Editor’s Note: The following is the first of a two-part series that looks back on some of the more memorable news stories of 2011. This article covers January to June, while the second installment, to appear in next week’s paper, will feature July through December.
January
• The Presque Isle City Council began the year with new councilors Emily Smith and Bruce Sargent, who ran unopposed and were elected in November 2010, taking the oath to serve the citizens of Presque Isle during the Jan. 3 meeting.
• The Presque Isle Historical Society looked into purchasing the Maysville Grange building, located at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and the Brewer Road, with the purpose of transforming it into a museum.
• Bridgewater residents met Jan. 5 for an informational public hearing on the proposed new multi-purpose municipal building which would house the fire department and community center. The proposed site is where the Bridgewater Grammar School was located.
• Elaina Laurie Curtis, the daughter of Jeffrey and Jolie Curtis of Presque Isle, was born Jan. 5 at 3:33 p.m. at The Aroostook Medical Center making her the first baby born at the facility for 2011.
• Bev Labbe, who formerly was the assistant to Solid Waste Director Dana Fowler, was hired as Presque Isle’s new city clerk replacing Nancy Nichols who accepted a non-municipal job.
• Students, faculty and staff at Northern Maine Community College flashed back to the 1960s with a “sock hop” celebration complete with a disc jockey spinning rock ‘n roll hits from the era and the NMCC Diner serving up free burger and hot dog baskets with a soda fountain counter featuring milkshakes and ice cream sundaes. The event, which was attended by about 600 people, kicked off the college’s 50th anniversary.
• Members of Gov. Paul LePage’s Red Tape Audit Committee met in Presque Isle Jan. 11 to hear the concerns of local municipal and business leaders. Information gathered at the meeting, which was part of a state tour, would help the state work more efficiently at all levels, including public and private entities.
• California resident and Presque Isle native Mary Smith donated $1.2 million to Northern Maine Community College in what was the largest donation to date to an Aroostook County higher education institution. The money was used to establish the Northern Maine Center for Excellence in Alternative Energy Training and Education.
February
• The Star City made final preparations for the World Cup Biathlon, which was held Feb. 4-6 at the Nordic Heritage Center. Students from several Aroostook County schools attended the sporting event which was viewed by millions around the world.
• The Maine-Quebec Winter Carnival Caravan departed from Dean’s Hotel in Portage Feb. 11. The caravan headed through the North Maine Woods and crossed at St. Pamphile, Quebec. This was the 54th annual excursion.
• Presque Isle City Councilors gave final approval to the Pay-as-You-Throw Program which provides free curbside pickup of trash and recyclables for residents of Presque Isle, charging those who use the program based on the size and number of bags picked up.
• The central Aroostook competition of Northern Star, formerly Aroostook Idol, was held Feb. 12 at Presque Isle Middle School. Earning their spot in the Feb. 27 finale were Gabrielle Sirois and her brother, Christian, of Drummond, New Brunswick; Robert Helstrom of Washburn, Cissy Buck of Caribou, and Dashawn Russell of Limestone.
• A team of professors at the University of Maine at Presque Isle received $75,000 in National Science Foundation grant monies from the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research in order to conduct a wide range of research related to the sustainable development of the Aroostook River Watershed.
• The Presque Isle City Council voted to hire Matthew Irwin, former lieutenant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, to head the Presque Isle Police Department. Irwin replaced Naldo Gagnon who accepted a job as deputy chief of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
• The Presque Isle Community Players debuted “Oliver,” the musical adaptation of the famous Charles Dickens’ work, “Oliver Twist.”
March
• Ralph Dwyer was settling in quite nicely as the new town manager of Ashland, replacing James Gardner who accepted the town manager position in Easton.
• The hometown premiere of John Cariani’s “Almost, Maine” was held at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
• Lara Cannon, former executive director of the Wintergreen Arts Center, was named the 2010 Citizen of the Year by the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce.
• Raynold “Ray” Gauvin was honored by the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce with the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Former Maine Gov. Angus S. King Jr. delivered the keynote address at “The Maine Event,” a clean energy forum that was held at Northern Maine Community College.
• Presque Isle High School, Zippel Elementary School and Mapleton Elementary School were identified as among Maine’s high performing, efficient schools.
• The 31st annual Agri-Business Trade Fair, hosted by the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, was held at The Forum in Presque Isle.
April
• Following months of searching for a replacement for Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, Maine Department of Transportation officials announced a five-member selection committee had chosen Eastern Maine Railroad (EMR) — a Canadian-based company and subsidiary of J.D. Irving, Limited — as operator of the Aroostook Lines, which is the state-owned portion of the former MMA route stretching between Millinocket and Madawaska.
• Jennifer Trombley resigned as chair of Presque Isle City Council, citing work conflict as her reason for leaving.
• Jeff Wark was honored during Washburn’s annual town meeting for his 12 years of service to the Town Council. Darren Churchill was elected as Wark’s replacement.
• The 13th annual Real Heroes Breakfast, sponsored by the American Red Cross — Pine Tree Chapter, WAGM-TV 8/FOX 8 and Northern Maine Community College, was held at NMCC, with honorees including: Laura Thomas, who nominated and accepted the Neighborhood Friend Award on behalf of Jerry Couture of Sinclair; Marjorie Bell of Caribou, Every Day Helping Hand Award; Daniel J. Rioux of Fort Kent, Young Courage Award; Kim Martin of Caribou, Clara Barton Award; Andrew “Andy” White Sr. of Wade, Valor Award; Mary McCarthy of Mapleton, Red Spirit Award; Kris Doody, representing Cary Medical Center, Extra Mile Award; and Vicki Smith of Katahdin Trust Co., Extra Mile Award.
