Kennebec Journal from Augusta, Maine • 9

r' STATE HOUSE: Legislature adjourns briefly in parliamentary maneuver Page 13 Augusta editor: Patty Ammons 621-5645 Friday March 28 1997 9' Brief Woman sues over job loss to man By MIKE LABERGE Staff Writer Afarmer janitor at Windsor Elementary School has sued the school department claiming she lost her job to a younger Rights Act and the federal Civil Rights Act Tkaylor now 63 also hopes to win back her job School administrators declined comment on the advice of the school lawyer Ervin Snyder of Wiscasset Snyder said he was aware of Trgyior's claims but said he could not discuss them because the school department has not yet been served with the lawsuit "The school depsrtment does not agree with the assertions Ms Traylor has he said before declining Anther comment The lawsuit centers on contention tint her former boss was a chauvinist Traylor started working as a janitor at Windsor Elementary in mid-1985 and had an excellent work record the first few years But tilings began to change after the school department hired a new head janitor identified in the lawsuit as Dwight Mooty Starting in April IMS the lawsuit contends he On Jan 20 1995 she received a doctor's note saying she could not perform heavy work such as mopping large areas But she contends Moody -ignored that order and then reprimanded her when she failed to perform those duties causing her "severe emotional put her under so much stress she became too Ql to the lawsuit contends On Feb 10 1995 a counselor treating Traylor for depression told the school department she could not go to work because of stress One month later the lawsuit contends she! was replaced by a younger man Traylor sued the school department and School Union 51 earlier this month claiming ad-' 1 ministrators had violated her state and federal' rights to work free from gender and disability da- crimination She seeks money far lost wages and benefits' emotional distress mental anguish and damage to her reputation began making Traylor's job miserable He gave her extra work ignoring a doctor's note that she could not perform certain tasks such as cUmbing ladders because of osteoarthritis i Traylor also claims her boss frequently changed her job duties making them increasingly difficult and subjected her to "white-glove when he inspected her work "Dwight Moody believe a woman should be a the lawsuit claims this reason Mr Moody found ways to make her job extremely difficult in order to make the work conditions so unbearable that she would have to Moody could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit despite repeated attempts Eventually Traylor contends the stress took itstofl tiwwiM of a back strain she missed several ihys of work in late 1994 and early 1995 Catherine Tnylor dahns she was fired March 10 1995 after shout nine years because her boss believed a woman could not do the jab She contends her boss made her duties fanpaa-sfity demanding in the hope she would either foil or quit which violated her state and federal civil rights think weVe got ample evidence that he was treated in a tfiscriminatory said her lawyer John Lemieux of ReadfiehL "She had a supervisor who had a bias against The lawsuit filed in Kennebec County Siqrari- nr Cmirt iwh damage from tha school department under the Maine Human I did it! Rabid fox found dead in Pittston WWlfinmAll HUM 1 is on the rise mostly it has been in Cumberland York and Oxford Wright said "Once you come down with the disease 100 percent Decker said the dead fox was di covered under a porch when she was looking for her cat which has had its rabies shots The fax was taken to the state labo- ratoiy where tests confirmed it was nositive for rabies- Both Decker and Wright stressed' the case should serve as a reminder for pet owners to make sure their ani- -mais have up-to-date rabies shots should be waiy of any animals wandering around unconcerned about humans wild animals usually shy away from people especially Decker said "Rabid animals could be ovcraggressive or docile If anybody sees an animal acting -strangely immediately contact the animal control officer or a municipal official If you come in contact with animals themselves get hold of your family Phase tee RABIES Pag 10 Staff photo ANDY MOLLOY Steven Albert reacte to knocking down a pin during the Kennebec Valley Special Otympica bowling tournament at 1-7-10 Bowling Center In Augusta Area Director Denise Richardson said the daylong program was open to clients of all By KEITH EDWARDS Staff Writer PITTSTON A dead rabid fox was discovered under a porch on the Hunts Meadow Road this VBfik The fox confirmed as rabid by a state laboratory appeared to have been dead for quite awhile causing concern that pets and other animals in the area could have come into contact with the rabiesmfected corpse "All pets in the immediate area appear to have had their rabies shots but you never know about said Don Decker animal control officer "As far as I know the fax come into contact with anything but Tm still working on The female red