arundel maine cares

Friday, June 29, 2012

Graduation speech was challenging and appropriate

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-06-29/Letters/Graduation_speech_was_challenging_and_appropriate.html

To the editor:

My name’s David Pepin, of Kennebunk’s class of 2011. First and foremost, congratulations, class of 2012. As for the graduation speech you endured? Ideologically, I’m a centrist. Politically, the only thing that irritates me more than a radical leftist is a radical rightist. I do not agree with every idea expressed in Sean Watson’s speech, but even more so, I am ashamed, albeit somewhat amused, by its recent backlash.

My first instinct is to label each person who cannot grasp the true essence of the speech as ignorant, and each person who calls for administrative action against Mr. Watson as arrogant. Unfortunately, I would then have to label myself a hypocrite, as that would be intolerant of intolerance and in clear violation of one of the speech’s playground rules.

Support of school board members appreciated

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-06-29/Letters/Support_of_school_board_members_appreciated.html

To the editor:

I’d like to thank all the Regional School Unit 21 Board members, both past and present, for your tremendous support. You’ve been an outstanding group of dedicated individuals to work with.

This includes all the many committee members and school administration as well.

Everyone has been truly dedicated to delivery of an excellent education for all children in the three communities. This is especially true with regard to Arundel.

Writer says, town’s vote on Article 27 is a ‘travesty’

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-06-29/Letters/Writer_says_towns_vote_on_Article_27_is_a_travesty.html

To the editor:

Last Wednesday evening, the town of Arundel held its annual town meeting and a travesty truly occurred regarding Article 27.

Article 27 reads: Shall the town vote to raise and appropriate $5,100 toward the operating costs of the Kennebunk Free Library? Last year’s appropriation was $10,200.

Last Thursday morning the talk at the bus stop and on the commute to work revolved around the failure to pass Article 27.How could this be? Why would we not fund the library?

The ultimate culprit appears to be the economy. Really?

Then please tell me why voters decided to spend $25,000 for the Economic Development Committee to hire a consultant to perform a branding study for the purpose of attracting new businesses to the town? Per the town of Arundel 2012 Annual Report, “these consultants will examine Arundel’s economic strengths and weaknesses, identify 21st century growth industries, and create an attractive image and unique identity for Arundel as the best place to build a business, a family and a life.”

Really? Hey, for free I will tell you that seniors, parents and children all benefit from access to books, Internet services, educational programming all offered at the Kennebunk Free Library, and in the past did so frequently and in large numbers.

Effective June 30, Arundel seniors, individuals and families will have to pay $35 for a library card. Now, for some that may not sound like much of a burden, but let me gently remind you, it is not you that I am concerned about. It is about the neighbor down the road who may need to make the decision about a library card purchase or paying a bill.

Restore library funding for Arundel

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-06-29/Letters/Restore_library_funding_for_Arundel.html

To the editor:

So now Arundel has thrown away free access rights for our residents to Kennebunk Free Library.

Unless something changes quickly, soon all Arundel residents who want to use the wonderful services of the library will have to pay an annual membership fee of about $35 a year. No more free use of the community meeting rooms or free storytelling sessions for toddlers and preschool children. Goodbye to free after-school programs. Basically, our selectmen have said no to all free programs for Arundel’s children that develop early literacy skills and a love of learning and books.

For us grown-ups, no more free in person and online discussion programs for research, reader development, language learning or job searching. No more free lectures or cultural performances and other community service programs.

Talk about being penny wise and pound foolish. Sure, keeping free public library for Arundel citizens is an old fashioned concept. But so are democracy and the pursuit of happiness. We need to get our perspective right and focus on those services that benefit all the citizens of Arundel. I dare say most people in town will be aghast to learn that they no longer have what many consider to be a basic right of living in a modern attractive town, free library access.

School cost-sharing plan ‘similar’ to last year

By Amber Carter

Staff Writer

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-06-29/Community/School_costsharing_plan_similar_to_last_year.html

The Regional School Unit 21 cost sharing committee held its regular meeting June 18 and voted to approve the wording of the cost-sharing document.

