LISBON PARKS AND RECREATION - WINTER FESTIVAL

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – AUGUST 4th, 2015

The following is a summary of last night’s Town Council meeting.  Councilors Bickford and Crafts were excused.   The following is under Council Orders, Resolutions and Ordinances:

1.   Fuel pumps – Security Cameras – The Council approved, by a vote of 5-0, for the Public Works Director to go out for bids on Security Cameras.

2.  Winter Salt Purchase – The Council approved, by a vote of 5-0, to purchase salt at $61.44 through AVCOG.

3.  Consideration of Acceptance of Fairbanks Road – The Council tabled this agenda item, by a vote of 5-0, for the road to be inspected by an Engineer to make sure it meets Town standards.  Also need to check with CMP.

4.  Maine Downtown Center Network Community Agreement – The Council approved $1,000.00 from the Economic Community Development budget, by a vote of 5-0.

5.  Renewal Mass Gathering/Itinerant Vendor Permit – Positive Change Lisbon (PCL) – The Council approved this by a vote of 5-0.

6.  Renewal Mass Gathering/Itinerant Vendor Permit – Riverside Flea Market – The Council approved this by a vote of 5-0.

7.  Solicit bids for fuel – The Council gave the Town Manager permission to negotiate fuel prices in order to get the best price by a vote of 5-0.

8.  Set Registrar hours & casting of absentee ballot for November 3, 2015 election – This was approved by the Council 5-0.

9.  Fireworks Ordinance (First Reading) – The first reading was approved by a vote of 5-0.

Under Other Business the Town Manager announced the paving for part of Route 196, Webster Road and Ferry Road last night.

Under Audience Participation &; Response New Items – The Library Director announced the temporary hours for the Library.

Under Appointments – David Bowie was appointed as Chairman of the Ethics Panel.  Lynette Carver was appointed to the Lisbon Cemetery Committee.

Under Councilor Communications – Chairman Pesce announced that the paperwork needed to pay for the GYM has been completed and the town is paying for the GYM.  Also, the Finance Director is now allowed to attend Construction meetings.

The Council moved into Executive Session to discuss Acquisition or disposition of real property or economic development and Labor Negotiations.

Larry Fillmore

Lisbon Shows Its Moxie With New Banners

32^nd Annual Moxie Festival July 11-13, 2014

 

 Ross Cunningham, President of Positive Change Lisbon, and Gina Mason of the Moxie Committee show one of the 12 new Lisbon town banners purchased by these two volunteer civic organizations.

Lisbon shows its Moxie with new banners

May 29, 2014, Lisbon, Maine.  Starting today, drivers will see Lisbon’s Moxie when new town banners proclaiming:  “Lisbon Home of the Moxie Festival” replace some of  the “Welcome to Lisbon” banners.  These 12 new banners are a joint effort of the Moxie Festival Committee and Positive Change Lisbon.

“These two awesome civic-minded organizations are putting Lisbon on the map as a great place to live, work, or start a business.  The Moxie Festival is a truly unique Maine event and Lisbon is a quintessential Maine town,” said Tracey Steuber, Town of Lisbon Director of Economic and Community Development.

Selma Basic, Marketing Officer for Lisbon Community Federal Credit Union, designed the banner.

According to Lisbon Public Safety Officials, an estimated 50,000 people attend the three-day Moxie Festival which will take place July 11-13, 2014.  The Town of Lisbon has approximately 9,300 residents.

Since 1982, The Moxie Festival http://moxiefestival.com/ in Lisbon, Maine has been held on the second weekend in July.  The Festival now includes a Friday night Recipe Contest, fireworks; a Saturday parade, Moxie Day 5K Race, Moxie Bike Rally, Chug-n-Challenge, Moxie Concert in the Park, Moxie Vintage Base Ball Game, and Family Fun Fair; and on Sunday, the Chief Worumbo Androscoggin River Race, Moxie Car Show and much more!  Moxie was designated Maine’s official soft drink on May 20, 2005.  Like the Moxie Festival on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moxie-Festival/178761148986950

Positive Change Lisbon http://www.positivechangelisbon.org/index.html is an organization of business owners, citizens, and government officials who work together to make Lisbon a more attractive place to live, have fun, and to conduct business.  Like Positive Change Lisbon on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PositiveChangeLisbon

2nd Annual Spring Clean Up Day Saturday, May 3, 2014

LISBON’S MOTHER-SON DANCE SCHEDULED FOR MAY 10

Lisbon – The third annual Lisbon Mother-Son Mother’s Day Dance is scheduled for May 10.  The event will be held at the MTM Center in Lisbon Falls from 6 to 8 p.m.  Advance tickets are at the Lisbon Recreation Department for  $10 per couple and $5 each additional child from April 22 through May 8.   

