Thumbs up to the Town of Old Orchard Beach for considering a Museums in the Streets walking tour. Historical walking tours educate tourists and residents alike. Old Orchard Beach has a beautiful beach and a downtown that’s bustling in the summer, but it also has a rich history that’s of interest to many.
Thumbs up to the orgnaizers of the upcoming Community Conversation about heroin and opiod addiciton in Sanford on Tuesday, set for 3-5 p.m. at City Hall. The York District Public Health Council, Opiates Task Force, and others will host a panel discussion about the opiate problem in York County. Panelists will include health care professionals, addiction and prevention specialists, law enforcement officials, and members of the recovery community. It is a needed conversation.
Thumbs up to Mike Fecteau and the rest of the Biddeford Recreation Department staff for putting on a flag football program for kids ages 5-7. These programs are not only great for the kids, who need access to activities that get them away from the computer, television or video games, and outside, enjoying exercise and healthy competition – but they also help ensure our local high school football programs will be successful for years to come.
Thumbs up to the Biddeford school system, which will be hosting a “dine and discuss” meeting on starting school later. RSU 21 will attend. Starting school later for older students had been shown to drastically lower truancy rates and improve students’ well being, and a non-binding discussion like this will hopefully address some concerns and identify external barriers to the idea, such as the Maine Principals Association athletic schedule.
Thumbs down to Gov. Paul LePage for withholding $2 million in funds from Land for Maine’s Future, a program that distributes voter-approved bonds to conservation and recreation projects statewide. The governor’s decision, which he has acknowledged was motivated by an unrelated political goal, affects 30 projects, including the Biddeford RiverWalk. The city had planned to use LMF funds to extend a portion of the RiverWalk in Mechanics Park. LePage has commended the downtown revitalization efforts of Biddeford and Saco, and the RiverWalk is an important component to revitalization. If the governor truly wants progress to continue, he should authorize the bonds.
Thumbnails is a Friday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you want to respond, feel free to write to the Readers’ Forum via e-mail (jtcommunity@journaltribune.com) or by dropping your letter off at our office.
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