GORHAM, ME – As part of the Town’s commitment to help address climate change and reduce its carbon footprint, the Town of Gorham has been selected as a recipient of a Community Action Grant award from the Community Resilience Partnership.

Gorham received an award of $56,077 to retrofit municipal buildings with LED lighting, which will improve energy efficiency and save local taxpayers money by lowering long-term costs.

Gorham Facilities Coordinator Kevin Wood stated that Gorham will also receive $11,103 in funding from Efficiency Maine for this project.

As of May 28, most light fixtures on the first floor of the Gorham Municipal Center were replaced.

As of June 10, the lighting retrofit project has been completed at the Gorham Municipal Center.

488 fluorescent lights were replaced with energy-saving LED fixtures, helping to reduce the Town’s carbon footprint and lower energy costs.

The Gorham Recreation Department had previously installed LED lights in the Shaw Gym and the Council Chambers were also recently converted to LED fixtures.

This project was made possible with funding from a Community Action Grant as well as a rebate from Efficiency Maine, both programs administered by the State of Maine, and from the dedicated efforts of Assistant Town Planner Damon Yakovleff, Facilities Coordinator Kevin Wood and Town Engineer Chuck Norton.

GORHAM, ME – 18 of Gorham High School’s Art 2 students just wrapped up the school year with a project called “Chair Masters.” Students in Sarah Dolley’s class chose a work of art by a fine artist to recreate onto a metal folding chair.  On the back of the chairs each student wrote an artist statement that describes the fine artist & artwork chosen as well as their reason for choosing it.  The chairs will be part of our school’s installation art to supply seating for use by visitors to events at GHS. 

Pictured from left to right: Natalie Wilkins, CeCe Sloat, Larissa Moore, Stella Wu, Terra Rioux, Eva Wandell, Jasmine Radjabova, Anna Nichols, Kennady Peary, Liam Delaney, Tyler Olson, Max Lampron, Collin Bunch, Jacob Pike, Antoine Dube & Bennett Deveaux.  Not pictured:  Annabelle Vail & Arwen Bravo

GORHAM, ME – On Friday, June 20th 6-8pm at Gambo Preserve, Gorham, celebrate summer with vibrant chamber music that connects new sounds, the environment, and the community.  

Vigorous Tenderness is an immersive outdoor concert series that amplifies marginalized voices in classical music and democratizes new / experimental music. This summer solstice event resembles an art museum experience, with chamber music in harmony with the landscape as the audience follows a path of listening and reflection.

People of all ages are welcome; this is a family friendly event.

Please arrive between 6 and 6:45pm and move through the installation at your own pace.

Sliding scale donations are welcomed: suggested ticket price is $30 but please pay what you can based on need.

Cash and venmo are accepted; everything goes to the musicians and to sustaining future concerts. Venmo: @VigorousTenderness

The rain date for this event is Saturday, June 21st from 6-8pm.

Please bike, carpool, or take public transit; parking may be limited.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. This concert involves moving over uneven ground, navigating some wide flat trails, and visiting musical sites up to .5 miles from the parking lot. For more information, please reach out to vigorous.tenderness@gmail.com.

Featuring music by Daijana Wallace, Carlos Simon, Wu Man, Shruthi Rajasekar, Melika Fitzhugh, William Grant Still, and more.

Performed by Tracey Jasas-Hardel, Christina Chute, Jordan Guerette, Kal Sugatski, Katherine Liccardo, Sam Schuth, Kate Beever, Fred Edelen, Nate Lesser, Nicole Rabata, Christina Edelen, Michael Albert, March Steiger, Kate Campbell Strauss, Carolyn Lanigan, Zoe Hardel, and more.

Last year, Vigorous Tenderness musicians were honored to collaborate with Nick Bear of the Burnurwurbskek Singers to create a new work.  Nolan Altvater documented this project.

This concert is supported in part by Shahida Keen Associate Broker Realtor, The Onion Foundation, and many wonderful volunteers.  We are deeply grateful.

GORHAM, ME – The Town Council Appointments Committee is seeking citizen volunteers for a newly formed Affordable Housing Committee.

 The committee has been created for the purpose of aiding in the Town’s response to those adverse housing trends, including rising housing costs and limited housing options.

