Oct. 20, 1982
City Solicitor James Gagan reminded the Westbrook City Council that he isn’t going to be around forever and favored hiring a recent law school graduate to learn his job. Aldermen, at the behest of Norman Conley, decided to look into the suggestion before taking action. Assistant City Solicitor Stephen Filler resigned recently, and the proposition put before the council was to do away with that job title and substitute for it, “city staff attorney.” In the same action, the council would have set a starting salary of $15,000 for the job. Conley objected that the council wasn’t being given time to study whether a second attorney is needed and what the
pay should be. Gagan said the person hired “ultimately through on-the-job training and work experience should be well qualified to become general counsel for the city as city solicitor.”
From the police notes: Four of Randall’s steers were out of their Stroudwater Street field. the animal control officer got them back in. William Clarke III, 3, fell 10 feet onto a cement slab, hitting his head, at the barn of his grandfather, City Clerk William L. Clarke. The boy was taken to Mercy Hospital and transferred to the Maine Medical Center. He had a skull fracture and black eye but was going to be all right. Someone stopped in front of the DeWolfe residence at 471 Stroudwater
St. at 11:30 p.m. and tied a black-and-tan mongrel dog to the mailbox. Police took it to the Animal Refuge League.
The Cornerstone Restaurant in Westbrook is offering for Wednesday baby beef liver and onions, whipped potato and vegetables for $2.59. The soup du jour is $1.19. For Thursday, roast choice beef, au jus, baked potato and vegetable for $2.99. For Friday it’s fried fresh haddock, tartar sauce, whipped potato and vegetable for $2.99 and Maine fish chowder for $1.49.
The Westbrook School Committee wrangled with Administrative Assistant Russell Fearon at length and then gave him a $1,960 raise. The wrangling was over bids for providing and installing a new oil burner at the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center at the high school. The committee accepted the low bid, rejecting an alternate proposal from Fearon to let him negotiate the purchase. The raise for Fearon, the next item on the agenda, drew on one question. John Skvorak wanted to know when it would be effective. It takes
Fearon from $24,500 a year to $26,460, up 8 percent.
The Gorham Planning Board unanimously recommended that the Zoning Appeals Board grant john Dickinson a special exception to operate an automobile repair shop an sell used cars at the Old Maxim’s building on Lower Min Street.
Oct. 21, 1992
A varsity ice hockey program proposed for Gorham High School this winter could be funded from gambling. The proposal was made last week by Gorham Ice Hockey Association, which promised to pay the full cost through bingo receipts. Following the recommendation of Superintendent Timothy McCormack, the Gorham School Committee established a task
force to study the offer. “When the league was put together five years ago, the goal was to have a high school team eventually, without costing the town money,” said J. Michael Roods, association member. “With just this one
fund-raising program, one night per week, we will net enough revenue to fully fund a high school program as well as continuing with our middle school feeder program.” Tim Wiblin, Gorham High School Athletic director, endorsed the program in concept. A task force of the interested parties will study how other communities have established varsity hockey programs.
Maine Red Ribbon festivities in Westbrook include a parade and
performances of the one-act play, “Walking the Line.” A series of anti-substance abuse activities will be presented in all grade levels of Westbrook schools
A crumbling shell is all that remains of the 1870s cotton warehouse or the Dana Warp Mills. A fire had already eaten deep into its heavy timber decks and frame when it was discovered around 3 a.m. A firefighter early on the scene said flames were then coming out every window on every floor, the length of the building. Fire crews wet the nearby houses down to keep flames from spreading and evacuated the
residents.
Neighbors of the Beaver Pond in Westbrook plan a major cleanup of the pond and its surroundings. Eager workers with rakes, nets, and some with canoes to reach mid-pond debris, are invited. The starting point is Pat Caron’s house at 61 Spring St. Trash bags provided by Sportsman’s Hardware will be supplied.
Cynthia O’Shea of Narragansett School in Gorham is Maine’s National Distinguished Principal for 1992. The 44-year-old Gorham resident began her teaching career as a substitute when her two children were young. She later taught at White Rock School for 10 years, and just began her seventh year as Narragansett’s principal.
An innovative student evaluation program known as “portfolio
assessment” at Gorham’s Narragansett School is featured on the upcoming episode of “Teacher TV” on The Learning Channel. “No longer can we regard students as empty bottles waiting to be filled with knowledge. We’re now asking our students to produce knowledge on their own,” says math
teacher Mary Jo O’Connor, “and that’s very hard work.”
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