Dec. 15, 1993

PrecisMetals Inc. is putting $500,000 into remodeling the former Unitrode building and will add 50 jobs, Westbrook Mayor Fred Wescott said yesterday. PrecisMetals already employs more than 200 in Westbrook. It occupies 128,000 square feet in the former Data General building at the Saco Street end of Eisenhower Drive. It will continue to use that space and add 30,000 square feet more in the Unitrode building at the Spring Street end of Eisenhower Drive.

“The vultures are on a tree, waiting to pounce, but I’m going to fool them,” Westbrook Mayor Fred Wescott said yesterday in reference to his health. He has been getting radiation treatment for tumors in his lung and on his brain, but he spent several hours in the mayor’s office yesterday.

Metro’s bargain bus for Westbrook shoppers will operate for the fourth and final weekend Saturday and Sunday. It runs between downtown Westbrook and the Pine Tree Shopping Center every 15 minutes. The fare is 25 cents.

From the Gorham Police Notes: At 2 a.m. police asked a 54-year-old man found sitting on the stone wall near the cemetery on South Street where he lived. He said, “I choose not to live anywhere at this time.”

Mrs. Glenna Bernard of Gorham took a 10-day trip to Scotland to meet her first grandchild, Alexander Kyle, born in Dundee, Scotland, to Peter and Michelle Bernard. Glenna had a wonderful week spoiling the baby and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with her son and family. Peter is stationed in the Army at Edzell, Scotland.

Dec. 17, 2003

John and Carol Peters of Westbrook have filed a suit in Cumberland County Superior Court against the city of Westbrook, claiming that the upcoming racino referendum violates both the city’s charter and state election laws. The first count contends the racino law approved by voters allows slot machines to be located at an existing racetrack and that track is in Scarborough, not Westbrook. The suit also points to the absence of Mayor Don Esty in scheduling both the Nov. 24 hearing and subsequent Dec. 30 referendum.

Abbas Alhamdany has a lot of derogatory names for Saddam Hussein, the man he blames for the death of several family members, as well as his own imprisonment and torture. But now that U.S. forces have caught Saddam hiding in a hole, Alhamdany has added a few more. Alhamdany, whose family runs Friendly Discount on Main Street in Westbrook, woke Sunday morning to the news that Saddam had been captured. “This is what he deserves,” he said. “He is a coward. He is a lowlife. He is dirt.”

Myrna Orach, of White Rock Grange No. 380 in Gorham, has won first place in the local, county and state Grange needlework contest with her embroidered bureau scarf. She then went on to win first place in the New England Grange judging at the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Gorham town councilors have unanimously approved a contract zone agreement with Kasprzak Landholdings for a large-scale condominium project. Kasprzak plans to build 88 condos on 78 acres at 185 Fort Hill Road. Kasprzak agreed to installation of a pump station and other public improvements in return for the property rezoning.

A Tim Hortons restaurant is likely coming to 150 Main St. in Westbrook following Planning Board preliminary approval last week of the company’s plans. The restaurant will have 38 seats, a drive-through window and occupy about 2,400 square feet. Construction could begin next spring.

This building, located at 506 Main St., adjacent to the Guilford Rail Line, was built in 1893 as a stockhouse for S.D. Warren Paper Company. It served as a shipping and receiving depot for the mill for many years. When the mill relocated shipping and receiving to Warren Avenue, the building was used for storage. It deteriorated over the years and was a favorite target for vandals. New owners renovated the building, now known as Stockhouse Station, and several businesses operate from it. To see more historical photos and artifacts, visit the Westbrook Historical Society at the Fred C. Wescott Building, 426 Bridge St. It is open Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, and the first Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m., September-June. Inquiries can be emailed to [email protected]. The website is www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org.