the amount recommended by both the budget committee and board of selectmen.
The first official day of spring was delayed just a bit as nearly 18 inches of snow fell in southern Aroostook County.
Houlton Town councilors agreed to borrow $194,000 through a five-year loan for the purpose of funding numerous projects around the Shiretown. Among the major projects to be financed through the loan were: $40,000 for cylinder replacement for the elevator in the town office; $38,000 for craft kettle crack sealing equipment for the public works department; $29,000 to purchase a new police cruiser; and $10,000 for bathroom repairs at the Just for Kids playground building in Community Park.
April
The RSU 29 school board officially started the process of examining whether the district should continue running Wellington Elementary School in Monticello. The board voted 6-4 to proceed with a fact-finding effort on the impact of closing the school.
The popular radio station WBCQ 94.7 FM, operated by Allan Wiener went off the air after an agreement between the station and Northern Maine Media, Inc. could not be reached for the continued broadcast of content.
Subscribers of Polaris Cable who are fans of WABI television, Channel 5, had to look elsewhere for the network as the cable company dropped the popular channel. In its place, Polaris added the CW network.
SAD 70 was slowly beginning the process of finding a new superintendent.
Hodgdon voters approved a total municipal budget of $568,614, which is an increase over last year’s figure. According to Griffin, the increase was due to general government (wages and insurances), roads and bridges (an increase in gravel road repairs) and winter roads.
In an effort to make schools safer, video surveillance cameras were being installed at Houlton Elementary and Southside schools.
The world was stunned as two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
A group of about 50 Ludlow residents approved a municipal budget in the amount of $253,094. Voters also agreed to expand the town’s board of selectmen from the current three-member board to five elected officials starting with the 2014-15 fiscal year, which begins March 1, 2014. Another citizen petition driven article sought to create a recall ordinance by which the town could remove members of the selectboard. That article, also done by secret ballot, passed 33-16.
The United States Postal Service was considering an end to Saturday morning mail delivery.
In order to provide the public with as much information, a methamphetamine awareness session was held at Houlton Southside School with nearly 100 people in attendance.
May
Brenda Commander was successfully re-elected as tribal chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians during an April 27 election. Commander received 150 votes to easily win her fifth four-year term as chief. Others receiving votes were: Clair A. Sabattis, 45 votes; Delores Crofton-MacDonald, 44; and William Tomah, six.
Houlton High School received high grades in two recent “report cards.” The U.S. News and World Report ranked Houlton High School 14th out of 120 schools. The second grading came in the form of Gov. Paul LePage’s report card system. Under the state’s ranking system, Houlton High School earned a grade of “B,” while Houlton Junior High School and Houlton Southside School both received a grade of “C.”
After 28 years, Ron Langworthy retired as Community Living Association’s executive director. Rob Moran was hired as the new executive director.
The final sermon was spoken at the Military Street Baptist Church Sunday as the congregation closed the doors to its 110-year-old building and began the transition to its new church located on top of Drake’s Hill.
A proposed $6.3 million budget got the go-ahead from the SAD 70. The 2013-14 budget plan represented an overall increase of $100,000 from last year.
Facing declining enrollment figures in RSU 50, townspeople in that district were urging the school board to consider keeping expenses to a minimum for the 2013-14 budget.
Voters gave overwhelming support to a $12.7 million spending plan for RSU 29, but not without considerable discussion on the warrant articles. The 2013-14 district budget of $12,669,258 was an increase of $170,014 (1.36 percent) over the previous year.
Eric Sucy joined the ranks as a full-time officer at the Houlton Police Department.
June
A section of Interstate-95 northbound was closed as the Department of Transportation began a major reconstruction project to the road. The 10-mile stretch began at Exit 276 in Island Falls and ended at Exit 286 in Oakfield. Traffic was detoured onto U.S. Route 2 for the duration of the project. The $13 million road reconstruction project was scheduled for completion in November.
In the wake of a knife incident at Houlton High School, school officials were in the process of reviewing safety procedures. A 15-year-old female student reportedly brandished a tactical knife in a HHS classroom and lunged at a fellow student. Nobody was injured in the incident.
While potatoes need water to grow, the amount of rain that’s fell in May and June made it problematic for County farmers. Tim Hobbs, director of development and grower relations for the Maine Potato Board, said the region was about “two inches [of precipitation] ahead of where we normally are this time of year.”
Local law enforcement and military personnel joined forces for a training exercise at the Houlton International Airport. The training afforded police and military representatives with the opportunity to work out any kinks in the line of communication in the event that an actual emergency occurs. The multi-agency training event included the Maine Army National Guard’s 488th Military Police Company, Houlton Police Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The town of Houlton lost two of its gems as Capt. Steve and Irma Pearl of the Houlton Salvation Army have received marching orders for the next phase of their charitable careers. The Pearls were transferred to Coshocton, Ohio, where they will fill a similar role in that area’s Salvation Army.