 The committee shall consist of seven members, all of whom shall be Gorham residents or residential property owners or residential property operators/managers in the Town of Gorham. In making appointments to the Committee, the Council shall seek to include representation of diverse perspectives and opinions.

 If you are interested in applying to serve on the Affordable Housing Committee, or for more information, please visit the Town Clerk’s Office. To apply, please complete and submit a Committee Volunteer Application available online. You may also contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 222-1670 or e­mail the Town Clerk Laurie Nordfors at Inordfors@gorham.me.us.

Applications will be accepted until June 26, 2025.

MAINE – The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education held its second annual “I Belong” Youth Summit at Central Maine Community College on Thursday, May 29. This event brought together students from across the state with individualized education plans (IEPs) for a day dedicated to empowerment, connection, and celebration of student voice. Student participants ranged in age from 10 to 22 years old.

The summit is an initiative that happens through the Transition Maine program, which was developed by the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education to provide accessible and inclusive transition services for students moving from high school into adulthood. The Executive Student Transition Committee, a team of students who assist with the Transition Maine program, plays a large role in the organization of this event, designed to amplify the voices of youth with varying abilities.“To see our students meaningfully engage and included in hands-on activities to help them imagine their future makes me and our team very proud,” Executive Student Transition Committee Co-Chair Connor Archer said, reflecting on the success of the summit. “As someone who received special education services right here in Maine, I know how unique and powerful this experience is.”

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows kicked off the summit by speaking with students about Maine’s new accessible voting machines, known as the ExpressVote.

The system allows voters to mark their ballots using a touchscreen or keypad, and it includes audio instructions for those who are visually impaired. It then prints a paper ballot that can be scanned and counted. Bellows emphasized the importance of civic participation and ensuring that all Mainers, including those with disabilities, have full access to the process.

The daylong event allowed students to discover post-secondary opportunities through engaging, hands-on activities. Career paths in trades, culinary arts, agriculture, health care, media, and more were highlighted throughout the day. Students practiced knife skills with chefs, pulled lobsters from traps, and planted vegetables. They participated in Central Maine Power’s “Safety City” demonstration, regarding safety around power lines, and joined the Maine DOE Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) team, along with the Student Leadership Ambassadors of Maine (SLAM) from Nokomis High School, for mock media interviews, designed for those interested in journalism and broadcasting.

L.L. Bean introduced the students to the world of retail through an interactive clothing activity that focused on merchandising and apparel knowledge. The iconic “Bootmobile” was also on display, drawing students in and sparking conversations about careers in retail and outdoor recreation.

Students from the Deering High School Unified Cheerleading Team pose with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

“I want to become an EMT. If that doesn’t work out, I want to work in a mortuary,”  Abagail Giles, a student from Stearns High School, shared in an interview with NEWS CENTER Maine.

Educators and business partners at the summit emphasized the importance of creating inclusive pathways to employment.

“There is a ton of value, skill, brainpower, and I think it’s essential not to exclude a segment of the population,” Kim Cotta, Talent Development Manager at Darling’s Auto Group, said.

Titus O’Rourke, the Transition Specialist with the Maine DOE, emphasized the goal of the event in an interview with NEWS CENTER Maine: “[These students] belong in every single career pathway, and it’s important for students to understand what is available to them.”

By connecting students with real-world experiences and professional mentors, the “I Belong” Youth Summit helps to ensure that all Maine students with IEPs have the tools and confidence they need to shape their futures.

The third annual “I Belong” Youth Summit is set to take place in the Bangor area next spring. Due to the strong student participation from across the state for this event, Transition Maine and the Executive Student Transition Committee have plans to expand the “I Belong” Youth Summit.

For more information about the Maine DOE Transition Maine program, click here. Educators interested in connecting with someone about the Transition Maine program may contact her Titus O’Rourke at titus.orourke@maine.gov.

AUGUSTA, ME – The Maine Senate took initial votes in favor of two bills that advance legislative efforts to help residents of mobile home communities purchase their parks, preserving and protecting some of the strongest affordable housing options in Maine. Residents and legislators held a press conference at the State House to celebrate the positive votes and discuss more pending legislation that would combat the growing trend of out-of-state private equity firms attempting to buy up parks.

