Editor’s Note: The following is the first of a two-part series that looks back on some of the more memorable news stories of 2010. This article covers January to June, while the second installment, to appear in next week’s paper, will feature July through December.
January
• Houlton Regional Hospital welcomed its first new baby of 2010 at 2:14 a.m. Jan. 1 when Haley Dawn McGary was born. The second daughter of Misty Roy and Matthew McGary of Merrill, Haley weighed in at 8 pounds and was 21 inches long.
• In a move to maintain roads and sidewalks, the Houlton town council restored $67,000 to the $9 million budget proposed by the town manager and approved by the Board of Budget Review. The council also left funding for the SAD 29 mandated budget at $2.2 million with strong words from several members encouraging transparency and openness to keep taxpayers from footing the bill for an even higher school budget that would have to be covered by an increase in the current mil rate.
Town councilors, later in the month, passed the nearly $9 million budget, with no real surprises at the public hearing. The only real change in terms of money was reverting to last year’s SAD 29 budget of $2,204,803. The move pushed up the school budget nearly 3 percent from the Board of Budget Review’s recommendation. The review board had wanted to send a message of fiscal conservatism to the school board with a recommendation of $2,183,086.
• Consolidating central offices between Houlton and Hodgdon took its first step when the SAD 29 school board agreed to enter into discussions with neighboring SAD 70 on forming a new Regional School Unit (RSU).
• New Year’s Eve turned the Houlton Rec Center into “celebration central” for about 100 local youth who converged on the town’s popular athletic and game facility for the fourth annual New Year’s Eve Youth Event. Parents and teens had high praise for the hugely successful affair that started four years ago to create a secure place for teens to have fun instead of going out to potentially unsafe parties. Local youth ministries pull together an event that is open to all young people from seventh grade through college.
• The town council confirmed an adjustment in the focus of the Parks and Recreation Department when it appointed Marie Carmichael as department head over park and recreation programs at the Gentle Memorial Building, which freed up Berny Reece to concentrate exclusively on the Millar Civic Center and maintenance of the park.
• The new year ushered in some good news from Houlton Water Company (HWC) general manager John Clark who said customers could expect a rate reduction starting April 1. Electric rates were to decrease by about 6 percent, according to Clark, thanks to a three-year contract with New Brunswick Power.
• Haley Flewelling was crowned champion of the Houlton High School spelling bee. Both Flewelling and runner-up Isaiha Littleton were headed to the county spelling bee in Presque Isle in February.
• All-Aroostook musicians performed a notably impressive concert at the Fort Fairfield Middle/High School. Over 300 students either auditioned or were recommended to participate in the concert, which drew a packed house, though many were readily willing to stand through the show to listen to the talented Aroostook youths.
February
• Toyota’s massive recall hit 9 million cars due to problems with vehicles rapidly accelerating uncontrollably. The problem pedals had little impact to drivers in Houlton. The world’s largest car maker has stopped all sales and production of several models worldwide. That means there is a hold on part of the inventory at York’s of Houlton on U.S. 1. General Manager Jerry York said “Toyota is telling us exactly the same as they are telling the public —that there are a number of vehicles that are affected in this recall. And, because it affects such a small number of vehicles, they have had a hard time isolating the problem. We have had no affected vehicles.”
• After 40 years with the SAD 29 school district, Dale Clark punched his final time card. Clark, the building and maintenance director for SAD 29, was honored with a cake celebration at the Superintendent’s Office. He was also presented with a clock from the district during the SAD 29 school board meeting.
• On the heels of a successful toy swap just before the holidays, the idea got a new lease on life in the new year when students participated in a clothing swap at Houlton’s Southside School. The school gym was filled to overflowing with clean, wearable clothing that students had outgrown or simply no longer wore. By midday, several students were still sorting and folding clothes to keep them neat in piles on tables and even along the bleacher seats.
• It was a trying couple of months for Debbie Gray, co-founder of Nature’s Bounty Food Pantry. First the group had to deal with persistent rumors that it had closed its doors. Then the group had to deal with donations from the public not making it to them. Raising money for the Christmas holiday was challenging in the current economic times, but now, Gray has discovered that some individuals who sent monetary donations to the group had their checks returned. Problems in getting mail delivered began around Christmas when Houlton Farms Dairy mailed a check to Gray to be used for gifts for children. That check never made it to Nature’s Bounty Food Pantry. The non-profit group is a member of the Good Shepherd Food Bank, but with money trickling in, there was not enough cash flow on hand for the group to purchase bulk food items to restock its cupboards. The pantry was still waiting to receive an insurance settlement for a November 2009 accident that destroyed the group’s vehicle.
