arundel maine cares: September 2012

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Study of Maine's School Funding Formula Moves Forward

09/20/2012 Reported By: Mal Leary
http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/23844/Default.aspx

After hearing presentations from the two finalist consulting firms, a majority of the Legislature's Education Committee chose Picus & Associates with offices in several states to study Maine's school funding formula and recommend ways to make it more fair. Mal Leary reports the $400,000 study is supposed to be completed in time for the new Legislature elected in November to consider it in the new session.

Related Media
Study of Maine's School Funding Formula Moves Forw	Duration: 2:57

Maine distributes nearly $1 billion a year to Maine schools as the state's share of elementary and secondary education costs. It is distributed through a formula called the Essential Programs and Services model. The funding law determines which programs schools offer will get partially funded by the state.

For decades, lawmakers have battled over what is a fair way to distribute school aid. Sen. Brian Langley, a Republican from Ellsworth, is the co-chairman of the Legislature's Education Committee.

"Over the past four years that I've been in the Legislature, every year people have said the funding formula does not work, is not working, especially in rural areas," he says.

Town of Arundel Volunteer Positions currently available

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: Several members, click on the underlined word economic development committee for info and an application.

Town of Arundel Bid / RFP Requests

The Town of Arundel is currently accepting bids for roofing services at it's sand and salt shed located at 34 Bergeron Drive. Click on SAND/SALT SHED RFP for a copy of the full request for proposals.

A mandatory pre bid hearing will be held on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 7 AM on location.

Withdrawal Committee and Board of Selectmen's Meeting Tuesday, October 02, 2012 at 7:00 PM

Withdrawal Committee and Board of Selectmen's Meeting
Tuesday, October 02, 2012 at 7:00 PM
to Tuesday, October 02, 2012 at 9:00 PM

TOWN OF ARUNDEL, MAINE WITHDRAWAL COMMITTEE
AND BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING REGULAR MEETING

October 2, 2012 ML Day School Library 7:00 PM

Approval of Agenda

New Business:

A. Withdrawal Committee meeting with Planning Decisions for presentation of cost-benefit analysis data.

Public Comment Period Adjourn

Arundel Public Hearing

The Arundel Board of Selectmen will hold a public hearing on the Withdrawal
Question on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at 7 PM in the ML Day School Gymnasium.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Arundel looking for its 'niche'

By Samantha Stephens

yccs@seacoastonline.com

September 20, 2012 2:00 AM

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120920-NEWS-209200346?cid=sitesearch

ARUNDEL — Arundel is buzzing with thoughts for the future as the Economic Development Committee and Planning Board collaborate to create a marketing strategy to bring more —and the right kind of — businesses to town.

The Planning Board, which traditionally meets twice a month, has increased to three or even four times a month as it works on zoning ordinances and attempts to re-write Arundel's map for bringing in new businesses.

Tad Redway, town planner for Arundel, said the current discussion about Route 1 is "just one piece of the puzzle."

"We're focusing on that right now because of the complications with writing the new zoning," Redway said.

But land near River Road and Log Cabin Road, as well as the Route 111 corridor, will eventually all be spoken about for possible development, he said.

"Our business center area has other sections in town that no one has even heard us talk about yet because we haven't gotten there yet," Redway said. "We're trying to move Arundel into the next decade with more business and residential balance."

Brunswick man pleads guilty to robbing Arundel credit union at gunpoint [Bangor Daily News, Maine]

By Judy Harrison

Bangor Daily News, Maine McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

http://www.equities.com/news/headline-story?dt=2012-09-28&val=534081&cat=finance

Sept. 28--PORTLAND MAINE -- A Brunswick man waived indictment and pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to the armed robbery of an Arundel credit union in May.

Travis Leeman, 30, pleaded guilty to two charges: bank robbery and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 4 in federal court in Portland.

Leeman has been held without bail at the Cumberland County Jail since his arrest about a week after the robbery.

Arundel News....

The Town of Arundel's FY 2012-2013 Real Estate and Personal Property tax bills are now available to print from this site. www.arundelmaine.org Please select Town Departments on the sidebar to the left n the arundelmaine.org website, then click on Tax Collector and FY 2012-2013 Tax Bills. Follow the instructions from there to print a copy of the selected tax bill.

