JANUARY
2023 started off with some great news with the first child born in 2023 being Sawyer Francis Keene. Born on New Years Day at Franklin Memorial Hospital, Keene was the first child of Ben and Sabrina Keene of Farmington. Keene was born one week early, but was a healthy bundle of joy at 7 pounds, 6.9 ounces and was 21 inches long.
“Sawyer is very happy, very healthy and loves to be held,” his father said.
The first ever Mt. Blue Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held in early January, which Director of Athletics Cyndi Pratt said was the culmination of many years of work by the committee, school officials and local businesses. Inductees included contributors Paul [Bucky] Sproul and Robert Stevens Sr.; athletes Mike Adams, Heather Ernest, Dustin Ireland, Ryan Leib and Sam Webber; coaches Jim Bessey and Ray Caldwell; and the 2000 Mt. Blue girls basketball team.
The Regional School Unit 9 Food Pantry reported to the Franklin Journal the issues the program was facing in terms of space and funding. Now in the hands of volunteer Kristen Wroble, the program saw sharp growth that would continue as the year went on, but encountered logistical issues with the distribution of food to families as well as keeping the backpack program afloat with funds running dry.
Senator Angus King paid a visit to Franklin Memorial Hospital’s food pantry to meet with the Healthy Community Coalition. HCC Director LeeAnna Lavoie highlighted the four needs of the community which are the basis for priorities at HCC, and those are access to care, mental health, social needs, and substance use.
“Mental health is an epidemic, particularly for young people,” Senator King commented.
King was given a presentation in the hospital’s new food pantry, which reopened in November 2022 in a bigger location, and took a tour of HCC’s Mobile Health Unit, which is used to bring access to medical help such as COVID-19 vaccinations to rural communities as well as help a person in need when they were overdosing at the Farmington Fair last year.
During his visit, King shared historical facts about Strong, stating that it and Ripon, Wisconsin, were the places where the Republican Party was founded in 1856. “Don’t ask me why,” King stated. “That was Lincoln’s republicans.”
The High Peaks Alliance was awarded $2.041 Million to rebuild a multi-use bridge over the Sandy River in Farmington. The request was supported and championed by Senator Collins, Senator King, and Representative Golden in the 2023 federal budget.
Brent West, executive director for High Peaks Alliance, called the rebuilding “one of this region’s biggest opportunities.”
The multi-use bridge will connect the 14-mile long Whistle Stop Trail to the center of Farmington and provide access to northern Franklin County. The Whistle Stop Trail connects Farmington with Jay. The bridge will be owned and managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands as part of the Whistle Stop Trail.
Wilton Selectperson Michael Wells gave a presentation about Maine STREAM Place, a non-profit corporation that aims to bring more technology opportunities to Maine students and communities.
Established in February 2022 by Wells and retired Boeing engineers Joseph and Leah O’Brien with the goal of bringing technological education for children in rural communities, the organization is also home to the Knights of Katahdin, FIRST Robotics Competition team #9055.
RSU 9 Board of Directors recognized the passing of former W.G. Mallett principal Gerald “Gerry” Glen Libby, who passed on Monday, Jan. 16, at the age of 85. Libby served as W.G. Mallett’s principal for 32 years.
Tammy Bureau was hired to be Farmington’s new treasurer. A resident of Wayne, she started as counter clerk in Lewiston in 1997 and served for 21 years before transitioning into school department. “I missed the municipal side, so I am back on that side,” she said. “I’m happy to be here.”
After a series of threats that resulted in Mt. Blue Campus shutting down, a 15-year-old boy was released to his parents after being charged with felony terrorizing transmitted via social media. The boy made a bomb threat that resulted in the initial shut down, and followed it up with threats of gun violence which resulted in the campus being closed the following day.
FEBUARY
NASA awarded University of Maine at Farmington Professor of Biology Dr. Andrew Barton and a team of five other forest scientists a $597,000 grant to continue their research on whether the thinning in Arizona’s ponderosa pine forest increases water supplies for wild ecosystems and human communities alike. The investigation will be a three-year project and will also feature scientists from Wesleyan University and Northern Arizona University.
A life-size carving of Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, Maine’s celebrated first Maine Guide, was on display at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife building in Augusta. Born in Phillips in 1854, Crosby suffered from tuberculosis and was encouraged by her doctor to spend as much time as possible outdoors.
Crosby promoted Maine’s outdoor sports at shows in metropolitan areas, and wrote a popular column that appeared in many newspapers around the country.
