January

As of Dec. 27, 2022, the home of Dennis Corriveau at 391 Old Jay Hill Road in Jay was still without power after wind felled a large poplar tree in a storm the previous Friday. Neighbor Patrick Duffy said he has lived across the street since 2002. He had left at 5:30 p.m. Friday evening to pick up his daughter at the bus station, got a call from his wife about 15 minutes or so later when he was in Fayette. He said she had heard this big cracking, was panicking.

“Five houses lost power,” Duffy said. The tree fell on a small gray van, breaking the windshield, and the back end of a black car that were parked in the driveway, he noted. He estimated the tree to be a couple hundred years old, “it had been there forever.”

With the price of heating oil higher than normal, Program Director for Community Services Judy Frost at Western Maine Community Action said they were prepared to help their clients get through the winter in spite of setbacks and high demand. She was confident that WMCA would be able to continue providing those in need with ways to keep their homes warm.

When it comes to fuel, there are several different sources that WMCA can help with, including heating oil, wood, pellets, kerosene, and electric heating. The only heating source they cannot help with is coal due to the lack of a local coal vendor.

MaineHealth, in collaboration with Hannaford, Good Shepard Food Bank and Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County (HCC), announced it would be offering another session of its one-year Food as Medicine program. “This new and exciting program is designed to meet people where they are at with their health, provide the right tools, skills and support to make small changes over time to feel better,” said HCC Director LeeAnna Lavoie in a news release.

Harold Souther was being remembered as a farmer, weather observer and man of faith. For decades Souther, 98-years old provided the weekly Nature-ly column in this newspaper, having started in 1971 when he agreed to do it for a year. In September 2022 he was the recipient of Livermore Falls’ Boston Post Cane which is given to the town’s oldest resident. In April there was a ribbon cutting for the solar project that now leases part the Souther farm. Regional School Units 9 and 73 have purchase power agreements that will reduce costs for those and the three other districts participating.

Jay Selectpersons voted to award the annual Spirit of America Award to paper mill workers as a group for their volunteerism over more than 100 years. The Spirit of America Foundation recognizes volunteerism in communities on behalf of municipalities.

Pixelle Specialty Solutions’ Androscoggin Mill was expected to permanently close about April 30. The company made the announcement in September. Initially it was to close in the first quarter of 2023. The closing means there will be no paper mills in the Jay, Livermore Falls area. The Otis Mill, which was initially owned by International Paper Co., closed in 2009 under Wausau Paper Corp. ownership. It had straddled the Livermore Falls line.

The Hardy Farm in Farmington was working to offset an aging farm population. Henry and Teresa Hardy host farm tours, assist with 4-H programs and participate in Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship to help educate and encourage a future generation of farmers. Intern Abby Weisberg came to Farmington right out of high school in Florida. The Hardys are approved mentors for the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program which has over 200 mentors in 15 states nationally that have provided over 650,000 hours of on-farm training and related coursework in managed grazing dairy production to hundreds of aspiring farmers from across the nation, according to the website.

The 6th Annual Hillside Fishing Derby was on track to take place the last Saturday of February at Long Pond in Livermore. The event promised cash prizes for the biggest catches of the day with the longest brook or brown trout earning its angler $250. The longest fish overall would reel in $100 and anglers 15 years old and younger could earn $150 for the longest fish caught overall.

In 2022, 212 people registered. Proceeds were to support Spruce Mountain Ski Area.

The majority of Livermore voters at a special town meeting Tuesday night, Jan. 17, supported changing town clerk to an appointed position and joining a state retirement program for employees. Selectpersons said doing so would help hire and retain employees.

In September Town Clerk Renda Guild and Deputy Clerk Jean Tardif informed selectpersons they would be stepping down at the beginning of 2023. At a special meeting Monday morning, Dec. 26, 2022, selectpersons approved retaining Guild and Tardif on a part-time basis and increasing their pay to $25 per hour until a new town clerk was hired.

