To the citizens of the greater Rangeley area,

I write to inform you that the Regional School Unit (RSU) Plan that would consolidate the Central Office Services of Maine School Union #37 (MSU #37) and Maine School Administrative District #44 (MSAD #44) has been completed, sent to Maine's Commissioner of Education and has been approved by her.

Public meetings will now be held in each community making up MSU #37 for the purpose of sharing the plan with the members of each community.

The meeting dates, times and places of those meetings are as follows:

1. Dallas Plantation: Jan. 13, 2009, 70 pm, Dallas Town Office

2. Lincoln Plantation, Jan. 14, 2009, 6:30 pm, Wilson's Mills Town Hall (Grange Hall)

3. Magalloway Plantation, Jan. 14, 2009, 6:30 pm, Wilson's Mills Town Hall (Grange Hall)

4. Rangeley Plantation, Jan. 8, 2009, 6:30 pm, Rangeley Plantation Town Hall

5. Sandy River Plantation, Jan. 6, 2009, 6:00 pm, Sandy River Plantation Town Office

6. Town of Rangeley, Jan. 15, 2009, 6:30 pm, RLRS All-Purpose Room

The folks who represented the six communities on the Regional Planning Committee (RPC) will be available to explain the plan and answer questions, including fiscal impact, concerning those plans. These folks, to whom I express my eternal thanks and gratitude, are: Linda Dexter, Dallas Plantation; Bruce Bean, Magalloway Plantation; Beth Smith, Rangeley Plantation; Carmen Glidden, Sandy River Plantation; Paul Fergerson- Packard, Sandy River Plantation; Ginny Nuttall, Rangeley; Rob Welch, Rangeley; Harold Schaetzle, Rangeley.

Please note that as these public meetings will be your only opportunity to view and discuss the RSU Plan firsthand prior to the RSU Referendum which will be held in each of the six communities on Jan. 27, 2009. Polling times and places in each of the Union #37 Communities are as follows:

1. Dallas Plantation, Dallas Town Office, 2-6 pm

2. Lincoln Plantation, Lincoln Plantation Town Office, 4- 8 pm

3. Magalloway Plantation, Magalloway Town Office, 4- 8 pm

4. Rangeley Plantation, Rangeley Plantation Town Office, 10 am- 2 pm

5. Sandy River Plantation, Sandy River Plantation Town Office, 2- 6 pm

6. Town of Rangeley, Rangeley Town Office, 10 am- 7 pm

Absentee ballots will be available from the Town Clerk in each community after the Public Meeting; however, in order to count they must be returned to the clerk prior to the closing of the polls.