Photo captured by Michaela Qualey, a Millinocket resident, at Togue Pond in Baxter State Park.

The Magic City Monthly July 2023

A Glimpse into Millinocket's Past

This very early 1900’s view looking west from Central Street hill is from an early cyanotype. The first bridge on Central Street over Millinocket Stream can be seen in the center of the photo. The excavation appears to show the lower portion of the hill, perhaps improving a turn onto what would become Medway Road.

Photo courtesy of Millinocket Historical Society Curator, Trudy Wyman

A Big Thank You to Our Amazing Town Staff!

We want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to the incredible team here at the Town for their hard work and collaboration across multiple departments.

Together, they have transformed the front of our Municipal Building into a captivating sight!

We're absolutely thrilled by the arrival of a new garden of hostas, a brand new flag, and a newly painted stairway, beautifully adorning the entrance to our Municipal Building.

Thank you once again to all the departments involved in this project. Your collective efforts have made our Municipal Building a symbol of beauty and unity, reflecting the incredible community we are proud to call home.

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!

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!

Municipal Updates

Public Works

Street painting is almost completed. Crosswalks, turning lane arrows and parking stalls are all painted by PW.
We have trimmed branches and brush along Katahdin Ave Extension in response to safety concerns over the poor visibility in certain spots. This road is seeing increased traffic due to the Penobscot Ave Bridge closure.
Considerable time has been spent patching holes on Rice Farm/Medway RD.
Summer maintenance of the plow equipment is underway in preparation for winter.
The new Arial Lift truck has been ordered and is expected to be ready in 6 to 8 weeks.
Two rotten and dying trees were removed from the tree belt on Michigan Ave.

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.
The brush and compost area are left open during times the transfer site is closed as a convenience to the public. Please do not abuse it.
Everyone should have their transfer site usage stickers by now, if not, they need to be purchased ASAP.
Recycling is being accepted and we are looking for all the cardboard, plastic jugs, and tin cans that we can get.
A new door opener has been ordered for the Recycle building.

Cemetery

We have been down one employee since last month but are working to keep the grass mowed and trimmed in between burials.
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

Fire/EMS Department

Basic Fire School continues and still going strong with 11 students from Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway, & Lee
Fire Department participated in the Bike Rodeo
Fire Department participated in the July 4^th Parade
Fire Department has free Narcan kits available to the community.

Fire Chief Jonathan P. Cote, EMA Director

Waste Water

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

Millinocket School Department

The Summer School Program has averaged 25-30 students per day in grades Pre-K through 5th grade. The theme of the summer was "The World Around Us". We have incorporated activities relating to the earth in general, but also the community around us. We have been able to hear about many community helper jobs and have taken field trips to Millinocket Municipal Airport, Jump and Raft hanger, Millinocket Post Office, and the Katahdin Gear Library. We have had guest speakers from Millinocket Fire Dept, Millinocket Regional Hospital, and Katahdin Woods and Waters. We have also walked to the Millinocket Memorial Library each week to borrow books.

Dr. Shelley Lane, Superintendent of Schools

East Millinocket Police Department

EMPD has responded to 5,525 calls for service to date in 2023, with over 2,600 of those calls being in Millinocket.
Officers have arrested or summonsed over 310 individuals to date in 2023 and conducted 1,735 traffic stops.
Although weather played a factor in a lot of the community events around the 4th of July, officers were able to participate in multiple events around the community. Overall, there were minimal incidents surrounding the 4th of July.
EMPD again would like to congratulate Chief Thomas Malcolm on his well-deserved retirement. Your dedication to the region over the last several decades does not go unnoticed and we truly hope you enjoy retirement.
EMPD has submitted for grant funding to help fund radio infrastructure upgrades for our local operations channels. This project will help increase our radio coverage in all three communities we serve and will also be a resource to our partners of all area Fire/EMS Departments while dealing with emergency scenes. We are committed to increasing and upgrading department equipment and resources while trying to lessen the burden on taxpayers.

Chief Cameron McDunnah & Corporal Bradley Fitzgerald

Community Initiatives

Submitted an application to WinterKids 24 Downhill Fund for funding towards the Ski Tow Improvements. Voting ends July 28th, click the link here to vote. Please help your community receive this award!

