Thumbs up to the Saco City Council’s decision to schedule a public hearing on the city’s proposal to purchase and demolish the former Notre Dame de Lourdes church on Cutts Avenue. The church has been closed down since 2009, and the city is proposing to purchase it and the abutting rectory building for $399,000.
Plans are to demolish the church to increase City Hall parking and to sell the rectory as a residential property. While this seems a logical move, we’re glad the council realizes that this church building still means a lot to its former parishioners and is willing to hear what they have to say about the plan before a vote is taken. We hope residents and former parishioners will attend the Sept. 3 public hearing on the plan to give the council input.
Thumbs up to Old Orchard Beach Public Works foreman Mike Perrone for bringing the idea of a simple seagull deterrent to the town’s public square. Perrone and Equipment Operator Tim Reynolds strung fishing line in a grid above the square last week, creating an inexpensive, humane way to keep these aggressive birds out of the eating area. Many visitors to OOB can recount a time when a piece of pizza crust was swiped from their plate or a snack taken right out of their hand by a seagull, and having an area in town where one can take cover from such threats will make it a friendlier place to grab a bite.
Thumbs down to the continued turmoil in Lyman, where a dispute over a letter to the editor was the final straw in leading to the resignation of a selectman. A new charter, a five-person board of selectmen and a cleanup of the town’s books were supposed to help set Lyman on the right track. It seems that personal disagreements between certain factions in the town, however, will continue to bog down its management. We’re glad to see the board has moved forward with plans to put a question before voters about getting a town manager, once the charter has been in effect long enough to allow changes. Outside, experienced leadership could finally be the trick to tamping down the interpersonal drama in Lyman.
Thumbs up to Biddeford residents for heartily embracing the new curbside recycling program, with recycling participation numbers much higher than expected. Trash disposal has been reduced by 37 percent, and if it keeps up, the city is looking at only one daily trip to the Westbrook landfill rather than the two that were budgeted ”“ further saving taxpayers’ money. Implementation of the program has gone well, with residents even given a grace period to learn the rules, and we hope to see the strong support continue.
Thumbs up to the long-awaited decision of the City of Saco to hire a firm to conduct an analysis of the financial impact should the city withdraw from Regional School Unit 23. A vote on the city’s withdrawal agreement could come as soon as November, if the Department of Education approval comes in enough time to allow for public hearings. Before that vote, Saco residents need to have a clear picture of what the financial impact of withdrawal will be, from an unbiased source. The council was petitioned by concerned residents back in May asking for this analysis, and it’s good to see them finally following through. Only with the hard numbers can residents make a choice about their school system, while also weighing the educational impacts.
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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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