Archive for ‘News’

  • Directors reduce SAD 61 budget impact, use $100,000 to cut town taxes

    By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Although SAD 61 managed to piece together a proposed budget that is up less than 1%, Superintendent of Schools Al Smith was a little disappointed when he broke the news that Bridgton taxpayers were still looking at a $326,255 increase. Bridgton’s picture became a little rosier Monday night. During […]

  • Casco adopts cyber security policy

      By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — With recent news stories about U.S. hospitals and police stations being the victims of computer hackers who demand ransoms to bring computers back online, there is no time like the present to be proactive. In February, a hospital in Hollywood paid $17,000 to a hacker who […]

  • Casco writes off camper taxes

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Local selectmen shook their heads as they wrote off the taxes on a half-dozen mobile campers. It seems like an annual ritual — bringing to zero the amount owed in taxes by the owners of mobile campers who leave town before paying the debt. An amount that […]

  • Technology grant to modernize Naples museum

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The Naples Historical Society Museum received a $5,000 grant to modernize its technology. The technology grant is from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation. It was awarded to the museum earlier this month. While the age of items on display is part of the attraction, an aging […]

  • Casco to borrow money for town hall

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — The new Casco Town Hall and the $600,000 loan to cover the cost of making the building a reality were approved at the Town Meeting last year. The next step to move forward with town hall plans this spring is to borrow the money from the bank. […]

  • Sen. Angus King: Climate change stakes couldn’t get hotter

    By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer One of the great problems of the next decade will be human migration out of the Middle East as sustained 120-degree temperatures renders much of the region inhabitable, U.S. Senator Angus King said Monday at a “Fishing on Thin Ice” forum in Bridgton. King, a member of the Senate Armed […]

  • Casco resident eager to write check for land buy

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — It is not often someone insists on writing a check for a purchase, and admits that they would have paid the offering price after getting a slightly better deal. It happened during a live auction of a tax-acquired lot on Tenney Hill Road. The land auction was […]

  • Naples board gets tax education

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The town assessors recommended that the Town of Naples take the friendly approach to gathering personal property tax lists from the owners of local businesses. On the top of the list is public awareness — letting people know that this process is taking place. Next is getting […]

  • Historic eligibility in question on bookstore facade grant

    By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Last-minute questions have arisen over whether the Bridgton Books building on Main Street has enough historical significance to qualify for a Community Development Block Grant from the town. Planning and Economic Development Director Anne Krieg told Bridgton Selectmen Tuesday that Cumberland County CBDG officials raised the question with her last […]

  • PR firm hired to garner support for revote on sewer rules

    By Gail Geraghty Staff Writer Bridgton Selectmen have decided to hire a marketing firm to help explain changes they believe are urgently needed to free up unused capacity in the downtown sewer system. The board agreed Tuesday in a 4-1 vote, with Paul Hoyt opposed, to hire Next Generation Strategies to conduct an informational campaign […]