June 5, 1991

Jack Critchley, volunteer coordinator of Gorham’s public access cable television channel, has submitted his resignation effective May 31, thus ending a dozen years as “the man that is Gorham cable.” He resigned amid what he termed “a constant stream of criticism.” In addition to the hours he puts in volunteering at the station, Critchley hosts a weekly talk show, “What’s Yours?” and does not shy away from lending his personal observations to the content of the show. Critchley’s approach led to questions about his role at the cable station. Town Manager Paul Weston said Critchley “had a definite anti-education bias. It was hard for Jack to go on camera and remain impartial.”

The Gorham Planning Board, in a preliminary vote, soundly rejected Hannaford Bros. proposed shopping center on Narragansett Street, saying the plan presents too many traffic problems to be considered feasible. This is not the final step in the process. A final recommendation must be made by the Planning Board for Town Council consideration.

Westbrook School Superintendent Edward F. Connolly is 58 years old and doesn’t expect to stay on the job past age 60, he said this week. His contract runs to July 1992 and is due to be extended another year this month or next. “It would take a major change in my life to lead me to keep on past 60,” he said. He was elected superintendent June 1, 1983.

George H. Ayers, School Street in Gorham, who joined the University of Southern Maine faculty in 1959, has been named associate professor emeritus of geosciences. During his 32-year tenure at USM, Ayers has shared his love for astronomy with thousands of Maine people. He directed the university’s Southworth Planetarium and also built a popular observation deck on the roof of Gorham’s Bailey Hall.

Dana Davis, son of Cindy Davis, Turner Street, Westbrook, received a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry at the University of Maine commencement ceremony May 11. A 1987 graduate of Westbrook High School, he plans to pursue a doctorate degree in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Arizona.

“Westbrook Old and New” is the theme of this weekend’s Together Days, which has been expanded to two days, June 7 and 8, in honor of the city’s year-long 100th birthday celebration.

June 6, 2001

Steven Swan and his wife Susan have bought the 140-plus-acre Aceto land on the hill at Prides Corner, a big part of the area where developer Waloctt Gaines was planning a major shopping center last year. The Swans, who live next door and run Swan’s Concrete Products there, have no development plans for the land. “This is a nice neighborhood. A lot of the people that live here have lived here many years. I feel you don’t have to develop every single inch of the city. It’s nice to keep some open space, some woods,” Steven Swan said.

Gorham may use eminent domain to break the park-use-only restriction Percival P. Baxter put on a 1915 land gift. Baxter, a former Maine governor, gave Gorham a 2-acre parcel to be used “solely for park purposes.” The Gorham Town Council was to consider action last night that could lead to eminent domain seizure, shedding the restrictions the town agreed to 86 years ago.

The Westbrook City Council voted not to grant Hannaford Bros. a zone change for the Southern Container property on Hawkes Street. John O’Hara lamented the loss of industrial land and buildings at high taxes to be replaced by a retail operation at relatively low taxes.

From the Gorham police notes: A lad on the Gray Road near the rotary was shooting an arrow in the air, then watching it come down. A caller was concerned the young archer could be hurt.

Calpine Corp. will dedicate its new Westbrook gas-fired power plant June 7, calling it “the flagship” of its New England fleet of gas-fired energy plants. On behalf of Calpine, Pete Cartwright, chairman and CEO of the $15 billion company, will welcome invited speakers, including company executives, state and municipal officials and special guests. The company calls the Westbrook plant the nation’s newest and most efficient power plant.

Mike Williams, owner of the Muffler Shop at 959 Main St., Westbrook, in whose lot the former Don’s Lunch used to park, said Monday that Terry DuDevoir, the owner of Sarah’s Lunch, scheduled to open there, has told him the truck has engine trouble and is now getting a new transmission. Sarah’s Lunch had been operating in downtown Biddeford.

Last week’s caption to this photo was incorrect; this is the correct information. Paul Laberge, pictured with white shirt and tie and leading the horse, operated this bakery at 845 Main St. The photo is not dated but the patriotic bunting on his building and the one adjacent to it indicate that the year was 1914 and the 100th.anniversary celebration of Westbrook’s Incorporation as a town. Westbrook was incorporated as a city in 1891. The building was demolished after Paul’s Bakery closed and a one-story building was constructed on the site for the Westbrook Gas Co. The site was cleared during urban renewal and a parking lot adjacent Bank of America is now located there. 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. Photo and research courtesy of Mike Sanphy