This is in response to Kaile Warren’s ad regarding the Mountain Division Rail.

Chartered in 1867, the Mountain Division Rail Line provided the shortest practical route between Portland and the West. As late as 1975 there were 45 Maine shippers (18 Windham small business users) and until its last year of operation, it maintained traffic volume totaling 14-19 percent of all freight on the Maine Central Railroad. In 1983, however, the line’s new owner abandoned it in favor of a longer route through Boston, Springfield and Albany.

For 10 years the Route 113 Corridor Committee, comprised of representatives from Standish, Baldwin, Hiram, Brownfield and Fryeburg, has envisioned a short-line railway to provide freight and excursion service from Portland to Fryeburg. This wouldn’t involve the difficult passage through the White Mountains.

State investments in state-owned rail lines are successful. Examples are Northern Maine Railway and Eastern Maine Railway, both leased to private operators by Maine DOT.

It will cost $21 million to complete the line to Fryeburg. It too would be leased to a private operator and benefit all towns it runs through.

While the 2007 study by HNTB Corporation for the Maine DOT provides a baseline, much work has been done since to bolster the rail line’s economic case.

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This is a non-partisan effort for the common good of the towns, businesses and people served by the line as well as the region and state. Many local town officials and business owners in the area, especially in Standish and Baldwin (both within Senate District 26) have worked for many years to restore this rail line.

We are proud of the relationship our committee has with Bill Diamond and the many other legislators who serve our five towns and who have supported this effort, including our current District State Senator. We welcome support to restore the line from anyone and thank those who have contributed to create a viable infrastructure, which is essential to job creation in one of the more economically depressed areas in southern Maine.

Lou Stack, chairman of the Route 113 Corridor Committee

Larry Seidl, president, Seidl Trucking Company

Warren represents change

I have been a resident of Standish for the past 30 years.

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When I think about the things that are important to me in my community, I think about things like the safety of the roads like River Road and Route 35 and better education for our children.

I think about how long it’s taken for the River Road and Route 35 to become safer roads. I don’t understand why it’s taken so many years to address this problem since they are both major commuter routes.

I think about school systems in this area with continuing cuts of qualified staff and consolidation of schools. The ability to keep our greatest commodity – our children – in Maine lifelong is threatened.

That is why I think it’s time for change, because I want more. I want a better education system, with the emphasis on trade schools, GED programs and partnerships with technology and industry. I want someone who will ask and listen to Maine’s citizens. I want someone who not only knows how to navigate through government but also knows how to make it work. I don’t want the status quo; I want more.

From what I know of one candidate for Maine State Senator District 26, Kaile Warren is a self-made man. He successfully built and marketed a national company with only several hundred dollars. He fought and won against the legal system of Maine for what will undoubtedly be known as one of the most wrongful prosecutions in Maine’s history.

His investors are not victims as some people would have you believe. Because of tireless determination and strength, Mr. Warren made sure his investors received every penny of their investment back. I don’t think this has ever happened with Wall Street investments.

Those same qualities that allowed Mr. Warren to be vindicated are those same qualities that I believe will serve Maine citizens well in the State Senate.

Margaret Maxell

Standish


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