The second half of 2013 brought with it budget challenges for municipal and school officials, groundbreaking on new construction projects, awards, anniversaries and much activity within Caribou and the surrounding area. A recap of some of the year’s highlights follows.
July
• The Caribou City Council set the 2013 city budget at $8,894,532.
• The RSU 39 School Board adopted a move toward a student-centered, proficiency-based educational system.
• Jon Poitras took the helm of Limestone’s 22-person volunteer fire department. Poitras, the third generation of his family to be fire chief, began his career as a 16-year-old junior firefighter in 1994.
• Tragedy befell the land speed racing community when Florida racer Bill Warner passed away following injuries he received in a crash during the second day of the Maine Event races, held at the Loring Commerce Centre. Warner, of Wimauma, Florida, was an icon in the racing community and had broken records two years previously at Loring.
• A total of 19 bands from Maine performed at the annual Arootsakoostik, an all-day event showcasing musicians from all over the state. The event was held at the Music Bowl at Thomas Park in New Sweden.
• More than 500 members from several Harley Owners Group chapters rolled into Caribou for the annual HOG rally, held in town for the first time since 2005.
• A record-breaking rainfall dropped 3.6 inches of rain on the area in just a two-hour period, smashing the previous daily record of 1.22 inches in 2001.
• Dedication ceremonies were held for Caribou’s Veterans Memorial Park, located on the corners of South Main, Nylander and Lyndon streets where the Civil War memorial stands.
• Former Caribou Fire Chief Roy Woods was sentenced to 30 days in jail, followed by 60 days of house arrest, for two counts of unlawful sexual contact, two counts of assault and one count of unlawful sexual touching.
• Ground was officially broken for the new Catholic Charities garden plot. The land in East Chapman was made available by Martie and Jim Pritchard and will be used to raise fresh vegetables to be distributed through County food banks to those in need.
• The sale of Caribou’s downtown parking lots was halted after several business owners implored the City Council to rethink the issue.
August
• The Caribou and Presque Isle city councilors held a joint meeting to explore areas for cost savings in the two municipalities, including sharing some services and expenses.
• Collaboration was also on the agenda of an “Education to Industry” summit sponsored by the Aroostook Partnership for Progress, which looked at ways to educate a solid workforce and keep jobs in the region.
• A lightning fire in Washburn displaced 30 residents from their homes in a 24-apartment complex. The community turned out in force to help the tenants and prepare them to return to their homes.
• Weather-wise, thunderstorms dropped enough hail in the New Sweden-Woodland area to make some roadways look like they were in need of a plow.
• Miss Caribou Hannah Hebert placed as first runner-up in the Maine Potato Queen pageant. The 2013 Potato Queen was Miss Easton Abagale Stewart, with Miss Mars Hill Kayla Cushman named second runner-up.
• Local classic car owners, responding to a lack of auto-showing opportunity in the Caribou area, worked with Spenser Ouellette, owner of Burger Boy, to host a classic car exhibition.
• The RSU 39 School Board approved the switch from quarterly to trimester grading periods for elementary students at Limestone Community School.
• State Rep. Carol McElwee, R-Caribou, posted a perfect voting record in 456 roll call votes in the Maine House of Representatives for the voting season.
• Caribou Boy Scout Troop 184 celebrated its 50th year. Scoutmaster Vaughn Keaton also celebrated 50 years with the troop, and noted that 53 names were on the Honor Roll of Eagles with three more to be added next month.
• Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan was the surprised guest of a party held in his honor to celebrate his 40th anniversary with the CPD. Family, friends and colleagues gathered to mark the occasion.
September
• Bennett Drive lost an old flagpole and the Grimes Mill Cemetery gained a new one, of sorts, thanks to the efforts of about 25 people. Kenneth Doody of Caribou and David Doody of Woodland came up with the idea to have a permanent flag at the cemetery to honor the community’s deceased veterans. David Felch, owner of 159 Bennett Drive, donated the flagpole. A flag-raising ceremony was held Sept. 20 when a flag which had flown over the White House was lifted to its permanent place at Grimes Mill.
• The Caribou Historical Society Center and Museum on Route 1 dedicated their new barn and the Harriet Cousins Nature Trail, located behind the center’s main building. Work began in 2006 on the trail, which was named after Cousins for her extensive work with the society.
• Planners from J.D. Irving addressed the Aroostook County Commissioners regarding the company’s plans for the Fish River Region, which included selling land to current leaseholders within a 25-year timeframe while maintaining their timber operations.
• Three new Eagle Scouts were added to Caribou’s history when an Eagle Court of Honor bestowed the rank upon Daniel Powers, Keith Draper and Alexander Murchison. As part of preparation for the honor, each Scout completed a community project. Powers and Murchison did theirs at the Fish & Wildlife Refuge in Limestone, with Powers devoting 184 hours to build a bridge on one of the trails to support bikers and snowmobiles, and Murchison spending 105 hours to build a pergola by the main office to give hikers a rest stop. Draper gave 110 hours to the Caribou Historical Society, building a nature trail and picnic area.
• A review of the end-of-year RSU 39 school budget revealed a $32,000 revenue shortfall. Financial manager Karen Nadeau attributed most of the shortfall to $124,000 in tuition losses at Caribou and Limestone, funding curtailments imposed by the state, and a major software glitch.
• The Aroostook County Commissioners unanimously approved a plan to deputize Caribou police officers to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department for three years for ATV trail patrols.
• Cluster balloonist Jonathan Trappe set out for a trans-Atlantic journey from Caribou with his aircraft, a lifeboat lifted by 370 helium balloons. Though he didn’t make it across the ocean, he did have an adventure, living in Caribou for months preparing for the event and enlisting the help of over 100 volunteers. After launching from the baseball field on Sincock Street, he finally landed on Blow Me Down Mountain in Newfoundland.
