Diane Smith @DianeSmith_RC

ThursdayJan30,2020at2:53PMJan30,2020at10:59PM

RAVENNA One of Ravennas international companies is planning to expand.

The citys planning commission recently approved site plans for Saint-Gobain to add a storage building and a new truck lane at its property at 335 N. Diamond St.

Ted Manfrass, architect for Saint-Gobain, said plans were approved by the city panel in 2018, but the company delayed funding for the expansion, and has since changed its plans. Originally, the company wanted another storage building to house waste materials, such as paint, until they could be properly disposed of. But since then, the company has changed its procedures for having such materials hauled off its site, and that building is no longer needed.

However, Manfrass and Dale Sibert, facilities manager at the Ravenna plant, said the plant needs more storage for the items that it manufactures.

The Paris-based company designs, tests and manufactures a variety of products, including airline equipment.

Ravenna Mayor Frank Seman, who has toured the plant many times, said he has a hard time going between the companys buildings because of traffic, something that the truck lane will help address.

Sibert said there will be a retaining wall between the truck lane and the storage building.

Continued here:
Saint-Gobain to expand in Ravenna - Business - Akron Beacon Journal

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - A Bangor woman convicted of stabbing two strangers in the Bangor Mall 5 years ago was back in court Wednesday.

Police say she was arrested earlier this week for throwing rocks at cars.

39-year-old Elizabeth Ellis is charged with criminal mischief and violating her probation.

She pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Officers were called to Hammond Street Monday for a report of a woman vandalizing cars.

They discovered two parked vehicles with damage and football-sized stones on the ground near them.

Police believe the rocks came from a nearby retaining wall.

In 2015, Ellis was sentenced to three years in prison for the stabbings at the mall.

She was also ordered to serve six years of probation.

She's being held on $250 and is expected to appear in court again in March.

Read more here:
Bangor woman convicted of 2015 mall stabbings back in court - WABI

Good morning, Loveland. The weather looks to contain both sunshine and snow over the next five days.

The National Weather Service is calling for a breezy Thursday with gusts as high as 22 mph and a slight chance of snow in the afternoon. The high will be 40 degrees, and the low 20 overnight.

Then, the sun will shine over the weekend with highs near 47 on Friday, 59 on Saturday and 61 on Super Bowl Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers square off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Then on Monday, snow is likely with a nigh near 32 degrees.

The Thompson School District will vote on Feb. 5 whether to name the new school being built in Thompson River Ranch the recommended name of Riverview School. Do you like that name? Weigh in on the poll on our Facebook page.

The top clicks on our website over the last day include stories about a big tipper who found herself on the Kelly Clarkson show, a car that ended up in a precarious position balanced on a retaining wall and a Berthoud trustee who resigned in protest of a board decision.

Big-tipping Loveland diner and lucky servers to appear on The Kelly Clarkson Show

SUV runs off U.S. 287 Berthoud Bypass south of Loveland on Wednesday night

Berthoud trustee Pete Tomassi resigns in protest of Waggener rec center funding

Samantha Burgos, a student at Cottonwood Plains, is student of the week! Congratulations, Samantha.

Samantha is a ray of Sunshine, wrote Kelly Hoefle, technology facilitator at the school.From the janitor to her teachers to the secretary and fellow students, Samantha always has a ready smile or will ask how they are doing that day. And then she will listen to what they have to say. She is thoughtful and volunteers her time to help everyone. She senses when a classmate is upset or is struggling and always offers a kind, gentle hand to help. She sees the best in others when they cannot. Samanthas gentle, kind and positive attitude truly make a difference at Cottonwood.

To nominate a student of the week, send information and a snapshot to johnsonp@reporter-herald.com.

Go here to read the rest:
Loveland Today: Samantha Burgos is student of the week; what do you think of the name Riverview? - Loveland Reporter-Herald

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GRAFTON -- Grafton police on Monday, Jan. 27 released surveillance video showing a brazen theft inside DICK'S Sporting Goods -- a crime that ended in a serious crash on I-43 near Silver Spring Drive on Jan. 19. Darrell Brown, 37, and Letosha Walton, 36, both of Milwaukee, were each charged with retail theft -- intentionally taking greater than $500 to $5,000, as party to a crime (with an added repeater modifier for Brown).

Police said the pursuit began after the suspects stole nearly $2,000 worth of merchandise from the store -- leading to a 100 miles per hour pursuit that ended in a crash, bringing traffic to a standstill. Dashcam video showed the suspect vehicle slammed into a retaining wall and flipped another vehicle onto its hood. Thankfully, the two women inside that vehicle were not hurt.

Prosecutors said Walton was driving during the pursuit -- stopped with a PIT maneuver. Brown surrendered to police. Both received medical attention.

PHOTO GALLERY

After the crash, police sorted through items found in their vehicle.

"She got me in the car, and wouldn't take me back home," Brown said in the video. "I ain't had no business having my hands on that (expletive) with no money."

In addition to the retail theft charge out of Ozaukee County for the crime at DICK'S, Walton faces two counts of recklessly endangering safety and one count of vehicle operator flee/elude officer out of Milwaukee County in connection with the pursuit and crash.

Walton was in court Thursday, Jan. 23 in Milwaukee County, where cash bond was set at $5,000, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 29.

