MARS HILL
The Mars Hill Rotary Club met on Tuesday, June 1, at 6:30 a.m. at the Aroostook Health Center.
The special speaker was Rotarian Roger Shaw. He informed the group about the special vote that day on the school reorganization. Since LD 570 passed in February at the state level and was signed by the governor on April 1, the local district was able to meet the new size requirements by joining with a couple of local schools.
If the new AOS passed in all four towns that are involved, then SAD 42 would be joining with Blaine, Bridgewater and SAD 20 (Fort Fairfield) to form an Alternative Organization Structure, to be known as the Mid County School System.
To be phased in over a three-year period, the schools will share system administration, transportation administration and special education administration. The budget for the AOS central office costs will be shared on the basis of, and in proportion to, the average of the student enrollment in October of the previous three years.
Local control will be maintained and each school will retain their own school boards. These board members will also be on the AOS board, which will have 16 members. Each school will also retain their own indebtedness, lease and purchase agreements, personnel contracts, and will develop their own budgets. The school calendars will need to be consistent but don’t have to be identical.
Although there are some down sides to this new organization, this is the right thing to do for all the communities and taxpayers at this time.
There will be some public meetings held soon regarding the budget of both the AOS and SAD 42. There will also be a public vote on the SAD 42 Budget and Budget Validation on June 29 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There will be an informational meeting at 7 p.m. on June 21 at Central Aroostook High School regarding the formation of a local historical society. The towns to be covered include Mars Hill, Blaine, E Plantation, Westfield and Robinson.
Items to be discussed at the meeting include obtaining nonprofit status, bylaws, society officers, etc.
There is an online auction to benefit the Walter T.A. Hansen Memorial Library. Over 114 items are currently listed at www.WTAHANSENLIBRARY@biddingforgood.org.
The goal this year is to raise funds to make updates to the library. Several grants have been applied for, but some of them require the library to come up with a portion of the funds in order to get the full awarded amounts.
This is an exciting and fun way to help the library and at the same time have a chance to win cool items. Your support is very necessary, so please check out the website to see what is available.
More items will be added as they are donated, so check the site often. For more information, or to donate items, please contact Ryan Shaw at 429-9500 or at rshaw24@yahoo.com.
In a continuing effort to recognize outstanding student citizenship, the faculty of Central Aroostook Junior-Senior High School announces that Kelsey Larrabee and Spencer Garrison have been selected as the May Students of the Month. They were selected in recognition of their commitment to the pillar of character.
To participate in the 10th anniversary of the national charity, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Cathy and Jessica Cropley will be hosting a lemonade stand on June 12 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mars Hill IGA. This will be their seventh year and the seventh anniversary of the first stand in Maine. ALSF raises awareness and contributions to find a cure for pediatric cancer.
The charity was named after Alexandra “Alex” Scott who was diagnosed with cancer shortly after her birth. When she was 4, she decided to give back by hosting the first lemonade stand. Four years later, in 2004, the charity went national. Cathy read about Alex and felt compelled to hold a stand so that Maine could be represented. ALSF’s goal was to have at least one stand in all 50 states. That year’s goal was to raise $1 million, which they reached by the end of 2004. Unfortunately, Alex died in October of that year before their goal was reached.
Over these 10 years, ALSF has raised $30 million and continue to seek more donations every year. This year, Cathy and Jessica hope to double their 2009 contribution of $500. Please make plans to stop by the stand on Saturday, June 12, to help fight pediatric cancer “one cup at a time.”
The Mars Hill Community Cupboard distributed food twice a month. Days are the second Tuesday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. and the fourth Tuesday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Mars Hill and Blaine Community Center on ACI Street in Mars Hill. This local food pantry serves residents in need from the areas of Westfield, Mars Hill, Blaine, Bridgewater, Robinson and E Plantation.
The Mars Hill Community Cupboard is also a station for RSVP members who would like to volunteer and a distribution center for the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging, a supplemental program for anyone in need who is aged 60 or more.
For more information, contact Cathy Cropley at 429-8043.
A sincere thank-you to all who have been helping with work projects at the hall — cleaning, painting, plumbing, rebuilding the front steps, etc. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. There is much more to be done, so check with any BHA officer if you’d like to volunteer your time.
Another sincere thank-you goes out to the friends and family of Cora Decatur who have made donations in her memory. Cora gave a lot to the BHA over the years and it is thoughtful that her friends have continued the tradition in her name.
To those who have donated items for the June yard sales, another thank-you. During the month of June, the BHA will be having a yard sale each Saturday. If you would like to donate items (no clothing or electronics please) to the BHA for the sale, or would like to rent a table, please contact Gloria McCleary at 425-6941 or Stephanie Willette at 429-9309. Table rentals will be $10 per day.
Don’t forget the Thursday Night live music with Outside In from 6 – 9 p.m. There is no cover charge, but donations are gladly accepted. Music donations will be used for the new sound system fund. For more information about the BHA, contact Jann Votaw, president, at 425-7901.
Tomi Henderson is the correspondent for Mars Hill, Blaine, Bridgewater and Westfield. She can be reached at 429-9126 or e-mail tomihen@yahoo.com.