ONLINE PAYMENT CENTER

Please click on the online payment center above to utilize the online Real Estate and Personal Property Tax payment service. Please note that there will be a fee for this service and payment of this fee is the responsibility of the user.

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The next Withdrawal Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 7 PM in the ML Day School Library. This will be a joint meeting with the Board of Selectmen. Planning Decisions will be presenting their findings to the committee at this time.

www.arundelmaine.org

School choice debated at meeting

By Samantha Stephens

yccs@seacoastonline.com

September 27, 2012 2:00 AM

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120927-NEWS-209270339?cid=sitesearch

ARUNDEL — School choice was among the most contested issues at a Sept. 19 public hearing on the RSU 21 withdrawal proposal, when Arundel residents had an opportunity to weigh in with their opinions on the tentatively approved withdrawal agreement.

However, very few changes were made to the document after the public hearing.

Arundel Withdrawal Committee Chairman Jack Turcotte said "it's no surprise to me or anyone else" that the evening's most contested subject was school choice.

The change, made at the end of the meeting held at Mildred L. Day School, included rewriting a sentence in the proposed agreement that read that any Arundel student who chooses to enroll in a middle school other than Thorton Academy Middle School would not have tuition paid by the town of Arundel. The original language said tuition would be "paid by parents."

The change allows third parties, including family friends and scholarships, the opportunity to pay for the child's education and removes the burden specifically from parents.

Selectmen debate withdrawal question

By Samantha Stephens

yccs@seacoastonline.com

September 27, 2012 2:00 AM

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120927-NEWS-209270338?cid=sitesearch

Shea said he will purchase 500 discs to burn audio copies of the meeting, will print mailings and flyers to every resident if it is below a $500 fee, and it if it's above, he will e-mail PDF files and have copies readily available in Town Hall.

"We will be giving out all the information you want free of charge. We are trying to be as informative about the meetings as we can," Shea said.

In addition to providing hard copies of information, the Board of Selectmen agreed that if there seems to be a desire for more meetings after the Oct. 10 meeting, members are open to scheduling multiple more meetings, including two or more a week.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Arundel discusses exit strategy from RSU 21

Most of the comments from residents concern the issue of school choice for students in the future.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/arundel-discusses-rsu-exit-strategy_2012-09-20.html

ARUNDEL – Comments from residents at a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed school withdrawal agreement centered mainly on school choice, an issue that officials and residents agreed is important to the town.

The hearing was the first chance for residents to weigh in on an agreement that outlines how Arundel would withdraw from Regional School Unit 21, which also includes Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. About 100 residents attended the hearing at the Mildred L. Day School.

Arundel is the first town in southern Maine to get conditional approval for a withdrawal agreement from the Department of Education. Four communities have scheduled votes to approve withdrawal plans and 13 other towns have formed withdrawal committees, according to the Department of Education.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Arundel's future look debated

By Samantha Stephens

yccs@seacoastonline.com

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120913-NEWS-209130346?cid=sitesearch

ARUNDEL — The future of Arundel's town image sparked a lively debate at the Planning Board workshop meeting held on Sept. 6.

The meeting was held to discuss Arundel's proposed business district on Route 1 but it was quickly evident that the members of the Planning Board and members of the Economic Development Committee who were in attendance all had different views for the town's future.

The Arundel Historical Society Upcoming Events

Yard Sale
09/29/2012 ... 09:00 AM - 02:00 PM
Weirs Motors - Rt. 1

-----------------------------------------------

Craft Fair
10/06/2012 ... 08:30 AM - 03:00 PM
ML Day School
-----------------------------------------------

Baked Bean & Pasta Supper
10/27/2012 ... 04:30 PM - 06:00 PM
ML Day School

http://www.arundelhistoricalsociety.org/

Click here to make a donation!

LePage cartoon confounds Maine high school principals

Administrators receive a message from the governor’s office, but they aren’t sure what he was trying to say.

