The second half of 2011 was a year to remember with several prominent stories collecting headlines. Among the top stories from July to August were the sale of WHOU radio station; the naming of a new postmaster for the Houlton Post Office; a major tax increase in Orient and the cleanup of a Drakes Hill property by the town.
July
• The Fourth of July festivities started and ended with a bang with two spectacular fireworks displays. About 12,000 people attended this year’s Houlton Agricultural Fair, according to president Paul Cleary.
• Descendents of Joseph Houlton, one of the town’s original settlers, were in the Shiretown over the holidays. James William Milton Houlton, his wife Jennifer and their children Alex and Aja were in Houlton for the Fourth of July and featured guests in the town’s annual parade. James was born and raised in New Jersey and the Houltons reside near Louisville, Ky.
• A line of heavy thunderstorms that rolled through Aroostook County caused a 200-year-old tree on the Foxcroft Road to come crashing down, narrowly missing the home of Marie Corey. The massive tree stood more than 100-feet high and missed Corey’s house by a mere two feet.
• Postal customers in Houlton noticed a few changes at the local post office as construction of a new handicapped accessible ramp and front steps was ongoing. A temporary entrance was created in the parking lot area of the historic Houlton building while the old steps were removed.
• The town finally has a new postmaster following the announcement that Henry Gartley had assumed the top spot at the United States Postal Service in Houlton. The town has been without an official postmaster for nearly two years.
• By the end of 2012, 256 miles of high-speed Internet line was expected to be in place through Aroostook County as part of the Three Ring Binder project and a total of 1,100 miles of fiber optic cable was to be implemented statewide, bringing high speed broadband Internet to over 100 rural communities in Maine previously relegated to dial-up service.
• Littleton residents sent a message to their selectman that they wanted their garbage to be free. Nearly 100 individuals turned out for the special town meeting, held at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum to vote on a pay-per-bag proposal for Littleton’s transfer station. Residents turned down the proposal by a vote of 31 “yes” and 56 “no.”
• Revitalizing Houlton’s downtown was the topic of discussion as members of the Maine Downtown Center (MDC) were in the Shiretown to welcome Houlton to its group as one of the newest “Downtown Network Community” members.
August
• A 10-year saga to clean up a four-acre parcel of land on top of Drake’s Hill came to a conclusion, at least from the town’s perspective. Houlton Town Manager Doug Hazlett said the clean-up project at Jerry Cardone’s residence at 314 Military St. had been completed, per a court order, and that Cardone has been sent a bill for the clean-up costs in the amount of $56,038.
• Two new programs aimed at helping elementary and junior high students achieve success in school were to be part of the curriculum this fall. The SAD 29 board gave its approval Monday to hire an alternative education coordinator for students in grades seven and eight and also to hire an elementary guidance counselor. Cost estimates were up to $65,000 for the alternative education coordinator and up to $70,000 for the elementary guidance counselor. Funding for both positions was already included in the 2011-12 budget.
• Voter turnout was sparse as residents from Houlton, Hammond, Littleton and Monticello were asked to give their final stamp of approval on a $12 million school budget for SAD 29. Only 187 residents in the four communities cast ballots during the referendum election, passing the budget by a vote of 110-77. The budget passed in all but one of the communities (Monticello), where it tied with 13 in favor and 13 opposed.
• It was back to the drawing board for the RSU 50 school board after the district budget failed at the polls by a vote of 301-402. The $9.267,716 spending package for RSU 50, the first of the new school consolidation unit, was up slightly over what the two school districts spent combined last year. The combined budgets for SAD 25 and CSD 9 last year were $9,235,646.
• Running for a purpose was something Houlton native Marne Deranger was getting first-hand knowledge of. The daughter of Paul and Sharon Boutlier of Houlton, Deranger was training to run in the Marine Corps Marathon in October in Arlington, Va. in support of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), particularly the memory of Marine 1st Lt. James Zimmerman.
