MINOT – A crisis at the Minot Consolidated School gave students and teachers an early start on their holiday vacation.

A failed well prompted school officials to cancel school due to lack of water. No water means no school lunches and no use of bathrooms for the approximately 300 kindergarten through eighth-grade students. It also may mean between $5,000 and $20,000 in unbudgeted expenditures to resolve the problem, said school Principal Don Bilodeau.

“This has really created a crisis for the school,” said Bilodeau.

The school’s 50-year-old well is 220 feet deep and normally pumps 20 gallons per minute.

The problem was originally thought to be a failed pump caused by a power surge during high winds and heavy rains and snow. However, the problem has become more complicated and will probably mean putting in a new well, said Union 29 Assistant Superintendent Bill Doughty.

Lewiston:

City’s Bates Mill exit proceeding

Councilors paved the way for a Bates Mill exit over the next few months, agreeing to let City Administrator Jim Bennett sign a contract with developers Bates Mill LLC.

Bennett said he expects to sign the contract with the business’ principal, Tom Platz, and his partners, after city attorneys have given the agreement one last look.

“I expect to close in about 90 days,” Bennett said.

Bennett said there have been few changes made to the deal since councilors last discussed it on Nov. 25.

“Mostly, it’s been word-smithing between our lawyers and their lawyers,” Bennett said. “They’ve finally gotten to the point where the words say what we told you they said, and both sides agree about what they say.”

Sabattus:

Resident told to follow sand rules

Selectmen told a town resident that he must follow rules when obtaining sand from the town.

Selectman Chairman William Luce said Code Enforcement Officer Richard Behr caught Rick Therrien getting sand at the town garage. Luce said residents can take sand, but only from the transfer station and there is a two-bucket limit. He asked Therrien to keep the discussion civil.

“It was just sand and for them to call the cops on me. I wasn’t stealing town-owned property. My tax dollars paid for it,” Therrien said.

He also responded to a comment that he could have legally collected sand during the summer. “You can’t plan for winter snowstorms in the summertime,” Therrien said.

Greene:

4 hurt in crash on slick road

Four people were injured when two cars and a sport utility vehicle collided on Route 202. Police said speed and slick roads were likely factors in the crash.

Police said Tyra Turgeon, 21, of Sabattus was driving north near the IGA when her sport utility vehicle began to slide out of control. The vehicle skidded head-on into a car driven by John Chick, 44, of Monmouth, police said.

Both vehicles spun in the road, with Chick’s car landing in a snowbank. Turgeon’s van spun into a southbound car driven by Peggy Young of Monmouth, police said.

All three drivers as well as a passenger from Turgeon’s vehicle were taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Lewiston:

Sidewalk clearing crews fall behind

Snow crews are behind schedule in clearing city sidewalks following this month’s heavy snow falls.

Public Works Director Dave Jones said his crews and those from the recreation department are working to clear some sidewalks as quickly as possible.

“But some of them are buried under so much snow, the little sidewalk machines can’t do it,” Jones said. “Those are going to have to wait until we can go in and haul the snow out.”

The problem is the amount of snow that has fallen so far. The city averages about 70 inches of snow each winter. The last two storms have already dumped about 30 inches.

“We’ve used up almost half of our budget, and it’s not even Christmas yet,” Jones said.

Lisbon:

Selectmen seek

to extend contract

LISBON – Selectmen have authorized Town Manager Curtis Lunt to begin negotiations for a new, longer contract with Earthtech Inc., the firm that operates the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

Their decision came after a performance review Tuesday night indicating “significant improvement” in the first six months of a one-year contract that began July 1.