MONMOUTH — Selectmen are seeking volunteers to serve on the new Regional School Unit Review Committee. 

Voters at the June 7 town meeting voted 487 to 168 in favor of exploring withdrawing from RSU 2, which formed in 2009 and also includes Dresden, Farmingdale, Hallowell and Richmond.

Selectmen last week took the first steps toward forming a committee to examine the financial and educational implications of withdrawing from RSU 2, staying put or seeking an alternative organizational structure.
“It’s not to propose how to get out,” said Selectman Harold Jones. “It’s to determine what’s in the town’s best interest. The ultimate goal is to give accurate information to the voters to make a decision.”

The committee will likely be composed of individuals to represent town government, RSU 2 and residents. There will likely be 11 members selected to serve on the committee.

“Basically, we’re establishing the committee now,” said Selectman Timothy McDonald. “If people want to apply, they can.”

Selectmen also hope to have a joint-meeting with their counterparts in Richmond. Residents in that community also voted recently to explore withdrawing from RSU 2.

Those interested in serving on Monmouth’s RSU Review Committee are encouraged to contact the Town Office at 933-2206.

HALLOWELL: Art at home

The Harlow Gallery is planning a collaborative event offering self-guided tours of seven residences with private art collections.

The participating homes, all in or near downtown Hallowell, were selected to showcase not only their residents’ art collections, but also their relationships with their art, and how art and living space are integrated.

“This goes beyond art on view at a gallery or in a museum,” said Dawn Gallagher, who with her husband, Phil Lindley, will be welcoming tour visitors to view their eclectic art collections in their Union Street home built in 1874.
“Art at Home” ticket holders will be encouraged to “make a day of it”, and will be offered special discounts at select Hallowell businesses. The event is slated for Sept. 10.

For more information, call 622-3813 or email kvaa@harlowgallery.org.

JEFFERSON: Likable lake link

“Damariscotta Lake,” a recently released historical picture book, will be featured at book signings in the area.
The book, part of a series by Arcadia Publishing, is 128 pages and describes how “the link between the towns of Jefferson, Newcastle and Nobleboro has always had a unique allure.

“Each spring, thousands of alewives return from the Atlantic Ocean to struggle up the fish ladder at Damariscotta Mills and reach their traditional spawning grounds. Many early settlers made a living through shipbuilding, milling, farming and harvesting ice, wood and alewives,” according to a description of the book. “In the 20th century, the establishment of children’s camps, fishing lodges, cottages, and homes relied on the lake’s draw for recreation.

The area has been a destination for notables such as Arthur Godfrey and Thomas Watson, writers Henry Beston and Elizabeth Coatsworth, and Pulitzer Prize winners Robert Lowell and Jean Stafford.”

Authors Julia Davis Mcleod, Edmee Dejean, Mary Sheldon and Marilyn Speckman will participate in a signing at Barnes & Noble in Augusta at 7 p.m. Aug. 12.

MONMOUTH: Fattened up

Selectmen last week chose a local company to improve insulation at the town garage.

Monmouth-based K&B Builders submitted the winning bid, at just less than $18,000. B.L. Williams Enterprises of Winthrop, the only other company to submit a bid, came in at $21,700.

K&B will install 2 inch Styrofoam and strapping to the walls to install white 29-gauge steel siding. The company will finish the outside of the building to match the exterior of the new addition. Plans also call for installation of four new windows in the back well, as well as flashing and trim.

The Reporter’s Notebook is a regular feature of the Kennebec Journal where we’ll offer the best news, oddities and tidbits from around the community. Know something the Notebook should mention? Call 623-3811, email kjedit@kjonline.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter @kj_online.

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