fax found Tuesday on the Hunts Meadow Road was the first rabies case Decker had heard of around Pittston What has been called a nines epidemic has been spreading through Maine in recent years with 57 cases reported in 1997 already In 1996 according to Rosie Wright a state microbiologist there were 131 person be a principal all the time if he or she is doing something else difficult to wear two hats -and do both jobs Linda Smith teacher Mount Vernon School the idea of a teaching principal though cannot support a teaching principal because of the impact it would have on those students in that said committee member Debbie Baeder Vassalboro residents argue for town to keep Fortin Road NEWS IN Fire truck debate on town agenda MOUNT VERNON Selectmen here will hold a special meeting Wednesday with members of the fire department to discuss the proposed purchase of a lira track The meeting will begin 7 pm at die town office and at some point in the evening msy move to the me station so the board can look at the current equipment Agency sets May 3 as volunteer day AUGUSTA The Kennebec Valley United Way wffi hold its shdh annual volunteer day on May 1 Greg Gravel executive vice president of Kennebec Long-term Care has been named chairman of the event A longtime United Wqy volunteer he is working with other volunteers to recruit workers and agency job sites for the event Volunteer day allows teams of volunteers frdm area businesses and or-ranizations to help nonprofit agencies By doing cleanup and maintenance and projects The United Way invites nonprofit agencies and organizations to apply by April 4 to participate in the 1997 vol-unteerday For more information call the United Augusta office at 826- 3400 Red Cross honors Auburn woman AUGUSTA Some donors and workers at the blood drive held rat the Penny Memorial Baptist Church in Augusta remember Evelyn Merrill as a longtime volunteer She worked as an escort every eight weeks during the collection drives for about a decade said Louise Leriey who coordinates the drive at the church and who worked with Merrm Alter Merrill who was an Anita resident lied in a car crash in 1993 the American Red Cross Blood Services Northeast Region set up a memorial award to those who exhibit the qualities standing vohmteerism This Evefyn Merrill Award has been presented to Pauline Bon-ney of Auburn who has volunteered far the United Valley Chapter American Red Cron for more than 11 years She also serves on the Service to Armed Forces Emergency Services Committee and is chairman of the Municipal Campaign committee Senior Spectrum offers new help AUGUSTA Senior Spectrum has recently trained members of its staff in counseling in one of the newest financial options available to senior home equity conver- sion mortgages organization officials said Home equity conversion mort- gages are also called reverse mort-jr said 'Murid Scott Senior Spectrum's executive director warned that seniors should consider all the tions before deciding on using a 1 equity conversion mortgage "Reverse mortgages can change a tax status eligibility for state and federal rtuns as wdl as have fanpficationa progn rarest planning Scott said her financial advisers are familiar with a wide variety of services available to seniors and their families To contact one of the customer service representatives call 622-9213 or (800) 639-1553 Store joins fight against diabetes AUGUSTA The American Diabetes Association is urging people to discover their risk for the wait dis-ease that kills 178)00 people per year Diabetes can cause compBcationa such as blindness heart attack kidney cfisesse and amputations Known as the Americsn Diabetes Association ALERT the oneday national campaign bepn Tuesday to inform thepAtic about dtabetes and Ms associations with obesity toe lack of exerdae anaammusayoiDiecneaBe In conjunction with the ALERT the 19 Wal-Mart stores in Maine will hold a oneday health fair Customers visiting the stores will be able to take advantage of free vision and other health creenings'in addition to re- The health fidr is scheduled at the Augusta Wal-Mart bom 9 am-6 pun Compiled from stqff reports Mt Vernon to maintain full-time principal at elementary school By MECHELE COOPER Staff Wriler VASSALBORO Residents who turned out for a public hearing Wednesday were anything but enthused with a town proposal to discontinue the Fortin Road There was little discussion of the other two roads being considered for discontinuation the Barrows Road and the old Webber Pond Road which the state stopped maintaining a number of years ago But Rose Fortin who lives cm the Fortin Road and her son Robert told town officials it would be a hardship for them if the town decided to discontinue the road which has only two houses "The town has always maintained it (Fortin Robert Fortin said "We have that kind of equipment to keep that road rating It would be a real big burden for us to take care of One resident said he has been living in town for 75 years and can re Linda Smith a teacher at the ele- mentary school expressed concern over the