September 1982

In a last minute change of heart, Superintendent of Schools Carl Knowlton has decided against renting space in Westbrook’s Forest Street School for the

Spurwink School’s classes for disturbed students. “Until yesterday,” he told the School Committee, “I was under the

assumption that it did not have a direct impact” on Forest Street School. Asked what impact it would have, he mentioned the library and indoor physical education. “Your concerns have nothing to do with what the Spurwink program is?” asked Chairman Elizabeth Giguere. “It’s not the Spurwink program, but the fact that we don’t have the space for it,” said Knowlton. “I’m amazed that the impact wasn’t brought forth

prior to yesterday,” said Fred Wescott. “You’re no more surprised than I am,” Knowlton replied.

From the Westbrook police log: A Westbrook woman paid her excise tax of $141.58 with a check that was deposited twice and bounced both times. A dog put a parked car into gear and it went into a ditch at 978 Brighton Road. A passenger passed out on the floor of a Metro bus, and police took him home. He gave them a quarter he had found while he was on the floor of the bus. Two boys who were hitting Main Street signs with a baseball bat at 11:45 p.m. were given a free ride to the Portland line in a Westbrook cruiser.

Roland A. Vincent is the new president of The Men’s Shop, clothing retailer with stores in Westbrook, Saco and North Windham. He succeeds Auguste Albert, who became chairman of the board of directors. Albert’s son, Roland W. Albert, succeeds Vincent as treasurer. “Gus” Albert had been president since 1923, when he formed the company with Vincent’s

father, the late Hormidas Vincent, and the late Emil Thuotte. All three men are long-time Westbrook residents, though Gus Albert and his wife, Bernadette, now live in Bramhall court, Portland, and in Margate, Fla.

Doris and Elizabeth Burns left their home in San Jose, Calif., on June 15 and bicycled 3,500 miles across country to Gorham, where they arrived on Aug. 20. They have been guests of their uncle and family, the Rev. and Mrs. Philip Shearman, Eric and Beth, Harding Road. The girls began planning their trip in January. They tented at campsites and carried a small stove and prepared their own meals. While in Maine, the girls also visited their grandparents, the Rev. and Mrs. Evan Shearman, Falmouth. They returned to California by plane.

September 1992

The Westbrook School Committee may present a legal challenge to a proposed charter amendment to put school purchases under the samerules as those of other city departments. The school committee met behind closed doors with Hugh MacMahon, its lawyer, to discuss its strategy. At issue is a possible new rule that would require that any purchases by the school cepartment of more than

$1,000 be read and approved twice by the school committee, with a majority of all members (not just those present) voting for it in a roll call vote at least 72 hours after the first vote. This is the same rule the council has under the charter for purchases for other city departments. Mayor Fred Wescott spoke against the charter change. City Solicitor Michael Cooper has ruled that it’s up to the municipal officers – the mayor and council – to send a charter change to referendum. “If Wescott continues his opposition,” he said, it would take the vote of five aldermen to put the change on the ballot.

Rousing speeches by a dozen or so supporters dominated a

public hearing on the $11,645,100 expansion-renovation project at Gorham High School. The school department, billing the project as “the opportunity of a lifetime,” has left nothing to chance: a fact-packed, four-page brochure has been mailed to all residents. In addition to the public hearing, four informational meetings were scheduled. “I’m very, very, concerned about our community missing the opportunity of a

lifetime,” School Superintendent Tim McCormack said at the public hearing. “We have negotiated a very favorable project for this community.”

From the Westbrook police log: Patrolman Roche helped a mother and son get the boy’s bike out of the Warren Pool at 8:15 a.m. A boy in a purple shirt and baseball cap threw an egg that hit the car of Kelly Carson at 65 Pride St. Biddeford police transported a woman to Scarborough police, who transported her to Westbrook police, who took her to a

Mentor Street home. A black bull was loose on Saco Street. He was rustled up and re-penned. A citizen brought a 73-year-old man who didn’t know where he lived to the police station. He was returned to the Dolley Farm. Missing the next day, he was found at the guard shack at S.D. Warren.

A complaint about cigarette-burn holes in the driver’s seat of a new police cruiser was all it took for Westbrook Police Chief Ron Allanach to permanently turn on the “no smoking” sign in all city police cruisers. “The taxpayers bought three new vehicles this year and we want to keep them that way,” Allanach said.