Tim O’Neill, right, has recently completed a summer internship working in the office of  U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, speaker of the House of representatives, in Washington, D.C., and is pictured with Ryan. O’Neill graduated from Gorham High School in 2015 and is a senior at American University.

Girl Scouts earn Silver Award

Girl Scouts Emily Feagans and Danielle Irish from Gorham recently completed their Silver Award project by making nesting boxes for the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, which has many new trails in Gorham and Westbrook. 

The girls studied bird habitats and species in the area, and Robert Berry of Scarborough helped them with a design template for their boxes. The girls then collected donated materials and made 10 nesting boxes, putting several of them up along the Little River Preserve in Gorham with Tom Pitman of the land trust. 

The Presumpscot Regional Land Trust members and volunteers will maintain the nesting houses.  The girls also donated several more nesting boxes to the land trust and those will be put up along the new Mill Brook trails in Westbrook. 

Both girls bridged to the level of Senior recently within Girl Scouts.  They have been together in Girl Scouts since first grade.  Feagans is a freshman at Gorham High School and Irish is a freshman at Baxter Academy of Technology & Science. 

“They both hope to identify another community project during their high school years to earn their Gold Award,  which is the highest award in Girl Scouting,” Pam Irish, Troop 2300 volunteer leader, said in a press release.

Annual historical society meeting

Gorham Historical Society will hold its annual meeting with a potluck meal at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, at White Rock Grange, 33 Wilson Road.

The meeting includes dues collection and election of president, vice president and executive secretary.

GHS Building Committee to meet

The Gorham High School Building Committee will discuss plans for a proposed renovation/expansion project at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27, in the conference room adjacent to the superintendent’s office at the municipal center, 75 South St.

The aging school was designed for 750 students, but the unofficial enrollment is now at 870. A project could go to referendum in November 2019.

Brush drop-off

Gorham residents may drop off brush at the Public Works facility, 80 Huston Road, from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct.13, and Saturday, Oct. 27. 

The drop-off is for residents only and is not a commercial drop off.  Stumps will not be accepted.

Leaves and grass clippings will be accepted at Public Works in the designated spot throughout the season.

U.S. taxpayer debt

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service reported on Sept. 20 that the U.S. public debt was $21,467,468,522,886.37.