The proposal was reviewed by Jim Rier, deputy commissioner of Finance and Operations for the Department of Education.

Andrew Dolloff, Regional School Unit 21 superintendent of schools, said Rier believes the cost sharing “language is very similar to last year. Though some of the numbers have changed, the TIF language is in there now. He feels that this is something they would wait for a vote from this group. But he felt that this was something the Department of Education could support.”

Dolloff said that after the vote, the Department of Education may go back in and “wordsmith” some of the language. He said if no changes are made he will communicate that to the school board. If even slight changes are made, Dolloff said he would ask if the group would like to meet to go over them.

Residents react to library funding decision

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-06-29/Community/Residents_react_to_library_funding_decision.html

Some Arundel residents are weighing their options after the town cut its funding of Kennebunk Free Li- brary. (Amber Carter photo) Arundel residents spoke out at the June 25 selectmen’s meeting about the town’s decision to cut funding for the Kennebunk Free Library.

Town Manager Todd Shea suggested that those concerned are able to petition for a special town meeting. However the cost of the meeting will fall on the town.

Arundel residents Sam Hull, Darren Keller and Pam Wuerthner all expressed interest in putting together a petition.

Selectmen

Chairman Velma Hayes cautioned them in doing so, however; “You may find doing a special town meeting, that those who voted against it in the first place will be charged a fee,” she said. “They might come out, irate and vote it down again. Or with the new information presented, choose to vote for it.”

The comments among the residents and selectmen at the meeting indicated confusion in the way the article was presented. Some selectmen said that they, along with the budget board, had not been aware a library card fee would be charged had funding been cut.

Library Director Jill LeMay said the library’s board of trustees hadn’t expected funding to be cut, so they did not bring it up prior to town meeting.

“We weren’t anticipating that we wouldn’t be funded,” said Assistant Director Janet Cate. “That is why the fee wasn’t mentioned. It costs money to run a library.”

Bursting balloons

Mildred L. Day School students look on June 19 as Time Warner Cable maintenance technician Mike Lajoie (in bucket truck) prepares to drop water balloons. The project is part of the school’s annual water ballon drop science project

Library fee information for Arundel Residents www.arundelmaine.org

www.arundelmaine.org

Library fee information for Arundel Residents

MacArthur Library
270 Main Street
Biddeford
$30 per family

Graves Library
18 Maine Street
Kennebunkport
Free to the public

Lyman Community Library
10 John Street
Lyman
Free to the public

Kennebunk Free Library
112 Main Street
Kennebunk
$35 per year, $20/3 months

Please follow the links on the helpful links tab @ www.arundelmaine.org for more information on these libraries and the services that they provide.

Library sets busy summer schedule

Children are invited to register for the Kennebunk Free Library summer reading program. There will be prizes for time spent reading; special programs for schoolaged children; and outdoor story times for young children.

All children who register for the summer reading program will receive a voucher for a Sea Dogs game. Additional prizes will be awarded after 5, 10, 15 and 20 hours of reading. Children who read at least 20 hours over the summer can enter a raffle to win a gift certificate from local businesses Arundel Ice Cream, Kennebunk House of Pizza, Poofberry’s Toy Store and Toppings Restaurant.

Research shows that children who keep reading over the summer maintain their skill level when they return to school in the fall.

Bernie Alie, youth services librarian at Kennebunk Free Library, encourages parents to make reading fun by including magazines, comics and sports pages of the newspaper, movie reviews, graphic novels and other fun reads.

Story times

Kennebunk Free Library will host two outdoor story times per week for young children running from June 26 to Aug. 16. Teddy Bears’ Picnic will be 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Bring lunch and a special stuffed animal and gather on the lawn for stories and songs. Rhyme Time will be 10:15 a.m. outside on Thursdays. Both programs will move inside if necessary.

