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MINI-RACETRACK—YAY OR NAY?A Mini-Cup stock car racetrack is being planned by Jeff Coolidge, owner of Independent Machine on Bakerstown Road. It was announced in the January 13, 2000 edition of the Sun-Journal and, since then, has been a cause of concern to many nearby residents. His proposal includes filling in a three-acre site at 318 Bakerstown Road, then building a 500-900 ft. D-shaped raceway surrounding a small pond. This 25-30 foot wide track would enable ten stock racers to race at a speed of no more than 35 mph. The cars which he hopes to race will have an 81/2 hp engine and stock exhaust systems. Coolidge, a regular Mini Cup racer at Oxford Plains Speedway, would like to begin racing in the spring of 2001. He also builds these cars and would like a place to market them. So far, the only approval has been for landfill to be brought in. The expressed concerns are valid and need to be addressed by the Planning Board before further approval takes place. Residents who live at the lake for peace and quiet want to protect their quality of life. Specific questions and information regarding noise, bright lights, night-time use, sub-leasing and lake protection have yet to be answered. (A noise abatement policy was narrowly defeated at the spring Town Meeting and may be included again on the November ballot). Many who hear racing at Oxford Plains 10 miles away are reluctant to welcome a neighborhood racetrack. Several people whohave inquired of Mr. Coolidge his specific plans have received conflicting answers. If you are concerned, please address your thoughts to the Poland Selectmen and/or to the Code Enforcement Officer (Art Dunlap), c/o Poland Town Office, Poland ME 04274. TLIA does not want to become a "vigilante group" but neither does it want to ignore the needs and concerns of residents of Tripp Lake. We hope that abutters will be notified before any future planning board meetings take place so interested parties may attend and voice their legitimate concerns. Protecting RAFFLE WINNERS:2000A little effort goes a long way! Raffle chairpersons Ed Hinkley and Marion LaFlamme, along with donors Linda and John Laskey, Paula and Richard Smith, Wendy and John Webber and Babs and Mike Shapiro garnered enough prizes to net TLIA over $800 at its annual raffle. Peg and Dick Harris again printed the raffle tickets and conducted the raffle. The winners and their prizes were: Betty Harvey---$25 gift certificate from Wal Mart, Auburn Beth Cummings---$15 gift certificate from JJElms, McFalls (donated by Webbers) George Kelley---overnight at Wolf Cove Inn John Laskey---$25 Gift certificate from The Falls Country Gift Shop, McFalls Linda Laskey---perennial plant (donated by the Smiths) Fran Jordan--- $25 Gift certificate from The Falls Country Gift Shop, McFalls Wendy Webber---$25 Gift certificate from The Falls Country Gift Shop, McFalls Charlie Rodway---$25 Gift certificate from Rolandeau’s Restaurant, Auburn. (Mary Alice Higgins had won this but, in absentia, donated it back. Thanks, Mary!) Nancy Hutchinson---$25 Gift certificate from Future Foods, McFalls Barbara Perreault---$20 Gift certificate from Marois’ Restaurant, Lewiston Audrey Niskanen---2 luncheon buffet gift certificates from Marco’s Restaurant, Lewiston Randy Spargo---Forsythia bush (donated by Laskeys) Richard Marquis---landscape sprayer (donated by Shapiros). It’s a wonderfully easy way to make money. We plan on repeating the event next year. If you have something new or valuable that you’d like to donate, let us know. It will be cheerfully and gratefully accepted. A most hearty thank-you to the donors of all the prizes and all who made this event possible. NEAT BEACHThe Annual Lake Cleanup was a resounding success. Early Sunday morning following our Annual Meeting (on July 8) found ten eager beavers at the Public Beach. Cleaning the Beach went more quickly than usual…it had been scoured a month earlier by helpful Poland high-school students. By 9:30 a.m., debris had been removed, the beach raked and new plants watered. The group then separated to clean their own sections of the lake. If you haven’t visited the Public Beach recently, make it a point to do so next year. It’s broad and sandy, the water’s clear, there are new public outhouses and lots of rubbish pails. Scores of new plantings make it an attractive spot. Plenty or people read, relax and play. When you visit, please help by picking up stray rubbish before you leave. Keep a bucket in the trunk and water the plants…they stretch across the whole beach. Help keep this resource an inviting place. Some new faces joined our merry band this year and we’re grateful for their assistance. Big thank-u’s go to Larry Lee, his daughter Kelsea Lee and friend Amanda Ramlow, Nancy and Charlie Rodway, Jack Quinn, Ron Getchell, Jackie Misenheimer, Susan Carbone, Jamie Rothfus and yours truly. All are welcome. Next year, mark your calendars JULY 15, 2001, 8-10 a.m., PUBLIC BEACH. Join us in helping to keep your lake a clean one.
