Dear Editor:

I'm glad all of you have to drive the George Wright Road around the Nequasset Bridge DOT project. Especially you who voted for Baldacci. Traveling that road gives you a few moments to think about the DOT, their "money woes" propaganda machine, Baldacci and DOT head David Cole, the spenders in Augusta, and gives you the opportunity to see your tax dollars blown away like leaves in the wind.

I always look to the Nequasset Bridge as I bump by to see how many workers are visible actually working on the bridge. The record is FOUR. Twice, I have seen four men actually working on the bridge, usually there are two to three. And that is four to five days a week. Meanwhile, thousands of cars will need hundreds of dollars in repairs for suspension and front end repairs as a result of driving the detour road. And did you see the new culvert that was installed on Route 1 near the Route 1-George Wright Road intersection? Obviously another "urgent need." A culvert installed going UP THE HILL placing the culvert on the edge of the waterway. Look at it as you drive by and see where the strongest current flow is. In the middle of the waterway, right where the old culvert IS and WAS doing just nicely. And what is the purpose of this new culvert? There is much more water on the seaward side of the road than any culvert can handle when the tide is high enough to cover the roadway. And, once the water has receded below the highest level of the roadway, what does it matter how many culverts there are? The roadway is the dam. Eureka! Just think, if you raise the height of the roadway a few feet you dam OUT the seawater side! Just more DOT planning.

And speaking of planning… the DOT is shutting down Route 295 South from Gardiner to Topsham to redo the entire road! A lady DOT rep was on TV with a chunk of concrete saying the road was "unsafe." Please do what I did. I went up to Gardiner and then drove back south over the stretch of road deemed so "urgent" a need to shut down a major highway during summer tourist season. Decide for yourself if you think we should be spending 28 MILLION dollars to redo this road. I say NO. There isn't any "urgent need" to redo the road. Could it be a smoother surface? Yes, but in these times of short money, that roadway could wait. But not to the DOT. They continue to spend money like we are in an economic bonanza. And B-31? Ole' Baldacci just balanced the budget on the backs of Education and Health & Human Services - not a penny from the DOT. In fact, after the latest scam telling you there was an "urgent need" for that last 100 million "bond" for bridges and roads, you now find out that 100 million dollars wasn't really for "urgent needs" at all. If you follow the latest from B-31 then you know that a few weeks ago he proposed a Bridge Bill to the tune of 160 MILLION dollars, funded by "revenue bonds" that DID NOT GO TO THE VOTERS for approval! That bill was passed in the middle of the night along with MORE TAXES for us, our children and grandchildren to pay for. The DOT needs a change of leadership, needs to be consolidated and reorganized, with a better accountability of our tax dollars. Quite simply, B-31 and the Democratic majority are using deficit spending/borrowing to pay for over-priced and unneeded construction projects to pump up the economy. Do you actually think the Democrats will change any of this? Sure, the check is in the mail, and the "D.C. Madam" committed suicide by hanging herself? Surrrree she did…..

Bobby Bradley

Boothbay Harbor

Dear Editor:

I am a school board member and Reorganization Planning Committee chair for Union 98 based on Mount Desert Island. MDI board members were among the most active citizens in Augusta over the past 15 months responding to school consolidation legislation. We devoted thousands of hours and logged at least as many miles in pursuit of a solution that would preserve local school control by communities like ours and yours. This last legislative session in Augusta included another tough fight about school consolidation.

In that session it was an amendment to LD 1932, crafted by and for Union 98, which would have allowed school unions everywhere to continue to function as unions. First introduced in the Senate by our Senator, Dennis Damon, when it moved to the House we had the pleasure to make the acquaintance of Representative Bruce MacDonald of Boothbay. He became the very able and articulate sponsor of the amendment and advocate for that right of communities like ours and yours to continue to be able to control our local schools as we believe best. Time and again we observed Rep. MacDonald`s leadership skills as he advocated effectively for local school control on the floor of the House, in caucus meetings, and with individual legislators. It took a lot of hard work, but the bill passed in the House by a wide margin.

Unfortunately, the bill was vetoed by the Governor (but not before your representative attempted to dissuade him from taking that step).

And then the Senate did not vote to override the veto.

However, that in no way diminishes our gratitude to Representative MacDonald for his fine work on behalf of all small schools, especially those in school unions. You have a fine representative in Mr. MacDonald who understands the value of our schools to our small towns and the value to our schools in having our communities manage them.

Dear Editor:

The Rotary-sponsored exchange team visiting from the Philippines last week experienced the kind of warm hospitality that those of us who have the good fortune to live here in the Region have come to love and expect.

I would particularly like to thank Dave Norton, who took the Filipino team out on the "Suzanne B" (and only hauled shorts and a breeding female for his efforts!); to the Russell House, which invited the entire team to a delicious coastal lunch; to Dr. Aqui and Chet Alamo, who provided a Filipino-style evening that made the team feel right at home; to Mrs. Andrews' first-grade class at BRES, which has been enjoying a sort of pint-sized exchange of its own; and to Andy Hamblett, for the use of the YMCA bus which we used to move the team though town. And let's not overlook Sam Morris and the Transfer Station for what was surely the team's most unusual tour during their month-long New England visit.

And then there were all the Boothbay Harbor Rotarians who, whenever we have a community project like this one, come out and help make the chair's job easy. Thank you all so much for a job well done!

Marty Peak Helman

Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club