principal doing too many different jobs "A person be a principal all the time if he or she is rating some-: thing she said difficult to wear two hats and do both jobs About 20 residents attended the special school committee meeting-to voice their feelings on the matter have a golden opporhmity to try a part-time said resident Halfy Dumaine after a year-it work out you would not be I obliged to continue (with a Many parents in the audience said a part-time principal would tim- it accessibility and effectiveness-should problems arise "There are a lot of things every1- one would like to have They are Phase set MT VERNON Page 10 the The owners and captains Augusta burned its bridge in 1827 rebuilt without delay member when horses plowed the Fortin Road and children living on it were brought to school in a horse-drawn sleigh "The town has always taken care of he said Town Manager Gary Brown said able to determine if the estimated 1000-foot road was ever actually accepted by the town Fortin said she looked at town records and there was a time when the town wanted to extend the road to the town of China talking 100 years ago so it has always been a town she said There was some conftision among the 20-phis residents at the meeting about officials' intentions at the public hearing only here to decide if going to put it on the town said Selectman Robert Browne "We discontinue a road up to the Pitas stt VASSALBORO Page 10 AUGUSTA Water on the Kennebec was swift flowing and high on April 2 1827 Spring run-off was in process and the valley looked to awaken from a long winter With the Ice cover out shippers crowded beside the landing in Hal-lowell and farther downriver in Gardner restocking merchants Around 1030 that night a lit dgar was tossed or droppedi on the wooden bridge Given the lateness of the hour foot and carriage traffic was minimal so the toll master Alexander Kincaid had retired for the evening with his wife and their child The dgar went unnoticed and so did the fire it started for mate than half an hour By the time the first flames were spotted and the ay of resounded along the river bank the bridge was Barely 10 years old the covered wooden structure was the replace- ment of the first bridge across the Kennebec which had weathered decayed and fallen into the river The dryness of the beams and the on the spring night fiieled the path of hare along the upriver edge the By TOM FREY Correspondent MOUNT VERNON The school committee voted unanimously Tuesday to keep the position of elementary school principal a AiU-time one The current principal Barbara Doughty is retiring at the end of this year The committee reviewed the principal's hours after a School Union 42 administrative task force recommended changing the position to part-time to save money Mount Vernon Elementaiy School tfyfcfi kindergarten through sixth grade and has a student population of 148 While the school committee agreed to look for a fiill-time principal they want to hire someone with additional abilities who could be utilized to lower costs elsewhere The school committee rejected Bicentennial Along the way northern aide of the bridge and moved in each direction toward the banks of tiie river Kincaid roused by the alum instructed his wife to get to then threw himself to the task of fighting the fire His wife struggling to escape and clutching her baby in her arms fell and was badly burned before being rescued Seemingly within minute the entire bridge was ablaze smoke bil- that people could readily recognize friends and neighbors cm the opposite ahore As the bridge became engulfed within an hour sections of the structure burned through broke and fell into the river where the combine- HISTORICAL ENTRIES March 25 1639: Aroostook between Maine and New Brunswick ends two U3 Army cfiviskxis driting in Augusta do-chaiged March 29 1799: Captain Samuel Howard 64 Inastor mariner and Fort Western trader des March 30 1851: Somerset and Kannebec Corporation formed to promote constructing a railroad linking Augusta Watervilla Stowhegan and Soton December 1861 to March 1862: Four Union Army regiments (5953 soldiers) encamp in Augusta for training April A 1967 "tOOyear flood April 4 1637: Kennebec Locks and Canal Co (dam owners) increase capital stock to compMs construction April 1890: Steel bridge spans the Kennebec replacing foe third wooden bridge The April 30 1923 flood of Hie Kennebec River played havoc with amu activities tlw Augusta Girts Community Club (d Mt) might have hadV planned At right center a young man is trapped on a stack of (Reprinted from a Central Maine Newapapara 1996 puMca tion Photo courtesy of David and Vhrian DennatL) bridge atm ablaze drifted toward-the moored vessel! and threatened tion of the tidal and seasonal current carried them swiftly downstream The lateness of the hour and the nearimpassable reads kept news of a fire at the bridge in A'lgusta from the citizens of who first learned about it when chunks of the 'V- wakened and hurried to protect their craft Meanwhile r-v- Phase sat FLOOD Page 10 '-I' 1 '-'-V 13L5.