Thumbs up to the University of New England and its impact on the local economy and beyond. UNE’s economic impact has grown 31 percent over the last three years ”“ to $738 million ”“ which is good news for the local and state economy. A study, conducted by Chuck Lawton of Planning Decisions Inc. in Portland, was made public last week with the good news. According to the study, the more than 8,000 students enrolled at UNE spend $33 million in the state, and their families and other visitors spend an additional $11.5 million in Maine when visiting the college’s Biddeford and Portland campuses.
In addition, the university spends $66 million on its in-state payroll, $63 million of which is spent in southern Maine. UNE is doing a lot of good work beyond educating our youth, and we’re pleased the economic benefits are just another boost to the area and State of Maine.
Thumbs down to the news that plans for 140 apartments at the Emery Street mill, known as the Stone Mill, in Sanford have fallen through. Last week, the mill’s owner announced that Brady Sullivan Properties, the developer looking to renovate the mill for apartments, failed in its bid to secure tax credits through Maine State Housing Authority. Now, Eric Stone, the mill’s owner, said he has teamed up with a new business partner and is seeking new tenants for the 280,000-square-foot mill. We hope Stone is successful in his effort, as redeveloping the city’s old mills will be key to the area’s future success.
Thumbs up to brothers Mike and Geoff Howe, proprietors of Howe and Howe Technologies in Waterboro, for their continued innovation and success. The Howe brothers said in a recent interview that their Ripsaw, an unmanned, remote-control tank, is featured in the new film, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” which is currently in theaters. While the brothers adapted the tank for the film, they didn’t know one of them would be filmed on the set. Mike Howe became the stunt driver for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who starred in the movie along with Bruce Willis, when he was showing the hired stunt driver how to use the vehicle. The Howes are also continuing to develop new products. They spoke about the Thermite, a remote-controlled, robotic tracked vehicle, designed to assist firefighters, and the RS1 SWAT Bot, designed to provide police officers with protection and a tactical response to situations such as a hostage crisis. It’s great that this kind of innovative work is happening right here in York County, and we’re pleased to see Howe and Howe Technologies flourishing at their Waterboro site.
Thumbs up to the students at Acton Elementary School ”“ and three in particular, Baileigh McGoon, Hannah Miller and Chelsey Smith ”“ for working to create an inclusive and happy environment through affirmations and positive messages to fellow students and staff. The girls are part of a literature circle within their language arts class, and recently read the book “Skinny,” by Donna Cooner, which addresses themes of self-esteem and beauty being more than skin deep. In discussions of the book, they borrowed an idea they heard about from a friend in Yarmouth, to post messages on the mirror of the girl’s bathroom like “your eyes are beautiful,” “you’re having a good hair day” and “keep your head up.” The notes of encouragement spread to the entire school, and each student wrote a message on a sticky note, which was then addressed to a student and posted on a wall in the school. This kind of effort proves that young people are making a difference, and the simple offering of a few nice words is making a positive, healthy environment at Acton Elementary School ”“ the kind of environment that students need to thrive. Keep up the good words!
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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you want to respond, feel free to write to the Readers’ Forum via email at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford office.
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