The Magic City Monthly May 2023 | |
A Glimpse into Millinocket's Past | |
The International Order of Odd Fellows building in Millinocket was constructed on Penobscot Avenue in 1924. It was IOOF Lodge #4117. The original sign is still on the building today.
The Odd Fellows started in England in the 1700’s. In the United Kingdom, major trades were organized into guilds. The smaller or “odd trades” joined together to form larger groups and became known as the “odd fellows.”
Photo courtesy of Millinocket Historical Society Curator, Trudy Wyman
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The Town of Millinocket is currently seeking volunteers to help with various events and projects! Join our team to help make our community a great place to live! CLICK HERE to sign up online or stop by the Town Office to sign up in person. We are looking forward to meeting all community members who want to help make a difference!
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Sending a HUGE Thank You!
Please join the Town of Millinocket in thanking Jeff Schall, for his generous contribution to the Town's newly established dog park.
As a frequent visitor to the park, he wanted to craft a sign special.
Thank you Jeff Schall, for your act of kindness and generosity. The sign is beautiful.
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National EMS Week was first started in 1974 by then President Gerald Ford with a national authorization to make this happen. EMS Week is to celebrate EMS practitioners and their important work in our communities and honor them as the first line in emergency care for the sick and injured.
Thank YOU to all our EMS providers at the Millinocket Fire Department who provide EMS services to the community of Millinocket and surrounding communities of Millinocket around the clock.
If you see a member of the Millinocket Fire Department this week please thank them for there service this week.
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Communities Leading on Climate Conference 2023
May 11th, 2023, Town Manager, Peter Jamieson and Amber Wheaton, Community Initiatives Director attended the 2023 Communities Leading on Climate Conference hosted by the Governor's Office of Innovation and the Future.
The conference highlighted the actions of Maine communities who are becoming more resilient to the effects of climate change. This event was a major opportunity for the Town of Millinocket to connect with other community leaders in Maine to learn about the actions they're taking, different ideas, how they are putting plans into action and what funding sources they are applying for.
Peter had the honor of speaking on the progress Millinocket is making. Specifically, he spoke on the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations the Town is installing.
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Public Works
- The crew has completed the initial town wide street sweeping. We will be back to hit any spots left behind or washed out into the street from rainstorms.
- Spring painting of crosswalks has begun this week. Please stay alert behind the wheel as we have to work in the roadway to accomplish this.
- We are working to have the town mowed and trimmed ahead of the Memorial Day Holiday.
Transfer Station
- This is a reminder that the Millinocket Transfer Site is for waste generated within the town, and those approved unorganized Territories only. Surrounding communities have their own Transfer sites for residents in those towns.
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The brush and compost area is left open during times the transfer site is closed as a convenience to the public. Please do not abuse it. We recently pulled a complete pellet stove, as well as a pickup load of concrete and bricks from the brush pile.
- Everyone should have their transfer site usage stickers by now. If not, they need to be purchased ASAP.
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Recycling is being accepted. We are looking for all the cardboard, plastic jugs, and tin cans that we can get. Remember this makes the Town money.
- Wood ash was hauled to the Dolby landfill during the week of May 15th.
Cemetery
- Spring burials are happening at a rapid pace right now keeping the crew busy.
- We are asking that any grave with loose rocks or pebbles have them removed before June 1st. These decorative stones pose a danger when the mower sends them flying. We will remove them following June 1st.
- The cemetery has rules on what decorations are allowed around headstones. They can be viewed on the Town’s website. They are in place for the safety and convenience of the maintenance crew as well as the public.
Bryan Duprey, Public Works Director
Millinocket Fire/EMS
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7 members received new sets of structural fire gear on Thursday, May 18th thanks to the generosity of the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation. The gear consisted of coat, pants, gloves, boots, and a Nomex hood.
Jonathan Cote, Asst. Fire Chief
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Town Clerks Office
- The Clerks office has received numerous calls regarding the ATV Trails. Please click here to access the State of Maine's 2022-2023 ATV Quick Reference guide. Many of the questions the Town Office has been fielding can be answered tin that guide!
- 30 Day Property Tax Lien notifications will be sent out mid June
- You must pay your property taxes during this 30 day period.
- Liens will be placed on the properties 30 days after notices are sent out if your account is not paid in full.
Diana Lakeman, Town Clerk & Sharon Cyr, Tax Collector
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Waste Water
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We would like to remind the residents of Millinocket to please NOT flush wipes, paper towels, grease, plastics, Q-tips or anything other than toilet paper into the sewer system. Even the "flushable" wipes will clog the sewer system. These items are causing extreme plugs to the sewer system and costly maintenance to our pumping stations. We would like to thank the residents for this consideration.
Jason Ingalls,
Wastewater Treatment Facility Superintendent
Community Initiatives
- Event's Committee meetings are held bi-weekly, please consider joining us April 3rd at 4pm in the Manager's office. Email cid@millinocket.org for further information!