February

Snowmobilers veering off marked trails were threatening access to private property, according to some area clubs. A sign at Emmanuel Assembly of God Church on Route 17 in Livermore Falls stated snowmobiles were not to ride on the front lawn. A post on the Jug Hill Facebook page showed photos of snowmobile tracks on either side of the sign. The post said legal actions would be taken if necessary and parents will be fined if children are riding there. “USE THE BACK TRAIL OR LOSE THE TRAIL,” the post reads.

Franklin County Extension Homemakers of UMaine’s Cooperative Extension program were looking to the future as they prepared to find their next community project while reflecting on their community projects from the previous year. “We work with youth, and we work with families through the Cooperative Extension,” Lisa Fishman, Maine Extension Homemaker State Coordinator, said. “The Maine Extension Homemakers Council across the state really works with those same goals in enriching lives, bettering the lives of others, and many of their community service projects are all about raising funds, or creating or making items and donating the funds received or the items they’ve made to charitable organizations that benefit typically families, children, community resources as well.”

Livermore selectpersons hired Carrie Judd as administrative assistant, defended their Wyman Road decision. Judd was to start Thursday, Feb. 9, at a salary of $57,200, Chair Mark Chretien said. In other business selectpersons discussed an appeal regarding winter maintenance of Wyman Road. The appeal was made by Ron Guay, an attorney representing Chris and Addie McHugh who live on the road.

A petition for the appeal of municipal action pertaining to winter closing of a portion of Wyman Road in Livermore asked that Livermore continue to maintain the road as it had been doing and to comply with the law by taking necessary steps as the statutory process works out, if the road is to be discontinued, according to a letter commissioners sent to Livermore selectpersons regarding the appeal.

Therapy dogs were in training at Safe Voices in Farmington. The therapy dogs were to be part of services to survivors of domestic abuse and violence who are involved with the program. According to Katrina White, sex trafficking and exploitation outreach coordinator for Safe Voices, advocates working with survivors could identify and offer the option of having a therapy dog present to comfort them while the advocates worked on getting the services their clients needed.

Regional School Unit 73 directors were questioned about a closed door session held at the Jan. 26 meeting. Shari Ouellette, a former director from Jay asked if a decision on an assistant superintendent position had been tabled. Chairman Robert Staples said it was not tabled, it was passed over. He had noted that prior to approval of the Jan. 26 minutes earlier in the meeting.

When asked, Staples said the reason used for the closed door session regarded personnel. The matter was originally scheduled for the Jan. 12 meeting which was canceled because of weather conditions. Closed door sessions can’t be used to discuss something that hasn’t been created yet, Ouellette said.

Healthy Community Coalition [HCC] was bringing two new recovery centers to Franklin County. The centers, located in Jay and Farmington, were to be spaces for those in recovery to socialize with others as well as take classes offered by the center.

The program, officially called the Franklin County Recovery Center, was to be piloted by HCC and funded by the state for two years to combat the ongoing crisis of substance abuse in Franklin County. Additional funds would be sought once the two locations opened their doors and HCC was able to demonstrate the need for such a program in Franklin County based on the community response to the center.

Livermore Falls was collecting data to update the comprehensive plan approved in 2002. A town committee had developed questionnaires for community members and businesses to answer as it gathers information for an updated comprehensive plan.

They planned to go door-to-door to businesses. The committee hoped to be at the Fire Station during the annual Town Meeting and Regional School Unit 73 budget votes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 25 for residents to take the survey.

Mt. Blue High School was getting more out of the Souther Farm solar project than electricity. The solar farm not only benefited local schools by offsetting energy costs, but students were getting involved and learning more about renewable energy. The farm, which had its ribbon cutting ceremony in March of last year, provides 96 percent of its solar energy to five public schools in the state, offsetting the energy costs of Camden Rockport School District, Camden Hills Regional High School, Mt. Blue Regional School District, Regional School Unit 73 and Hope Elementary School.

March

The Spruce Mountain High School girls basketball team dethroned Oceanside for its first regional title. Spruce Mountain’s whirlwind tour in the Class B girls basketball tournament was to continue thanks to Aubrey Kachnovich’s dazzling display of long-distance shooting that triggered a fourth-quarter eruption. The Phoenix scored nearly half of their points in the fourth quarter as they toppled top-seeded Oceanside with a 56-47 victory to collect the Class B South regional championship at the Portland Expo on a wild Friday afternoon. It was the first time the second-ranked Spruce Mountain girls basketball team won a regional title.

