News from over the Weekend - on this Voting (?) Day

Great fun Saturday night at the Clewley Farm Restaurant. Dola put on a fun show showing her determination with one particular song (you had to be there to understand the joke), but there wasn't an empty chair in the lounge until after 10pm. In fact, extra chairs had to be brought in for the overflow. And then there was what one group refered to an the "interactive kareoke" part of the show. I prefer to think of it as the "back-up singers" from the far end of the room :-).

Dola will be singing again next Saturday (the 28th). Show starts at 7pm. I expect things will be jumping again. BTW, the folks in the kitchen were putting out some really good cheeseburgers. There's a new menu for Saturday nights that comes with the salad bar. Most of the items at $8.95. And the upstairs bar is turning into a "proper" place to belly up, friends. Well stocked from the high-priced stuff to a good selection of beer. Just need to add some chips and peanuts and we'll have a neighborhood "Cheers" pub going.

More info re: The Habitat for Humanity ReStore store in Brewer. They'll come and pickup your appliances, furniture and building supplies (a great service when you're remodeling) which saves you a trip to the dumps in Bangor or Brewer, not to mention the fee at Pine Tree land fill that's $95.00 a ton. Habitat will refurbish and use your items for homes they're building which is true Recycling in the best sense of the word while benefiting the homeless and people who have been displaced because of natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. The Brewer ReStore location is 231 Main Street on 1A - tel.# 992-0704 (next to Annie's). In case you are not familiar with the work of Habitat for Humanity, people put in the sweat equity of building (carpentry, painting, etc.) in order to receive a home which instills pride in ownership. Donating your items is probably tax deductible but you should check that part out. Even if not, it's sure better that sending stuff to a landfill or putting it out by the side of the road with a sign for the wind to blow away.

Clifton had its Annual Town Meeting this past Saturday. One of the items up for a vote was an expenditure of $5,000.00 for a sign outside the Town Office. (It was voted down soundly.) Gee, maybe they could just rent some space on Eddington's Town Office sign. There's seldom any message on ours - days and weekends on end just a blank sign. Used more by the Fire Department than the Town Office. (Clifton also voted down a $10,000. expenditure for a generator for the Town Office. They also voted down acceptance of the Shoreline Ordinance. Seems there are some savey people living in Clifton.)

About that Shoreline Ordinance... As a Shoreline Property owner, I have been trying to find out what that Ordinance says - in plan understandable language. Didn't have much luck at last year's Town Meeting - Town Manager said the Code Enforcement Office was the best qualified to explain it, but he wasn't at the meeting. (In fact, I haven't seen the Code Enforcement Office at any Selectmen meetings for a long time - maybe a year or so.) Anyway, last week, Selectman Charles Baker was asking my help in filling out a questionnaire regarding Davis Pond (estimated water quality, number of year-round homes and summer camps, recreational water vehicle use and a bunch of other stuff. Fortunately I had had three generations of info to pull on, not to mention the knowledge of three families and neighbors over the years - past and recent so I hope my comparative "guesses and estimates" helped). I did/do know that many of the shoreline property owners have worked together over several years to improve the water quality which has helped in to crease the number of breeding loons and the quality of fishing. There is also a volunteer association of shoreline property owners that work on the dam to maintain the level of water in the pond which helps with recreational water activities. In fact, my dad was once a member of that association. It hasn't been any government that has been responsible for improving the quality of Davis Pond; it has been the responsible property owners who care about it and their outreaching communication with others on the water.

Anyway, during the time we were together, I happened to ask if he knew what this Shoreline Ordinance really said - seemed I ought to know (not to mention being taxed at $800.00 per shoreline foot as are those of us who own property on Davis Pond. BTW, folks with Shoreline Property on Chemo Pond are taxed at the rate of $900.00 per shoreline foot! - and who knows who figured out the rate. We're always refered to the people in Augusta as though that helps. No further comment needed, I trust.)

Mr. Baker told me this Shoreline Ordinance now says property owners can't clear trees for 350 feet back from the shoreline! Excuse me? I know my home (built in 1992) had to be built 100 feet back from the shoreline and that there are restrictions regarding tree clearance for that 100 feet (nothing with a tree trunk circumference more than three inches) BUT seems to me I have the legal right to maintain my property the way it was when I bought it. Right? I know other homes/camps built earlier were grandfathered in if they were built closer to the shoreline and maintain their property as it was originally built.

BUT, if no trees can be cleared for 350 feet from the shoreline, how does David Mansfield expect to sell any of his Fifield Estate waterfront property lots - when none of those homes will have any waterfront view? I would expect the value of those lots just went down a whole bunch if that is the wording of that ordinance and if Eddington is approving that ordinance! Maybe we should require a very clear understanding of this SHORELINE ORDINANCE before we are asked to vote on it tomorrow night (assuming it's on the warrant again). Anyone who owns property and is paying the kind of taxes we are, should have objections when outside government wants to dictate a change in the rules about what we can do with that property - expecially when government is increasing property taxes on one hand and making it that much harder to live on it with the other. Those town residents who are not shoreline property owners should be thinking about what their votes are doing to those of us are. Because the next ordinance could be restricting what they can be doing on their property.

And now we come to today - Voting Day (or Rubber Stamp Day as I'm thinking of it). Granted, if no one else chooses to file papers to run in opposition to the incumbents it's not the fault of the incumbents that theirs is the only names on the ballot. But - the fact that there was no Candidates Night that would have afforded the voters an opportunity to ask questions of the candidates, to know who they are or what they think - THAT falls directly on the heads of the current Selectmen - namely the Chair since I know from personal observation that she doesn't want that kind of event. Direct accountability to the voters makes her very uncomfortable. And yet, that is exactly what they are elected to be. Seems they have forgotten that. Good reason to start going to the School Board meetings - and there is one tonight at the Holden School - 6:30PM.

And tomorrow night - Tuesday, the 24th - is the Eddington Town Meeting - at the Eddington School - 7pm. Be sure to stay to the very end. You never know what sneaky motion will come up to try to undo what might have been done earlier in the meeting, folks.