Town of Bowdoinham

the Land Use Planning Committee hosts its final Public Hearing on the proposed land use changes that are scheduled to go before the voters on June 10th at the Annual Town Meeting. If you have any concerns or questions regarding the proposed changes and how they may or may not affect your land, please plan to attend this very important public hearing.

This year I am particularly happy to see the end of March as my NCAA Division 1 basketball brackets are a mess! Of the four teams that I picked for this year’s Final Four (Pittsburgh, Memphis, Louisville, and Oklahoma), none of them made it. Zilch, nada, none! So much for my basketball knowledge!

Aside from rain and mud, April does bring good things. It signifies to me a whole new season; an awakening and a sign of good things to come.

The time when the final 65 college basketball teams vie for the NCAA National Championship! As an avid sports fan this is one of my favorite times of the year. This year I am going with both the Oklahoma men and women as this year’s winners. With Blake Griffin playing for the men’s team and the Paris sisters for the women, I predict that there is no stopping the Sooners! But, enough of basketball.

In fact, we had nine separate storms totaling 36.5 inches of snow! But who’s counting? We do! Snow removal is a very expensive but vital service that we provide at the municipal level. In an effort to reduce our costs this year, we instituted a policy calling for a reduction in salt use on our less traveled roads. As a result, the Town has used 40% less salt this year than last year at this same time. And, though the total amount of snow is 10 inches less this year than last year, the total number of storms has increased from 21 last year to 24 this year.

Due to the incredible generosity of Bowdoinham folks, over $23,000 has been raised for Bowdoinham’s Home Heating Assistance Program! On Tuesday, January 30, I received a phone call from a resident who wished to learn more about the Heating Assistance Program – eligibility, the application process, etc. etc. After I answered his questions, he thanked me and said that he and his wife would like to make a donation to the program. He informed me that he would be in the next day with a check.

On December 12 & 13 at the Town Hall, the Bowdoinham Guild of Artists will be having its annual sale and the Merrymeeting Arts Center is open Fridays from 1-3 and Saturdays from 10 am – 3 pm throughout the holiday season. As Tony Cox, our Community & Economic Development Director says, “we have the power to make Bowdoinham’s economy grow. Please make an effort to patronize our Bowdoinham businesses and remember to Buy Bowdoinham”