Brown was in court in Ozaukee County Jan. 21 for a bail/bond hearing and initial appearance. Cash bond was set at $15,000, and a status hearing was scheduled for Feb. 5.

43.323219-87.924441

Read more from the original source:
Shopping like they have a list: Video captured DICKS retail theft before pursuit, crash on I-43 - WITI FOX 6 Milwaukee

ITHACA, N.Y. Have a few minutes to burn on this chilly winter day? Spend it with us in the warm glow of your screen. This month we're looking at some (most) of the major construction projects, public and private, underway in Ithaca this winter.

Harolds Square on the Commons is moving right along. The Commons-facing side of the structure has been mostly finished from the outside with brown terra cotta panels. As you can see in the street-level photo, once the mineral wool was on, steel rails were attached to the building and the panels are clipped into place atop the rails. The westernmost face has its expansive glass installed (with metal fins to provide some respite from the direct sun), while the waterproofed exterior awaits its aluminum metal panel finish. In the taller, southern side of the building, window installation has begun on the lower levels.

According to the new website, monthly rents will range from $1,300 for a studio, to $3,000 for a top-of-the-line two-bedroom. The floorplans are included below. Note the studios are just a little above the legal minimum, at 332 SF. Truly for someone who likes to live with a small footprint, I guess. Most units come with their own washer and dryer, studios will share a common room with a washer and dryer.

There are 6 studios (which are a tiny 342 square feet), 42 one-bedroom units (749 square feet), and 29 two-bedroom units (1,088 square feet). Units come with quartz countertops, tile backsplashes, stainless steel fixtures and Energy Star appliances, vinyl plank floors, and everything is that marketing-friendly neutral color palette of subdued whites, beiges, greys and browns. Fiber optic internet is included in rent, and the units are pet-friendly. Higher-end units also have balconies.

Shared amenities include a dog washing station, 12th-floor rooftop terrace, Amazon Hub apartment lockers, keyless entry, private storage and bike storage, trash and recycling chutes on every floor, a security system and access to two high-speed elevators. All units are non-smoking. 60 kW from a solar array in the Schuyler County town of Dix will be utilized to offset the buildings carbon footprint.

Endwell-based Visions Federal Credit Union had begun their expansion into the Ithaca / Tompkins County market. The financial non-profit is proposing to build a 3,320 square-foot branch office with a parking lot containing 20 spaces and drive-up ATMs. The building will be finished out in a fairly standard mix of painted aluminum metal panel system and fiber cement, with a masonry base and aluminum window system.

More interestingly, the majority of the lot would be fenced in from the adjacent roadways and turned into an outdoor amphitheater. A 940 SF stage structure would be built at the southern end of the property, and the lawn would be maintained for use as an outdoor event and entertainment venue rough estimates put the seating capacity at about 500, with the shopping center parking lot to double as a parking area for concert series attendees (the initial plan is five concerts from May-September, with smaller events in between). The remainder of the property would be fitted out with stormwater retention areas, landscaping improvements, a small amount of sidewalk, electric vehicle charging stations, a pet-friendly outdoor waiting area next to the building and bike racks.

The site is being cleared and graded for construction at the moment. The elevated pad in the first photo is where the new branch office will be built. The third photo shows the graded site pad for the amphitheater. The $1.25 million project should take about eight months to build out, putting it on course for a late summer opening.

The new exterior cladding is going up on the renovated and expanded Maguire Ford-Lincoln at 504 South Meadow Street. Generally speaking, the materials consist of Alcoa ribbed aluminum panels on the back and sides, Alpolic aluminum panels on the front, and painted panels on the old service wing being retained and incorporated into the renovation. For automakers, aluminum panels are often the desired finish of choice because it projects a clean, modern image, and automotive sales are all about pushing the latest and greatest technologically-advanced four-wheeled machines out onto the roads. You can see on the rear wall how rails are attached to the exterior wall, and the panels are attached to the rails above the sheathing.

Many of the windows have yet to be fitted, and the old service wing is still sheathed in Tyvek house wrap while it waits for its exterior panels. The curved airfoil feature with the Ford blue oval has yet to be installed at the front entrance, but there are spaces on either side of the entrance that suggest where it will be attached to the main structure. The Lincoln logo will go above 23 black aluminum swatch on the northeast corner next to the entrance, as requested by Ford corporate design guidelines. Initially, the plan was to have an exposed concrete masonry base, but late in the review process they upgraded to stone veneer, which lends a more upscale and aesthetically pleasing appearance to the structure. It does look like some windows were changed or deleted when compared to the last set of drawings from review, but minor fenestration alterations are typically a minor enough change that re-review isnt warranted.

According to a filing with the Tompkins County Clerk on January 13th, CFCU Community Credit Union is lending the Maguire Family of Dealerships $5,362,500 to fund the renovation and expansion. This is unusually high; the Site Plan Review estimated the cost of the project at $1.5 million. The loan notes that fees and other expenses mostly related to the mortgage total $1.788 million, which still lends a very substantial $3.574 million towards the construction project itself, to be paid out in six payments, and all except about $12,000 of that going to the general contractor, G.M. Crisalli & Associates of Syracuse. The terms of the agreement stipulate a completion no later than July 1st.

