This year the Castle Hill voting location was moved from the Castle Hill Grange Hall to the Mapleton Fire Department, where the Mapleton town election poll has been located for several years.
Town officials created a double-lane system, with Castle Hill election officials and workers located in the left lane and Mapleton officials and workers in the right lane. As voters entered, they were greeted by two large signs – a large green sign for Castle Hill and a red sign for Mapleton. Once a voter entered the correct lane, they followed it through to their voting station and on to the ballot box and voting machine.
Town Manager Sandra Fournier explained that the state of Maine informed the town of the need to relocate the voting poll to a more accessible and safe location just a week before Election Day. Because of the short notice, every Castle Hill voter was sent a letter from the town office informing them of the change and need for in-person voting to occur at the Mapleton Fire Station.
“We hoped that voters would not be confused and it seems the setup at the poll worked very well,” Fournier said.
Mapleton town election officials prepare to count election results on Nov 2. From left are: Michelle York, election trainee; Bonnie Steeves, ballot clerk; Christina Kidney, town clerk; Paula Shaw, election warden; and Ashley Humphrey, election trainee. (Courtesy of Terry Sandusky)
Christina Kidney, town clerk, and the other election officials helped guide voters through the lines so no one would experience problems in voting.
After obtaining ballots, voters moved into the fire truck bay, where Mapleton voters cast their votes in the bay’s walkway while Castle Hill voters cast their votes next to Mapleton Fire Department Tanker 1 located in the next bay.
Castle Hill voters expressed satisfaction with ease of entering and walking through the voting lines and generally thought the voting location was very accommodating, especially for those voters who had difficulty walking any distance. Some voters were not happy with the driving distance to the polls, but understood the need for better parking and accessibility.
Election officials and workers overall assessment of the change was positive as voting proceeded smoothly and quickly. Fournier added that this change in voting location is a permanent change for future elections.
Auction Ends Tomorrow
Tomorrow, the Mapleton Daze Online Auction comes to an end. This year’s third annual auction will raise funds for the 2022 Mapleton Daze Weekend. Readers still have time to go online to get some holiday shopping done.
The committee said they have more than 200 items in this year’s auction, including food, homemade items, gift certificates and more.
Bidding started Monday, Nov. 15, and will end at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18. All bids will be made on Facebook within the Online Auction Event. Under the “discussion tab” section, the bidder will find a list of auction items and the locations to enter bids.
Serious bids are expected and the winning bidders will need to be available to pick up items on Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Mapleton Lions Club from 10 to 11:30 am. The Mapleton Daze Committee cannot mail items.
If the winning bidder does not pick up the item won by Saturday, Nov. 21, the item will go to the second highest bidder.
Over the past two years, the committee has found this to be a fun event and bidders can get some great deals while helping raise funds for next year’s Mapleton Daze. The committee encourages everyone to participate. All bidders must be 18 or older to bid on items.
Email and/or message Lynnelle Foster at lynnelle.foster@maine.edu or Laurie at laurie.boucher@maine.edu with any questions regarding the auction.
Drive-thru dinner
On Thanksgiving Day, a community Thanksgiving dinner will be served on a drive-thru basis at the Mapleton Lions Club.
The dinner will be prepared by Bob and Darcy McBay of the Mapleton Diner. The menu consists of roast turkey breast and stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, cranberry sauce, roll and butter and a choice of apple or pumpkin pie.
Mapleton Lions Club members along with several community volunteers will be helping Darcy and Bob serve, package and hand out the dinners. Serving will start at 11 a.m. and continue until 12:30 p.m. or until the food runs out.
Volunteers will also deliver dinners to seniors, shut-ins and the disabled, all of whom would have difficultly coming into town to pick up their meals. Those wishing home deliveries should contact the Mapleton Diner. Donations will be accepted.
Terry Sandusky is the Star-Herald correspondent for Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill and can be reached at 764-4916 or at starherald.Tsandusky@gmail.com.
