I know that many small towns in Central Maine are struggling and have struggled with town budgets but we, my husband and I who are tax paying residents here, are so completely disappointed and frankly disgusted that at a recent Select Board meeting, funds for the Livermore Falls Downtown Betterment Group ( an all volunteer group I might add) were slashed. The funds, a mere $1,000 pale in comparison to the good that this group has provided over the past several years. We cannot imagine what the board members, who voted against this, were/are thinking. We find it very myopic in vision both in the short term and the long term. Just ask any member of the LFDBG what they have accomplished. Their activities have benefited adult citizens, youth and many businesses, as well as the general appearance of our little downtown. Some of the annual major activities they put endless hours in on brings families together and creates a sense of community which all kids need if they are to feel proud and interested in their hometown. The Board should be ashamed!

Cindy Rehagen Langewisch

Nicholas J. Rehagen

Livermore Falls, ME.