Library Place is making progress over at 105 West Court Street (the new mailing address; guess we should stop saying 314 North Cayuga Street now). The concrete masonry unit (CMU) northeast elevator/stair tower has topped off, and it looks like part of the northwest tower is being assembled now. The square holes above the lower levels of the tower are most likely slots for structural steel. If Im reading the floor plans right, a third stair tower will be constructed along the south wall of the building. The concrete foundation footers have been poured, and a CMU foundation wall is being assembled; the pink materials along the outside of the wall are lightweight polystyrene insulation boards, Owens Corning Foamular from the looks of it. I see a work truck on-site for subcontractor Gorick Construction of Binghamton, but rather surprisingly theres no signage around for general contractor LeChase Construction.

Signs along the perimeter fence advertise a Spring 2021 opening for the four-story, 86,700 square-foot building. Prices for the 66 senior housing units are not yet available. Amenities will include a restaurant, la carte home health services from an on-site agency, community room, courtyard gardens, workout facilities, warming pool, and underground parking. Senior services non-profit Lifelong will provide on-site activities and programs.

Now you see it, now you don't. The house and two apartment buildings previously on the site of INHS's new Cayuga Flats apartment project have been removed and the site is being excavated for the new 13-unit building, which will serve households making 30%-60% of area median income (about $18k-$35k/year for a one-person household). The new 12,585 square-foot will be two stories from the front (northwest) and three from the back (southeast), further downslope.

Of the 13 units, ten will be one-bedroom units, and three will be two-bedroom units. The buildings design, penned by Rochester firm SWBR Architects, is a fairly modern look with fiber cement siding with wood-like fiber cement and masonry accents.Engineering-wise, the project will be built on a 5 concrete slab resting on a vapor barrier and compacted stone base, with concrete masonry unit (CMU) or poured concrete walls and footings. This foundation wall will also serve as a retaining wall. The floord above will be a traditional lightweight wood frame common in low-rise multifamily construction. This should take about a year to build out.

For the record, this is down the street from the storm sewer that collapsed. The storm sewer that gave way is the fourth photo, and will take about two months to replace. There's no indication that the construction project and the nearby sewer collapse are related.

Here's another project undergoing site prep. The former AJ's Foreign Auto has been torn down and the site is being graded for Arthaus Ithaca, a new five-story apartment building.

Among the features are support service office space, a community room, a gallery/studio (in partnership with the Cherry Arts, according to state docs from October) and a fitness room. Its about 123 units (48 studio, 55 1-bedroom, 20 2-bedroom) of affordable housing, 50-80% of area median income, plus a one-bedroom unit for the property manager for 124 total. A breakdown of units and rents is at the end of this post and on the NYS HCR website here. Forty units (the ESSHI grant units in the rental breakdown table) will be set aside for young adults aged 19-26 for formerly foster care and homeless youth, and administered by Tompkins Community Action.

Along with the housing, the building would include parking for about 36 vehicles within and outside the building ,and 7,748 square feet of potential retail or office and amenity space geared toward artists. Also included is space for 52 bikes and 4 motorcycles, and access to Ithaca CarShare. The exterior will be finished out in light grey, medium grey and red fiber cement panels, with the internal courtyard areas having white stucco finishes. The ground level will have dark grey fiber cement panels and dark grey masonry.

A public promenade will run along the west side of the property next to the waterfront, pending approval from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The project was designed by Vecinos in-house team, BW Architects and Engineers (remember, theyre a big firm that can afford to have their own architecture team). The project is also seeking to get arts groups involved in the design, to give it a unique local flair. The project will be built to state (NYSERDA) Performance Path for Energy Star standards for sustainable housing (Tier II, >25% energy savings above code). The city was looking to start off on the right foot with the upzoned waterfront, and this is exactly the kind of creative, affordable project they were hoping for.

Not every project is my private organizations; there are some municipal plans underway as well. The Brindley Street Bridge Replacement project includes the relocation of Brindley Street by connecting Taber Street with the West State-MLK Jr. Street/Taughannock Boulevard intersection. The existing Brindley Street roadway and structure will remain (with appropriate improvements) and be utilized for pedestrian traffic. The existing bridge will continue to be used by the public during construction of the new bridge and approach roadways until September or October of 2020.

The new approach roadways have been graded, rising slightly for the new bridge that will go in later this year. The new two-way bridge will make getting to and from Cherry Street just a little easier than the current 1950s one-way bridge.

The bigger, greener GreenStar Co-Op is approaching the finish line. The interior is being fitted out with equipment, the parking lot is striped, the bikes racks and street trees are in, and the new "Welcome to Ithaca" mural has been put up on the building's backside, which faces Route 13. According to GreenStar's website, the Certificate of Occupancy, the legal permit to occupy the new structure, is expected within the next few weeks, after city inspectors have gone through and make sure everything is good to go.

Of course, moving is more than just a building and equipment. The central kitchen, warehouse, administrative operations and retail store all have to relocate. Time is needed to test the new equipment and get staff acclimated to the new space. As a result, the actual opening for business is still a couple of months off. "While our goal is to transition with minimal interruptions to our business operations, we may need and will greatly appreciate your patience and understanding while we transition to our new home," GreenStar says on their website.

If you want a look at some annotated interior shots, GreenStar has them up on their website here. The Co-Op has raised the $2 million it sought for its capital campaign, and is now aiming for a reach goal of $2.5 million.

