Morning Sentinel from Waterville, Maine • 13

Town meeting Troy rejects outside requests By JAMES DAVIS Sentinel Correspondent TROY Voters rejected sev en of 50 articles on the town meet ing warrant Saturday but not without extended discussion on most of the losers All the losing articles dealt with requests from outside agencies for town funds One of the articles which was approved had strong opposition as well Article five to appropriate $19000 for tarring the new road from near the Don Haley Jr home to the corner of the Barker road was questioned by resident Rich ard Montana He explained that town road costs have been rapidly increasing in recent years After moving to reject the arti cle he said we spend $19000 this year we're talking about $33 000 in the last three years I think we should bring our gravel roads up to meet specifications) before we start Montana said he think the road in ques tion was that bad Compared to some of these roads that road is the highway to heaven Proponents of the article point ed out that the road should be tarred now for just that reason and that the road gets heavier tra ffic than other gravel roads in town Montana said he know how the traffic compared with other roads Resident Karen Garmache asked can you propose this (rejection) if you what the traffic is The question was called and passed by an obvious majority of the 100 voters present Later articles passed quietly provided they were necessary to carry on town government and services Article 27 asked voters to ap prove the return of a portion of the Mitchell Comer Road to the sta tus of a town road This is to be done provided that the family owning property at the end of the section improves the road to meet state specifications for a rural town road Opposition was based on the possibility that the town would be come liable for the maintenance of the entire road if part were maintained Assured by irst Se lectman Philip Paton that this happen voters assented Articles requesting funds for social programs came under heavy fire A plethora of articles asking for one percent of the amount spent in the town last year for services to elderly and low in come people polarized the group of about 50 which concluded the meeting after lunch Paten pointed out at this point that the budget approved so far would require $85000 to be raised from taxation compared to $50000 last year It was explained several times that organizations such as the Waldo County Committee for So cial Action must raise a portion of their budgets from local sources in order to get support from feder al and 'state sources In spite of this the argument was repeated ly stated that keep getting SorrtHwl photo by James Davis HL 1 wKM att Troy resident Karen Garmache seeks information on an article at town meeting this service even if we don't give them anything" Newly elected Second Selectman Norman Heit mann asserted "If towns do it then the county will and gonna get taxed twice for Heitmann and others were dogged in their attempts to scuttle the articles presented by outside agencies Most were met with a motion to reject Of the twelve third party re quests on the warrant seven were defeated Keyes ibre hearings on tap 'eyes ibre Co issues are com ing to a head in the Legislature thisweek State Sen Judy Kany Waterville says the Keyes sales tax exemption will will be voted on by the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation at a work session scheduled for 3 pm Tuesday The session was previously scheduled for today but committee members have request ed additional financial information from com pany officials Mrs Kany said Another Keyes related bill this one aimed at cutting the Water electricity Legislators costs Will also be KepOt acted on this week she said Sunday night The bill said to be one of the keys to the company's continued operation in Waterville will come through the office and will go to the Joint Standing Committee on Public Utilities according to Mrs Kany She declined to say what the legislation involves but did say she expects both bills to get the backing of both the committees and the entire Legislature The Taxation Committee lengthy delib eration on the sales tax exemption for the firm may help get the more sweeping propo sal passed Mrs Kany said Legislators from around the state are more educated about the company's prob lems and related issues than they would have been if the first bill had been rammed through committee And Mrs Kany said she is optimistic that both measures will become law More on REPORT Page 14 Regional Roundup I Colby snake has not been found As they were for Mark Twain in 1897 reports of the death of the infamous Colby College boa constrictor are greatly exaggerated the word from Public Information Director a Peter Kingsley who said reports of the snake's death last week in I the employee newsletter were 1 unconfirmed 1 The four foot boa was lost in I the athletic complex in mid December The snake disappeared into the complex 's I labyrinth of rooms pipes and vents has it that somebody has found it but at this point nobody has actually found it" Kingsley said Sunday night Kingsley said he had been in touch with the owner and with the buildings and grounds supervisor and neither knew anything about the I whereabouts I can tell you as far as i anyone directly involved knows not been found yet If it had been found be he said What was intended as a Christmas gift for a family 3 member of a Colby employee has turned into a headache for the college as it tried to convince employees and students that the six month old reptile was 2 basically harmless I 5 if one were bitten by it it is akin to being stung by a bee if not allergic to it not large It strangle anything" Kingsley said City Staff I Clinton suffers with grass fires CLINTON A rash of grass fires in the area has kept the I Clinton ire Department on the go this month ire Chief Timothy uller 9 said his department responded to I four of the fires last week Two were caused by outdoor burning