• The SAD 29 school board got its first look at potential budget figures, and while the picture painted was not exactly rosy, it could have been far worse, according to the district’s superintendent. Since the state budget had yet to be finalized, SAD 29 Superintendent Stephen Fitzpatrick informed board members that the figures he had were subject to change, but one thing was for certain, the district was going to receive less money from the state for its 2010-11 school budget come July 1.
• Questions about how and why the state decided to step in and audit Ludlow’s finances remained unanswered after an “informal town meeting.” More than 70 residents packed the town office for a special meeting after finding out it would be officially closed until further notice. Rumors swirling around the town’s financial condition and the suspension of its town manager were still largely subject to more speculation since many involved “personnel matters” which cannot be discussed publicly.
• The Corner Stone Inn Family Restaurant in Danforth suffered major damage when a fire broke out in the kitchen. While the majority of the building was saved, the kitchen was destroyed. Owner Bud Shain said the fire occurred while he was in the process of moving the grill. He tried to extinguish the flames, but the fire spread quickly.
• The matter of channel blocking and diverting viewers to alternate TV stations due to duplicate programming was taken up by Houlton town councilors during their remarks which followed the regular business session. Councilor John Fitzpatrick said he had received complaints about it and other councilors also discussed what has been somewhat of an annoyance to their constituents.
March
• Island Falls had new signage on two historic buildings in the downtown area thanks to Richard Kimball, fellow Boy Scouts and volunteer mentors. Kimball wrote up the project and submitted it for review to plan and execute a task that would help him achieve the rank of Eagle Scout before he was 18.
• The Littleton Fire Department was one of six departments across the state to receive federal grant money from the Department of Homeland Security through the “Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.” Littleton’s fire department received $212,707 under the Vehicle Acquisition Program. The department planned to use the money to purchase a new pumper-tanker truck to replace a 30-year-old pumper.
• School officials in SAD 29 and SAD 70 received surprising news when they learned Houlton’s and Hodgdon’s high schools were among 10 schools listed as “persistently-lowest achieving” schools by the state Department of Education. Maine Education Commissioner Sue Gendron released the 10 “persistently lowest-achieving schools,” as defined by federal criteria – schools that will now be eligible for a share of $12 million in federal school improvement grants. Houlton High School and Hodgdon High School were both listed on the report. The 10 schools listed had low levels of proficiency in math and reading over a three-year period and a low level of improvement, according to the state. The schools were eligible to apply for a share of school improvement grants for up to three years, provided they agree to pursue an aggressive plan for turning around the school. Both the SAD 29 and 70 school board rejected the grant money as it would have required them to fire staff members.
• Greater Houlton Christian Academy, a private non-denominational Christian school now in its 26th year, was notified that accreditation was granted for a 10-year term by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), making it only the second Christian school in the state to become accredited.
• “Historic,” “uncharacteristic” and “much above normal” were words used to describe the weather pattern that’s impacted Maine’s maple producers. While the milder weather was easy on the pocketbook with lower heating and plowing bills, it revved up the sap to start flowing nearly a month ahead of nature’s typical schedule.
• Gerald “Gerry” Miller retired from the Littleton Board of Selectmen Monday evening, ending a 23-year career with the municipality. Miller was honored with a surprise dinner at the Horn of Plenty restaurant in Houlton, where Town Manager Courtney Toby presented him with a plaque.
• The Houlton Humane Society’s animal shelter was placed under quarantine due to an outbreak of ringworm.
• The Ark Animal Sanctuary took one step closer to realizing its dream of building a safe haven for animals when it signed papers to acquire a 35-acre parcel of land near the Houlton Airport.
April
• Teachers in SAD 29 were presented with a new contract when the district’s school board unanimously approved Teacher Unit contracts following an hour-long executive session. The contract’s acceptance brought closure to a 16-month process.
• Two Katahdin High School students — Allison Moore and Kacey Fogarty — went for the ride of their lives, and almost let the hill they were sliding on live up to its name. Killer Hill, a snowmobile and ATV trail to the east of Route 11 in Patten, was the place that sent both girls to the hospital. The two girls received serious injuries as a result of the accident.