Farmington Town Manager Christian Waller resigned unexpectedly, with his resignation formally announced through an email from town attorney Amanda Meader.
“Mr. Waller cited a desire to spend more time with family,” Meader wrote. “The Board honors his decision and thanks him for his service.”
Waller was hired in July 2021 to replace Town Manager Richard Davis, who retirement from the position after serving 20 years as town manager.
Later that month, Cornell Knight of Carrabassett Valley was hired as interim town manager for Farmington. Knight brought with him over 40 years of experience in municipal government, having served as town manager for Baileyville, Hallowell, Jay, Winthrop and Topsham.
Mt. Blue Middle School and High School wrestling coach Michael Hansen appeared before the RSU 9 board of directors to showcase the strides of girls’ wrestling in the school district as well as make a proposition to the board to create a varsity team for girls’ wrestling.
“They’ve been forced to compete against the boys in a very physically demanding sport,” he stated. “Sadly, often this leads to injuries and no varsity opportunities for them.”
Central Maine Power completed the first year of a two year project that would result in electric poles and wires between Wilton and Weld on Route 156 being replaced and upgraded.
After hearing from John Black, CEO of EarthKeeper, and other cannabis shop owners, The Wilton Board of Selectpersons voted to reduce the cost of inspection fees for cannabis license renewal for medical marijuana businesses. The new price for inspection was set at $100, down from $1,333.
MARCH
John Jones, director of special services for RSU 9, happily reported to the board they were able to fill all education technician positions. While the department still had seven open positions, those positions were being filled by long term substitutes.
Jones also reported the first meeting of the newly established Special Education Advisory Committee, the purpose which was designed to begin orienting the committee to the work ahead with a particular focus on strategic planning goals. The committee features a diverse group of parents, general and regular education teachers, social workers administrators and representatives from University of Maine at Farmington.
Nancy Allen, director of adult education for RSU 9, announced her retirement from her position after 18 years in administration. “It was an honor to come here,” Allen told the board. “It really invigorated me, but I’ve been an administrator for 18 years and I think it’s time for me to go have some fun.”
Richard Wilde, instructor of computer technology at the Foster Career and Technical Education Center at Mt. Blue Campus, brought a robot dubbed “R2-Blue2”, an almost exact replica of R2D2 from Star Wars, before the RSU 9 board of directors to show what the kids were working on at FCTEC. A new model, R2-Blue2 displayed all the same chirps and sound effects just like it’s big screen counterpart.
Farmington Selectmen approved the transfer of ownership of Bee Line Inc. to Spectrum Northeast LLC, a subsidiary of Charter Communications Inc. Charter Communications’ Melinda Kinney and Shelley Winchenbach appeared before both the Wilton Select Board and the Farmington Select Board to talk about what the communities could expect during the transition, stating that upgrades to enhance services were planned in the next 24 months.
Wilton Town Manager Perry Ellsworth expressed his feelings about the acquisition. “Bee Line didn’t take very good care of Wilton and hasn’t met its commitments for a number of years,” he stated.
RSU 9 board of directors continued the ongoing process of slowly updating outdated policies and voted to make changes to the policy on how to deal with a bomb threat, with the school principal being the first notified over the superintendent or police. The change came after the school was shut down due to a bomb threat, but Superintendent Christian Elkington called the whole situation a “massive coincidence”.
The 2022 Farmington Town Report was dedicated to Jane Woodman, with her dedication reading, “A true Farmington daughter, Jane Woodman was born and raised here and grew up loving her community. She has been described as being the ‘image of community generosity.’ A graduate of Mt. Blue High School and Thomas College, Woodman took over as the business manager for the Farmington Water Department/Village Corporation in 1982 until her retirement in 2016. Jane enjoyed giving talks and tours to children about the operation and the need to protect the town’s water quality and woodlands. She served on the Farmington Zoning Board and is a member of the Conservation Commission.”
Woodman is currently president of the Farmington Historical Society and Treasurer of the Bonney Woods Corporation.
Bruce and Dianna Farnham retired from Mt. Blue State Park in Weld after years of service to the park. Hired in 1987, Bruce Farnham was involved with developing the ATV multi-use trail in the park, which he claimed is one of the toughest things he encountered on the job, and with the whole movement through the Tumbledown Conservation Alliance to purchase Tumbledown Mountain.