LD 1145, “An Act to Protect Residents Living in Mobile Home Parks,” sponsored by Sen. Tim Nangle, D-Windham, would create a right of first refusal for resident cooperatives to match a third-party offer to purchase the park they live in, providing them with the ability to control their future housing costs while ensuring that sellers receive the full market value of their property. The Senate took a strong, bipartisan vote of 25-7.

“When these communities get bought up by corporate landlords, rents rise,” said Sen. Nangle in remarks on the Senate floor. “Repairs get delayed. Evictions become more common. People who live their lives like any other homeowners suddenly are faced with seemingly insurmountable consequences: They own a structure, but not the ground beneath it. And the ground is shifting under their feet. [LD 1145] says: if the residents want to own their community — and they have the means to do so — we ought to let them.”

LD 1016, sponsored by Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, would create a per-lot transfer fee on the purchase of mobile home parks which applies only to purchasing entities with a net worth of more than $50 million, preserving the ability of local for-profit, non-profit and resident co-ops to buy and sell parks as they have for decades. Revenues from the transfer fee paid by equity firms and other high-end investor entities would go to a permanent Mobile Home Park Preservation Fund to support residents at risk of displacement.

“This bill helps protect affordable housing at a time when we need it most,” said Sen. Reny in remarks on the Senate floor. “It’s time to make rich, out-of-state investors pay their fair share and make sure our older Mainers, young families, veterans, and more, can afford to stay in their homes.”

Both bills have received strong support from the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF).

“Mobile home parks are an essential source of affordable housing in our state, providing homes to 45,000 Maine people,” said Greg Payne, senior housing advisor in the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. “That’s why the Mills Administration partnered with the Legislature to pass the Opportunity to Purchase law and create and fund the Mobile Home Park Preservation Fund. These bills further protect mobile home park residents by helping them compete against wealthy investors when parks go up for sale and generating new funds to support housing stability and preservation.”

LDs 1145 and 1016 now await further votes in the House and Senate.

In a press conference following the Senate votes, the chairs of the Joint Standing Committee on Housing and Economic Development discussed the package of work the committee has done to protect mobile home communities from having their costs driven up by out-of-state investors.

“As legislators, we consistently hear that one of the top issues on the minds of Maine people is access to safe, affordable housing,” said Sen. Chip Curry, D-Belfast, Senate Chair of the Housing and Economic Development Committee in his remarks. “That’s why our committee has been focused on two deeply connected challenges: how to build more housing in Maine, and just as urgently, how to protect the affordable housing we still have. It has become very clear to us that a critical component of this mission is protecting the residents of mobile home parks. I’m incredibly proud to stand here with some of those residents and report that the Senate has just voted in favor of some really fantastic proposals to help them and thousands of Mainers.”

“We need every available tool to tackle the complicated housing crisis our state faces,” said Rep. Traci Gere, D-Kennebunkport, House Chair of the Housing and Economic Development Committee in her remarks. “Collectively, all of the bills we’ve mentioned here today will work together to protect Maine’s mobile home parks and their residents, which are one of Maine’s most vulnerable – and underappreciated – types of housing.”

“In March, we were notified that our park was for sale, and that there was an interested buyer from California,” said Dawn Beaulieu, a 30-year resident of Friendly Village Mobile Home Park in Gorham, and the President of the newly created Friendly Village Cooperative in remarks at the press conference. “After researching the interested corporation, we started organizing immediately to try to retain an affordable housing option for ourselves and our fellow residents. We, the residents, formed a cooperative and have since made a counteroffer to purchase the park. As of today, we are still waiting for a response to that offer. Our livelihoods should not be in the hands of an out-of-state conglomerate that sees us not as a community, but as an investment. The legislation being considered here in Augusta will help us put our fate in our own hands.”

Other legislative efforts from this year regarding mobile home parks that were discussed included:

LD 1183, “An Act to Ensure Rent-to-own Protections Apply to Mobile Home Park Tenants” Sponsored by Rep. Traci Gere, D-Kennebunkport

Signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills

LD 1723, “An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Manufactured Housing Communities to Prevent Excessive Rent and Fees Increases”  Sponsored by Rep. Cheryl Golek, D-Harpswell

Majority “Ought to Pass as Amended” report in committee, awaiting votes by the full Legislature

LD 255, “An Act to Support Mobile Home Residents in Purchasing Their Mobile Home Parks” Sponsored by Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor

Initially approved by the House and Senate, awaiting funding

LD 554, “An Act to Encourage Resident-owned Communities and Preserve Affordable Housing Through Tax Deductions”  Sponsored by Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol

Initially approved by the House and Senate, awaiting funding

LD 1768, “An Act to Protect Residents of Mobile Home Parks by Amending the Real Estate Transfer Tax” Sponsored by Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco

Initially approved by the House and Senate, awaiting further action in the Senate.

