Pride in a job well done.

That is the overarching message I took from two conversations I had with selected Town of Rangeley employees…over two months apart. They were separate, and seemingly very different. However, they are linked in one very important way.

Both represent “essential workers” in this persisting time of a raging pandemic. Work-ers, I might add, and the distinctly different job descriptions they are performing un-der,…who, in my assessment, are doing a helluva job while using your tax dollars wisely.

If you are at least a semi-regular reader of this column, you will recall in my last “North by NorthEast” effort two weeks ago, that I called out my former colleagues, and for most of 2020, “front line workers”, in the intensive care units at Maine Medical Center in Port-land. I also rendered appreciation where appreciation is also due, to the owner and the essential workers, the staff of the Rangeley IGA.

Today, on the eve of our most precious day of the year…disrupted as it is by the Covid curse, I want to continue the message in appreciation of another couple of categories of local “essential workers”, our public employees and the many co-workers that they rep-resent; those who are keeping the town operating, and its residents protected, and those who are educating our young people, and keeping them healthy.

My first conversation,….actually it was a unique experience accompanied by a running conversation consisting of my numerous questions, and the quick answers from three town experts occurred in early October. I accompanied Joe Roach, the Rangeley Town Manager; Keith Savage, Public Services Director; and Mike Bacon, Fire Chief and Emergency Response Director. The conversation was on foot and in Mike’s red fire chief’s pickup.

These three individuals were anxious to show me, the local Rangeley Highlander col-umnist who writes about a wide range of topics that interest him (that would be me), and in hopes that they will also interest you, my loyal readers….a couple of linked town im-provements that they are operating in the best interest of the town and its residents.

It all started a few weeks earlier in late August when I stopped by Joe’s office to con-gratulate him in assuming the Town Manager job. I knew Joe from a couple of years earlier when I was covering the town selectpersons board meetings for the paper. Joe was at that time the Public Services Director. It was clear to me that he was a well-liked, and very competent guy who handled the many responsibilities that are now un-der the direction of Keith. I wanted to congratulate Joe on his return to Rangeley, and express my confidence (as did the Selectperson Board, I assume) that he was the man to fill the town manager vacancy. In our wide-ranging conversation, we moved on to the topic of the new airport runway expansion to allow LifeFlight planes to safely land and take off at the Rangeley airport…and the improvements in the wastewater management system for the town.

A month later, I met with the three aforementioned town employees for a tour starting at the entrance gate of the Stephen A. Bean Airport. The four of us piled into that red pickup and headed for the far end of the expanded runway so I could fully appreciate what it took to expand the runway length beyond the former hillside.

Note: The huge earthen expansion at the Loon Lake Road end of the runway, that we all now detour around on the way to the transfer station, is about 30 feet above the road. The other end, is about 100 feet above the new beginning of the former wooded hillside. The whole runway expansion required a helluva lot of fill, most of which was taken from Chick Hill near where the wastewater operation is located.

We then took off toward Chick Hill, where I was educated on the complex art of wastewater management and the facilities to transform same to clean water, some of which is sprayed from tall pipe apparati that in the winter create huge piles of clean snow.

At the same time, I was taken to a large manmade canyon nearby to see where all that fill for the runway came from. I insisted that Chief Bacon park his truck near one canyon wall so that I could walk away a couple hundred yards to take a picture that, with the help of the truck, offered some scale of the large hole in the hill.

I also learned from Keith that the town has for large pump stations scattered about town in inconspicuous buildings, each with its own emergency generators to keep things flow-ing during our signature, and frequent, power outages.

The tour ended with my introduction to the town’s relatively recent acquisition, a used, and specialized airport fire truck on long term loan from the repurposed Brunswick Na-val Air Station (note photo). Chief Bacon and I took her for a spin, starting at the far end of the runway for a fast ride in an easterly direction, with the front end fire hose spraying a long cascade of water onto the grassy edge of the tarmac. (see other photo).

I was impressed. The airport is indeed ready with a very rapid response should a land-ing or take-off mishap occur.

I thanked my very fine and professional hosts, with the assurance that the experience would soon find its way into my column. They correctly wanted all the town residents to more fully appreciate the expanded scope of the essential worker responsibilities in our growing town (for example the fire and rescue department had 370 calls in 2019, and as of last week, have had 478 calls so far in 2020).

Moving ahead to earlier this month, I called Town Manager Roach to tell him that I was finally planning to do a column based on our October tour to include a combined focus on the other locus of very essential employees…the town’s K-12 school and its key front line staff who are undoubtedly working extra hard to educate our children amid the challenges of keeping both the faculty and the kids safe during the pandemic. Joe sug-gested that I talk with Lindsay Savage, R.N., the school’s nurse. He was absolutely cor-rect. Who better to have a day-to-day appreciation for the pulse (no pun intended) of the school during a pandemic than the school nurse, who also serves as Rangeley”s Local Health Officer (official State of Maine title) !

Lindsey and I met in the board room of the Town Office Building on Monday, December 14th. We were masked (see photo) and socially-distanced at twice the recommended 6 feet). I quickly learned that she is a very bright and compassionate health professional who loves her work that began at the Rangeley Lakes Regional School (RLRS) 8 years ago in 2012. Her prior position was as a staff nurse at Franklin Memorial Hospital, after a couple of on-the-job training years at Somers Point Hospital on the southern New Jer-sey coast.

I was, of course, already familiar with the work of a school nurse. However, I was most interested in her added responsibilities in this disruptive and continuing era of the coro-navirus pandemic. I suspected that the emotional health of the students would be one of her continuing focus areas that is now looming larger on a day-to-day basis. That was exactly the case. Lindsey quickly described a talented team she and the faculty put together to address how the students, especially the younger ones, were handling all the new Covid-safety requisites both at school and on the home front.

They have formed an 8-member School Assistance Team, comprised of Lindsey and the school’s behavioral specialist, the school-based therapist (counselor), the school ac-ademic counselor, the special education director, the school social worker, the school principal, and a 3rd Grade teacher. The team meets weekly to identify and discuss indi-vidual student difficulties and to further refine their supportive role for the rest of the fac-ulty, to consider appropriate referrals to additional resources, and to counsel parents and to effectively listen to all the constituencies, including the students, of course.

Lindsey stated that “the entire school staff has really stepped up” in meeting the current scheduling and academic challenges….and that includes the bus drivers, the custodial staff, as well as the faculty and administration.

Joe Roach concluded my recent conversation with him by stating proudly “We define our success by the quality services we provide”. And I want to conclude this column by stating to you my assessment is that the town and its school is in very good and compe-tent hands and that your tax dollars are being very well spent in this little town in the Maine mountains! A very blessed Christmas to you all…in this very blessed town and region…

We need to write, otherwise nobody will know who we are.

Garrison Keillor

Respect Science, Respect Nature,

Respect Each Other, and Respect the Truth.

 

Per usual, your thoughts and comments are more than welcome. Fire off an email to allenwicken@yahoo.com. Thank you, in advance.

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