By Eric Russell erussell@pressherald.com
Staff Writer

http://www.pressherald.com/LePage-cartoon-confounds-educators.html

Maine high school principals are puzzled over a copy of an editorial cartoon that Gov. Paul LePage's office sent them this month along with a handwritten note from LePage.

The cartoon, by syndicated editorial cartoonist Steve Breen of the San Diego Union-Tribune, depicts a conversation between two young men.

One says: "This fall, I'm going to trade school to be a welder."

The other has a thought bubble over his head that reads "Loser."

The first young man is labeled: "Starting salary upon graduation: $50,000."

The other man's label reads: "Starting salary upon graduation from a pricey, 4-year school with a liberal arts degree: $25,000 (if he's lucky)."

LePage's message beneath the cartoon says: "Folks. We can do better and need to do better! Let's put our students first."

The cartoon arrived in the mail with a letter, dated Sept. 7, from Jonathan Nass, LePage's senior policy adviser.

read more...

Kate's Butter pledges fixes to mollify Maine neighbors

http://www.pressherald.com/news/kates-pledges-fixes-to-mollify-neighbors-_2012-09-19.htmlhttp://www.pressherald.com/news/kates-pledges-fixes-to-mollify-neighbors-_2012-09-19.html

OLD ORCHARD BEACH – Kate's Homemade Butter agreed Tuesday to modify operations at its business to address noise complaints from neighbors as the company tries to finish construction of a new plant in Arundel.

Under a proposed consent decree, Kate's will reduce the size of its delivery trucks, limit the hours that work will be done outdoors, and plant trees and install other sound barriers to reduce noise. The company will provide the town's code enforcement officer with monthly progress reports and construction updates on its 17,600-square-foot facility in Arundel.

Neighbors have complained that Kate's, a home-based business that annually produces more than a million pounds of butter, as well as buttermilk, should not be operating in a residential neighborhood.

Kate's, which started in 1981, had planned to move earlier to the larger Arundel facility but construction problems and a stop-work order caused delays. The company could not estimate when it would be able to move.

read more...

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

PUBLIC HEARING; Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 7 PM in the ML Day School Gymnasium

On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 7 PM in the ML Day School Gymnasium there will be a PUBLIC HEARING to discuss the merits of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement.

This public hearing will be to discuss the document only, per state statute.

A regular meeting of the Withdrawal Committee has been scheduled to follow the Public Hearing to consider changes brought up at this public hearing.

A public hearing will be held in October, per state statute, to present Planning Decisions findings on the financial impact analysis.

Monday, September 17, 2012

What are your thoughts?

Friday, September 14, 2012

Corrections published

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-09-14/Community/Corrections.html

The Sept. 7 story, “Withdrawal gets conditional OK,”

read more...

Museum’s Pumpkin Patch Trolley back for 14th season

The Seashore Trolley Museum announced the Pumpkin Patch Trolley will be back for its 14th year. The Pumpkin Patch Trolley is scheduled for Sept. 22 and 23 and Sept. 29 and 30.

read more...

Wedding Cake House tours to benefit hunger relief

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-09-14/Community/Wedding_Cake_House_tours_to_benefit_hunger_relief.html

The Wedding Cake House on Summer Street in Kennebunk will be open to the public. Tours will be held Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 with proceeds going to hunger assistance programs in York County. The tours will run daily between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The last tour of the day begins at 3:30 p.m. (Courtesy photo)

read more...

Thursday, September 13, 2012

PUBLIC HEARING | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 7 PM in the ML Day School Gym

On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 7 PM in the ML Day School Gymnasium there will be a PUBLIC HEARING to discuss the merits of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement.

This public hearing will be to discuss the document only, per state statute.

A regular meeting of the Withdrawal Committee has been scheduled to follow the Public Hearing to consider changes brought up at this public hearing.

A public hearing will be held in October, per state statute, to present Planning Decisions findings on the financial impact analysis.

TheArrow September 2012 Newsletter

http://arundelmaine.org/vertical/Sites/%7B59869D99-BF8C-4BB4-B531-4D501803061C%7D/uploads/arrow_2012_September.pdf

Should the citizens of Arundel Maine USA vote to withdraw from RSU 21?
	Yes
	No
	Undecided
	Don't Care

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