Livermore Falls Advertiser

ANNUAL 2014
FARMINGTON FAIR
in Franklin County
SPORTS
Phoenix football
takes Falcons
PAGES 8-9
PAGE 7
Livermore Falls Advertiser
Spanning Three Centuries of Service to Livermore Falls, Jay, Livermore and Surrounding Communities
www.lfadvertiser.com
Vol. 122 No. 37
Livermore Falls, Maine • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Established
1892
50¢
Ted Berry teams with Spruce Mountain robotics
By Cindy Gilpatrick
LIVERMORE -- Ted Berry Company has teamed up
with the SMART program at
Spruce Mountain Schools. A
locally owned and operated
business for more than forty
years. “The primary goal is
to employ local people and
provide them with rewarding careers that allow them
to grow and succeed both
personally and professionally in their community,” according to Matt Timberlake,
Vice President of Ted Berry
Company.
The Ted Berry Company provides robotic pipeline
inspections and trenchless
technologies for industrial
and municipalities throughout the state.
Working hand in hand,
with the Spruce Mountain
Robotics Team and their
coach, Dan Lemieux, students are provided with
hands on demonstrations, financial assistance to continue the program, and internships for two students several
times each year.
The internships provide
one on one interaction with
Ted Berry staff where students receive robotic basics,
safety, general orientation,
field experience with the robotics team from Ted Berry
as well as operation, maintenance and more.
The Robotics team began
in 2012 and have since been
to the world competition
twice with their FLL team
and once each with the FRC
(First Robotic Challenge,
and Vex teams. All teams
are sponsored by community members, small businesses, the school district and
the students themselves who
work to raise funds to compete. Students do more than
thirty hours of fund-raising
during the fall and put in
approximately one hundred
and fifty hours designing and
building their robot starting
in January.
Coach Lemieux referred
to SMART as, “A varsity
sport for the mind.” It combines the excitement of sport
with the rigors of science and
technology. The competition
Cindy Gilpatrick/Editor
Spruce Mountain Area Robotics Team (SMART) interns get some hands on expericne with Matt
Timberlake of The Ted Berry Company in Livermore.
challenges student teams using strict rules, limited time
and resources to build and
program robots to perform
prescribed tasks against a
field of competitors. “It’s as
close to real world engineering as a student can get.”
SMART had a very suc-
Businesses join together to
celebrate grand opening
By Cindy Gilpatrick/Editor
LIVERMORE -- Linda
Flagg, owner of Aura Salon
in Livermore is excited to be
welcoming two new businesses to the plaza her salon
and spa occupy.
Joining Aura Salon and
Spa and Specialty Services
will be Inside Out Indoor
Garden Supply and KB Construction. “We want to welcome new business to the
area and encourage local
people to shop locally,” said
Flagg.
As part of the Saturday,
September 13 celebration all
four businesses are hosting
a free outdoor fair from 1-6
p.m. There will be a bounce
house and activities for the
kids, prizes, giveaways, free
nail polishing, make up application, music, a variety of
crafters and lots of food.
The plaza business welcome the public to stop by,
visit, play, eat and learn more
about everything from hydroponics and construction to
personal care and Specialty
Services.
cessful season last year. They
received seven major awards
and competed in three robotic events. They were awarded the Engineering Inspiration Award from Worcester
Polytechnic Institute District
as well as the Industrial Safety Award. At the Pine Tree
District they were finalists
in the matches, received the
Industrial Safety Award as
well as the Entrepreneurship
Award. At the New England
Championships held in Boston they were once again presented the Industrial Safety
Award as well as the Imag-
ery Award.
“At Spr uce Mountain
High School we are trying to change the community in which we live. The
communities that make up
RSU 73 schools are mill
towns. Two local paper
mills have been the major
employers in our communities. The last decade has
seen one mill close, but the
other continues as a model
facility. Thirty years ago,
other industries in our community existed. These companies employed students
right out of high school and
put them to work stitching
shoes, making wool cloth, or
manufacturing wooden pieces and parts. Thousands of
jobs existed within a reasonable commute of our towns.
These industries have closed
and gone to other locations
around the world. The jobs
that are left are low paid or
highly skilled. With our programs we are trying to prove
that our students can become
the next generation of highly
skilled workers that can rebuild our communities.”
It’s Apple Pumpkin Festival time
By Cindy Gilpatrick/Editor Memorial Library - 56 Main
Street, Livermore Falls
APPLE PUMPKIN 9:00a.m. to 2:00p.m.
Maine’s Paper and HeriFESTIVAL
tage Museum Tours - 22
SAT., SEPTEMBER 27TH Church Street, Livermore
Your family, friends and Falls. Follow the papermakneighbors will be gather- ing industry through two
ing on September 28th from centuries.