Amber Wheaton, Community Initiatives Director
Millinocket School Department
- On May 15 to May 19, all Granite Street School students PreK through Grade 5 took a walking field trip to the Millinocket Memorial Library to learn what services are offered and how to access them.
- We received approval of a grant for $33,474.73 from Grants4Me. This grant allows us funds to put towards professional development in Math, Reading and attendance.
- Graduation at Stearns is quickly approaching. Here are some important dates:
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Thursday, June 1, 2023: Baccalaureate and Scholarship Night in Walker Auditorium at 6:30 PM.
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Friday, June 2, 2023: Class Day in Walker Auditorium at 1:00 PM.
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Sunday, June 4, 2023: Graduation in the Stearns gym at 2:00PM
- Junior High and High School Softball and Baseball season are in full swing and all teams are playing games and looking forward to nicer weather. All the teams are working hard and improving every time they step on the fields.
- The High School Softball scoreboard has been installed. Thanks to the help of Jeff Daigle, Steve Girsa, Ed Girsa, Aaron Welch, Ronnie McInnis, and Dan Anderson. Thanks to these gentlemen for their support of Stearns athletics!
Dr. Shelley Lane, Superintendent of Schools
East Millinocket Police Department
- We have responded to over 3350 calls for service in 2023. This is over a 900 call increase from last months edition.
- We have arrested / summonsed over 190 individuals in 2023.
- Ofc Clayton has successfully completed her Drug Recognition Expert training and is now certified to perform DRE exams. Ofc Clayton has already performed one drug exam on an impaired driver in one of her first shifts back after completing training. Her training program was paid for by grant funding by the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety and is a huge asset to only to our department but the region, as certified DRE's are few and far between in Northern Penobscot County. Having a certified DRE on our department will make investigating drug related OUI's much more effective.
- Ofc Sallies has graduated the 43rd Maine Criminal Justice Academy Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. We are very excited to have her back to work!
- With summer season rapidly approaching we want to remind everyone our region will see an influx of tourists and summer visitors. Our officers will be aggressively enforcing distracted driving, speeding and impaired driving laws. Our goal is to keep our roadways safe for everyone.
- Lastly, as High School graduation approaches we want to congratulate all of our area graduates and we wish them the best on a bright future. Please remember to celebrate responsibly!
Chief Cameron McDunnah & Corporal Bradley Fitzgerald
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Subscribe to Receive Texts From the Town of Millinocket!
The Town of Millinocket has registered with Constant Contact for a new texting feature. This allows further communication from the Town directly to your cell phone. This feature will be used for reminders of meetings, events and safety concerns for the public! We encourage you to sign up here or contact Amber Wheaton, Community Initiatives Director, (207) 447-4100 cid@millinocket.org to sign up.
Click here to review the Town's Texting Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions
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Katahdin Gear Library
- The Katahdin Gear Library is currently open Thursday-Sunday 10am-5pm, with new summer hours to follow. Our rentals include bikes, canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards.
- Registration is now open for the Katahdin Region Outdoor Collaborative, open to rising 7th-10th graders. We will be hosting day trips, as well as overnight trips. Trips will begin in July! Contact KGL or MML with any questions.
- The Millinocket Outdoor Adventure Club Spring Session is in full swing! So far, we have had a blast hiking & riding bikes, and will be learning about trail work and geocaching in the next few weeks.
- We are still accepting bike repairs and tune ups! Be sure to call or stop by to set up a time to drop off.
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Millinocket Economic Development Fellow
The Town of Millinocket has identified that a new terminal building is needed at the Millinocket Municipal Airport. This will serve as an economic driver for Millinocket and the region, supporting a necessary transportation upgrade that will allow for workforce development and will attract new visitors. Growing demand is anticipated for air travel directly to Millinocket and airport improvements are seen as a critical component of continued economic growth that will create resiliency in the region. If this project is successful the region could connect better with outside tourism and trade and would allow for economic growth and potentially attracting talent which increases both workforce, and businesses. The region would partner with other rural communities in creating a shared resource (future commercial flights), continue to offer Life Flights (important for our region’s connectivity to major hospitals), attract new industry, and create an asset that showcases the investment the Town is making in this region’s future. In addition to Millinocket, eight towns including Mt. Chase, Patten, Island Falls, Stacyville, Sherman, Medway, East Millinocket would be served by the airport.
The region will benefit from attaining a Fellow by strengthening our transportation options and airport operations. The Fellow will work closely with the Airport Manager and Sustainability Committee to create a comprehensive land development plan while assisting in the Town’s efforts to increase air traffic, which involves a great deal of relationship building and policy advocacy across a diverse field. Due to the regional nature of our airport and the necessity of strengthened and ongoing communication with statewide and regional leaders and community members, the Fellow’s work will inherently build capacity amongst our regional network. The Fellow’s work will provide a completed land development plan, develop strategies on growing air traffic and build stronger and supportive relationships in the aviation/transportation field.
If this opportunity sounds like a perfect fit for you, or someone you know please visit the Maine Service Fellow website for more information.
You may also reach out to Jake Hurner, jake.hurner@maine.gov, for further details.
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