Kennebunk Free Library announced the hiring of their first development director, Anita Randall, in a news release. Randall is a Mainer that
toured New England for a while before arriving back home. She has spent time as a teacher in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and most
recently as the business manager at her family’s logging business in Waterford, Maine.

Randall also spent seven years in Rhode Island as the founder and executive director of the East Bay Food Pantry and Thrift Shop. She oversaw all initiatives, services, fundraising and community activity, wrote and received grants, designed and implemented an annual donor appeal and cultivated corporate partners.

According to the news release, Randall was hired in October and “has already figured out the culture of our library and our community.”

“Nonprofits are near and dear to my heart and I am so excited to be working alongside the delightfully talented staff and volunteers of Kennebunk Free Library,” Randall said in an email. “I am continually impressed by their creativity, knowledge and exceptional level of
service. Kennebunk Free Library is an invaluable resource in our community and I am truly grateful to be part of it.”

As a 501c3 nonprofit, Kennebunk Free Library needs to raise over $200,000 each year to supplement funds from the town of Kennebunk and town of Arundel. To meet this yearly goal, funds are raised through an annual appeal, road race, and other fundraisers throughout the year such as the March auction and holiday wreath sales.

According to the library, “It became clear though, that generating additional income for long-term sustainability was necessary. The efforts to create a development director position took root in the creation of library’s 2019-2024 strategic plan. Feedback from over 500 community members in  survey, focus groups and individual interviews reinforced that library’s growth was very important to our community.

“Anita’s focus on fundraising will be through grants, planned giving, and large gifts and with the goals of growing Kennebunk Free Library’s capacity, ensuring funds are available for emergencies, and with the long-term hope for a much-needed building expansion.

Randall can be reached at at arandall@kennebunklibrary.org or 207-985-2173.

Library hosts ‘Rebel Without a Clue’ author

With persistence, patience and pluck, Kennebunk writer/artist Steve Hrehovcik reveals how he became an expert on survival in his book “Rebel Without A Clue – A Way-Off Broadway Memoir” in a session hosted by Kennebunk Free Library.

According to a Dec. 14 news release, in a “candid confessional and part humor, Hrehovcik will describe his turbulent, often farcical, journey in a desperate search for a career in the theater.”

Hrehovcik makes a presentation about the book at Kennebunk Free Library on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m.

According to the library, “Never giving up, his story also reveals how he managed to carry on with some semblance of dignity and achieve a few surprising triumphs along the way – most important, a marriage of 55 years, three remarkable children and a wonderful grandson. At the end of each chapter Hrehovcik includes a cartoon drawing, adding fun to the theme of his story.”

In addition to reading from his book and showing the cartoons, Hrehovcik will discuss some of the advantages of self-publishing as part of his presentation.

The program is free, wheelchair accessible, and open to all. Kennebunk Free Library is located at 112 Main St. in Kennebunk. For more information, call 207-985-2173 or email kfl@kennebunk.lib.me.us.

Kehl promoted at Kennebunk Savings

Kennebunk Savings announced an addition to its executive leadership team with the promotion of Chris Kehl to executive vice president.

“Chris has always been a person of high integrity and, quite frankly, a workhorse,” said Bradford C. Paige, president and CEO, in a news release. “I have an incredible level of trust in him, and so do his customers. He is a highly responsive customer advocate who doesn’t do anything he doesn’t truly believe in and is a driving force for this company and the greater community.”

Kehl started his career in banking in 1990, as teller in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. After 14 years in retail banking, including three years as a branch manager at Kennebunk Savings, he moved to commercial lending in 2004, rising to become the bank’s senior lender.

“I think that what’s unique at Kennebunk Savings is that folks know they can reach me at any time,” Kehl said in an email. “Customers recognize they wouldn’t have this kind of access at a bigger bank.”

Kehl said he wants the bank to be known as the most relationship-driven and results-oriented commercial lending operation in the Seacoast. “And if I had a vision in my mind of how we would ideally manage our customer relationships – we’re pretty close to that ideal now. But always striving to be better,” Kehl said.

“Everything Chris does is done carefully and thoughtfully, and always in the best interest of our customers and the bank” Paige said. “That’s just one very important component of his executive leadership profile.”

Graves Library annual meeting available via Zoom

Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, at 5 p.m. via the Zoom platform. All members of the Library Association are welcome to attend.

For a link to the meeting, call the library at 967-2778 or email the director (mlbgraves@gmail.com). The agenda for the meeting is as follows: Updates from committees; Election of officers and new member of the board of directors; Review and approval of library bylaws.

Recycling firm unveils database of sustainable holiday tree disposal options

In order to promote sustainable options for disposal of trees following the holidays, ecomaine, the Portland-based recycling and waste management firm, has published an online tool with solutions and locations for tree drop-off or collection.

“We wanted to come up with a way to stick to the solid waste hierarchy and keep more waste out of Maine landfills,” said Katrina Bussiere-Venhuizen, one of ecomaine’s senior environmental educators, in a Dec. 16 email. “A lot of times, trees are thrown away or burned, when they could be used again as wood chips or compost. We hope this tool is a win-win for residents and sustainability in Maine.”

Bussiere-Venhuizen is credited with establishing the tool.

The tool is focused on providing information about places in ecomaine’s more than 65 member communities for residents to bring their tree and ensure it is chipped, mulched, or composted – or, in a small number of instances, municipalities that offer curbside collection for trees.

“While this list is not comprehensive for the entire state, it is a good start to promote readily-available sustainable endings for a fairly common waste item at this time of year,” said Matt Grondin, ecomaine communications manager, in an email. “We welcome additions to the database, to continue to increase similar solutions for this year and years to come.”

Sand buckets available in Kennebunkport

The Kennebunkport Public Works and Public Health departments are partnering to help local senior citizens obtain sand this winter to help keep icy walkways safe.

Upon request, buckets of sand for personal use will be delivered to residents who are 65 and older and unable to pick-up the buckets at the Public Works Department. To request a bucket, call Kennebunkport Public Health at 967-4401.

Buckets for the project were donated by Pilot House Restaurant, Lost Fire, Nonantum Resort and Kennebunkport Resort Collection.

Astronomical Society of Northern New England schedules meeting

The Astronomical Society of Northern New England will hold its monthly meeting 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7 at The New School, 38 York Street, Kennebunk. The business meeting, also open to the public, commences at 6:45 p.m.

The January meeting agenda features a presentation, on Zoom, by Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn. Hepburn’s interest in the night sky started early. By the age of 15, she was taking pictures of the stars and solar system objects. As a space science undergraduate student at York University in Toronto, she volunteered at the observatory, where she aided in tours, observing sessions and research.

In the next 20 plus years, she improved her skills in deep-sky astrophotography, while dealing with light pollution and equipment shortfalls. Hepburn’s work has won awards and has been featured in science textbooks, astronomy-related calendars, magazines and online publications such as Sky & Telescope, Sky News, and NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Hepburn shares her knowledge by conducting workshops and addressing astronomy clubs, camera clubs and the general public at speaking engagements. She lives in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, with her family. She works for The Weather Network (a Canadian National TV station) as a senior meteorologist and in her spare time flies small airplanes and travels around the world to capture unique nightscapes.

To view Hepburn’s work, visit www.weatherandsky.com.

The January meeting will also include Bernie Reim’s What’s Up for the Month and Astro Shorts, where attendees and members share questions, activities, news and observations.

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