The Wilton Select Board held a special workshop with Chris Lynch of Matrix Design Group to talk about the updates regarding a grant program Lynch and Town Manager Perry Ellsworth were collaborating on to bring affordable high-speed internet through the town as a municipality. The effort would promise to bring high-speed internet to over 1,500 homes in the town, with some homes potentially being able to get a voucher the cover the cost.
APRIL
Safe Voices unveiled the newest domestic abuse shelter in Farmington after two years of hard work and renovation. The shelter, named “Lupine Landing”, has a capacity of four to six people, with four bedrooms, six beds and a communal living space that includes a kitchen and yard.
The ribbon cutting ceremony saw representatives from the offices of Senators Susan Collins and Angus King in attendance, as well as Congressman Jared Golden, Maine State Representative Scott Landry, and Franklin County Commissioner Bob Carlton.
MaineHousing Director Daniel Brennan called the new shelter a “powerful statement against domestic violence.”
Farmington Selectmen unanimously voted to reject a $14,000 Efficiency Maine grant that would have helped fund an EV charging station downtown. In a previous meeting, a request for nearly $26,000 for the station failed to win approval from Selectmen due to the Selectmen being unsure if the funds had already been approved and if grant funding could pay for the remainder.
Selectman Joshua Bell stated the Select Board felt the location wasn’t a good place to put them. Snow is plowed in that direction and the possibility of other locations were the main reasons for rejection of the proposal.
“It’s not unique to the art world,” Bubier said. “I saw one down in the woods in Vienna. It was kind of falling apart. I spent the next year and half trying to figure out how I could build one with some leftover stone I had from various other projects.”
Wilton Police Department in conjunction with the Select Board formed a committee to bring a Neighborhood Watch Program to town. Officially titled the Community Enrichment Program, the group features members of the Select Board, Police Department and two local business owners.
According to Wilton Chief of Police Ethan Kyes, over the last two years Wilton saw a rise in drug activity, with crack-cocaine, cocaine and fentanyl being the drugs with the largest presence in the community. Kyes also stated that out-of-state gang members had been known to frequent Franklin County, warranting a need for a neighborhood watch program.
Mckella Ford was named the 2023 Foster Career and Technical Education Center Student of the Year. Ford, of Wilton completed her second year in the Early Childhood Education program at the center and was planning to attend University of Maine at Farmington to study elementary education.
Ford also volunteered at W.G. Mallett School in Farmington and had been doing on-the-job training twice weekly at Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon. She spent part of each session with a kindergarten class, the other half with a first grade class.
“I have learned a lot from going there,” Ford stated.
Mt. Blue High School wrestling was recognized by USA Wrestling for its efforts in promoting girls wrestling in the state of Maine. According to Alan Kinerson, women’s state director for USA Wrestling in Maine, this was the first time a team from Maine, including boys and girls, was recognized by the national organization.
“We are a far cry from where we were at this time last year,” Police Chief Kenneth Charles said. “We have been selective. We have had a really successful turnaround. I am really proud of the state of officers, the high quality of the staffing we have.”
The RSU 9 board of directors discussed policies regarding clothing and apparel featuring language in support of the Second Amendment during the superintendent’s report. Director Alexander Creznic of Farmington took issue with comments made earlier in the meeting by Chairperson Carol Coles and asked if students were going to be penalized for wearing T-shirts that have the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
Elkington clarified that it was only if firearms were depicted on the shirt. Creznic exchanged words with fellow director J. Wayne Kinney, before the discussion was tabled due to comments getting heated.
MAY
Farmington Selectmen authorized Public Works to purchase a 2023 International plow truck from HP Fairfield with funds from equipment reserve account. Selectman Chair Matthew Smith asked if trucks were experiencing similar delays that new fire trucks were experiencing and if they would need to be ordered early, which Public Works Director Phil Hutchins confirmed.
RSU 9 Director of Curriculum Laura Columbia announced that she would be departing from her role from the district on June 30 to assume the role of Superintendent for Maine School Administrative District 58.
Several Wilton residents from Temple Road took to the Select Board to offer their complaints regarding the ATV access road that was approved more than a year ago. The complaints ranged from noise to a sharp increase in traffic to even several riders disobeying speed and safety standards.
“You’ve turned it into a freeway,” one resident stated. “It’s ridiculous.”
Shelly Gervais, owner of Shelly’s Hometown Market, stated that she is “all for the access road” and the access had had a significant impact for her business. “They are no louder than a car or a motorcycle,” she said. “Business has been great.”
