thumb”¢nail (thum´nal´)
”¦ 2. anything quite small or brief, as a small drawing or short essay
Thumbs up to a proposal in Alfred to make safety improvements to several high-traffic roads and intersections where accidents have occurred and speeding is the norm. Voters will have the chance to weigh in at a Special Town Meeting on June 28 on whether to appropriate up to $100,000 from the capital improvement fund for improvements.
The plan includes speed tables to be installed on Saco and Kennebunk roads and across the “V” where the two roads meet; “choke points” on Route 202 on either side of the approach to the center of the village, which consist of planters within granite curbing to give the illusion of a narrowed roadway; and a crosswalk across Route 202 that would have an illuminated solar signs that strobe when activated. We hope voters turn out to support these important safety improvements.
Thumbs up and congratulations to the many county residents who received their GEDs in recent weeks. Adult education programs in Sanford, Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Wells and Ogunquit celebrated their students’ successes with graduation ceremonies recently. Returning to school to complete one’s high school education will help increase their employment prospects, prepare them for college and make Maine’s workforce stronger. We applaud those who returned to school to get their GED or high school diploma, in spite of whatever obstacles they may have had in their way, and encourage those who are contemplating the programs to contact their local adult education office.
Thumbs down to the Sanford School Committee and Civil Rights team for stalling on a mascot change. “Redskins” is offensive, plain and simple, and Sanford will be the sole school district in the state using such a name for its sports teams in the fall. Maine Tribal State Commission Executive Director John Dieffenbacher-Krall said the name conjures up images of bounty hunters collecting “redskin” scalps during skirmishes between colonists and Maine’s indigenous people. So instead of asking people how they feel about a possible change, the survey conducted by the Civil Rights team of students and staff should have asked what the mascot should be changed to, which would have allowed for a new mascot come fall. There is no good reason to hang onto a name that is such an affront to all Americans ”“ especially Native Americans.
Thumbs up to the many college students dedicating their summers to the New England Climate Summer effort, spending weeks on bicycles to spread the word about building the climate movement. Some of these young people stopped in Biddeford last week to assist the Friends of the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge in Wells and the Community Bicycle Center in Biddeford as well as share information at the Biddeford Farmers’ Market and La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival.
Thumbs up to local historian and Saco resident Peter Scontras for re-opening the Way Way Store. The store closed in 2003 after being open since the 1920s. This Saco institution was known for its penny candy and unique design ”“ red and white block print and rock-covered columns, which helped land it on the National Register of Historic places. Now a new generation of children ”“ and people who remember the store from times gone by ”“ can enjoy the store’s many types of candy, ice cream and other treats.
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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.
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