MSAD75 board made the right call on masks
As a parent of two elementary school children, I commend the MSAD 75 School Board for making the difficult decision to require masks indoors for the start of the school year.
Personally, I believe the sooner we can move past the need for masks — especially for our kids — the better. I hope to be able to put ours away for good one day. But until then, we rely on our leaders to take this public health threat seriously, respond thoughtfully to changing conditions, and put safety first. That’s what our board has done, as has a rapidly growing number of school boards around the state. By reducing the likelihood that they will need to quarantine when there is a positive case in school, this decision should also increase the amount of time our students can continue learning in-person.
Masks in school are an understandably fraught issue, with strong views and emotions running high on all sides. Through the swirling opinions, science provides a guiding light that we can all follow as we work our way through this pandemic together. With kindness and patience, we can shepherd our children and our communities safely to brighter, maskless days ahead.
Jeremy Cluchey,
Bowdoinham
A new bridge will bring Brunswick and Topsham closer
I am writing to express my support for the Maine Department of Transportation’s proposed replacement for the Frank J. Wood Bridge over the Androscoggin River between Topsham and Brunswick.
My reasoning is quite simple: I believe the proposed bridge will provide a far more attractive and effective linkage between the two communities, rather than just a means of getting from one side of the river to the other. It will permit a virtually unrestricted view of the surroundings, notably the river, dam and falls between the two towns, and the handsome and historic Bowdoin Mill and Cabot Mill buildings bracketing the watercourse as well as the more distant residences on the banks.
Instead of emphasizing the gap separating them, the new bridge will make the transition between Maine Street and Main Street virtually invisible, thereby bringing the two communities closer together in ways beyond the bridge’s primary vehicular/pedestrian function.
As a Brunswick resident working in Topsham, I cross the current steel truss bridge at least twice a day most business days, and I believe its hefty presence creates both a visual and psychological ‘barrier’. When on the current bridge, I (and, I suspect, most drivers) find myself focusing primarily on the rather unattractive ‘close-up’ features of the bridge itself, as its bulky structural elements dominate the foreground and tend to obscure its attractive surroundings by relegating them to continually interrupted glimpses. Rather than dominating the viewscape from both the road and the surrounding area, the proposed new bridge will have no superstructure, enabling its environs to come to the fore. It will serve a necessary function in an unobtrusive way, rather than retaining what is, in my opinion, an unattractive and ‘industrial’ visual presence in an otherwise pleasant setting.
John M. Larson,
Brunswick,
Owner, Topsham Fair Mall
Making a difference for a feathered friend
Recently, in front of my house on outer Maine Street, a beautiful great blue heron started a low glide across the road. A couple of magnificent wing beats later, it was hit by a passing car.
Traffic immediately stopped. Kind people pulled over to the side of the road. They protected the injured bird and directed traffic away from it.
I ran to the nearby Vet Clinic, which sent people over to the injured bird, took it into the clinic and stabilized it. Volunteers from Avian Haven arrived and transported the bird to their facility.
I just want to thank all of the people who, yesterday, helped make a good outcome happen for this beautiful wild bird.
Pam Smith,
Brunswick
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