Excerpt from:
Library Place, Harold's Square and a new Amphitheater: take a look at what's being built in Ithaca - The Ithaca Voice

Jeanie Stephens, jeanie.stephens@thetelegraph.com

Crumbling Riverview Drive wall again to be discussed by Alton aldermen

ALTON Altons Committee of the Whole will vote on several resolutions, including pertaining to the crumbling retaining wall altop the bluff at Riverview Drive at its next meeting Tuesday.

After several layovers, the resolution approving repairs to Riverview Drives retaining wall remains on the agenda as city officials wait for possible funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Since damage to the retaining wall occurred during torrential rains last spring, along with record flooding, officials hope that FEMA will award disaster relief funding for repair, they said.

The Committee of the Whole will meet at 6 p.m. at Alton City Hall, prior to a city council meeting Wednesday, at 101 E. Third St.

Other resolutions up for a vote and listed on the meeting agenda include improvements to State and Belle streets, demolition proceedings, agreements with Spay Neuter Illinois Pets (SNIP) Alliance and STO (Spencer T. Olin Community Golf Course) LLC, as well as bid reports for asbestos abatement, demolitions and equipment rental.

Roadway improvements include State Street, 200 feet south of Rozier Street, to the city limits 300 feet north of Delmar Avenue, and improvements to Belle Street, from State Street to 260 feet south.

SNIP Alliance, in partnership with Riverbend Pet Food Pantry, has requested use of a structure on city of Alton Public Works Departments grounds, where SNIP would conduct spay and neuter clinics, and Riverbend Pet Food Pantry also would be at the premises.

An ordinance regarding the lease of property to STO, also will be addressed, for operation of the Spencer T. Olin Community Golf Course.

Other resolutions concern demolition of two properties, one at 1923 Gross St. and the other at 3108 Hillcrest Ave.

Asbestos abatement bids involve 2807 North St., 1332 Monroe St., 909 Rixon St., 1407 Cyrus St. and 2724 Residence St.

Bids for demolition of six properties include 619 Brookside Ave., 905 Gold St., 1812 Ervay Ave., 2709 and 2713 Viewland Ave., and 1305 Harold Ave.

Equipment rental bids are for Gordon Moore Park improvements, publicly endorsed by the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau.

Read more:
Crumbling Riverview Drive wall again to be discussed by Alton aldermen - Alton Telegraph

Lincolnvilles sixth grade science students braved the cold one recent day to conduct an investigation of high tides at the Beach. Through "Weather Blur," a program from the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, the class spent the fall developing the research question, "How high is the high tide at Lincolnville Beach over the course of a lunar cycle, and how does this compare to 20 years ago? Then they had to figure out how to answer this question, what data they would need and how/where they could find it.

At the Beach that cold day, students measured the distance from the high tide line to the retaining wall at the beginning of the parking lot to see how close the water gets at a high tide during a full moon. In the coming days, the class will use data from NOAA's Tides and Currents site to analyze trends from 20 years ago and from this current lunar cycle.

CALENDAR

MONDAY, Jan. 20

Town Office and School Closed, Martin Luther King Day

TUESDAY, Jan. 21

Book Group, 6 p.m., Library

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22

Finance Advisory Committee, 10 a.m., Town Office

Budget Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Office

Middle School Concert, 6:30 p.m., Walsh Common

THURSDAY, Jan. 23

Soup Caf, Noon-1 p.m., Community Building

EVERY WEEK

AA meetings, Tuesdays & Fridays at 12:15 p.m., Wednesdays & Sundays at 6 p.m., United Christian Church

Lincolnville Community Library, open Tuesdays 4-7, Wednesdays, 2-7, Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon. For information call 706-3896.

Soup Caf, every Thursday, noon1p.m., Community Building, Sponsored by United Christian Church. Free, though donations to the Community Building are appreciated

Schoolhouse Museum open by appointment, 505-5101 or 789-5987

Bayshore Baptist Church, Sunday School for all ages, 9:30 a.m., Worship Service at 11 a.m., Atlantic Highway

United Christian Church, Worship Service 9:30 a.m., Childrens Church during service, 18 Searsmont Road

This investigation has led to some interesting discussions about storm surge during historical storms and future sea level rise predictions. If you have any information about previous storm surge or flooding events at Lincolnville Beach, either anecdotal or photos, to share with them let the school know. The students are also interested to hear if there is any local planning for sea level rise in the coming years.

This certainly isnt the science I was taught in sixth grade, studying the effects of a world-wide situation on our very own shore.

A week ago we seemed to be heading into one of those open winters, when a six-inch snowfall gets the weather people all excited, warning us to take precautions, to stock up, to bring in our dogs, to bundle up. Then the six inches turns out to be three and a half, the snow turns to rain, and by morning theres just a mess. Thats not the way winter used to be, but then I guess thats the story of the day.

In true Maine fashion where the weather changes by the hour, today were snowed in, frozen solid, truly in winters grip. Furnaces run around the clock, heat pumps do their best to keep ahead of the cold, and I throw another log on the fire. And then another.

But even though winter can still clamp down, even though Maine is still the kind of place that snowbirds flee in flocks, winter has changed. Ive spent 50 consecutive winters here and can offer first hand knowledge: Winter has changed. By late November/early December wed be snow-covered, and except for the predictable January thaw a handful of days when the temperature would rise into the 40s, and we all ran around in shirtsleeves there was no relief from below freezing temperatures. Every year we endured at least one stretch of below 0 days, -10 all the way to -25.