The Livermore Falls Select Board appointed Nathan Guptill as Fire Chief. Guptill replaced Bobby Cummins who was named interim Fire Chief in January after interim chief Curt Melcher resigned in September. Melcher was the fourth department leader to resign in 15 months. Mike Booker, Scott Shink and Edward Hastings IV also stepped down during that time.

The Fire Chief search had six applicants, five of whom were scheduled for interviews. Four showed up, two from Livermore Falls, one from Livermore and one from Dixfield.

Selectpersons said Wyman Road in Livermore couldn’t be plowed this winter. On Feb. 15 the Androscoggin County Commission voted that Livermore must continue plowing the road. Christopher and Addie McHugh, who are the only residents living on the road had filed a petition appealing the town’s decision. Photos and a Maine Department of Transportation map were presented the commission by McHugh’s attorney, Ron Guay, which he said did not agree with the town’s tax map showing the road to be only 125 feet long.

Because the road hadn’t been plowed, it would not be possible to start doing so, selectpersons stated. The section being snowblown would be extended, they noted.

Funding opportunities for Area Youth Sports building were being discussed with Congressional staff. The building, formerly Livermore Falls High School, is owned by a non-profit with limited financial resources. The organization was looking for sources that would permit needed upgrades to keep the building available for current programming and future uses.

The former high school has a large kitchen area that would be ideal for the Spruce Mountain adult and community education culinary arts program. Space at the current facility is limited. Workforce development, childcare, youth mentoring/tutoring and a conference center are other potential uses for the building.

The RSU 73 proposed budget was up 4.92% and cuts would mean losing positions, Chairman Robert Staples said The 2023/24 proposed budget was $23.3 million, up $1.1 million over the current spending plan of $22.2 million. “The budget is what we have proposed,” RSU 73 Superintendent Scott Albert said. It is the board’s decision to bring it to taxpayers, he noted.

RSU 9 Superintendent Chris Elkington warned ‘bullying doesn’t look like it used to’. He presented two articles on the topic of bullying and mental health.

“The [administration] team is taking a good hard look at this to see what else we can do,” Elkington said. “How we can work better with parents. If we still have bullying and working with our students, then we still have more work to do.”

A bleak future with possible closure of the Norlands changed to one of hope and re-opening of programs, thanks to an outpouring of support from throughout Maine and beyond. In December, it was announced Washburn-Norlands Living History Center was at risk of dissolving if it didn’t get a $3 million infusion of cash.

On Friday, March 17, Renee Bonin, president of Washburn-Norlands Foundation, which oversees the center, said over $140,000 in donations had been received. “The support has been unbelievable, really,” she said. “Outstanding.”

Local robotics teams did well at a New England event. Five Maine teams were chosen for playoff alliances at the FIRST Robotics Competition meet. Two teams were from Farmington and Wilton with the latter making it to the finals round. A team from Richmond was part of the winning alliance.

Knights of Katahdin team 9055 from Wilton won the Rookie Inspiration award. Blue Crew 6153 from Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, which also included members and mentors from Spruce Mountain High School in Jay won the Team Spirit award and was selected Safety Allstar Team.

April

Livermore Resident Theresa Sol was seeking three changes to the barking dog section of the town’s dog control ordinance. Animal Control Officer Richard Burton said the Sol’s complaints about barking dogs were unsubstantiated. The request was a continuation of complaints Theresa and her husband, Dennis Sol, have made against Thomas and Michelle Wilson, owners of Baldwin Hill Beagles at 350 Hathaway Hill Road.

Announcement was made of the Regional School Unit 73 budget validation meeting. At the meeting each of the 19 articles relating to the proposed budget were to be voted on. A state calculation error meant Regional School Unit 73 would be receiving more money for next year’s budget, which would lower the tax amounts requested from each town.

