Cyr enjoying role as town manager
MARS HILL, Maine — David “Dave” Cyr has been on the job as town manager for a few months now and has been proving to be a very hands-on type of community leader.
He took time away from attending three ribbon-cutting ceremonies on Friday to reflect on his first few weeks as town manager and what he sees ahead for the town, as he filled in at the town office to allow staff to enjoy an open house being held by a nearby business.
“May 19 was my first day — the day I officially swapped with former town manager, Ray Mersereau. May 21 was my first full day. Much of the first week with Ray was training — going over town business and financial information,” said Cyr.
He said there’s more to managing a small community like Mars Hill than financial reports.
“Ray explained the history of the town and its genealogy, noting how everyone factors into the community and how there are connections from one family to the next,” said Cyr. “It’s important to know about the people of a town, in order to better serve their needs and address their concerns.”
Cyr comes to Mars Hill with a varied business background. His work experience includes being a long-haul driver, town selectman for Woodland and as administrator for unorganized territories for the County of Aroostook.
“I served nine years as a selectman in Woodland. I also spent nine years with The County, overseeing projects such as road improvements. So I have a particular interest in Mars Hill’s public works and how area roads are maintained. The state has Route 1 scheduled for work between Blaine and Mars Hill beginning next year; that’s a needed improvement for our town,” Cyr said. “I have an engineering background, which will help when discussing municipal buildings and maintenance.”
The town manager has taken a personal interest in area businesses, organizing Friday’s three ribbon-cutting events, in cooperation with the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce. Chamber members and town officials, including Cyr, met Friday with Lynne and Chris Tenney, owners of Mars Hill Redemption Center, Mark and Joy Hewitt, owners of Mark’s Primitive Store; and Chris Anderson, president of F.A. Peabody.
“It’s important to promote local businesses. It’s a pleasure to meet with the owners and learn about their businesses,” he said.
One of the biggest things to happen since Cyr took office is the announcement that Naturally Potatoes would be undergoing a $7.5 million expansion.
“Naturally Potatoes is on schedule to be up and running by the end of the year. Ray did the initial leg work. Groundbreaking occurred earlier this year,” said Cyr.
Cyr sees this as Mars Hill stepping into the future.
“It’s a positive step for Mars Hill. This diversifies our agricultural base; farmers aren’t wholly dependent on the fresh market. Naturally Potaotes offers a different product than McCain’s/FritoLay. Though acreage isn’t interchangeable, this offers farmers an opportunity to grow a wider variety of produce,” he said.
Cyr said with the expansion will come good jobs.
“Naturally Potatoes will be producing a product that’s convenient – something today’s working families appreciate. In addition to filling a niche in the market, they’ll need labor (to run the machines) to mash and dispose of peels and other byproducts,” said Cyr. “They’ll also be working with another area business, Pineland Farms of Fort Fairfield, which will use peels/byproduct waste as cattle feed.”
Cyr welcomes public input and invites citizens to stop by the Mars Hill Town Office to say hello and share concerns; or give him a call at 425-3731.