BMP’S, better known as Best-Management-Practices, have been compiled in a booklet by Cynthia Kuhns of LWRMA for the Tripp Lake Improvement Association and all who live in our watershed. This handy publication, part of our Demonstration Project’s original plan, was designed to show us a variety of erosion control techniques. Buffering, how to build a better roadway, use of waterbars and other methods of diversion are all spelled out in very readable form. These booklets were distributed at the annual meeting and during the summer by volunteers. If you’ve not yet received a copy, please let us know. We’ll deliver it one the Spring. It’s a must-have for lake dwellers. TLIA CLOTHING MAKES GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTSIt’s that time of year again. What to give family and friends? Small gifts that don’t cost too much yet mean a lot? Think no further. TLIA has a great assortment of t-shirts, sweatshirts and caps in a variety of colors and sizes. Our new keeper of the merchandise is Charlie Rodway who will fill your orders as quickly as possible. His address is 70 Jordan Shore Drive, Poland, ME 04274, his telephone number is (207) 998-5090 and his e-mail address is cbrodway@pivot.net. T-shirts--100% cotton beefy t’s in teal, white or gray with screen-printed, colorful TLIA logo. $13. Adult sizes med., lg., x-lg.(XX and XXX special orders and cost a few dollars more). Children’s sizes small (6-8), medium (10-12), large (14-16). Sweatshirts-- 50% cotton-50% polyester, soft, medium-weight in light gray, also with screen- printed, colorful TLIA logo. $25. Adult sizes med., lg., x-lg. (XX and XXX special orders). Childrens’ sizes small, medium and large (as in T’s). Caps, light-weight white cotton with green bill or brushed cotton, dark olive with navy bill. $12. Both with TLIA logo. This has been an ongoing venture for TLIA. We need your continued support. Wear your shirts and caps proudly! KEEP BROOK OPEN AND FLOWINGBeaver dams consumed much of our time this past year. To break them down or not? To hire a beaver control person (aka "trapper") to remove them? Where is the normal high water mark? Is the lake too high or too low? Rick Lundstedt and I spoke with various experts in the field to find answers. What we found was 1) What’s high water at one end of the lake is subjective…it’s just right or too low at the middle or other end. 2) No one seems to know where the real high-water mark is.3) Though beavers are trapped in winter and we think they’re gone, they return, only to build more dams. If we remove them in Winterbrook, beavers from Mud Pond may take up new residence. 4) If we hire trappers to remove live beavers in the summer, will they be taken far enough away? Will others arrive? Nature seems to know. And so Ed Perreault and others keep watch over and clear the beaver dams in Winterbrook stream. Seven of them were counted last year. However, the little critters build as fast as one can tear down.. Some young Huck Finns smashed a few last July. Kathy Carroll witnessed the act and cheered them on. She suggested an award be given them. However, a few weeks later all was as before. Dick Harris, a lifelong resident of the lake, has declared himself "Chair of Keeping Brook Open and Flowing." He welcomes all help. Ed Perreault, Bob Hutchinson, Mike Shapiro, and others will help keep the water flowing next summer so the lake level doesn’t get too high or too low. Speak to Ed or Dick in June to determine the best time to lower the dams and have the beavers removed (for a while). |