• Young vocalists from around the state converged on Houlton High School Saturday, for the Maine State Vocal Jazz Festival. Thirty-nine middle school and high school vocal groups competed at Houlton High School in the event, which features jazz and show choirs. Houlton High School took third place in the Division I High School Show Choir competition for its performance of “Hairspray.”
• News that the Department of Homeland Security would not seize private land in Forest City was applauded by residents and Sen. Susan Collins. Jane Johnson, a property owner, said government plans to expand a facility would have robbed her of the peaceful life she has enjoyed for 34 years on nearly four acres of pristine land.
• Faced with a gloomy economic forecast, and a stiff fine from the Department of Education, SAD 70 school board members gave their approval to $6 million budget for the 2010-11 school year. At $6,058,644, the budget represented a decrease of $190,205 (3 percent) from the previous year’s budget. Last year’s budget was down $140,000 from the 2008-09 budget. Therefore, over the past two years, the district has shaved $320,000 from its bottom line.
• Financial woes hit again in the County as one of the country’s largest movie and DVD rental chains, Movie Gallery, Inc., announced it was closing its 15 locations in Maine, including Houlton’s North Street business.
May
• Pre-K students at the Southern Aroostook Community School learned the importance of child abuse prevention and awareness when they planted pinwheels near the school’s purple and white billboard.
• Several building projects totaling nearly $5 million in construction for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians were planned to keep construction companies working locally. The first was an eight-unit apartment complex. A $2 million grant out of Stimulus funding will inject capital into the economy as local companies and workers dig into the construction project.
• As part of National Police Week, Chief Butch Asselin of the Holton Police Department led a brief observance to remember officers in Maine as well as those across the United States.
• Expressions of skepticism, sarcastic laughter and charges of pettiness confronted Mary Beth Foley, chairman of Orient’s selectmen’s board during a special selectmen’s meeting. Foley, also town manager for Ludlow, had been under fire there and suspended without pay since mid-February during a state audit of that town’s finances.
• The state’s campaign to crack down on motorists who do not wear their seat belts received a boost from the federal government when Maine received $545,272 in federal highway safety money to be funneled through the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety to step up enforcement of the state’s seat belt law. The Houlton Police Department received $5,040 in grant money, while the Maine State Police received $10,000.
• A brief, yet powerful storm struck southern Aroostook County felling numerous trees and causing power outages. Packed with heavy rain and strong gusty winds, the storm hit the Houlton area around 3:30 p.m., dropping numerous trees and branches. John Clark, general manager of Houlton Water Company, said 1,700 customers were without power for several hours because of the storm. The company has 5,000 total customers. Clark said the event was one of the worst summer storms his company has seen in the past 25 years. A massive 40-year-old willow tree fell into the home of Shelly Sylvester on the South Townline Road in Hodgdon during the powerful storm. Sylvester lost two trees to the storm.
June
• Tempers flared at a district budget meeting in SAD 70 as voters wrestled with approving a $6 million spending package for 2010-11. About 20 residents turned out to weigh in on the budget. At $6,039,424, the sum represents a decrease of $190,205 (3 percent) from the current year’s budget. Much of the discussion centered around the school board’s decision to eliminate two teaching positions — one at the elementary school and one at the middle school. The cuts did not result in individuals losing their jobs. Instead, the reduction is from attrition as four teachers retired, but only two of those positions were filled. One kindergarten teaching position was later added back to the budget.
• SAD 29 Superintendent Steve Fitzpatrick stepped down from his position at the conclusion of the school board’s monthly meeting. Fitzpatrick, who served as the district’s superintendent since July 2004, said he had agreed to a “voluntary conclusion” of his employment. A few weeks later, he accepted a position as the principal of Belfast Area High School. Peter Edgecomb of Caribou was named interim-superintendent in his place.
• Plans for a proposed wood chip boiler for SAD 29 took another step toward fruition when the district’s school board agreed to take out a bond up to $930,000 for the project. Houlton High School was one of six schools and universities chosen to receive a total of $3.2 million in federal stimulus funds through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, which is managed by the Maine Forest Service under the Maine Department of Conservation. Houlton High School received a grant in the amount of $750,000 to install a wood chip boiler to heat the junior/senior high school, as well as the adjacent Southern Aroostook Vocational Education (SAVE) Technical Center. The total cost of the project was originally estimated at $1,374,650, but later grew to just nearly $2 million.
