by Chris Chase
Coastal Journal staff

BRUNSWICK — Amtrak’s Downeaster service coming to Brunswick has brought more business and easy transportation to the midcoast town. But some residents near the tracks claim the train has brought obnoxious noise and pollution with it.

The train, which has been making the run north of Portland since Nov. 1, ends up sitting outside on the tracks for hours each day as it waits to begin the trip back south. During the winter, this meant the train was forced to idle at low revs in order to retain electrical function and to keep the diesel engines warm. That idling produced a low frequency noise and diesel fumes which some residents in the area found hard to deal with.

“I have received some complaints from my constituents that live off Cedar Street,” said Margo Knight, the Brunswick town council member for District 6.

According to Knight, even though her home is a block away, the train is still easily audible, especially with no leaves currently on the trees.

by Chris Chase
Coastal Journal staff

BATH — On April 6, a group of 10 teams from Bath and Boothbay middle and high schools met at the Bath YMCA and raced submarines. It sounds like the start to a comedy routine, but it was actually the third annual regional SeaPerch challenge hosted by the American Society of Naval Engineers.

The challenge involves teams of middle and high school students who build underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROV) in one of two classes, standard or open. The ROVs then take part in a pair of challenges. One challenge involves navigating an obstacle course as quickly as possible, and the other, called the Deep Dive event, requires the robot to be able to pick up a ring hung on a rack underwater, and then place the ring in a crate that is also underwater.

The competition itself is the result of the hard work of Dave Marcello, a representative of Alion Science and Technology Corp. in Bath. Marcello helped start the program in Bath two years ago, adopting it from a national competition. The national SeaPerch competition began as one part of efforts aiming at increasing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs for students.

When the competition first occurred, it consisted of a pair of Girl Scout troops.

“Last year, we had a Boy Scout troop and three other teams,” said Marcello.

Now that number is obviously higher, and support and interest in the competition is growing.

by Chris Chase
Coastal Journal staff

BOOTHBAY HARBOR — The St. Andrews task force is officially winding down, but that doesn’t mean that the fight to retain St. Andrews’ hospital status is over.

The task force, which was formed late last year after the community received news from Lincoln County Healthcare (LCH) that St. Andrews was going to see a reduction in service from an emergency department to an urgent care center. The plan was to gain as much information as possible to have an argument to bring against the organization.

Now, according to Smith Climo, a former leader of the task force, that role has been fulfilled and its time for the task force to pull back.
“I think we’re to the point where we’ve allowed the people to form and focus their efforts in a manner that they’re ready to move on without us,” said Climo.

The task force itself, according to Climo, was a necessity for the community, if only to focus the community towards a positive direction.

“It was born out of need. We had this horrific news that St. Andrews wanted to close the hospital. And despite what they’re saying, it is closing, if it doesn’t say ‘St. Andrews Hospital’ on the side any more that means it’s no longer a hospital,” said Climo. “We had people up in arms and there was no entity that people could focus their anger with. So we formed this task force.”    

Now, that task force has been involved for months in obtaining the opinions of consultants and gathering data, in order to have an argument against LCH. Initially meeting every Tuesday night, the volunteers have managed to gain a large volume of public statements and data.

by L. Jaye Bell
Coastal Journal contributor

ROCKLAND — The conference table was packed in Rockland Main Street’s office last week, as Maine DOT Project Manager Shawn Smith spoke with business owners and residents about the upcoming paving project downtown.

Smith listened to concerns raised over the standard construction issues: Noise, lights, access and egress to homes and businesses, and the overall impact on workers and residents stuck with living and working in the construction zone. Previous projects resulted in several closed businesses and residents moving away in favor of quieter places.

With quality-of-life issues firmly lodged in the memories of residents and business owners alike, the purpose of the meeting was to hear input and suggestions regarding the next phase of the plan, which will be something that is more common in larger cities, but we have yet to see: Night paving.

Smith manages 18 road work projects for Maine DOT. Most of these are culverts, bridges and paving work. He explained the trend in construction this way:

“Contractors are allowed to carry out the project the way they see fit. They tell us at the DOT that night paving is preferred because it’s easier to get construction vehicles in and out of the work area with less traffic, and it reduces risk to workers on the site,” he said.