PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Aroostook County Probus Club held their regular monthly meeting April 19 at Reed Commons on the Northern Maine Community College campus.
President Tom Lunn opened the meeting and Dana Crory, program chairman, introduced guest speaker Jennifer Hughes.
Hughes, who has paralegal, elementary and early childhood degrees, as well as marketing and legal office management certification, recently became manager of the former Presque Isle Crow’s Nest facility on Maysville Street. She will turn the building into a facility called Hillpointe Crossing.
Plans have been in the making for the past year, she said. The building will have a year-round day care center for 87 children from 6 weeks to 12 years of age. Hughes plans to offer summer programs, education, fitness, arts, a story room, playground and field trips, all with a stress on literacy.
Security will be closely monitored with cameras and entry codes throughout. The playground is designed for age appropriateness levels as well. The center will hire up to 16 employees with degrees, and or three to five years of work with children.
The large building has 21 spaces available for offices, theater, fitness, concerts, weddings, reunions and so forth, with a capacity for 1,000 patrons in the large event area. Each renter will be responsible for their electricity and heating.
The day care center will be Planet Recess Education, while the events area will be called Dreams Come True. Hughes plans a grand opening sometime in May.
In other business, Dr. Royal Goheen, now a PROBUS member, gave his classification presentation, recounting his life from North Dakota to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, at which he worked for many years.
Janet Snow offered a reading on “The Power of Music” by Elena Marnnes. Today scientific studies have found that music plays a crucial role in relieving stress, anxiety, neurological problems, stroke illness, and increase in memory and cognitive skills, she said.
Anyone is welcome to visit a PROBUS meeting and join the group. Yearly dues are $25, which are used to provide a scholarship for a student attending NMCC.