Tickets are also available at the door for $15 per couple/additional child for $5 each.  Positive Change Lisbon and the Lisbon Recreation Department are sponsoring the event.   Mother-son portraits available by a professional photographer.  DJ, dancing, refreshments and door prizes.  Create a memory, buy your tickets today!

Positive Change Lisbon is pleased to announce an annual calendar of seminars

Positive Change Lisbon is pleased to announce an annual calendar of seminars designed to help the small business owner or professional succeed (see attached schedule).  Please join us or send your employees so they may succeed.  Also, if you could forward this email and/or print the attached flyer and post it in your place of business, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

 Ross Cunningham, President

Very Merry Main Street‏

Lisbon's Very Merry Main Street offers free family holiday fun‏

Carolers singing holiday favorites on Main Street Lisbon Falls during the Very Merry Main Street celebration which this year will be Saturday, Dec. 7 from 5 pm until 7 pm.

Bring your family and celebrate the holiday season in Lisbon Falls at the 5th Annual Very Merry Main Street on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 5-7 pm. Free activities include horse drawn carriage rides, musical performances, and the chance to visit Santa.

“Lisbon Falls is the perfect place to experience an authentic small town holiday celebration. As a family friendly destination, we offer activities that will bring smiles to children of all ages,” said Ross Cunningham, President of Positive Change Lisbon, the coordinator of the event.

The evening begins at 4:30 at the MTM Center on School Street where carolers from Lisbon Falls Baptist Church will lead the singing as Santa lights the town’s Christmas tree at MTM park. After the lighting, everyone is invited to follow Santa in a "Caroling Procession" down Main Street to Route 196.

From 5 pm to 7 pm, over 15 businesses in Lisbon Falls will open their doors and welcome visitors to their stores with many providing snacks and drinks and activities. Stop by the Positive Change Lisbon table outside Mike's Flooring on Main Street to receive a card to be stamped by local businesses. Return the stamped cards to be entered into a contest to win a gift basket.

Children will be able to meet Santa for free after he arrives at the “North Pole Annex” in the Masonic Hall on Route 196. Parents can take photos of their kid's visit. All visitors are invited to line up at the Outside Mike's Flooring on Main Street for free horse drawn carriage rides.

During the evening, the Lewiston trio known as “Present Company” will perform holiday favorites at Drapeau's Costumes on Main Street. Local singer songwriter Steve Hildonen will be playing sing a long songs at The Railroad Diner. Participants will be able to hear familiar tunes at Tangles Hair Salon broadcast by Lisbon’s own WQRY Internet Radio.

For more information, contact Ross Cunningham at 751-2417 or rcunni@aol.com

Positive Change Lisbon is an organization of business owners, citizens, and government officials who work together to make Lisbon a more attractive place to live, recreate and to conduct business.

Free family performances at the Oct. 5 Harvest Festival in Lisbon Falls‏

Wayne from Maine will entertain families at Lisbon’s annual Harvest Festival on Sat., Oct. 5 at the MTM Center in Lisbon Falls.

Bring your family and welcome the fall season in Lisbon Falls at the 5^th Annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 1-4 pm at the MTM Center on School Street.  Free performances include Wayne from Maine at 2 pm and singer/songwriter Keith Dover at 3 pm on the outdoor Pavilion Stage.

“Lisbon is continuing to live up to its growing reputation as a family friendly destination.  Join us at the Harvest Festival for some good old-fashioned fun,” said Ross Cunningham, President of Positive Change Lisbon, the coordinator of the event.

In addition, there will be plenty of children’s activities such as pumpkin painting, face design, cake walk, bouncy house, duck pond game, rock band hero and other activities run by Lisbon non-profits.