 Dawn Beaulieu, a 30-year resident of Friendly Village Mobile Home Park in Gorham, and the President of the newly created Friendly Village Cooperative, speaks at a press conference at the Maine State House while Democratic legislators, advocates and mobile home park residents look on.

GORHAM, ME – Our Bucket Step Garden at the Community Garden at Cressey Road Christian Church, 81 Cressey Road, Gorham  is free, user friendly, minimal bending required, water available. Just bring your plants or seeds.

Bucket Steps were built by Eagle Scout Christopher Bolton with help from his troop, scout leader Kelley Deprez and Rick Smart.  Bucket Steps have 3 rows, with 4 buckets each.   You may plant a full set or share them with someone. 

There is no fee.  To use one of these planters, please contact Lorraine lindcabin@mail.com or call the church at 839-3111.

Buckets ready for seeds or plants.

GORHAM, ME – A special event on May 30 brought students on a scavenger hunt throughout Gorham for a day of excitement and exploration with the participants hopefully having enriched their future aspirations by the finish line. The “Amazing Race” paired eighth graders from Gorham Middle School with fifth graders at Village Elementary School to solve and follow clues that led them on a journey to businesses and community organizations in town. One location happy to welcome the inquisitive students for a visit along the way was Norway Savings Bank’s Gorham branch, located on 65 Main Street.

“The Gorham team welcomed the students in and answered questions about the banking industry, our Go>2 digital checking accounts, and our summer teller program. As they get older, they might aspire to a career in banking!” said Pam DiPietro Hale, Commercial Loan Officer VP for NSB. “Many questions also revolved around the handling of money and the vault.”

Among the NSB team members who engaged with the students were Kelly Sturmer, Mortgage Loan Officer VP; Amy Lehigh, Market Manager VP; and Matt Petros, Jo Allard, and Katlyn Doughty, all customer relations representatives.

“Their willingness to welcome our student teams, share their time, and bring energy and kindness made this event truly special,” said Lexie Caddell, an organizer of the event and ed tech at Village Elementary.

Part of the exercise is for the students to utilize the formal introduction techniques they have learned and pose questions they had prepared for NSB team members.

“It was wonderful to see the respect and courtesy the students showed to each other and to us, and observing their genuine interest in learning is a great sign for our future,” said Lehigh.

Now in its fourth year, the “race” is aptly named simply for the amazing connections, community, and camaraderie it inspires.

“It was a joy to watch our students explore their community, meet the people who help make it thrive, and begin to imagine their own future roles in it,” said Caddell. “I’m excited to grow and improve this tradition together.”

AUGUSTA, ME – Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, welcomed Reverend Christine Dyke of First Parish Congregational Church in Gorham to the Senate chamber to give the Opening Prayer.

“It was a privilege to welcome Reverend Dyke to the Senate,” said Sen. Stacy Brenner. “I am always inspired by the warm and comforting words of Rev. Dyke. She truly makes my heart sing.”

On session days, faith leaders deliver a brief inspirational message to guide lawmakers through their deliberations for the day. Out of respect for the diversity in the Senate Chamber, the Senate Secretary’s Office asks that these invocations are non-political.

To sign up to give the Opening Prayer, contact Alex Ferguson at (207) 287-1540 or Alex.Ferguson@legislature.maine.gov.

Rev. Christine Dyke and Sen. Stacy Brenner in the Senate chamber

WINDHAM, ME – St. Anthony of Padua Summer Festival will be held on June 28 from 8-3 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Windham.

This is the 4th Annual Summer Festival with a yard sale, sales of plants, books and jewelry, Italian food, quesadillas, Knight of Columbus Grill for breakfast and lunch, and homemade baked goods. There also will be music, games for children and adults, and raffles.

This year featured is the “Golden Ticket” raffle.  The winning ticket gets two passes for all the dinners at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Hyacinth’s in Westbrook and St. Anne’s in Gorham for a year starting in September 2025.