• Washburn citizens approved a $1.9 million budget, as proposed by town officials, during the community’s annual town meeting.
• Rene Cloukey of WAGM-TV and Kevin Sjoberg from the Star-Herald/Aroostook Republican received media awards for their work in promoting interscholastic athletics in Maine at the annual spring conference of the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association held at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.
• Gov. Paul LePage signed a measure naming a public hiking trail at Haystack Mountain the Dustin J. Libby Trail. Marine Cpl. Dustin J. Libby, of Castle Hill, died while serving his country in Iraq.
May
• The advancement of educational opportunities in alternative energy in Maine took a huge leap forward with the opening of Northern Maine Community College’s Northern Maine Center for Excellence in Alternative Energy Training and Education. Located a short distance from the NMCC campus on the Skyway Industrial Park in Presque Isle, the facility features both classroom and laboratory space for students in the building technology programs at the college. Newly purchased equipment in the center will provide for experiential learning opportunities in various alternative energy resources including wind, solar and biomass. Mary Smith, a California resident and Presque Isle native donated $1.2 million to the NMCC Foundation to support the development of the center in honor of her husband, Rodney Smith, a very successful Silicon Valley businessman and philanthropist who passed away in 2007.
• Easton Town Manager Jim Gardner reported the town’s 2011 budget was up only slightly from 2010, set at $905,187.
• Three Aroostook County libraries and one non-profit were awarded a combined $39,000 in grants from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation: the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library in Presque Isle $7,500, Washburn District High School Library $2,000, $25,000 was received by the University of Maine at Fort Kent for the University’s Waneta T. Blake Library, and The Northern Lighthouse Inc., a residential treatment facility in Mars Hill, $5,000.
• Following restructuring of city departments approved by the City Council, Presque Isle’s code enforcement office moved to the Public Safety Building, with the new office located in the Presque Isle Fire Department, with George Howe serving as code enforcement officer.
• SAD 1 district voters approved the 2011-12 budget of $22,960,050.
June
• Maine & Maritimes Corporation and Maine Public Service Company underwent a management shift, with Brent M. Boyles, who’s served as president and CEO of Maine & Maritimes Corporation and Maine Public Service, stepping down from those positions to assume the role of vice president of Maine business relations, for Emera. MAM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emera Inc., Halifax, N.S., and sister utility to Bangor Hydro Electric Company (Bangor Hydro). Assuming the roles of president and chief operating officer of MAM and MPS will be Gerry Chasse. Lois Smith was appointed interim general manager of MPS.
• The Easton School Dept. received a $25,000 grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.
• Chief Matt Irwin, Presque Isle Police Department, said the department was taking a proactive role in addressing the newest illegal drug to hit the streets, bath salts.
• Gov. Paul LePage announced that NMCC and SAD 20 were among 11 oil-to-wood heating projects that are receiving $3.2 million in federal recovery funds. The grants are the third and final round awarded under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) energy grants.
• Pat Long, director of the Ashland Ambulance Service, was honored during a ceremony in Augusta where he was presented with an EMS Merit Award.
• Paul Elish, a senior at Presque Isle High School, was named a National Merit $2,500 winner.
• The Wintergreen Arts Center bid farewell to Lara Cannon, who served as its director since the center’s creation, following her family’s decision to move.
• Three tornadoes were confirmed over a two-day period in Aroostook County, with damage reported in Ashland, Fort Fairfield and Little Madawaska Lake.
• Scott Galbiati and Jessica Jewell, owners of Twenty 2 Vodka, of Houlton, were honored as the Entrepreneurs of the Year 2011 during an event held at the Northern Maine Community College and hosted by LEADers Encouraging Aroostook Development and Momentum Aroostook.
• The board of trustees of the Maine Community College System voted to increase tuition at the state’s seven community colleges by $2 a credit hour for the coming academic year, a 2.4 percent increase. This is the first increase in two years and will mean that a full-time Maine student taking 30 credit hours will see tuition rise by $60, to $2,580 a year.
• The SAD 1 board of directors voted to allow the recording of wind data to continue for another year while at the same time continuing to explore federal grants and other sources that don’t require funding from the local operational budget — effectively delaying plans to construct a wind turbine to generate electricity for the school system.
• Bridgewater officials met with residents to discuss the possibility of building a new municipal building and where the funds might come from, including possible grant options.
• The United Way of Aroostook honored the many people and organizations that’ve contributed both through volunteer efforts and monetary donations for the past year, during a luncheon held at the Northeastland Hotel in Presque Isle. Among the honorees were Phyllis and Leonard Hutchins, named Volunteers of the Year for their annual donation of homemade toys to benefit area youth at Christmas.
• James D. Irving, president of J.D. Irving Limited, served as guest speaker at the joint annual meeting of LEADers encouraging Aroostook Development and Aroostook Partnership for Progress, held at NMCC. Irving spoke on the future of Northern Maine Rail, the rail system selected by the state to take over rail service following the departure of Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway.
• Area farmers sought emergency funding, following recent storm damage that destroyed crops and heavily eroded fields.
• During a joint ceremony at Northern Maine Community College, NMCC celebrated its 50th anniversary, while LEADers Encouraging Aroostook Development marked 25 years of service to Aroostook County communities.
• Presque Isle Middle School students, in an effort to reduce garbage produced at the school, helped bring back plastic trays to the cafeteria, replacing the Styrofoam trays formerly used at the school.
• Members of the Presque Isle Historical Society sought funding for the restoration of the Maysville Museum — formerly known as the Maysville Grange.
— Compiled by Scott Mitchell Johnson and Kathy McCarty