The snow piled up and up, until my mailbox disappeared from view, snow halfway up my front sunroom windows, hip-deep on the flat, over our heads where we threw it up by the shovelfuls along the driveway.

Our middle son treasures a story of being abandoned by his brothers in a snow cave they built. When it collapsed around him, they went inside to get warm and didnt mention their brother was buried in it.

The cross country skiing at Tanglewood was reliable; a couple of good snowfalls would cover the roots and rocks of the trails, and for weeks Id start every day with a ski around my favorite loop, up to the water tower and back out to the gate on the road that was never plowed.

Snow days were only called when it was truly horrible you know, blowing snow, howling wind, lousy visibility. There were just four or five days built into the calendar, and no superintendent wanted to go over. Those were the days when class was held on Saturday mornings to make up the lost time or added in June.

But a snow day was a big deal in a household with three little boys AND a teacher. Its hard to say who was the most excited at the phone ringing at 5 a.m. I had to stay inside to hear the phone while he, the teacher, went down into the barn to milk the cow. When it came, Id run right down with the news. But if it hadnt, it would be a pretty grumpy husband carrying in the pail of warm milk.

If it had, hed be right upstairs, dancing around, singing his Snow Day song, while the boys were glued to the TV news, watching the school closings for Union 69. Thats us. And when it finally came through, wed all celebrate with a big breakfast of bacon and eggs. The boys couldnt wait to get outside with their sleds. Snow forts, snowball fights, snow caves. Theyd stay out until their mittens were sodden, cheeks bright red, snowsuits soaked.

The first sight of bare ground, sometime in March, was a cause to party. People celebrated in all kinds of ways: one group of friends put on an annual play at the Grange, billed as a Cabin Fever Reliever. At our house I probably made an extra batch of home brew to get us through.

All these years later (my grandchildren are the ages their fathers were when the snow piled up) were learning to live with what we call our new normal. Not only are the Arctic and Antarctica ice sheets melting, the permafrost thawing, and the seas rising, but our own ecosystem is changing.

The ground barely freezes anymore. The snow is fleeting, turning to rain or sleety snow before morning, those brilliant days of sunshine and sparkly snow, a rarity. Australia and California have their horrific bush fires; we have ticks wintering over, ice storms and warming ocean waters.

We cant invent our way out of it, this climate change which science has been telling us for decades is man-made. There is no easy fix, not even a complicated technological tour de force that will prove we humans are still in charge. No, this time we have to learn to work with the natural forces not by extracting oil, gas, and coal from the ground or even wood from the forests to heat our houses, to drive our cars or power our electricity but by harnessing the renewables the sun, the wind the tides.

With our world facing unprecedented warming and the consequences wild fires, flooding, crazy storms it seems to come down to the tiniest of efforts. The kids wonder what local planning is in place. The one place we do have power, we 2,164 citizens of this municipality on the coast of Maine, is right here. The power to plan, to budget, to make decisions that will tally up on the good side of this climate debacle weve allowed.

Lincolnville has a self-appointed energy team, not a town committee, not even an ad hoc one, but rather, an informal group of people who are committed to figuring out our tiny piece. Who are they? Cindy and Jim Dunham, Richard Glock, Greta and Gary Gulezian, Bob Olson, Janet Redfield, Cathy and John Williams.

They are largely the ones who are responsible for the solar panels atop the Library roof, powering virtually all that buildings electrical needs, including heat, as well as providing credits that pay the LIA buildings electric bill.

Once that project was completed, they looked at the municipal bill. They worked with the Fire Department and the town to use the large field adjacent to the Fire Department for a solar array big enough to cover the Town Office electric bill, including the Beach street lights. With that up and running, they researched more efficient street lights, ones that wouldnt light up the night sky, but would focus on the sidewalks. They lobbied for those new lights, and they were recently installed.

Their latest goal is the biggest one of all: Lincolnville Central Schools electricity, the largest user in town. An extensive town-wide search for a piece of open land, big enough and with three-phase power already present, was unsuccessful. Then along came a project that seemed tailor-made for our needs. An investor-owned solar project in Livermore Falls that was marketing their energy credits to schools, on the theory that schools are a stable entity for a long-term contract.

John Williams, the spreadsheet guy on the team who researches and analyzes all the data, says the town will see between $150,000 and $200,000 in savings on the schools electric bill over the 20 years of the contract. The way it works is this: the investors sell their solar-generated power to CMP for 9 1/2 cents per kilowatt, and each kilowatt is worth 13 cents for us when we go to pay our bill to CMP. That 3 1/2 cents is our savings. With the current yearly electric bill at $39,000, taxpayers will save $9,000 this year alone.

Lawyers for the schools have looked at the contract, and all agree it is a solid agreement with the proper default provisions.

By the way, if you want to contact the energy team, make a comment, ask a question you can reach them here.

Since CHRHS, the Fivetown CSD we belong to, already has solar roof panels and the wind tower, they signed up to fulfill all the rest of their electricity needs with the Livermore project. So did SAD 28, Camden Rockport middle and elementary schools. Hope voted for their school to go solar as well.

So far our LCS School Committee has refused to consider the project, citing the need to hear from townspeople before signing a 20-year contract. The Livermore investors expect to have all their capacity spoken for by the end of February, so if we want to see our school go solar we need to act soon. Our children know how important this is for the future of the planet. Theyre learning this in school, they hear about it on social media, they know who Greta Thunberg is.