10:00a.m. to 3:00p.m. on the
Harvest Supper hosted
Livermore Falls Recreation by the St. Rose Senior High
Fields to celebrate Fall in the Youth Ministry. Supper will
Central Androscoggin River be held at the Parish Hall,
Valley. Sponsored by the Jay, menu to consist of ham
Livermore, Livermore Falls with pineapple sauce, or turChamber of Commerce, the key and gravy, mashed po2013 Apple Pumpkin Festi- tatoes, stuffing, cornbread,
val will feature a variety of cabbage, carrots, rolls and
vendors and craft artisans, drinks. Apple pie with vaagricultural products, his- nilla ice cream, pumpkin pie
torical and educational dis- with real whipped cream or
plays, seasonal decorations, fruit cup. Adults $10., 12 and
antique tractors, raffles and under $5., and under 5 free.
plenty of food all day long!
New Festival additions
There will be local musi- and area events join the fun
cians entertaining through- every year. There’s someout the day - many of your thing for the whole famfavorites are returning again ily. For questions, please
this year. Also returning, is contact Christine Fournier,
the infamous Tiger Slide, as
well as the Bounce House,
and Climbing Wall! NEW
this year-- Pumpkin Pie
Eating Contest and Dunk
Cindy Gilpatrick/Editor Tank!!
Community events will
Business owners at the Livermore Plaza on Route 4 invite the
public to a celebration party on Saturday, September 13 from 1-6 include:
p.m.
Book Giveaway at Treat
Vendor Coordinator, at 8974555.
The JLLF Chamber uses
PayPal to process its online
payments.
VENDORS: YOU MAY
ALSO REGISTER VIA
PAPER APPLICATION,
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS FORM
New Festival additions
and area events join the fun
every year. There’s something for the whole family.
For questions, please contact Chris Fournier, Committee Chair, at 897-4555 or
the Chamber Office at 8976755.
Event Underwriters ($500.
- $999.):
Otis Federal Credit Union
Business/Corporate Sponsors ($150. - $499.99):
Friends of Apple Pumpkin
(Up to $149):
RSU 73 board approves memorandum in
favor of Livermore Elementary staff
By Eileen M. Adams/LFA
LIVERMORE FALLS —
The RSU 73 board last week
approved a memorandum of
agreement that puts the nearly 30 teachers and guidance
counselor at Livermore Elementary School on the same
pay scale as other professional staff in the district.
The board voted unani-
H
mously on the matter following a 15-minute closed
session. Superintendent
Kenneth Healey said he was
pleased to be a part of decision. “It was the right thing
to do,” he said.
Board Chairwoman Denise Rodzen said the board
had always known a pay discrepancy existed between the
teachers who teach in Jay
and Livermore but no action
could be taken because of the
time frames embedded with
the regular negotiations for a
new contract for teachers and
other professional staff. She
said the funds required to
bring the LES teachers up to
scale have been in the RSU
73 budget for two years.
Several teachers who attended Thursday’s board
meeting said they were elated and felt valued by the decision.
Healey said about
$153,000 is needed for bringing the LES teachers up to
the pay scale for schoolyear
2014-15. He said veteran
teachers at LES will receive
from $3,000 to $9,000 additional wages throughout the
school year. Newer teachers
will see an annual increase of
several hundred dollars.
RSU 73 Educational Association President Rob Taylor
Since 1911
IGHT
FARMINGTON ~ 778-3354 ~ 1-800-273-CHEVROLET ~ HIGHTCHEV.NET
SKOWHEGAN ~ 474-3371 ~ 1-800-660-2438 ~ HIGHTCHEV.COM
was very happy that all district teachers are now on one
pay scale and that the board
and the education association were able to come to a
solution. However, regular
negotiations will now continue to try to settle a new contract for the approximately
150 professional staff with a
session set for Sept. 17.
Teachers are working under the same expired contract
that was settled in school
year 2011-12. Salaries and
benefits have not changed
since then. Both Taylor and
Healey said that recent negotiation sessions have been
positive.
Courtesy Photo
LIVERMORE FALLS -- It’s that time of year again! Time for the
annual Apple Pumpkin Festival, Saturday September 27 from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Livermore Falls Recreation Field. Each
year the festival brings hundreds of people from the surrounding
towns to enjoy a day of apples and pumpkins, arts and crafts.
For the 2014 festival, the Tiger Slide will make a return as well as
the bounce house and climbing wall. New additions include a dunk
tank and the committee has brought back the pie eating contest!
Christine Fournier is the vendor coordinator and she can be
reached at 897-4555. The event is brought to the community by
the Jay-Livermore-Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce.