Good Morning,

For those of you suffering the heat of the south and yearning for the
cooler weather,  it is a brisk 4 degrees above zero here in Newport this
morning, but there is no wind, so it is tolerable out there.

Snow on the way for Thursday, 4-6 more inches, but the Farmer’s Almanac
promises warmer than average temperatures in March, and since the
Groundhog did not see his shadow on February 2, 2019, I am hanging my
hat on an early spring.

It is time to think about this year’s guest speaker at our annual lake
association meeting, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 6, 2019 at
10:00 a.m. at the American Legion Hall; I welcome your ideas and
suggestions.

Also, please consider making a donation to the Fireworks Fund for this
year’s pyrotechnic display on the evening of the lake association meeting.

While the Fireworks are a community event, the local business community
is stretched thin by requests for donations, and donor fatigue has
decreased the amount of contributions to the lake association’s fund.

The new school building is progressing, although the high school portion
is a bit behind schedule and the students may not be able to move in
until the week of Thanksgiving.  The junior high portion of the building
is projected to be complete by August and the start of the new school year.

A reminder; town meeting is scheduled in June, which provides the
opportunity for residents to attend and participate in local decision
making.

The transfer station’s composting program is going gang-busters in spite
of the C-O-L-D temps, snow/rain/ice here since November, and the finish
product should be available to participants this spring.

The ambulance and fire crews have been busy on calls and in training
sessions, and the town’s public work crew has been double-clutching it
to keep the roads clear of the snow and ICE that have insisted on
covering every flat surface in Maine this winter.

The dam gate is open, as of last week we had received 4 inches of rain
and the water was coming over the top of the concrete, but I am
confident that the water level will be down this week.  Maine has
received more than its usual amount of precipitation this year in the
form of snow, rain and ice/sleet, which has proved to be a challenge to
many town entities.

Enough for now; take care and know that the first day of SPRING is only
30 days away !!!8-)