Heres a chance for us to weigh in. Let our School Committee members know how you feel about the school going solar:

Jared Harbaugh

Briar Lyons

Mike Johnson

Matthew Powers

Becky Stephens

Town

David Kinney sent out this post on the Bulletin Board last week:

The Board of Selectmen has created a committee to explore the opportunities available to the Town regarding high speed Internet service (broadband). The Town now needs people willing to serve on the committee. If individuals dont step forward to help the effort is likely to wither and fail. And if the effort fails the only option that residents have will be whatever the marketplace wishes to offer. It is up to you! Be part of the solution. Dont rely on others to do it for you. If you want to be part of the solution stop by or contact the Town Office. Committee work is not difficult and no special knowledge is required. Applicants simply need an interest, want to make their community better and be willing to put in some time and effort.

That says it all!

School

If you have a child who will be five years old on or before Oct. 15, 2020 its time to pre-register him/her for kindergarten! Call the office, 763-3366 and let them know.

HAL (Hope-Appleton-Lincolnville) students are invited to join the CRMS (Camden Rockport Middle School) wrestling team. The first practice is Tuesday, Jan. 21, 4-5:30 p.m. at the CRMS cafeteria. Contact Aaron Henderson, call 522-5252 or email him.

Library

Elizabeth Eudy reports: Our Book Discussion is Tuesday the 21st at 6 p.m., and we will be talking about Samantha Powers memoir The Education of an Idealist. Wed love for you to join us. Well be reading "The Giver of Stars" by JoJo Moyes for February and The Orchard by Adele Crockett Robertson for our March meeting. Start reading!

Condolences

Bob Porter, who lived at the Stevens Corner end of Youngtown Road passed away a couple of days ago. Bob retired many years ago to a house right next to the one he grew up in, along with his five siblings. The family moved there from Camden during the Depression. I didnt know him very well, but we always had pleasant conversations; he was 90 years old.

Doll Fest

The First Annual Doll Fest, that is, will be held Saturday, March 14 at the Community Building. A group of knitters who meet weekly at one anothers houses realized a few months ago that most of them were making dolls knitted, sewn, clay, papier mache, all sorts of dolls. Lets have a doll show, we decided. Yes, Im one of them. Our Doll Fest will feature handmade dolls of all kinds, doll-making workshops, collections of dolls, and a tea party. If you collect dolls or if your child has dolls we invite you to show them. If you make dolls and would like to show others your techniques let us know. Either way, contact me, Diane or Julie Turkevich or Cyrene Slegona. And mark your calendars!

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This Week in Lincolnville: The biggest issue we face - PenBayPilot.com

A new proposal, to be sponsored by the Select Board and likely coming to another special Town Meeting in the next few months, calls for eight housing units, one of which will be affordable.

WESTON After failing to receive a two-thirds majority at special Town Meeting last month, a proposal for a so-called Transit Oriented Senior Development (TOSD) at 255 Merriam St. and 11 Hallett Hill Road will return for another vote.

Currently, the 2.9-acre site near the Silver Hill MBTA station is approved to become a 10-unit Chapter 40B housing project, in which two units will be deemed affordable.

Under the TOSD proposal, which was supported by 216 Town Meeting voters with 149 opposed, only eight units of housing for adults 55 and older were to be built, but none affordable.

Due to the two-thirds rule, the proposal would have required 244 "yes" votes to pass.

A new proposal, to be sponsored by the Select Board and likely coming to another special Town Meeting in the next few months, calls for eight housing units, one of which will be affordable, and additional square footage achieved above garages or by altering roof slope lines.

Select Board Chairman Chris Houston said at last weeks board meeting that the impact on the neighborhood of the TOSD proposal is much less than the 40B possibility, including not having to clear-cut trees (and) not having to build a 12-foot retaining wall going into the ground to accommodate the utility engineering, which would jeopardize even more trees on other properties potentially."

The engineering of utilities and stormwater drainage would be substantially less likely to push the limits under the TOSD, Houston said. You do ten in there, youre packing it super tight.

Also under the TOSD, an historic barn on the property would be preserved.

During last months special Town Meeting, the Planning Board voted 3-0, with two recusals, against the TOSD bylaw proposal.

A zoning provision applicable to only one specific area for the sole benefit of that one area - financial or otherwise - is the very definition of spot zoning, Planning Board member Alicia Primer said at the time.

Houston addressed that concern during last weeks Select Board meeting.

There is a chance that a court could find it to be spot zoning, though the trend in recent court decisions would be that because theres a public purpose - in this case promoting senior housing and affordable housing - it seems like a lower risk that a court would actually find it to be spot zoning, Houston said. Best practices are awesome, but sometimes the real world gives you reason to deviate from best practices. I think the benefits of this compromise outweigh the sort of violation of a best practice, that frankly I still dont understand why its necessarily best.

Houston noted precedent in 2005, when the town created Active Adult Residential Development District (AARD) zoning in order to allow for the senior housing development Highland Meadows between Rte. 20 and Highland Street.

It is true that the AARD is specified in generic terms, so theoretically it is not limited to Highland Meadows, Houston said.