• Late blight had reached potato fields in Aroostook County, and officials with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension were advising growers to be scouting their fields. According to Dr. Steven B. Johnson, crops specialist and extension professor, late blight had been reported in Bridgewater, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Limestone and Caswell.
• Hodgdon High School Principal Clark Rafford stepped down from his position after 15 years with the district to take a job as principal of Telstar Regional Middle School in Bethel.
• Clifford McQuarrie, 92, received his World War II medals 70 years after his enlistment in the U.S. Army, as Rachel Smith, constituent service representative from Congressman Michael Michaud’s office and Almon “Tiny” Hemore, Disable American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 10 Service Officer, join him at his home for the presentation.
• Even though the participation was slightly down, the County Open raised a significant amount of money for the Health Services Foundation. The County Open activities brought in $9,000 for the Foundation’s digital mammography campaign.
September
• Community members and education officials gathered for the Houlton Higher Education Center’s 10th anniversary celebration, which included an open house and an official program that marked the Center’s first decade of providing close-to-home educational opportunities for the region.
• Members of the Houlton Rotary Club were out in force picking ears of corn by the bagful to help needy families through the Friends of Aroostook initiative. The non-profit food program continued its efforts to provide fresh vegetables to those in need in Aroostook County and other areas. The non-profit group began modestly in 2008, planting 3,600 ears of corn.
• Something stunk in Houlton. A number of Houlton residents reported problems with skunks digging up their lawns and generally being a nuisance. In fact, the situation was so pungent, that Houlton Animal Control Officer Kevin Upton was having a hard time keeping up with the number of complaints.
• Voters in RSU 50 approved the 2011-12 school budget one week after school actually began. RSU 50 comprises the communities of Crystal, Dyer Brook, Hersey, Island Falls, Merrill, Moro, Mt. Chase, Oakfield, Patten, Sherman, Smyrna and Stacyville. Voters in those communities went to the polls to cast their ballot on the $9,039,646 spending package.
• The town of Houlton was looking for a new community development director after Wade Hanson stepped down from his position after 11 years of service to the municipality. Hanson left his post to take a similar position with the Houlton Band of Maliseets. The Houlton Town Council selected Lori Weston to replace Hanson. Weston had served as the executive director for the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce for the past five years.
• The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians announced plans for a new athletic complex for its youth thanks to a $600,000 federal grant. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the grants to the Maliseets to improve or create housing and economic development opportunities for low- to moderate-income families.
• A new state law went into effect that made it illegal to send text messages while driving. The new law had the full support of Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin, who stated his department would be on the lookout for perpetrators.
October
• SAD 29 was wondering what to do with Monticello and Littleton elementary students who do not attend Wellington Elementary School. The school board broached that topic during a regular meeting when Superintendent Mike Hammer brought the subject to the group for discussion.
• The quest to build a new church for parishioners of Military Street Baptist Church took another step forward as a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Drake’s Hill. The group had been looking at building a new sanctuary for about eight years, after they discovered a multitude of renovations were needed to their building on the corner of Military and Kelleran streets, according to Pastor Randall Burns.
• A request by the Houlton Band of Maliseets to waive a $38,380 PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) drew considerable discussion from the Houlton Town Council, and divided the board in the process. The request was ultimately granted, but remained a sticking point for some councilors for the rest of 2011.
• Taxes in Orient were on the rise, and that had a number of area residents up in arms on the subject. Town Clerk Alicia Silkey said the tax rate for 2011 was set at 12.10 mils, which was an increase over last year’s rate of 7.4 mils. She attributed the increased tax rate to a number of factors, including a loss of state revenue and increased heating and fuel costs.
• Dead River Company sold its “Food Trend” convenience stores in Aroostook County and across the state to Circle K. The sale had been in negotiation for the past six months, according to Alan Dorr, general manager of the Convenience Store Division for Dead River.
• Officers with the Houlton Police Department will now be able to make an arrest outside of town limits, without the assistance of the Maine State Police or Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department.