A 15% sewer rate increase went into effect in Wilton. The rate increase, approved in March came after Water and Wastewater Superintendent Heinz Grossman submitted his projected sewer budget for 2023, which showed a deficit of over $240,000. A significant portion of the deficit was a result of the Maine Legislature L.D. 1911 “An Act to Prevent the Further Contamination of the Soils and Waters of the State with So-called Forever Chemicals.”

The RSU 73 budget cut an additional $100,000 from regular instruction after numbers obtained from Anthem for insurances came in less than anticipated. An attempt to cut $94,000 from regular instruction instead of $100,000 failed. Scott Hartford, who has been a teacher in the district for 35 years [22 at the middle school] suggested the additional $6,000 raise salaries for two teachers who would have completed their masters degree work this summer but didn’t file the required paperwork with the superintendent by the November deadline. Hartford said most teachers in the district were unaware of the requirement.

Regional School Unit 9 board of directors had a first reading on a revision of existing policy regarding public participation. According to Superintendent Christian Elkington, the revision came under the advisory of Maine School Management and their law firm due to an influx of first amendment lawsuits.

“There are several lawsuits right now across the state of Maine, where public comment [and the] expectations have not been clear,” Elkington stated to the board, “or it’s perceived that they are not clear and first amendment lawsuits are the concern.”

With students exceeding the fundraising goal, Spruce Mountain Middle School Principal Kristofer Targett had the top money raisers throw “pies” [actually platefuls of whipped cream] at him. Warm weather, approaching school vacation and a chance for tables to be turned lent an air of expectation as the top fundraisers waited their turn. The more money a student raised, the closer to Targett they were allowed to be while aiming at his face.

Farmington cleaned up on Earth Day. About 4,000 pounds of litter were picked up by volunteers during the cleanup, with furniture, mattresses, tires and other things still to be removed from Route 43, also known as Industry Road. Annie Palmer, organizer of several Farmington Earth Day Cleanups, was pleased with the turn out.

The detention center in Farmington was contending with staffing issues and lack of an infirmary. Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. and Jail Administrator Major Douglas Blauvelt spoke with the Franklin County Budget Advisory Board about increases to the budget to combat issues with staffing and medical resources. Six long term correctional officers left in the last year and a half, which stretched current staff members thin.

May

Four questions passed easily with light voter turnout in Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls for the Regional School Unit 73 budget referendum vote. In all, 276 people voted in Jay, 77 in Livermore and 47 in Livermore Falls.

Farmington Pride Maine was accepting donations for this year’s LGBTQ+ Pride March and Festival, and were rolling out details of what the Farmington community could expect. Fresh off the success of last year’s Pride event, FPM was looking to continue their presence in the region and celebrate LGBTQ+ in the Farmington community. According to Leia Pasquarelli, social media coordinator for Farmington Maine Pride, the fundraising campaign was going to be used for funding musicians and performers, as well as first aid, water, and activities.

Wilton Code Enforcement Officer Gary Judkins appeared before the Select Board to discuss potential ordinance changes for the size of dwellings and apartments, as well the distance they can be from bodies of water. According to Judkins, the zoning ordinances were updated last year and submitted to the DEP for approval. It was noted to Judkins in September of last year that current guidelines regarding dwellings that fall under Resource Protection/Watershed Overlay needed to be changed from 100 ft. to 250 ft. from the normal high-water line of great ponds and rivers that flow to great ponds, as per DEP request.

Regional School Unit 73 directors were given updates on grants being sought for adult education. Offices of senators Susan Collins and Angus King had forwarded the Area Youth Sports application for Congressionally Directed Spending [CDS)] to the Appropriations Committee and recommended funding for the $1.7 million project, Robyn Raymond, Director of Spruce Mountain Adult and Community Education stated.

“This is not a guarantee for funding, there are many more obstacles, but I am encouraged with how well received this project has been,” she stated. Funding would improve infrastructure at the AYS building to allow expansion of adult education’s culinary arts and workforce training programs while also assisting AYS with needed upgrades, she noted. The application with Congressman Jared Golden didn’t make it through the first round, she said.

Regional School Unit 9 board of directors voted to approve an additional $240,000 being gifted to the district from the Bjorn Foundation for the new Career and Technical Education center at Mt. Blue Middle School. The cost of the project could be cut by roughly $300,000 by reducing the commercial kitchen that was to be a part of the building and putting it on hold.

