May 2, 1990

Flags will fly over Westbrook veterans’ graves at city expense again this year, unless the City Council suffers a major change of heart. And they won’t be picked up after Memorial Day to be used again in 1991. “Maybe it’s a lean year, but I don’t think it’s that lean,” said Mayor Fred Wescott, arguing against leaving purchase of the flags to private funds. The council voted 6-0 on first reading last week to buy the flags for $1,208.67. The order comes up for final action May 7. Included in the purchase are one 6-by-10-foot flag, one 5-by-8-foot flag and 1,296 grave flags.

The Westbrook School Committee invites public comment at a meeting May 7 on a proposal to drop the July summer school this year, saving $ 5,000. It’s for children kindergarten-Grade 6. The program was revived just two years ago after being cut from the budget in the early 1970s. It is held at the Congin School and has had attendance of 265 and 275. Westbrook has no summer school for secondary students.

The Westbrook McDonald’s restaurant will host its third annual Project Big Mac fundraiser on May 4-6 to benefit the school’s Project Graduation activities. On all three days, 25 cents from every Big Mac the restaurant sells will be donated to the school’s Project Graduation.

A group of Gorham friends joined for a “celebrate spring” good time when they ate at the Lobster Shack in South Portland. They were Jane Warren, Judy Rowe Terry Huntley, Sandy Severance, Adma Willis, Ruth Webster and Rita Willis.

Lester Rogers, who spends much of his time in his gardens covering nearly an acre around his 197 Main St., Westbrook, home, was out on Thursday planting green peas. He plants them in two rows, close beside each other, and will run string down the row for them to grow up. He waited for his first row to sprout before planting a second, to see how thick to put in the seed. His variety? “Green Arrow.”

Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, the Westbrook High School Parade Band will be practicing for several spring appearances. On May 12, the band will lead the Westbrook Firemen’s Parade in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the fire department. Following that, the band will board buses for Lewiston for the Maine State Parade. The band will also participate in the Memorial Day Parade in Westbrook on May 28, and finally, the band, along with all alumni members who wish to join, will march in the Westbrook Together Day Parade.

May 3, 2000

Mayor Donald Esty Jr. delivered a 2000-2001 budget to the Westbrook City Council Wednesday that would raise the city’s property tax rate to $22.45, up $1, or 4.6 percent. The tax rate for city operations would drop 50 cents, but the rate for schools would go up $1.48 and the rate for the county would go up 2 cents. The mayor proposes a school budget of $20,830,633, up $1.5 million from this year, and proposes spending $550,000 in addition for school purposes. Esty said the city is making good recovery from loss of taxes dues to closing of the Sappi paper mill’s pulp mill and the drop in values of other parts of the mill. Sappi will pay 5 percent of Westbrook’s property taxes compared with the 40 percent the paper mill paid 10 yeas ago before Scott Paper Co. cut back and then sold it.

Pender Kimball, an alternative education teacher in Westbrook, is among 11 finalists for Maine’s Teacher of the Year. Kimball, 35, has taught for the past three years at the Alternative Learning Center of Wescott Junior High School, housed in the Mission Possible Teen Center. Curriculum Director Norma Schliken nominated her.

Advertisement: Open for Lunch, 11-3 – All Star Hotdogs, “Where You’re the Star!” 888 Main St., Westbrook.

Noel Beagle is valedictorian and Ryan Gould is salutatorian for the class of 2000 at Gorham High School. Beagle is the daughter of Alan and Linda Beagle, and plans to attend Yale University. Gould, the son of Robert and Barbara Gould, plans to attend the University of Maine.

The Gorham Fire Department has been given the former Getty gas station in Little Falls, unused for more than 30 years, at 15 Newell St. The wood-framed building will be used for demonstrations and a practice burn, said Fire Chief Robert Lefebvre. Its underground tanks have long since been removed, he said. Building owners Jonathan and Cynthia Smith want it taken down.

Briana Kells, daughter of Kerry and Lenore Kells of Westbrook, is a swimmer at the University of Rhode Island and a Westbrook Seal and former Westbrook High School swimmer. She finished her college swimming career at the Atlantic 10 championships by breaking two of her own URI pool records in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle. At the end of the season banquet, she was awarded the high point trophy for the second straight year and the most valuable female swimmer trophy.

This building was located on Main Street opposite Bridge Street and was known for a while as Barker’s Tavern. It later became known as the Presumpscot House and retained that name for many years. In 1902, the building was moved around the corner to Fitch Street to make room for construction of the Scates Building, which was constructed in 1903 by local businessman John C. Scates. The building became a boarding house and in later years it was known as Bevo’s Rooming House. The building on the right was constructed in 1844 by Dana Brigham and Henry Walker. F.X. Girard operated a grocery and dry goods store on the first floor for many years. The top floor, known as Brigham Hall, was used between 1873 and 1879 by the Catholic Church to celebrate Mass until St. Hyacinth Church was built on Brown Street. In later years former Mayor Ernest O. Porell purchased the building and operated an appliance store on the first floor left side of the building, leasing the other portion to the Men’s Shop. Urban renewal purchased both of these buildings in 1977 and they were vacated and slated for demolition when they were destroyed by a spectacular fire on Jan. 8, 1978. CVS Pharmacy and parking lot now occupy this location. To see more historical photos and artifacts, visit the Westbrook Historical Society at the Fred C. Wescott Building, 426 Bridge St. It is open Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, and the first Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m., September-June. Inquiries can be emailed to westhistorical@myfairpoint.net. The website is www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org. Photo and research courtesy of Mike Sanphy

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