FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Fort Fairfield will have a children’s garden this year following approval by the Town Council.
The council also authorized pool pump repair and the sale of a rundown property during a meeting on Wednesday.
Beth Pfeiffer, the late wife of John Foster of Southwest Harbor and Fort Fairfield, died in 2020. Foster and friends wanted to honor her, Town Manager Tim Goff said.
“They were looking for a project to do in memory of Beth Pfeiffer,” he said. “One of the proposals was a children’s garden.”
Details aren’t completed yet, but the group has asked permission to use land adjacent to the Fort Fairfield Blockhouse, which is directly across from the library, Goff said.
The council voted unanimously to accept the children’s garden proposal.
A library grant will help fund another memorial garden, this one to honor Fort Fairfield resident Rose Elmer, Goff said. Elmer died with her parents in a fire.
“Rose Elmer worked for us, so we wanted to do something to memorialize her,” Library Director Lynn Cote said Friday.
Elmer’s position was funded by a grant, but she had only worked for the library for five months, Cote said. The library will use some of the remaining grant money for the garden, and will raise funds to complete the project.
After a water main break, the community pool’s water pumps were submerged and damaged. If they aren’t repaired the pool won’t be usable this coming summer, Goff said.
Replacing the pumps would cost $10,000, but a Madawaska company has offered to repair them at a lower cost. Councilors approved the company’s offer.
The group also voted to sell a tax-acquired property at 8 Pool Drive. Homeowners renovating nearby asked to purchase the property for $7,900.
SAD 20 Superintendent Tanya Staples reported that student enrollment is up over the last two years and more programs have been added, including music and French. The school was without music for a year due to budget constraints, but this year added choral and instrumental music with plans to expand next year.
After-school enrichment programs have gained a big following at the elementary school, Staples said, including one on 3-D printing.
“It exposes them to something different that they don’t get to do every day,” she said.
The schools are benefiting from several grants, including a seven-year U.S. Department of Education GEAR UP grant that will follow seventh-graders through their senior year and cover scholarships, tutoring and more. Other grants have helped fund continuing education for teachers, aid for homeless students and a substance use prevention program.
Councilor Pat Canavan reported the town’s revitalization committee plans a farmers market in town this year, to be held Saturdays starting on May 11. The committee is also working on a Friday in Fort celebration.
The next council meeting is planned at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17.
