FREEDOM TOWN NEWS By Sallyann Hadyniak | February 4, 2012 MEETINGS The next scheduled Selectmen’s meeting will be on Monday, February 13, 2012 starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Town Office. On Thursday, February 9, 2012 there will be a gathering at the Town Office starting at 6:00 p.m. regarding Freedom’s Water. There are 11 items listed on the agenda to be discussed and your input and ideas are most welcomed. Chris Buchanan will be sharing information that she obtained from Scott Whitney who is the Compliance Officer for the Maine Drinking Water Program. Please try to attend this gathering and bring your questions with you and hopefully get some answers and a bit of education regarding “water”. PLANNING BOARD: The Planning Board will meet on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at the Town Office starting at 6:30 p.m. COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING COMMITTEE: A Message from Dave Bridges (Chairman of the Comprehensive Planning Committee): At long last we have the opportunity to vote for Freedom’s proposed Comprehensive Plan on March 9thth, 2012, which will be on the ballot along with choices for elected town officials. Please make sure to come to the polls and vote this plan in. There are definite advantages for a town that has a Comprehensive Plan, not the least of which is the town becomes eligible to compete for available grants. Comprehensive Plan summaries and the plan itself are available on the town website (Freedomme.org) and at the town office. Please find the time to become acquainted with it. It is divided into 14 chapters followed by a set of outstanding maps of the town. A set of these poster sized maps is housed in the town office and will prove very useful to town committees and officials. As an information resource the Plan cannot be more important. It summarizes town history, inventories natural and economic resources, and gives population trends for the past and next ten years for Freedom. Each chapter ends with a set of suggestions the town may want to consider for future planning. The Comprehensive Plan is not a regulation or an ordinance, but simply a tool that will provide more efficient planning and more orderly development for the town. The future of Freedom can be decided by the community, not by outside developers. The Joint Comprehensive Plan/Planning Board Committee thanks each and every one of Freedom’s committees, officers, residents, and business owners, as well as KVCOG consultants who assisted in the demanding work to complete this plan, in progress since 2004. You can purchase copies of the Comprehensive Plan at the Town Office for $5.00 a copy or download it from the town website. ABSENTEE BALLOTS: Absentee ballots are available at the Town Office to be picked up starting Wednesday February8. 2012 Three important dates coming up! Election of officers will be on Friday, March 9, 2012. THE OFFICES: All one year term: Town Clerk, Excise Tax collector, Tax Collector, -Cindy Abbott Unopposed Treasurer, Erna Keller Unopposed Selectmen Assessor and Overseer of the poor (1 Three year term) Clint Spaulding and Frances Walker School Board Representative currently vacant (Three year term) Myrick Cross Unopposed Cemetery Committee Member –this is an appointed position. Is there anyone interested? If so, call the Town Office 382-6177 The Yearly Town Meeting will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the Grange starting at 10:00 a.m. There will be a break for lunch which will be served downstairs in the hall. As we close our Fiscal Year 2011 books, we must also prepare the necessary reports for the annual report. Please review the requested items that should be included in your written report and email to Cynthia Abbott at the Town Office. Annual Report Information: · Your report can be in a list form or a brief narrative · Key points to include are the subjects, issues or projects that you expected to complete during the fiscal year ending December 31, 2011 and the status of each; · The Committee’s / Dept. Head’s recommendation(s) to the Council, if applicable · Key subjects, issues or projects that you expect to work on in FY 2012; · Other topics the Committee / Dept. Head believe are important. We are asking that your report be emailed to this office at freedomclerk@yahoo.com, no later than Monday, February 6, 2012. Please remember that this is for the year ending December 31, 2011. If you have any questions, please contact Cynthia Abbott 382-6177 x 1. CRAFT GROUP: The Craft Group will meet on Tuesday afternoons from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. For those that are interested in sitting in and doing crafts, knitting, etc. or if you need help in learning we can teach you. I also have many books that I would be glad to share with you if you are looking for a special pattern. The girls meet every Tuesday afternoon from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. and you are more then welcome to attend. FREEDOM REC. COMMITTEE The Freedom Recreational Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at the Freedom Town Office starting at 4:00 p.m. Also we need volunteers and ideas for the Rec. Committee. It was quite active at some point and needs to become quite active once more. Maybe there are some new residents in town that would like to volunteer. Once again you can contact Cindy at 382-6177 and pass on your ideas to her. The Rec. Committee is having a "Bottle Drive"! Bottles can be dropped off at the Freedom Town Office (cans and bottles) which already has been started. Please save a trip out of town to take your bottles and drop them off at the Town Office. This is one way for you to help the Rec. Committee. FOOD PANTRY: The New Life Community Church has a food pantry open every week on Sundays, from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. It is located in South Montville on Route 173 at the old New England style white church next to the Choate Road. This food pantry is unique with bread, fresh fruits and vegetables available. Everyone is welcome from all communities! For more information, or if you have any questions, please call 589-4005 or 589-4910. VOICE OF FREEDOM: When TOPS closed down in Freedom, some of the members joined TOPS #125 in Albion. We meet every Monday morning to weigh in between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. You can come in as early as 7:30 a.m. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. and goes on until approximately 9:30 a.m. ROPS is a support group to “Tale off Pounds Sensibly” (Weight Loss Program). So if you are interested in losing weight, come and join us. We meet in the kitchen of the Lovejoy Health Center in Albion. Men and women are most welcome to join us. You will get an education regarding the foods that are good and/or bad for you. We have contests, games, etc. to make the meeting a fun time, if you have any questions, you can contact me at 382-6024. ANNIVERSARY WISHES: Tom and Hilary Fleming celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary on December 21, 2011. They are both looking forward to reaching 50 years of wedded bliss and their lives filled with much good health, happiness and love! Congratulations to a great couple! Sorry for the belated wishes but better late then never. BIRTHDAY: Special “Happy Birthday” wishes are being sent out to Lynn Q. Hadyniak and Selectman Clint Spaulding who will be celebrating their very special birthdays on February 14th which is also Valentine’s Day! Does that mean they get two special gifts? May you both have a very memorial birthday and Valentine celebration especially you Lynn (who will hit the big 50) because you are a very special daughter-in-law and I love you! FEELI NG BETTER: Chuck Hadyniak took a fall on the ice and suffered a concussion! By now he is much better. I understand that Jerry Stephanski all took a fall and is o.k. We really have to be careful walking on the snow and ice, too many accidents happen! FEBRUARY 2ND. Groundhog Day There will be 6 more weeks of winter according to today’s annual Groundhog Day forecasting event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Each year on February 2nd, people from around the world, watch for a sign from one groundhog that supposing predicts if the spring will arrive early or late. By the way, he has been wrong more times then right! If you have anything of interest to share, please contact me.