November
• Fred Grant of Houlton purchased WHOU radio station from County Communications. County Communications was owned by Bob Anderson and Dave Moore and was formed in 1996 when the two purchased the license for WHOU.
• A community meeting on the subject of bath salts drew about 60 people to the Houlton High School auditorium. The meeting was sponsored by Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Link for Hope. An officer of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency told those in attendance that bath salts are in The County, but fortunately, were not as prevalent as they are in other parts of the state.
• Maxx, a German Shepard handled by Deputy Mitchell Wheeler of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department received a bulletproof vest thanks to the Bridgewater Historical Society.
• The 56th Annual Houlton Rotary Radio and TV Auction once again entertained local residents, while also providing an opportunity to pick up sweet deals on many items.
• Madigan Estates Nursing Home honored its 24 veterans with a special ceremony presented by members of the U.S. Marine Corps League Detachment, who started by saying “thank you” to those who served and passing out small American Flags to all the veterans gathered.
• Residents in Oakfield gave overwhelming support for the creation of a new Tax Increment Financing district for a proposed wind turbine project for First Wind during a public hearing and special town meeting. Just over 100 residents and an additional 40 non-residents crowded into the Oakfield Community Building Monday evening to vote on creating the TIF district. The town voted 81 in favor, with 22 opposed to create the TIF district.
• The stage at Houlton High School was transformed into a fantastical fairy tale scene of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” for four performances by the students.
• Houlton Southside School Principal Jason Tarr announced he was stepping down from his post at the end of December.
• The First Congregational Church in Houlton closed its doors for the final time. And while members of the church were not leaving their Congregational beliefs behind, the church came to the conclusion that it was time to sell its place of worship on High Street. Pastor Dale Holden, who retired from active duty with the church in 2006, but remained a prominent member of the parish, said the decision to sell the parsonage was not an easy one.
• An atypically warm evening greeted thousands of individuals who turned out to view the annual Holiday Light Parade in Houlton.
• The Houlton Police Department held its inaugural Employee Recognition Awards banquet to recognize those officers and individuals who serve above and beyond the call of duty. Held inside the Houlton Fire Department’s training room, the highlight of the evening was the announcement of the “Employee of the Year” award. Cpl. Dana Duff, a 37-year veteran of the police force, was chosen to receive the honor.
December
• The numbers were in for how many students actually participated in harvest-related work for SAD 29, and the figure surprised many school board member. Superintendent Mike Hammer reported that only 19 of the roughly 553 students enrolled in grades 7-12 at Houlton Junior-Senior High School participated in harvest-related work during harvest recess.
• Region Two School of Applied Technology was one of seven Maine organizations receiving federal grant to improve access to health care and educational services in rural areas. Funding was provided through the USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Program. Of the $3.4 million awarded, Region Two received $1.4 million.
• “Welcome to Houlton Maine, worth a visit … worth a lifetime.” That phrase was to greet motorists as they exited Interstate 95 in Houlton in the spring when the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation (SADC) erects a 20-foot-tall sign welcoming people to Houlton. Krista Putnam of New Limerick, as part of a contest to determine the motto, submitted the slogan.
• James Friedman, a resident of Monticello, released a new, self-produced CD of original songs and two remakes, with 100 percent of the profits going to children’s cancer cases and HIV outreach centers.
• Distributing items to local food pantries got a little easier for the Catholic Charities Home Supplies and Food Bank. According to Dixie Shaw, program director for Catholic Charities in Aroostook County, the group opened a food bank/distribution center in Monticello at the former Arrow Farms warehouse on Route 1. Catholic Charities services 25 food pantries in Aroostook County from St. Francis to Wytopitlock.
• Katahdin Cedar Log Homes announced they were poised to manufacture a 10,000-square-foot lodge and real estate center immediately, to be followed by multiple single family homes to be built on the shores of a man-made lake in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China.
