Feb. 2, 1983

The Westbrook Housing Authority is pressing ahead with its ambition to get into direct competition with private apartment builders. Executive director James Smith told the authority’s directors last week that he has looked at a couple of locations of unsubsidized apartment buildings and may be able to report to them Feb. 15 on where to get the money. Smith and the directors have been talking for months about people who want to get into housing authority apartments but have too

much money. Smith said he expects that a Westbrook Housing Authority, two-bedroom, unsubsidized apartment would have to rent for $550 a month, starting in the fall of 1984.

Westbrook City Council President Charles M. Roma and Alderman James Foley switched sides Monday as the council confirmed Mayor William O’Gara’s re-appointment of James Born to the Planning Board. A 3-3-tie vote defeated Born two weeks ago, but Norman Conley, who was absent, moved for reconsideration and Born was confirmed, 5-1.

The Westbrook City Council gave preliminary approval Jan. 17 for extending the Westbrook paper-recycling program to business and industry. It did so with no advance notice and no discussion. The vote was 5-1, President Charles M. Roma opposed. Land Reclamation Inc., Westbrook, is to pick up the papers, sell them for the city and turn the proceeds over to the city. It will be paid for its costs.

The Gorham High School girls basketball team avenged its only loss this season, to the Greeley Rangers, by rolling past them 58-42 on Jan. 25. Both teams came out strong and ready to play, but Gorham had the advantage at the half. Tammy Mountain sparked the Ram’s offense with a game high 30 points. Krista Butterfield scored 16 points for the Rams. Mountain and Butterfield both led the team in rebounds also with 13 and 11 respectively.

Feb. 3, 1993

There will be no heavily muscled Marine ordering kids around in Westbrook Junior High School, Superintendent Edward Connolly told the School Committee Wednesday. The committee went on to vote to hire a disciplinarian “with an ego” for the school. Connolly said he was angered by a cartoon in the American Journal that day showing a tough

Marine at the school. The cartoon grew out of comments made in the Jan. 20 meeting of the School Committee and reported in Wednesday’s American Journal. After listening to Assistant Principal Robert Welch’s account of discipline problems in the school, and his request for a person to take charge of students in detention, ex-Mayor Philip Spiller suggested hiring someone with a military background, and Welch replied that he had an application from a Marine.

Donald and Tracy Littlefield, Saco, have bought Sportsman’s Hardware in Westbrook from Jim, Nancy and Ken Sanderson. The sale happened at the first the year, and Don’s been on the scene since then, working alongside Jim and Nancy. Many regular customers have met the friendly new boss already.

Westbrook Service Center, 399 Main St. at the rotary in Cumberland Mills, had a mid-winter price break, offering Quality System 3 Texaco unleaded gas at 99.9 cents a gallon.

After eight bids came in too high, Westbrook shaved the

plans and got a price it’s ready to accept for rebuilding the Colonial Road sewage pumping station. The price: A cool $536,696, lifted to $608,500 for contingencies and special services during construction.

Members of the Westbrook United Methodist will vote on whether to build a new church. If they agree not to, they will vote again on whether to renovate the present church, on Main Street at Foster Street, built in 1867.

The following are observations from the Ramblings column, headlined, “Meow! How Catty Can You Be??” “I was really miffed at Julie Hatfield, writing her Fashion column in the Boston Globe, about the stylish hat Hillary Clinton wore during the Inaugural parade. The lead said, ‘What a dumb hat! Take that blue bowler with the perky brim, fill it with kitty litter and recycle it for Socks (the Clintons’ cat).’ You know, that hat delighted me and I thought that our new first lady looked stunning as she walked down the avenue, on Inauguration

Day. I had just read that a 1984 art history graduate of Bowdoin College, right here in Brunswick, had made this cadet blue, velour, off-the-face hat for Hillary. I was really proud of Darcy Creech, the Bowdoin graduate, and because my husband is also a Bowdoin grad, I felt a sense of pride, too. The Globe gal also was offended by the ‘little ascot-style scarf knotted tightly under her chin.’ I do prefer a scarf long enough to toss over one shoulder, but I was surely not offended by the little ascot scarf. Even though I wasn’t familiar with many of the rock stars who entertained at the Inaugural balls, I do know a stylish hat when I see one.