Thumbs up to Howe and Howe Technologies, designers and manufacturers of the Ripsaw and other ground vehicles, for their recent decision to move to Waterboro. The company, homegrown in a North Berwick garage by twins Geoff and Michael Howe, moved to Eliot in 2006.
With military and private contracts pouring in, the owners sought a new location that could offer both manufacturing space and land for testing their vehicles. The impending move to the former Architectural Skylights building (that company has moved to Sanford and changed their name to Architectural Glazing Technologies ) on Route 202 seems like a very good fit, for Howe and Howe and for Waterboro and the region.
Thumbs up to St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox church in Saco on its 100th anniversary. The Greek families of the twin cities have long been an anchor of the communities here and the church has been a hub for parishioners to preserve the culture and faith of their ancestors. One hundred years later, the church is still going strong and still represents an integral part of York County’s identity.
Thumbs up to the Biddeford Police Department’s decision to crack down on imposing penalties and fines for those who abuse handicapped parking spaces. A fine of up to $500 and the threat of losing your license for non-payment ought to remind people how lucky they are to be free of physical disabilities and encourage them to leave the spaces for those who need them.
Thumbs down to the continued budgetary confusion at the county level. The county neglected to include a $300,000 overlay (a standard budgetary line) while constructing the budget ”“ another “oops” in a long line missteps. The municipalities now potentially face a tax increase that is $1.5 million higher than last year ”“ surprise ”“ instead of $1.2 million more. How can any town formulate their budget when the county can’t get it straight?
Thumbs up to the Town of Old Orchard Beach for choosing to prohibit marinas in Saco Bay. The beach has long been famous for its swimming area and view, and a marina would be incompatible with both uses. Plenty of neighboring communities have marinas that boaters can use instead of ruining OOB’s beachfront.
Thumbs up to Rep. Don Pilon, D-Saco, for his untiring efforts to promote the Support Our Troops license plate, which raises funds for military families. Pilon has devoted countless hours to this effort and motorists are urged to support it by purchasing a plate. If not enough are purchased, the state will discontinue the plate, which would be a shame for those military families that have benefited from the money. It would also be a sad statement about Mainers’ support of our military personnel.
— Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.
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