What a beautiful weekend. It was a little breezy, but the sunshine was outstanding. You have to love Aroostook County this time of year, especially when I talk to my mom and sister in Florida and New Jersey respectively and they say they are baking. This weather rocks!
First, a reminder of the second Thursdays on Sweden tomorrow: It is an old fashioned Sock Hop with Music X-Press. Come out and dance to the music of the golden age of pop! We will be there again with lemonade from Houlton Farms Dairy in souvenir cups and we will be selling a special souvenir charm bracelet featuring charms of Caribou’s logo, a potato barrel and a heart. Everyone loves these bracelets so don’t miss out!
If you are into golf, the annual Cary Classic 2015 tournament takes place July 11 and 12. With over $8,000 in prizes, a chance to win a $14,500 lawn tractor and four tickets to the Deutche Bank Championship (PGA Event) for two chances at a hole in one, this is the tournament to play! Taking place at the Caribou Country Club, pick up your entry today and play in this wonderful tournament that brings so much benefit to our community!
Don’t forget that Caribou Cares About Kids is coming up on August 7 and 8. We just had a great planning meeting and we have some great fun planned. The theme should be announced by tomorrow and the parade forms will be on the website by the time you read this. Parade forms are also available at the Caribou Wellness Center.
That is all the good stuff …
Then there was the Secession meeting last Thursday. I understand that folks are upset about property taxes. I understand that reevaluations had at least part of the responsibility for ire out there. Heck, it bit me and my taxes too. But I still hate this. This “movement” is exactly what Caribou does not need at the moment.
One of the points brought up is that taxes are hurting the real estate market in the “territory” that would be Lyndon. I don’t think this exercise helps that. Besides the fact that one of my members mentioned that 2014 was that real estate firm’s best year ever, who isn’t going to think twice about moving into a city that is so in flux at the moment?
I am a recent empty nester and as such, I have my “urban” house for sale and my desire is to purchase a smaller house with a little bit of land in the territory. I seriously doubt I can make that decision right now because I do not want to live in Lyndon without a dedicated police department or fire department and uncertainty over what is going to happen. I want to live in Caribou where I get the services I pay for.
And I was also interested to see that Thursdays on Sweden was used as an example of wasteful government spending. How can something so positive and that has been so beneficial to our citizens be considered a negative?
Frankly, I am upset for the people who work hard and creatively for the city. I used to work with those people and in my one year of observation, I found them to be a great group of people who continue to get the job done despite shrinking department budgets while exercising teamwork rarely seen in any government work situation.
I don’t know how you can continue to have a good feeling about the job you do when such groups are constantly calling you overpaid and “standing over a shovel.” The fact is that I have been to most City Council meetings and every line item of that budget is under scrutiny and the Council’s approved budget has been flat for the last three years (less than a one percent increase). The burden on the mil rate has come from the County and the State. Perhaps those should be the secession targets instead.
Most of all, I am upset for those people in this place that are working to make things better. We have tried to improve our image and how we feel about ourselves. Rather than always being negative, we have chosen to emphasize the positive and continue to strive to look at new and better ways to do things and attract new points of strength.
All of this is undermined by those who emphasize the negative and that would seek to split us apart instead of unifying us to move forward together. All of this makes us look like silly yahoos to the folks reading about our silly fight in the Portland, Bangor and other metro newspapers. And none of that helps us as we continue to seek new ways to promote our community and move forward.
Oh, and thanks for making that report available only on the same day of that meeting so we had dozens and dozens of pages to read that day to have some intelligent thoughts entering the meeting.
The one and only point I agreed with from the eight points presented was that any business opportunities considered in the rural area (and any other place in the city) should not be overly hindered and should be aided as much as possible by the city. Anyone who has a dream and an idea should have the freedom and the encouragement to pursue that dream.
Other than that, I want this to go away and I want it to go away with all that I am and all that I love about this area, both rural and urban. This movement is not good for our psyche, our businesses or our hopes for moving forward. We do not need a house divided. We need a united house that will stand tall together.
I will be on vacation starting this weekend and will be gone for two weeks. There will be limited office availability by volunteers until my return. If you need forms for any of the upcoming events, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 493-4224.
Executive Director William Tasker may be reached in the CACC office at 498-6156 or email him at cacc@cariboumaine.net.