At their next meeting, the Select Board held a hearing that featured several residents from Temple Road, as well as other Wilton residents and members of the Temple Trail Riders ATV club and Western Maine ATV club. After a lengthy discussion, wherein all sides of the discussion were heard, the Select Board voted to keep the access road open, would revisit the issue in one year’s time.
Rustic Roots Farm owners Erica Emery and Dave Allen received the Maine Campus Compact Corporate Partner of the Year Award for their partnership with University of Maine at Farmington.
“Rustic Roots Farm acts like an extension of UMF classrooms, and Erica and Dave are practitioner-partners who help students learn about aspects of land stewardship, environmental management, local farming, and community service,” UMF Campus Sustainability Coordinator Mark Pires said in an email with The Franklin Journal.
“We were so honored to be considered for this kind of award,” Emery said.
Heavy rains washed out more than 30 roads in Franklin County as streams, brooks and rivers overflowed their banks. Flooding affected all parts of the county, with Farmington, Wilton, Strong, and Phillips reporting washouts and buildings underwater.
In the wake of the flooding, several farmers contended with a myriad of issues from property damage to debris left behind. David Pike of Farmington told The Franklin Journal he took a chance and planted a field of corn that was washed out before germination could take place.
Over in New Sharon, Jim Davis almost lost a tractor that was left in the field. Davis shared that it took him 24 hours to clear all the debris. In Wilton, James Black and his family shared photos on his Facebook page of East Wilton farm clean up efforts, with one featuring a crayfish. “It was on a two by four out in the middle of the field,” he said. “It shows how high the water got.”
Amidst the flooding, Fiddlehead season found itself extended briefly thanks to the flooding, with David Fuller, formerly of University of Maine at Farmington’ Cooperative Extension office sharing that fiddleheads could easily withstand the flooding and could also, in theory, have temporarily extended the seasonal growth of ostrich fern fiddleheads in areas affected by the recent flooding, but only by a few days.
JUNE
Mt. Blue High School’s principal Monique Poulin took over for former Director of Curriculum Laura Columbia in a role that would be retitled Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, Curriculum, and Grants later that month.
Poulin had been with the RSU 9 school district since the late 1990s, having worked for both Mt. Blue middle and high schools. She left the district in 2014, becoming principal for Skowhegan High School before returning to MBHS in 2017, taking on the role of principal once again before serving as the interim superintendent for RSU 9 in December of 2020 when former Superintendent Tina Meserve departed from the position.
Abbigail Swett, a senior at Mt. Blue High School, was this year’s recipient of the Jaime Beth Shible Scholarship. Swett was awarded the scholarship in the courtyard on the Mt. Blue Campus where a tree was planted in Jaime’s memory. Shible, a cheerleader who attended MBHS, died unexpectedly in 1997 on Memorial Day of her junior year. Her parents, Stephen and Julie Shible, started the scholarship in her name in 1998.
Roderick-Crosby American Legion Post 28 remembered those men and women who died in service to their country on Memorial Day with ceremonies at the Teague World War I Memorial Arch and Meetinghouse Park.
“We do not forget,” Commander Stephan Bunker told those in the park. “Whether it’s an hour ago or a century ago, we remember.”
The Wilton Select Board voted to enact a moratorium on all licensing of cannabis operations. After a reduction in licensing fees, the town office saw an influx of applications that led Town Manager Perry Ellsworth to suggest a moratorium. The vote would begin the process, which would not come to fruition until later in the year.
The Sandy River Festival made its triumphant return to Strong after 14 years with a host of activities, including face painting, kayaking, fly tying and fly-casting demonstrations, log rolling and more.
The Western Maine Friends of Ukraine had an informational meeting on hosting Ukrainian refugees. The organization had been, at the time, working for a year to establish itself as a Sponsor Circle and would provide support for those in the Farmington area interested in helping those affected.
The group’s goal is to have at least three host families locally to host for several weeks while the Ukrainians are finding jobs, obtaining medical insurance and getting on their feet to stay somewhere else. Those in the Sponsor Circle would work to match the Ukrainians with the help they need.
“The goal is for them to be independent,” Britten Bolenbaugh said. “We don’t want these people to become indigent.”
Samantha Box, an upcoming senior at the University of Maine at Farmington, began collaborating with Mt. Blue Community Access TV through an internship program to bring a documentary to the multimedia platform. The subject of her documentary was to be cryptozoology, which is defined as a pseudoscience that specializes in the studies of unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, especially those in folklore.
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