May 4, 1994

Police Chief Ronald Allanach is resigning. He submitted a letter to acting Mayor Kenneth Lefebvre yesterday asking to be relieved of his duties May 31. At age 44, he has been eligible for retirement for more than a year and has been looking at possible new jobs in Florida, California and other states, as well as in Maine. “The job has made me happy,” he said. “I’ve got to have something next that I can be happy with, too.” His successor will be appointed by the mayor and must be approved by at least five city councilors.

The proposed $13,014,961 Gorham School budget will be cut $100,000, the Town Council decided last week after a combined council and School Committee meeting. Jane Willette, committee chairman, cited increased enrollment and debt service for the high school expansion as the primary reasons for the $1,488,068 increase over the 1994 budget.

Michelle Leo and Chris Hodges, both in Grade 10 at Westbrook High School, took first and second places, respectively, in the high school art contest of the Maine Federation of Women’s Clubs. Gorham High School students Kaylene Waindle, Grade 10, and Alicia Gryzwinski, Grade 12, took third and honorable mention, respectively. Their entries go to the state contest May 11-12 at the Samoset in Rockport.

May 5, 2004

Before Army Sgt. Lawrence Roukey of Westbrook was called up to active duty, he worked quietly at the post office in Portland. “He was a giant of a man, more than we know. He’s a true American hero,” said Bob Olbrias, a Westbrook resident who described Roukey, 33, as a quiet, hard worker. Roukey died last week with a soldier from Plymouth, Pennsylvania, in a large explosion while performing site security in Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense. He was mobilized in February. A funeral Mass will be held May 7 at St. Joseph’s Church in Portland. Roukey will be buried with full military honors at New Calvary Cemetery in South Portland. He and his wife, Ryann, had two children.

After extending the deadline for bids for two weeks to attract more interest, Westbrook received just two bids for the old Forest Street School. The school’s current tenant, the Maine State Ballet, didn’t bid because it has bought a building in Falmouth. Westbrook Housing Authority, with plans to convert the building into condos, bid $200,000. A New Hampshire couple bid $95,000, and they propose to convert the school into a Halloween-themed museum.

Edna Dickey, a Gorham House resident, was one of 38 people in long-term care facilities statewide to receive a Certificate of Lifetime Achievement April 1 from Gov. John Baldacci at a statehouse ceremony. Dickey was an accomplished educator in Gorham at the University of Southern Maine. Following her retirement, the university named a dormitory, Dickey Hall, in her honor. She also played a big role in publishing “50 Years of Gorham,” a history of the town from 1936-1986.

A public hearing on a zone change request from Saunders Bros. has been moved from June 7 to July 12. The proposal would rezone the property from industrial to gateway commercial, allowing for a Super Wal-Mart. The Westbrook City Council, which voted for the delay Monday, plans to use the extra time to schedule a community meeting about the possibility of a contract zone for the property.

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