It was announced siblings Emma and Lucas Towers were the top 2 students at Spruce Mountain High School. Principal TJ Plourde said this was definitely the first time siblings had finished first and second since he became principal 11 years ago.

“They have been outstanding competitors, great siblings,” Plourde said. “They are just awesome students.” With only so many “high-end” classes offered at Spruce Mountain, Emma and Lucas have taken some classes together, he noted.

History buffs and car fanatics were given a treat when owners of hundreds of vintage cars made their way to the Livermore Falls Gazebo for History Night & Cruise In. Normally held in the parking lot of Androscoggin Valley Medical Arts Center, the event was moved across the street to the parking lot behind Weber’s Insurances and the Livermore Falls Town Office.

“There has been a really positive response to the move,” Christine Fournier, the administrative assistant for the JLLFCOC, said.

Foster Career and Technical Education Center started a new apprenticeship program that will connect students with job sites that will further their trade skills. It could mean a wave of young and eager high school graduates become skilled trade workers within a couple years of graduation.

Facilitated by an RFA grant from the Maine Department of Labor, FCTEC was one of two school-based career and technical education programs to receive grant funding for this program, with the other school being Somerset Career and Technical Center.

June

Regional School Unit 9 set the 2023-2024 school budget at $41.71 million, a 4.30% increase from the previous year’s budget. RSU 9 Chairperson Carol Coles described the budget as frugal. “We recognize this budget is an increase over prior years. As with everything, balancing wants and needs is as hard at the district level as it is in our homes. And we thank you for taking the time to come tonight. We welcome your views, your ideas, and your input.”

Spruce Mountain High School senior Garrett Hunt was very thankful for what the school, his community and family have done for him and wanted to give back. Hunt, of Jay played on the football team for four years and the baseball team for three years. There was no baseball his freshman year because of COVID-19.

“I loved how [the administrators, teachers and staff] were like almost family to me,” Hunt said. “They were very acceptable and they just took me under their arms and went with it.”

Spruce Mountain High School seniors were told graduation is both a conclusion and an introduction during graduation exercises. It was the last class to come from different elementary schools. More than $300,000 was awarded to seniors this year.

Selectmen voted to appoint retired Wilton Town Manager Rhonda Irish as interim town manager of Livermore Falls. The Jay resident served Wilton for 13 years, starting 2009 and retiring in August 2022.

The Livermore Falls board accepted former Town Manager Amanda Allen’s resignation June 6. A search committee for a full-time town manager is being led by Vice Chairman Ernie Souther and Selectman Bruce Peary. Three others are to be on the committee.

Students from Spruce Mountain High School’s veteran team won the 2023 Maine Envirothon Competition at Viles Arboretum in Augusta. The win is the team’s third straight state championship, continuing the success of former school teams winning the event. The current winning team will represent Maine for the third consecutive year at the National Conservation Foundation International Envirothon, to be held this year at Mount Allison University in Tantramar, New Brunswick, Canada, the last week of July.

Regional School Unit 73 director Holly Morris of Livermore gave a report on her experiences serving as a bus monitor the last four days of the school year. At the last board meeting, Transportation Director Norma Jackman said cellphone use was one of the biggest issues on buses in RSU 73. She requested policies for cellphone use on buses be developed for next year and to inform parents of school bus conduct rules prior to the start of school. In May she reported student behavior was worsening on buses.

On most of the buses the kids were turned sideways with their feet and half their bodies in the aisle making it difficult for the driver to see past them or out the back window, Morris noted. She didn’t witness a lot of cell phone use or misuse, might have seen more on an afternoon run.

Many apple producers were predicting smaller than normal crops this year due to the weather this spring. Morrison Hill Orchard in Farmington was the only local orchard not affected by a late freeze.

Producers throughout the Northeast experienced a late freeze and a recent online article from an NBC affiliate noted orchards are still assessing the damages. It also noted, “Some states are seeking federal disaster declarations, which would make low-interest loans and other programs available to affected growers, while agriculture officials across the region are contemplating together asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture for direct aid to farmers.”

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