OCTOBER is one of the busiest months for us at the town office.

Property taxes are due, Dog Licensing begins, and Hunting Licenses are purchased. Taxes this year are due Wednesday, October 15th. Since October 15 falls on a Wednesday, we’re open until 6 pm.

Item 1: 2009 dog tags are in so you may come in to the town office and license your dogs. Please make sure that you have documentation showing a current rabies vaccination. Licensing fees are:
Non-neutered: $11
Neutered: $6

Item 2: Rabies Clinic – The Town Clerk has scheduled a rabies clinic at the Town Hall for Saturday, October 25 from 9 am to noon. As a special service to our residents, town employees will be onsite for you to license your dog at the same time!

Item 3: Absentee ballots are in as well as sample ballots. In preparation for the large absentee voter turnout expected for the upcoming election, we are pleased to announce that we have hired former town clerk, Sylvia Edmondson for a five week period. We are pleased and honored to have Sylvia join us! As you may know, we reduced town office staffing hours by 20 hours per week beginning July 1 in an attempt to cut down on costs. On August 1, a staff person resigned leaving us with another 20 fewer hours of staff time per week. While we do plan to hire a part time employee after the election, Sylvia’s assistance will help us get through the busy election season.

Item 4: Speaking of the election, the library will be open for the entire Election Day, November 4th from 10 am to 8 pm for voters to check out the library!

Item 5: The Home Heating Assistance Program funds are over $4,000 thanks to the fundraising efforts at Celebrate Bowdoinham. Special thanks to David Whittlesey, who gave rides on his rickshaw for donations, the Sagadahoc County Republican Party who took donations on behalf of the fund, the Fire Department Association who donated all of its bean supper proceeds to the fund, and those who donated items to the Silent Auction in which ½ of the proceeds went to the fund. Very special thanks to the 2nd Baptist Church Mission Committee for donating $500 to the fund!!

Item 6: Town Docks – Kevin Prout, Public Works Director, announces that the town docks will be removed for the winter during the first week of November.

Item 7: With the high cost of fuel oil, residents have been calling to ask whether permits or inspections are required when installing woodstoves. Code Enforcement Officer, Nicole Briand states that while no permits are needed and no inspections are required to install heating appliances (wood, pellet, propane) in residential homes, she recommends that you follow manufacturer’s installation instructions when installing. Also, if you are buying a used wood stove, look for the EPA certified tag on the stove, this tag will have the manufacturer name and address where you can request an installation manual. If you have further questions about how to heat with wood efficiently, cleanly and safely, the town office has free guides available courtesy of the Energy Conservation Division of the Department of Economic and Community Development. Many thanks to Jack Tourtelotte, our Fire Chief, for making these guides available. This guide is 25 pages of very useful information!

Item 8: Road Work – The following road work will be done in October: ditch work and culvert replacement on Ridge Road in preparation for spring paving, gravel work on Steven’s Road, and brush cutting on Ridge Road, Pork Point Road, and Carding Machine Road.

Item 9: Brooke Cox, Recreation Director, reports that on Saturday, September 20 the Biking, Walking, Paddling Group hosted 8 students from Bowdoin College as part of its Common Good Day. The students and Brooke cleared the walking trail out beyond the north baseball field as well as weeded the shrubs in front of the school. Brooke also reports that 17 students are enrolled in the Mad Science after school program and 14 students enrolled in the Running and Walking Club.

Item 10: The library will be holding its annual Used Book Sale on Saturday, November 8th from 9 am to 2 pm. Check out the great selection of used books. And, if you have any books to donate, please leave them at the library or downstairs at the town office.

Item 11: Town Hall – In an effort to reduce the Town’s fuel costs, the Select Board decided to close the Town Hall for the winter months from mid December through March 20, 2009. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause to our contra dance friends as well as others who may have wished to rent the hall for a private function.

Item 12: Maine Breast Cancer License Plates are now available. The fees from the plates help support breast cancer education, research and patient support. All proceeds stay in Maine! Cost for the new plates is an additional $20 over the regular registration fee for the first year and $15 over the regular registration fee for subsequent years.

Item 13: Tony Cox, Community & Economic Development Director, reports that the Bowdoinham Farmers Market has been a huge success. The market, located in the Merrymeeting Grange on Main Street, had ten different vendors at the peak of the season. The market will continue to be open Saturdays from 8am till 12 noon through November 1st 2008.

Item 14: Walkable Village Plan – The Town will be creating a Walkable Village Plan with Katrina Van Dusen our Regional Planner from Midcoast Council for Business Development and Planning, thanks to the funding from MDOT. The Biking, Walking, & Paddling Committee will be the lead group working on this project, but they are looking for other interested people to join them in this effort. If you are interested in joining this effort please contact Nicole Briand at 666-5531.

Item 15: Regional Trail Project – Community members and staff from Gardiner, Richmond, Bowdoinham & Topsham have started working together on the idea of creating a regional trail from Topsham through Bowdoinham and Richmond to Gardiner, which connects: the Androscoggin River Pedestrian Bike Path in Topsham, the Village Area in Bowdoinham, the Village Area in Richmond, and the Kennebec River Rail Trail in Gardiner. If you are interested in joining this effort please contact Nicole Briand at 666-5531.

Item 16: FOUND – Two sets of keys and a watch were found at Celebrate Bowdoinham. One set of keys goes to a Ford vehicle. Please call the town office if you think these may belong to you.

Thank you to all who made Celebrate Bowdoinham such a success – thanks to Tony Cox, it was the best one ever!!

With Warm Regards,

Kathy Durgin-Leighton
Town Manager