which got out of control and one started with a faulty incinerator he said is prime this year for serious grass and woods uller said Sunday are very dry already It's a very dry 5 uller said he would like to remind residents that any outdoor burning of any material requires a permit year round These are available at the fire a station weather conditions permitting Incinerators also require permits and must meet specifications set forth by the fire department City Staff Stratton man Morning Sentinel Monday March 25 1985 13 Glenn Turner City Editor Michael Daigle Assistant City Editor Safety questions haunt AT enjoyment By BOB KEYES Sentinel Staff There is a controversy surround ing one of new favorite outdoor machines the ATV or all terrain vehicle As with many other new forms of motorized enjoyment the debate centers around safety and health Dealers servicemen and doctors in Waterville agree that the prinicpal health hazard associated with the three wheeled motorcycles with large balloon tires is the inex perience of new riders especially younger riders They also agree that parents are largely to blame for buying the high powered machines for their kids But where the agreement ends Physicians argue that dealers are responsible for teaching buyers about the vehicles but dealers insist they're fulfilling their obligation and that proper use of the off road vehi cle is spelled out specifically in own manuals Peter Rancourt manager of the Honda Shop on the Airport Road said his dealership offers buyers the opportunity to see a film concerning the proper use of the ATVs Bro chures with safety tips are also avail able and every ATV purchase comes with an manual that specif ically spells out what the vehicle is Intended for In its March 11 edition Newsweek magazine reported that ATV acci dents have claimed more than 100 lives and created a lot of emergency room business Locally Mid Maine Medical Center treats about 15 se rious ATV related accidents a year and more than two dozen ATV acci dents result in some sort of patient hospitalization said MMMC physi cian Dr Alan Hume Hume called on the ATV dealers to let the public know about the dan gers and suggested that they offer instruction on the proper use of the three wheeled motorbikes which have grown in popularity during the past few years legislate human be havior People are going to do this if they want to but you should let them know that these things are very dan Hume said But Rancourt says real problem I see is neglect by parents to instruct the child how to ride one They don't read the manual that instructs them how to ride it he said a person got the book and read it eliminate the problem or a large percentage of it Ran court said ATVs are designed for off road use They are built to go fast as much as 70 miles per hour but are safest when operated at a moderate speed said Ray Maheu owner of Kawasaki in Oakland think in general ATVs are safe The biggest problem is parents buying too large an ATV and letting their kids use Maheu said The ATVs on the market now are too pow erful to be handled by children Ma heu said like buying them a Corvette and telling them not to drive Rancourt said Rodney Worster of Rod's Cycle Shop in Skowhegan is adamant in his criticism of ATVs claiming mis use of the machines is inevitable be cause of the way designed putting a super big mo tor in them with all kinds of power so what do you he said With the big rubber wheels and inade quate suspension system you hit something you can bounce and you know where he said Hume blamed accidents involving riders under the age of 16 on parents and accidents for those over 16 are usually the result of and stu Accidents tend to occur in situa tions when drivers attempt to make sharp turns ride double pop whee lies (standing and pulling up on the front end) and race on pavement where easier to gain speed He criticized the ATV dealers as being unwilling to warn buyers forth right about the safety problems dealer is going to do that because they won't sell Hume said But being frank about the hazard he said by offering courses would benefit not only the buyers but the dealers as well probably the best possible PR they could he said During the past few years sales of the ATV have picked up substantial ly dealers said years ago around 1978 we probably sold a half dozen a year a dozen max whereas now selling hun said Rancourt Dick Russell part owner of the Cycle Shop in Gardiner said his business sold between 20 and 25 ATVs a month Sentinel photo by Ron Max well Honda Shop manager Peter Rancourt pol ishes one of the many all terrain vehicles on display at the Airport Road dealership ATVs have come under heavy criticized by the health community for being dangerous espe cially in the hands of young riders pays LURC fine COPLIN PLT A Stratton man who violated state land use laws by lumbering along a protected section of the Bigelow Range Trail has paid a $500 fine and promised to undertake along the footpath Gene case had been referred to the State Attorney Office a month ago after Currie failed to comply with the terms of a settlement worked out last fall with representatives of the Land Use Regulation Commission Stephen Spencer acting enforcement coordinator said Tuesday that Currie had sent a check for the $500 to LURC and a letter promising the trail will be fixed or relocated this spring The Bigelow Range Trail a blue blazed side trail to the Appalachian Trail begins in Stratton and climbs to cross Cranberry peak on the crest of the range before dipping to meet the AT near Cranberry Pond The trail is in a protection meaning that lumbering is restricted without a permit for 100 feet on either side of the footway said Spencer ranklin Bureau TV APPLIANCE 877 5941 872 2054 37 Clinton Ave Winslow CHANNEL MASTER Satellite Antenna Equipment The recognized leader in performance value and construction Systems starting at 1 49 COMPARE PRICE QUALITY A SERVICE ATER THE SALE 142 College Avenue 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