Staff Writer
May
• The Almon H. Fogg Co. hardware store located on Main Street since 1859 was sold to S.W. Collins Co. of Caribou. The S.W. Collins Co. has been in operation as a family-owned business, which started as a sawmill in 1844.
• The Houlton Humane Society celebrated the grand opening of its new facility after 10 years of planning and fund-raising.
• More than 90 lawmakers came together to sponsor a crime bill to protect victims of domestic violence. LD 1627 would change the current law to create a crime called “Domestic Assault.”
• SAD 29 board members OK’d a motion toward a $5 million bond project to expand the arts center at the Houlton High School.
• Houlton was selected to host a downtown conference, which would draw in more than 150 visitors to the area. The conference is geared toward downtown development.
• Aroostook County Commissioners discussed American Disabilities Act funding for two county courthouses — the Superior Court building in Houlton and the Caribou courthouse. The total for funding was set at $250,000, which will address code concerns for both facilities.
• Houlton town councilors heard a first reading on a proposed outdoor wood boiler moratorium.
• The Shiretown Motor Inn suffered sever fire damage, losing 21 units. Between 35 and 40 Houlton and Hodgdon firefighters responded to the blaze.
June
• The Houlton Maine Revenue Service office was spared from closure, which would have eliminated 14 local jobs. The proposed closure was suggested as part of the state’s budget cuts.
• Houlton town councilors OK’d borrowing $130,000 to complete a handful of projects around town. The three-year bank loan, which would come from the Bangor Savings Bank, will be used to replace furnaces at the town office, town garage and the police and fire station.
• A multi-million dollar environmental cleanup of Bangor and Military streets began. Crews under the direction of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection worked to clean up the soil near Dead River Food Trend.
• The Friends and Needles Quilt Guild donated the Houlton Bicentennial Quilt to the Houlton Historical Museum in the spirit of the town’s bicentennial celebrations. The quilt features various images that show the history of the last 200 years of daily life in Houlton.
July
• The Schools farm in Littleton, operated by Greg and Leslie Schools, was named Farm Family of the Year for 2007.
• The Houlton Agricultural Fair Committee made its first steps toward creating a separate fairground for the annual fair. The Committee purchased 102 acres from Linda and Roger Callnan on the County Road.
• The town of Sherman was granted $67,000 in funding to be used toward a 3-phase power expansion at the Extract Road site designated for industrial development.
• The Houlton Water Company received a $1.1 million check from the Bush Administration. The funds will be used to support construction of a new electrical substation system to power Louisiana-Pacific’s expanded Station Road plant.
• The family of Pfc. Dustin Harris began a personal project after receiving a comfort quilt from another military family. The quilt patches are sent all over the country and messages are added and then returned so that they can be sewn together for another family in mourning. Harris’ grandmother Sandra Troutt began making patches and sending them throughout the community, and country, so that she could take part in the project as well. Harris’ brother Dylan also created a number of patches in memory of Dustin.
• Houlton town councilors voted to decrease the town’s mill rate to 18.25.
August
• A Monticello man was recovering in a Texas medical center after being injured while serving in Iraq. Pfc. Hans Paschke-Burtt enlisted in December of 2005 and has since been awarded the Purple Heart, the Medal of Valor and has been recommended for the Bronze Star.
• The Houlton Band of Maliseets were given $457,000 in funding for additional costs of its Housing Authority department.
• Houlton officials kicked off its Bicentennial celebration with a number of different activities including a parade and fireworks.
• Oakfield company, Cedar Ideas, took at least $250,000 in damage in a fire that destroyed a building and its equipment. The company began rebuilding just days after.
• An outdoor wood boiler ordinance was drafted shortly after town councilors axed a moratorium that had been placed on the heating systems.