The only reason the AARD exists is because they wanted to address the Highland Meadows situation," he continued. "No one just woke up and said we really need some Adult Active Retirement District here, lets just create them in the abstract. It was entirely oriented toward Highland Meadows.

Town Planner Imaikalani Aiu told selectmen last week that he didn't believe it was good planning practice to put in zoning in reaction to a single development on one lot.

"As a professional planner, I think if theres an expressed need for affordable housing or senior housing, you look at it holistically and you go ahead and you find the best spots for it and you create that zoning," he said. "By that definition, I couldnt endorse a practice like this.

At special Town Meeting, Planning Board member Susan Zacharias said the developer, Geoff Engler, certainly seems to have all of these people in the neighborhood held hostage, and this is not the way to do zoning bylaws.

Select Board member Laurie Bent noted this was one article at special Town Meeting where she changed her mind during the presentations.

I went in thinking, No, Im not going to vote for this, and it was not an easy vote, because of the loss of the affordable (units) and the feeling that we were being held hostage to the developer, Bent said. But the historic impact and the tree impact and how hard the neighborhood worked to try to have some control over what was happening changed her mind.

So I think that this is a win-win, she said of the new proposal.

Michael Wyner can be reached at 508-626-4441 or mwyner@wickedlocal.com.

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Weston senior housing idea back on the table - Milford Daily News

Photo: Kathryn Ziesig, AP

Mountain lion feeding on carcass thrills wildlife viewers

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) Photo safari trip leader Brent Paulls game plan one day this month happily went out the window.

A traveling wildlife guide from Tulare, California, Paull had just wrapped up leading three West Coast photographers on a three-day Yellowstone National Park tour. The group rolled into Jackson in the late afternoon to round out their week in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, pulling in around 4:15 p.m to the parking lot of the Super 8 Hotel.

Greeting the bunch was a line of 150 photographers immediately across Highway 89. Naturally, they moseyed over with their cameras to see what was up.

We havent actually checked in yet, Paull said. We just got out of the car and walked across the street.

Even as sunlight faded, there was no mistaking the critter centered in the viewfinder of Paulls long-lensed camera, mounted on a tripod on the sidewalk next to the Maverik convenience store. In the frame was a mountain lion, tucked into the base of a juniper tree on High School Butte.

Social media had already tipped Paull and his clients off to a cougar visible somewhere in the Jackson area, but they had no idea the big feline was sticking tight to the slopes just across the street from their hotel.

The close encounter thrilled Springfield, Oregon resident Jim Woodward one of Paulls clients.

This is my first cougar, Woodward said. Its amazing. We just drive in here to the motel, and theres a cougar on the hillside. Well, thats convenient.

For almost a week the buzz around Jackson has been about a mountain lion drawn down to the base of the butte towering above town and staying put to dine on a mule deer carcass stashed by a rock retaining wall above South Park Loop Road. Word spread quickly after the secretive cat was first sighted, and by early Wednesday afternoon dozens of onlookers had assembled to lay eyes on a cougar, a rare sighting anywhere in the world let alone in view from your gas pump.

Peak cat activity, at least in the light, came that first day.

Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes! Bridger-Teton National Forest wildlife biologist Jason Wilmot exclaimed from the drivers seat of his pickup truck. Its moving.

The apex feline predator took a few big bounds and bombed the hillside, sending magpies fleeing from the remains of the deer carcass, which partially protruded from the snow. On Wednesday the awe-inspiring behavior repeated itself a handful of times: The mountain lion would linger upslope obscured by the branches of the nearest juniper tree, and then, seemingly annoyed, scamper downhill to send scavenging corvids skyward.

He came down the hill pretty hot, Jackson resident Jenn Hunt remarked that first afternoon.

Resident Nina Lenz, seeing her first lion, was jubilant.

Its my birthday! Lenz blurted while clapping. And I saw it!

Such was the mood midday in the parking lot of a west Jackson gas station.

But the chance at seeing the native big cat on the move proved fleeting.

In the overnight hours last Wednesday, the cougar took the initiative to fully cache its carcass, covering it entirely in snow. With ravens and magpies out of the picture, the cougar appeared content napping in the trees and sagebrush during nearly 10 daylight hours in subsequent days, padding down only to chew off pieces of frozen venison once the sun had set.

Photographers and inquisitive spectators dwindled as the days passed, though even through to Sunday night a dozen or so folks remained with their cameras fixed on the obscured, lethargic cougar lingering in the trees and waiting for darkness.

This has been the name of the game, bundled-up Victor, Idaho, resident and avid wildlife photographer Jack Bayles said from the seat of a lawn chair. Were all disappointed how good shes been at caching (the deer). There were a hundred crows through here today, but none of them actually touched down.

The lion, Bayles explained, hardly budged during daylight hours for three straight days, though there were a couple of exceptions, including one feeding foray around dawn. Out on a walkabout much higher up High School Butte on Sunday morning, the cougar was also observed spooking a herd of mule deer, he said.

Speculation has run rampant over what to make of the cat.

Some theorized that it was the same animal seen in February 2018, photographed feeding on a deer next to the Welcome to Jackson, Wyoming sign just south of Smiths. Late Sunday a former employee of the defunct Teton Cougar Project who lingered on the scene wondered and hoped that it was a dispersed offspring of one of her old research cats, F61.