• The Presque Isle and Caribou city councils agreed to share the services of a single public works leader. David Ouellette, director of public works for Caribou, took the job to oversee both municipalities after the retirement of Presque Isle’s deputy director, Larry Demerchant.
• Limestone’s former NCO Club, which now houses food-processing operation Northern Girl and other tenants, converted to biomass fuel through Pelletco of Orono.
October
• The Limestone Board of Selectpeople awarded the 2013-14 winter sand and gravel bid to K&M Sand & Gravel of Grand Falls, New Brunswick.
• The Maine Military Authority was forced to lay off about 140 employees due to losses of contracts for maintenance and rebuilding with the National Guard Bureau. The Loring Development Authority was projected to experience an annual shortfall of $307,807 due to losses of lease revenue from the MMA.
• The Tri-Community Landfill, serving Fort Fairfield, Caribou and Limestone, and the Presque Isle landfill were among several recipients of money from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to help with costs communities incurred from cleanup or closure of sites. TCL received $72,918.16 for landfill remediation costs.
• Caribou native Dave Keaton was named director of the Region Two School of Applied Technology in Houlton. Keaton had previously been director of the Somerset Career and Technical Center in Skowhegan.
• The Gray Memorial Methodist Church celebrated its 100th anniversary at its location on the corner of Sweden and Prospect streets. New England church officials joined local congregants for a special Sunday service and rededication ceremony.
• After several weeks of discussion regarding the city’s public downtown parking lots, Caribou city councilors approved the $1 sale of a Water Street parcel to rental property owner Robert Fern. The council also pledged to work with Sam Collins of S.W. Collins to buy parking lots 97 and 102 abutting his Hatch Drive property.
• The Mark Brewer Memorial Disc Golf Course was officially opened behind the Limestone Community School. Officials with the Maine School of Science and Mathematics and the Limestone Recreation Department spearheaded the project, built by Loring Job Corps Center students in honor of Brewer, who was a Job Corps construction instructor.
• Lauretta Bourgoine Blackstone’s book “Barns of Aroostook County, Maine” was published, featuring photographs of potato houses, barns and farm machinery, along with stories told to her by local farmers.
• Officials with U.S. Biathlon announced that the Nordic Heritage Center of Presque Isle and the Maine Winter Sports Center of Caribou had been offered the opportunity to host the Biathlon World Cup in 2016.
November
• A wreath made in Caribou was sent to Arlington National Cemetery, accompanied by seven Loring Job Corps students. The students were Loring Defenders, members of the Job Corps Center’s Honor Guard, and presented the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The evergreen was fashioned by Noyes Flower and Plant Shoppe proprietor Kimber Noyes, himself an Army veteran.
• The U.S. Department of Labor announced a $305,714 supplemental National Emergency Grant to help with re-employment and training for workers affected by layoffs at the Maine Military Authority.
• Veterans Day saw the dedication of the Walls of Honor at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, which display the names of service members, their military affiliations and years served. There is a wall for each branch of the military.
• The Eastern Aroostook Education Association protested their lack of a contract at the entrance of an RSU 39 School Board meeting. Over 30 teachers from each of the six Caribou and Limestone schools in the union gathered to protest. The teachers had been working without a renewed contract since July 31.
• Newly elected Caribou city councilor Carol Pierson was declared ineligible because of unpaid taxes at the time of election. Councilor Joan Theriault, appointed to that one-year seat on Oct. 9, will retain the post until January, when she will be sworn in to the new three-year term she was elected to on Nov. 5. Councilors will then appoint a one-year member, who will serve until the next community ballot election.
• The establishment of the Caribou-based Meo Bosse Detachment 1414 of the Marine Corps League was celebrated at the Chan Center in Caribou. Craig Fay was sworn in as the newly formed group’s commandant.
• The Caribou City Council approved an ordinance that removed the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce from the city’s oversight, effective Jan. 1, 2014. The decision to remove the chamber from municipal governance was cited as an amicable one, mainly for administrative purposes.
December
• A new team sport for women rolled out as the Aroostook Roller Derby League took to the New Sweden School gym following an inaugural meeting at the Caribou Wellness and Recreation Center. The team includes skaters from Littleton to Fort Kent and is coached by Susan Plissey.
• The Limestone Masonic Lodge celebrated its 100th year in service.
• The annual Limestone Light Parade helped get everyone in the holiday spirit. Awarded at the event were: Best theme, Limestone Community School Class of 2014 Project Grad; Best Lights, Poitras Service Inc.; Most Musical, the Aroostook Paranormal Investigation Society; Most Creative, the Limestone Ski Club; and Best Business Entry, Four Daughters Redemption Center.
• Holiday cheer continued in Caribou, as the very first Snowman Parade drew a number of brightly lit floats and participants of all ages.
• Caribou councilors approved the city’s expense budget at $9,143,300, which is a 5 percent increase from last year’s budget. To arrive at the figure, City Manager Austin Bleess said $603,908 was cut from the first draft proposal, exceeding the council’s request of a $568,753 cut.
• Eastern Aroostook RSU 39 Superintendent Frank McElwain officially announced his plans to retire next summer.
• Below-zero wind chills and more than a foot of snow marked the beginning of winter in The County. The season’s first major storm dropped 16.4 inches at Caribou with anywhere from 14-19 inches in surrounding areas.
• Caribou VFW Post 9389 joined with the nation for the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony. Members of the local post gathered at the Maine Veterans Cemetery to lay wreaths in remembrance of the nearly 600 veterans buried there.