Special Events

With a theme of Starry Summer Nights, library summer programs will include stars in the sky, stars in the sea and stars on stage. Although all programs are free, some require preregistration. Programs with limited space will open for registration on June 20. The full listing for children’s programs can be found at www.kennebunklibrary.org/kennebunk/ kidsprograms.asp.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Arundel Weather for JUNE YTD

Maine education commissioner’s goals happening two years ahead of him in Gray

By Christopher Cousins, BDN Staff

Posted June 01, 2012, at 6:07 p.m.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/06/01/news/state/maine-education-commissioners-goals-happening-two-years-ahead-of-him-in-gray/

GRAY, Maine — A cutting-edge education experiment at Gray-New Gloucester Middle School could become the norm in Maine if Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen has his way.

On any given day, students from as many as three grades can be found studying together in the same classroom. Instead of letter grades, student performance is based on a numbered system in which 4 means proficient and a 1 or 2 means the student has more work to do before moving on. And teachers who were used to pulling entire classes of students through the same lessons at the same speed now are responsible for monitoring each student’s progress individually.

Only a handful of schools in Maine are embracing proficiency-based learning to the degree that Gray-New Gloucester schools do, though Bowen said many more are in the early stages. That’s why Bowen, who is pushing a new education strategy for Maine that includes many of those concepts, visited the school Friday, where students, teachers and administrators told him their experiment is a work in progress and hasn’t advanced without challenges.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Speech was inappropriate for graduation ceremony

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-06-22/Letters/Speech_was_inappropriate_for_graduation_ceremony.html

To the editor:

I conducted a casual survey of what comes to people’s minds when they think commencement address or graduation speaker. I’ve heard numerous variations of these themes: inspirational, motivational and humorous.

At Kennebunk High School’s ceremony, we were treated to two wonderfully articulate and thoughtful speeches by Kennebunk seniors Janelle Sherman and Hannah Rolland, the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.

Up next came economics teacher Sean Watson to deliver the always highly anticipated keynote address. Suffice it to say it was quite nontraditional, indeed. Rather than set the class of 2012’s spirits aflame with resolute and passionate affirmations for their futures, his words focused on what I perceived to be a thinly veiled conservative credo.

He admonished graduates to think about the world as if we were all toddlers playing in a sandbox. Life isn’t fair, Watson offered and the have-nots are not to be coddled with any toy redistribution. He seemed to suggest that it is not productive to cry out when we see injustice, such as marriage inequality or economic under-privilege. Nor is it truly ethical to extend equal access policies for jobs and education to minorities (both can be so easily stated if one happens to be a white, heterosexual male).

Arundel voting result means change in library policy

http://post.mainelymediallc.com/news/2012-06-22/Letters/Arundel_voting_result_means_change_in_library_poli.html

To the editor:

On behalf of the Kennebunk Free Library Board of Trustees, I want to inform residents of Kennebunk and Arundel of a vote taken at the June 13 Arundel town budget meeting.

At that meeting, the town of Arundel voted down the article funding the Kennebunk Free Library even though for years, the residents of Arundel have had full access to library collections and programs for a fraction of the contribution made by Kennebunk taxpayers.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

More municipalities express desire to leave RSUs

By Susan McMillan smcmillan@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/more-municipalities-express-desire-to-leave-rsus_2012-06-22.html

AUGUSTA -- Three years have passed since the first regional school units formed in response to Maine's consolidation law.

The following communities have voted to negotiate withdrawals from their regional school units.
Arundel (RSU 21)
Belfast (RSU 20)
Belmont (RSU 20)
Ellsworth (RSU 24)
Frankfort (RSU 20)
Glenburn (RSU 26)
Hancock (RSU 24)
Lamoine (RSU 24)
Ludlow (RSU 70)
Monmouth (RSU 2)
Morrill (RSU 20)
Northport (RSU 20)
Swanville (RSU 20)
Veazie (RSU 26)
Westport Island (RSU 12)
Wiscasset (RSU 12)
Source: Department of Education and staff research

While some new school districts have worked together with little conflict, in several others time has either failed to mollify concerns that accompanied the formation of the districts or created new tensions that are driving communities to seek a way out.

