March 7, 1984

A Planning Board concerned about the national debt struck a blow

for holding it down last week. The Westbrook board voted against a

plan to use an estimated half-million dollars of federal money to fix

up Cumberland Mills, and thereby played a major role in at least

delaying that plan. Maurice Seneschal, who made the motion, said he was sure it would come to nothing. Instead, it helped to sway Mayor Philip Spiller, and two days later he put the whole idea on the sidelines for a year.

Westbrook has a new mayor today. But it won’t have tomorrow.

When Mayor Philip Spiller took off for Washington Sunday morning,

he asked City Clerk Bill Clarke to stand in for him as acting mayor.

It’s the first time in his 15 terms as city clerk that Clarke has

been asked to stand in, he said. City Council President Donald E. Esty probably will be back later today and have a turn with the title.

Uncle Sam, who paid for the land and buildings, continues to pay

$1 in every $5 of operating costs for the 125 low-income

apartments owned by the Westbrook Housing Authority.They are three projects, Riverview and Larrabee Woods for the

elderly and Pine Knoll Terrace, for families.

Westbrook’s Planning Board voted unanimously against the

rezoning of land behind the Hardy and Methodist roads for an apartment house development, on grounds that the neighbors were strongly opposed and the drainage was doubtful.

Westbrook police notes: Someone smashed out the headlights of a

South Portland school bus while it was parked in the downtown parking lot during the evening. Peter Harnois, 66, was taken to the Osteopathic Hospital at 3:20 p.m. from Foye’s.

The Gorham Council Chamber was filled Wednesday for a candidates’ night put on by cable television volunteers.

The U.S. Postal Service held a formal ceremony last week for the

installation of Paul E. Robinson as postmaster of Gorham. Robinson 30, of Running Springs Road, Gorham, is the 34th person

to hold the postmastership since Gorham was established in 1797.

James F. Howard, Manchester, N.H., the manager of the

Postal Service’s Northern New England District, did the installing.

Robinson succeeds Donald K. Wood, 51 Flaggy Meadow Road, who worked in the Gorham Post Office 30 years and succeeded the late Earl Files as postmaster in1974.

March 9, 1994

Philip Daszuta of Westbrook placed the only bid for the Marean

House, a historic building on Route 25 in Standish. Daszuta’s bid of

$62,100 is $100 more than the town paid for it three years ago with

hopes of using it as a new town hall. The town would like to see the Marean House, built in the 1820s, restored by who ever buys it.

Ann Moody resigned from the Gorham School Committee in 1992

because she couldn’t convince a majority to accept her suggestions.

In what she says is a “final” attempt, she has written a book, “U

& I,” blending her suggestion with tales of her life experiences that

underlie her views on schools.

Westbrook High School lost 15 students from its ninth grade in

1991-92, according to the state. Superintendent Edward Connolly has told the School Committee, “We seriously need

to look at the dropouts, particularly in Grades 9 and 10.” Grade 10 lost seven. The average dropout rates were 7.7 percent

for Grade 9, and 3.3 percent for Grade 10. Both were above state averages of 2.2 percent for 9, and 2.8 percent for 10.

Don Esty was tempted but is going to stay home. He said Monday

that his family means too much to him, and he won’t try for Tom

Andrews’ seat if the congressman tries to move up to the U.S. Senate. What he will try for, Esty said, is president of the Maine Senate. He has served three terms in the Senate, the latest as majority leader. He’ll run again, and if elected will run for the Senate presidency.

Matthew Randall, Westbrook, and his teammates at the University

of Vermont finished third in the National Cattlemen’s Association’s

Beef Bowl quiz competition in Reno, Nev. Randall and his four

companions first defeated Cal Polytec and then downed a team from Kansas State University. They lost in a re-match with Kansas State and in a contest with the eventual winner, Texas A & M.

Gorham Town Councilor Phillip Dugas told the Town Council at the

March 1 regular meeting that he was going to request that the stipend for councilors be increased to $1,500 for five counselors, $1,600 for vice chairman and $1,700 for the chairman. Currently, councilors get paid $1,200.

An armed standoff in Gorham, the third in less than a year, was

resolved without incident last week. It was also a test of a recent

policy change on how the Maine State Police Tactical Team responds to calls for assistance from local police departments.