This Saturday, March 3rd, interested citizens of Lovell will gather at the Meeting House for the purpose of acting on 97 Articles. Most of the Articles are rather mundane, things like raising $250 for the Salvation Army or raising $10,521 for the Stoneham Rescue Service. The truth is that much of Lovell's budget is dictated by the State, County and School District and the monies voted on are a small percentage of the budget.
But every year there seems to be two or three "hot" issues. Probably the biggest this year will be the election of the Road Commissioner. The current commissioner is Larry Fox who has held the position for 15 years and is being challenged by a town resident, Jason Wentworth, who has been conducting an organized campaign. I always try to avoid being political here but yesterday's snow storm was a good example of why keeping the incumbent would be a good choice. Even though it snowed all day, the roads were kept clear and traveling around town was manageable. Not all of our abutting towns can say that!
This year's meeting will be the first since the building was placed on a new foundation, the first step in the complete renovation of the structure (See Lovell Town Hall and Part Two).
Every year the Board of Selectmen dedicate the Town Report to a worthy individual(s). The 2011 Town Report is dedicated to Gerry Nelson who through the years has worked tirelessly to eradicate variable leaf milfoil from Cushman Pond. Through his efforts, many agencies believe that Cushman Pond is likely to be the first water body in Maine to successfully eliminate an invasive aquatic species!