Sixteen municipalities have taken the first official step toward withdrawing from regional school units that began forming in 2009. In many others, residents are circulating petitions to trigger the initial vote or just starting to explore their options.

The reasons are nearly universal. Critics say they haven't seen the financial benefits of school consolidation, and they miss having local control over budgets, curriculum decisions and buildings.

Some say the effort to force consolidation through financial penalties was ill-advised and that such school units just won't work, at least in some communities.

Friday, June 22, 2012

The Arrow June 2012 Newsletter

http://arundelmaine.org/vertical/Sites/%7B59869D99-BF8C-4BB4-B531-4D501803061C%7D/uploads/arrow_2012_June.pdf

Arundel Withdrawal Committee

http://www.rsu21.net/withdrawal.shtml

June 11, 2012

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Opinion: Letters

Speech ruined perfect day: Carlin E. Whitehouse; Portland

District not to blame: David Cavagnaro; Kennebunk

Finding a way forward: Norm Archer; Board Chair, RSU 21

Thanks to RSU 21 board: Jack Reetz; Arundel

PL 90 didn't fix healthcare: Steven Kelley; Kennebunk

Wrong time, place for speech

June 21, 2012 2:00 AM

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120621-OPINION-206210377

The commencement address of Kennebunk High School teacher Sean Watson has created some debate this past week among parents, students and district administrators.

Watson, an economics teacher at KHS, was chosen by the Class of 2012 as their commencement speaker and included in his lengthy address such thoughts as, "I'm arguing that affirmative action is unfair to bigots, and even bigots have a right to be treated fairly."

Watson couched his speech in terms of playground rules, offering up these three tenets to live by: tolerate intolerance, don't demand a mile when people volunteer an inch and don't take things that aren't yours.

Here's another playground rule we'd like to suggest: Don't be selfish.

Don't hog the ball when playing a game and don't hijack someone's special day or big moment by making it all about you, even if you can. It just isn't right.

Arundel voters approve $2.9 million budget

By Samantha Stephens

yccs@seacoastonline.com

June 21, 2012 2:00 AM

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120621-NEWS-206210355

ARUNDEL — The $2.9 million municipal budget was approved at the Town Meeting held Wednesday, June 13.

The use and sale of fireworks was among the most talked about warrant items on the ballot. The warrant item, forbidding the use and sale of fireworks, was voted down by voters, making the use and sale of fireworks legal in Arundel.

Rich Ganong, member of the Budget Board, said with the push to bring new businesses into Arundel, and with so few neighboring towns allowing fireworks, it seemed like a good opportunity to potentially boost the local economy.

Windham greenhouse project delayed

The Sebago Farms proposal to raise hydroponic vegetables and fish, and to hire 170 workers, encounters problems with securing financing.

By Leslie Bridgers lbridgers@pressherald.com
Staff Writer

http://www.pressherald.com/news/windham-greenhouse-project-delayed_2012-06-21.html

A 37-acre greenhouse project proposed in Windham has been "indefinitely delayed" because of uncertain financing, says the Arundel man who pitched the project to the town this winter.

Construction on Sebago Farms, a facility for raising hydroponic vegetables and fish, was supposed to begin this spring, according to the plan John der Kinderen laid out in January.

That schedule was contingent on funding from a European venture capital group, which hasn't been able to provide the money, der Kinderen said this week, citing the European Union's ongoing financial crisis.

He would not name the venture capital group or go into further detail about the plan for financing the project, other than to say that Sebago Farms' local backers are now seeking other investors.

"Because we have not secured new financing, the project is indefinitely delayed," der Kinderen wrote in an email.

He said the funding issues also caused Sebago Farms to sever ties with BioSynEnergy, an international firm that developed a model for ultra-efficient greenhouses to use renewable energy for growing produce and raising fish in any climate year-round.

Sebago Farms was one of several facilities BioSynEnergy was working to build throughout the country, der Kinderen said when the plan was announced.

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