For more information contact Harvest Festival Media Contact Sharon Zylla at 740-8309 or Sharonzylla@yahoo.com

Positive Change Lisbon is an organization of business owners, citizens, and government officials who work together to make Lisbon a more attractive place to live, recreate and to conduct business. 

More Information on the Dynamics of Lisbon Affairs

• Fern Larochelle

  Its too bad to see a good Facebook page like this one becoming just anoughter Lisbon -bashing blog site

The Above is a direct quote from the facebook site “Positive change Lisbon” As I and My Wife were the only persons brave enough to post FACTS about the purchase of several toxic waste sites that the town which seems to be hell bent on purchasing with our tax dollars. This is the Leader of our town ?

They had a regular town meeting to discuss this and there were so many people in attendance they reluctantly re-scheduled a second meeting to allow the people who pay their salaries an opportunity to be heard. Now I work nights so I can pay my property taxes but I still went to the meeting for as long as I could. I also passed out “I LOVE LISBON BUTTONS” and when someone didn't want to take one I would ask them “don't you love your town ?” I did not see Fern or any other town officer or employee promoting POSITIVE feelings for our town.

Now most people (at least those aware of it) are upset with Fern's recent tax evasion and the purchase of the corner property across from the mill. Now as long as he had no prior knowledge of the actual purchasing of the mill it self I will applaud Fern for being a good capitalist and trying to pay as little in taxes as possible is as American as apple pie. If there was knowledge of future events, he has a moral obligation to own up to these improprieties at minimum. Now as I stated earlier I attended the second meeting for as long as I could but, as I understand it Fern stated that the town council had been discussing the Mill property for over 2 years at this meeting so who's bashing the taxpayers of this town me or Fern ?

Laus Deo'

Thomas Austin Barry III

Resident of Lisbon

Editors Note:  For real positive change you can go to PositiveChangeLisbon.com

Has Lisbon Been Changed Into A Third World Country?

Lisbon Maine Town Council Meetings

The Lisbon Council Meetings of today are very different from the ones held only six months ago. Today's meetings are very short and unfriendly to the public.

The Last Council Meeting was no exception.With the exclusion of a handful of people accepting awards there were only three townspeople attending this meeting. None of the attending taxpayers were allowed to speak their mind. The entire meeting lasted only 23 minutes from the pledge of allegiance to adjournment.

 This meeting was a very tightly scripted event designed to eliminate both substantive and embarrassing remarks from attending taxpayers. No one talked about Councilor indiscretions, no one  spoke at all. 

The podium was moved to the center of the room and yes the uniformed armed police officer was gone. He was replaced by a plain clothes officer with his firearm concealed from view but the message was still clear.   Even Council Chair Larochelle seemed intimidated and on several occasions apologized profusely to him for having to asking legitimate Police Budget  questions.

 When Councilor Mason asked Chief Brooks if we could revert back to one officer patrols similar to the ones County and State Police use, she was quickly shut down by a glance from the chief that made it clear  she had stepped over the line and would be dealt with later. I applaud her courage and invite other Councilors to follow her lead and ask these hard questions.
 
I am not involved in town government nor am not privy to the decisions made by” the powers that be” in Lisbon, but, even I could tell there was something very wrong with this Council Meeting. This Meeting was more representative of some third world country rubber stamping their own wishes than a friendly town meeting in the freest country on earth.  Freedom of speech was but a fleeting memory from  past meetings that was replaced with an air of intimidation and arrogance usually reserved for country's run by third world dictators. 

Lisbon has the third highest tax rate in our County. Our tax rate is much higher than Brunswick’s tax rate  when adjusted to 100% valuation.  If we want to lower our taxes and not just hold the line we will need Councilors that aren’t afraid to make tough decisions. We need Councilors that  aren’t afraid to cut the fat from bloated department budgets.

Over a year ago Lisbon Residents spoke loud and clear telling Councilors they wanted  a department by department vote on the town budget.  There was no ambiguity in their message they made it very clear they wanted a voice in the budget process.  Our councilors have failed to give us that vote and instead have moved the budget further from our control by eliminating the elected budget board and installing their own hand picked finance committee.
 
This November  we have to make our own tough choices and replace those Councilors that  ignored our demand.  Lets make a positive change in Lisbon this November and  vote out those Councilors that refuse to give us what we want.

Respectfully
LisbonMaine.net
Joe Hill