Photo captured by Mallorie Bator, She of the Flowers Photography, The Gateway to Katahdin

The Magic City Monthly

September 2023

A Piece of Our Past

Great Northern Paper Labor Unions marched in Labor Day parades in the early days. The usual parade route went from Union Hall down Penobscot Avenue to Central and Katahdin Avenues and then to the depot to meet all trains. They then returned to the mill office and marched down Penobscot Avenue to the Pavilion grounds where various games and activities were held.

Photo courtesy of Millinocket Historical Society Curator, Trudy Wyman

Engage, Participate, & Subscribe!

Stay in the know by attending the various Council and Committee meetings. We appreciate any and all input and feedback. Please remember this is YOUR community and YOUR voice matters. CLICK HERE to view the Community Calendar and stay up to date with all scheduled meetings. If you cannot attend a meeting you can stay in the know by watching the recordings on our YouTube Channel. Feel free to subscribe to the channel to stay up to date.

The Millinocket Town Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 5:30. Meetings are held in-person in Charles Sanders Council Chambers and remote access available via Zoom. CLICK HERE for more information regarding town council meetings! Please considering joining these meetings are participating in the discussion. All are welcome!

Celebrate Fall in Maine: The Equinox Unleashes Vibrant Colors

(AUGUSTA, Maine) — At 2:50 a.m. on Saturday, September 23, nature marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. With the changing of the seasons just hours away, anticipation is building for Maine’s leaf-bearing trees to show off their colors. This second 2023 Maine Fall Foliage Report from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) reports very low (less than 30 percent) color change throughout Maine. As of September 20, 2023, DACF Maine Forest Service Rangers in northern Maine report very low to low color change (10-30 percent), with very low leaf drop throughout the entire state. But that’s about to change!

Typically, northern Maine (zones 6 and 7) reach peak conditions the last week of September into the first week of October. The rest of the state’s color progression starts from north to south in mid-October. Coastal Maine typically reaches peak conditions in mid-to-late October.

“There was concern that the strong winds and rain from Hurricane Lee this past weekend would significantly impact our fall foliage season. Our trees have remained resilient, and leaves remained intact. Now that it’s nice and quiet, with autumn arriving this weekend, let’s kick back and enjoy the changing season,” said Gale Ross, Maine’s fall foliage spokesperson.

Foliage season enthusiasts can visit the state’s official foliage website to receive weekly reports by email. Everyone is invited to share color progression photos from throughout Maine. The Maine Fall Foliage Facebook and Instagram accounts feature gorgeous images and special activities statewide. For more fall-themed ideas and insights about visiting Maine, go to www.visitmaine.com.

Still confused on the rules at the Transfer Station? We are here to help! Please check out this handy guide below:

Municipal Updates

East Millinocket Police Department

EMPD has responded to 7,390 calls for service to date, with over 3650 of those calls being in the Town of Millinocket.

Officers have arrested or summonsed over 415 individuals to date and conducted more than 2280 motor vehicle stops.

Ofc Clayton and K9 Derby have begun their first phase of their K9 training. The first phase is considered the "patrol" phase which includes suspect apprehension, article and people searching. Phase 1 is expected to be completed just after Thanksgiving.

As we are nearing the end of 2023, Officers will begin completing multiple hours of annual training.

Police Chief Cameron McDunnah & Corporal Bradley Fitzgerald

Public Works Department

B and B Paving has completed the requested paving for this summer. We still have some edging work to complete. The recent heavy downpours had washed away some of what had already been smoothed out.

The new Arial Lift truck is being built at the dealer and is expected to be ready in September.

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. 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.

At this time, I want to thank Steve Jacobs for his dedication of 24 years serving the Town of Millinocket. He is retiring in October and will be missed by all of us here at Public Works.

Bryan Duprey, Public Works Director

Wastewater Department

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

Fire/EMS Department

Basic Fire School is continuing and will be completed by early November.

The Department keeps on providing naloxone to Community members who are in need. If you or someone you know is in need of Narcan, please reach out to the Fire/EMS Department for support.

Chief Cote attended the Maine State Federation of Firefighters Convention in Presque Isle Sept 8th to 10th and attended the Maine Fire Chiefs Meeting Membership Meeting in Brunswick on Sept 20th.

Jonathan Cote, Fire Chief/ EMA Director

Millinocket School Department

The 2023 Summer Food Service Program was a great success. We served the children of the tri-town area a total of 4,174 meals. An increase of 1,702 meals compared to the 2022 SFSP. Special “thank you” goes to the Granite Street Summer School, the Recreation Department, and the Millinocket Memorial Library for dedicating the time and space needed for children to have consistent access to meals during the summer. The success of this program is only possible with their support.

We were notified this summer that our department has been awarded a Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Grant for $138,088.00. This grant provides us with the unique opportunity to transform our school nutrition program to include higher-quality, nutrient rich meals to our students. As part of this grant program, AFHK and its partners will provide us with in-depth individualized technical assistance to support and guide the implementation of key strategies to improve school meal quality, as well as help us to develop creative solutions to provide nutritious foods for the children we serve.

Special Ed Teacher Jen Jandreau is recognized for taking time this summer to work on socialization and work skills in our building. She did this all on her own and with no compensation (and never asked for any), because she saw some of her students needed this type of interaction. One student shredding almost daily in the Special Ed office, and it was such a great help! They also helped with putting together the emergency bags and kits for our schools. Great Job!

Staff have been very supportive and helpful to the new Granite Street Office staff Shawna Boyer, Secretary, and Jo-Anna Merry, Principal, as they become familiar with procedures and protocols for Granite and the district - a special shout out to Katie DiFrederico and Corinne Reece who have been a tremendous help.

The Granite Street School Leadership Team is working with Principal Jo-Anna Merry to start the process of updating the comprehensive needs assessment as part of SIP. We will look at the data to determine strengths and areas of need. A root cause analysis will help us make decisions on where to focus our resources.

2023-2024 Class Officers:

9th Grade-

Secretary- Anthony Guirewicz

Treasurer- Everett Currier

Vice President- Adam McGreevy

President- Molly Anderson

10th Grade-

Secretary- Makenna Johnson

Treasurer- Kevlin Goulet

Vice President- Andrew Hallett

President- Sean Scrooc

11th Grade-

Secretary- Andrea Stevens

Treasurer- Hailey Aldridge

Vice President- Olivia Hallett

President- Beckett Brown

12th Grade

Secretary- Kyla Welch

Treasurer- Braidey Girsa

Vice President- Natalie McEwen

President- Gracyn Sanders

Dr. Shelley Lane, Superintendent of Schools

Pictured below: Stearns Geometry Class applies math to locate and measure locations around our property that may be suitable for a FitCourt.

The Town is applying for grant funds to purchase a FitCourt for Millinocket and students are assisting the process!

Miss Angela Guy had her Geometry students break down the 2000 ft area that borders the Michaud Trail to be a 40 X 50 ft area. She also had them calculate the length of the diagonal to 64 ft so they could make sure that the area staked off was square.

Pictured above: Stearns Karate Class with teacher Rick McGibbon. This is an option for students to meet their Physical Fitness requirement.

Millinocket Town Office

197 Penobscot Ave

Millinocket, ME 04462

(207) 723-7000