Wildlife officials, who didnt intervene by moving the carcass, said they were not too concerned with the cat and its proximity to a crowd. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department dispatched employees on occasion to check in, but the agency didnt maintain a presence at the scene.

Obviously, the priority for us is public safety, and we dont view it as a public safety issue really, Game and Fish spokesman Mark Gocke said. The cats been keeping to itself for the most part, and it seems like everybodys staying at a safe distance.

Gocke said that because the cat isnt marked wearing an identifiable tracking collar or ear tags its difficult to say anything about its life history with certainty. While not exactly routine, the animals presence right at the edge of town on a slope that holds mule deer in the winter isnt shocking, he said.

We have good lion habitat all around us, Gocke said. Im sure theyre around more than we know. Theyre just so secretive.

When lions do come within eyeshot of roads and developed areas, a carcass, which can sustain a cat for a week, is often the reason. Such was the case in March 2018, when a cougar fed on a downed bull elk carcass about 500 yards off of the National Elk Refuge Road across from Miller Butte. Dozens of viewers turned into hundreds, fueled by the cats snowballing presence on social media, which attracted wildlife watchers from afar.

The Elk Refuge also was host to Jackson Holes most famous visible mountain lion, a cat nicknamed Spirit. In 1999, the lioness denned with her three kittens on the southeast corner of Miller Butte near the road. The weekslong show inspired the formation of a Jackson-based advocacy group the Cougar Fund and a book, Spirit of the Rockies: The Mountain Lions of Jackson Hole, along with ample press from national media.

This go-around at High School Butte, Jackson Hole wildlife filmmaker Jeff Hogan was a mainstay at the scene. A cinematographer who has left remote cameras at many mountain lion kill sites, he was glad the public has had a chance to see what he has observed many times.

I think everything that cat is doing is completely normal behavior, Hogan said nine hours into filming on Thursday. The only thing thats kind of unusual is that we spotted her. If that kill was behind one of those junipers up there, wed never even know that cat was there.

Some folks surmised the cat looked unusually thin and bony, but to Hogans eye the animal looked to be in good shape.

She looks frickin great, he said. Shes a gorgeous, sexy-looking cat.

Determining sex of a mountain lion from afar isnt easy, but the crowd drifted toward dubbing the cat a female.

Its definitely a female, wildlife photographer Savannah Burgess said. The facial features, the ears make it a female.

Burgess said she sent images to former employees of Pantheras Teton Cougar Project, who confirmed the hunch.

The most faithful photographers staked out to see the Maverik lion adapted to its behavior, becoming nocturnal themselves. Burgess was among those who got in the habit of waiting around well into the evening to see the cat feed. Luckily, its presence coincided with a full moon, helping with visibility.

Its cool to see all the behaviors, Burgess said on-site Sunday while the cat was still in hiding. Shell unbury the carcass and lick the meat and shake the hair off of it. You can see how strong of an animal she is when shes pulling at that frozen carcass. Her back legs come off the ground!

As the skies darkened Thursday, Paull and his clients were also readying to linger along the Maverik sidewalk into the winter night. Their bags were still packed and loaded in their vehicle, parked in the Super 8 lot across the highway and its stream of vehicles. Mountain lion in view, they had no intention of leaving.

Well stick it out, Paull said. These cameras all shoot at 200 or 300 thousand ISO. You can shoot in complete darkness. It doesnt mean the picture is good, but a picture is a picture is a picture.

Gary Kunkel, one of his clients, chimed in: And itll be of a lion.

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Mountain lion feeding on carcass thrills wildlife viewers - Torrington Register Citizen

The Newnan Times-Herald

The Grantville City Council will vote on a contract to repair the cemetery retaining wall at their next meeting on Jan. 23.

The contract to repair the wall would be with Russell Masonry and cost $5,200.

At the councils December meeting, Mayor Doug Jewell broke a tie-vote and opposed the contract to give the city time to determine how to pay for the repairs.

During the councils work session on Monday night, the council and mayor discussed whether they could use SPLOST funds or money in the cemetery trust fund to pay for the repairs.

Its not that I dont want the wall fixed, Ive been wanting that done for a long time, but when it comes to financing, I want to make sure we can use those funds first, Jewell said of the cemetery trust money.

Al Grieshaber, city manager, said it is unlikely that cemetery trust fund money will be used for the project.

Councilmember Ruby Hines, Jewell and Ann Tucker recently resigned from their positions as trustees, which leaves Marion Cieslik as the sole cemetery trust fund trustee.

According to City Attorney Mark Mitchell, a single trustee cannot make decisions regarding the cemetery trust fund.

As of Dec. 16, Cieslik has three months to appoint new trustees to the cemetery trust.

The remaining trustee, Marion Cieslik, was not in favor of using cemetery trust fund money to build the cemetery retaining walls so I suspect he will be opposed to the use of cemetery trust fund monies, Grieshaber said. Consequently, because he has up to three months to appoint remaining trustees, he may frustrate any attempt to repair the cemetery retaining wall.

Mitchell said as the city council is proceeding currently, repairs to the wall could be funded with SPLOST money.

Councilmember Jim Sells said he was in favor of the contract with Russell Masonry.

Im comfortable with the contract and I think we need to get out of the spot were in right now, he said. Were going to be deciding on him or nothing at the next meeting.

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Cemetery trust fund can't be used for wall repair in Grantville - Newnan Times-Herald