Amber Wheaton, Community Initiatives Director

Town Clerks Office

FY22/23 Real Estate & Personal Property:
Tax paid summary as of 7/21/2023: *Reports Attached
Lien –dated and filed at the Registry of Deeds on 7/20/2023: 103 delinquent RE accounts totaling 138,402.69.
29 PP accounts: remaining total due: $1,799.83.
November 7, 2023 Municipal Election process has begun:
Nomination Papers: will be available on Friday, July 28^th, 2023, and are due back in the Clerk’s office by 4:00 pm on Friday, September 8^th, 2023 for the following municipal seats up in November 2023:
Town Council - Three 3-year Terms
School Board – Two 3-Year Terms
Reminder: Dogs must be vaccinated and licensed to utilize the Town Dog Park.
Fees: $6 spayed/neutered; $11 intact.

Diana Lakeman, Town Clerk & Sharon Cyr, Tax Collector

Farmer's Market in Millinocket

"A Work-in-Progress: The Downtown Millinocket Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market

When I began work in January 2022 as AmeriCorps Age-Friendly Project Organizer in Millinocket, I dreamed of being able to develop support for a downtown farmers’ and artisans’ market that would bring together members of the community, local farmers and craftspeople once a week to share healthy food and provide a place where residents and vacationers could

relax, meet up with neighbors and enjoy summer in Maine. That dream became a reality with our first market, which opened on June 3, 2023 at Veterans Memorial Park. We are still navigating issues like the unusual amount of rain this year, which has affected both crops and market hours.

However, weather permitting, we’ll be open every Saturday from 9 to 12 noon through Sept. 16. Our approved vendors so far include Moosewood Farm and Ranch from Smyrna with produce, Amish butter and grass-fed beef, and stunning hand-made knives and furniture, and various craftspeople selling hand knitted, crocheted and quilted items, jewelry, honey, candles and terrariums. There’s live music provided by Jeff Hamm and Tristan McAvoy, and a well-stocked resource table with copies of summer programs at the Millinocket Memorial Library, KGL and Boreal Theater, as well as information about local food pantries and Penquis-sponsored transportation programs. The photos here give some idea of the enjoyment to be had on Saturday mornings at the market.

We’re still accepting applications, which are $40 for a full summer, or $10 per visit if a vendor can’t be there every Saturday. Vendors can apply in person at the Town Office or online at www.millinocket.org Owners of food trucks are encouraged to apply as well! If you’re a nonprofit organization and would like me to display some of your materials, or want to set up an information kiosk/table, contact me at barbara@millinocketmemoriallibrary.org I hope to see you there one of these Saturdays! Bring your friends, dogs, children and stay awhile after you

buy those colorful free-range eggs or peach/apple/ginger jam, some Maine maple syrup and a mango-scented candle!

Open every Saturday, 9-12 noon at 50 Penobscot Ave (Veterans Memorial Park) through Sept.16. For questions and to check on rain dates, text (917) 279-5890 between 7-8 am on Saturdays or email millinocketfarmersmarket@gmail.com"

-Barbara Riddle-Dvorek, Age Friendly Millinocket

"The Town of Millinocket appreciates the work that the Millinocket Age Friendly Committee put into this project. Thank you to all who helped make this a reality! It's nice to see more and more happening within the community."

-Amber Wheaton, Community Initiatives Director

Katahdin Gear Library

We officially had our first Katahdin Region Outdoor Collaborative program! Kids got to spend the morning learning some new mountain bike skills, and then we put those new skills to the test on the Hammond Ridge trail system!

Registrations are still open for the remainder of the Katahdin Region Outdoor Collaborative youth programs, now with a newly updated age group! We are now accepting grades 5-10 for these programs. Sign your kid up today!

We have several new youth and adult programs coming for late July into mid August; a women's MTB skills day, group day hike, community paddle + skills, and a WEEKLY youth mountain bike ride! Stay tuned for more info on these events!

We get it, keeping up with all of our programs can get confusing! Follow Katahdin Gear Library on Facebook for Monday Madness! Every Monday through the rest of July and August, KGL will be sharing what outdoor-related events are happening each day of that week. With events happening most days of the week, there is no reason to be bored in Millinocket this summer!

Millinocket Town Office

197 Penobscot Ave

Millinocket, ME 04462

(207) 723-7000