Seth Wescott cuts the ribbon on the new sidewinder Snowboardcross course at Sugarloaf last January. (Part one of two)

WESTERN MOUNTAINS — The first half of 2009 saw the area still grappling with the Air National Guard’s plans to allow low-flight training missions over the Condor 1 and 2. The heavy snowfall that started the winter season continued well into its remainder. School consolidations continued to be an issue in Rangeley where voters rejected a merger. And TransCanada’s Kibby project was well on track with wind mill parts arriving daily by midyear.

January

Franklin Memorial Hospital’s first baby of the year was Cole Vincent Bailey. The 8-pound, 8-ounce baby boy was born to Bill and Donica Bailey of Phillips. Endless Energy, in an attempt to bring its wind farm proposal directly to the voters and bypass LURC’s rejection, was trying to convince Carrabassett Valley to annex Redington Township where the company hoped to build its facility. Carrabassett Valley Academy’s Amie Rowland finished third in slalom at the FIS Eastern Cup Alpine Race Series out of a field of 120. Back in the news, the low-fly military jet proposal was going to receive a full Environmental Impact Study before the Air National Guard resubmitted its proposal. Sam Simpson enjoyed a banner night when he earned a career-high 34 points against the Cobras; the Roadrunners won that contest 78 to 72 after double overtime. Near recordbreaking low temperatures were recorded in the area with sources claiming minus 25 in Strong, minus 30 in Eustis and as low as 40 below in Kingfield and New Portland. The lady Roadrunners’ ski team secured the top two alpine finishes along with a 10th and 13th, which earned them the top spot in team contention; Emily Luce and Noelle Lake took the gold and silver. Excellent conditions, thanks to cold temperatures and lots of snow, drew hundreds to Rangeley’s annual Snodeo. Roadrunners’ senior guard Kenni Norton achieved a 1,000-point season; only two others achieved this feat.

Selectman Neal McCurdy presents Tyyne Pillman with the historic Boston Post Cane last March. Governor John E. Baldacci addresses a crowd at the Poland Spring Kingfield plant’s Open House last February. February

Rangeley voters rejected the school consolidation merger with Bethel-based MSAD #44; the proposal was soundly defeated 31-339. Sugarloaf announced that it had topped 50 inches by the end of January. Polar Blast in the Stratton-Eustis area saw about 200 competitors for the Radar Run on Pumpkin Pond. Thanks to district nurses, New Balance donated 90 pairs of sneakers for children in the MSAD #58 school system who were in need of athletic footwear. Nearly two feet of snow fell on the region in late February. Along with the snow, however, gusty winds left 128,000 homes without power. Sugarloaf had a base of 55 to 95 inches on its trails.

Arthur Ryan of Strong (left to right) came in third in the 2009 MSAD #58 Public Speaking Competition, Jill Howard of Stratton took second and Sadie James was first. March

Revving up for Town Meetings, Kingfield saw three folks vying for one position on the board of selectmen, New Portland was looking for a selectman and town clerk, Carrabassett voters were to decide on the new library and Eustis sought to elect three officers. Dylan Darrienzo, a Stratton resident and CVA honors student, was named Snowboarder of the Year by USASA. Voters in Eustis questioned why the winter roads account jumped from $90,000 the previous year to $150,000. Selectman Jay Wyman said among other factors that there was only one bid for the contract. Rangeley School Union 37 was seeking “Island Status” for its consolidation efforts, which would make it largely exempt from the consolidation laws due to its isolation. Carrabassett voters approved the new $1.5 million library/community facility by 112-20. John Beaupre and Bob Thomas, owners of three small markets in the area, reopened Anni’s Market in Kingfield after its closure the year before.

Jeff Beauregard, Patrol Agent in Charge of the Rangeley Border Patrol Station, stands in front of the new 20,00-square-foot station under construction; it was expected to open mid-summer. April

Saddleback Maine announced its purchase of Oquossoc Cove Marina and TransCanada held an Open House for its 44-turbine wind farm on Kibby. Kingfield was investigating options for changing the date of its town meeting and hence fiscal year. MSAD #58 board of directors chose Kingfield Elementary School Principal Brenda Stevens to replace outgoing Mt. Abram High School Principal Jeanne Tucker. And Marco Aliberti, KES English teacher, took over as principal at the school. The Fred Webster Snow Softball Tournament raised nearly $25,000 to support Maine Special Olympics. Emily and Ben Eames both earned podium spots at the USASA Nationals in Colorado. Lanie Roy, a 2003 Mt. Abram graduate, was at the helm coaching the girls’ softball team; Roy played all four years on the Roadrunner varsity team.

Ground was broken for the Carrabassett Valley Public Library and Community Center in mid-May. May

New Portland voters decided 94-17 to close Central School largely due to the high cost of keeping it open. The possibility of an H1N1 pandemic was in the news with preventative hygiene considered the best approach. Backyard Farms in Madison announced that it would hire an additional 75 employees to work in its new greenhouse, which gave the tomato grower a total of 42 acres of year-round growing space. The Mt. Abram baseball team silenced the undefeated Andies in an unexpected victory on the home turf. The driver of a south- bound Massachusetts pickup truck was found guilty of leaving the scene of a fatal crash. Lumber from the Mass. driver’s trailer came off and shattered the window of a following vehicle driven by Stephen McKenney. Forty-two-year-old Gabriel Helminger of Cambridge, Mass., placed first in the Sugarloaf marathon with an overall time of two hours, 34 minutes and 11 seconds. Amanda Belle, a 25-yearold Rockland resident, came in first for the women with a time of two hours, 58 minutes and 24 seconds.

June

TransCanada’s wind turbines for the Kibby project began rolling through area towns on their way to the site north of Eustis. Each turbine required about 10 trucks and 22 turbines were to be erected in the first half of the project. Thieves stole $30,000 of equipment from the wind farm project and police were investigating. The Herbert Hotel in Kingfield had new owners; Bob and Nerisha Gregor, attorneys from New Jersey, had great plans for the Kingfield landmark. The Rangeley Laker boys advanced to Western D finals to play Richmond and see who would go to the state final. MSAD #58 was planning to install wood pellet boilers in both the Kingfield and Strong elementary schools thanks in large part to USDA grants.

See Year in Review, part two (final installment), in next week’s issue.