Town is deserting elderly citizens
To the edtior,
Three years ago a group of dedicated volunteers created a town committee on aging. The mission of this group was to provide the elderly citizens of the town, 35 percent percent of them over 65 years of age, with important information about services in the immediate area. The formation of this committee was approved unanimously by the board of selectmen.
It was not long before the committee on aging realized that, for this population, a Medical Equipment Loan Closet was a very real need. Over the next two years, the committee received hundreds of pieces of equipment, and after cleaning and sanitizing, more than 200 pieces of equipment were loaned out, free of charge, to those in need. The committee was able to find a large area for storage at the Kennebunk Light and Power building, in a second floor area.
The program was one of the most successful programs of its kind in the sate of Maine. But, in a recent development, the town has now decided, in a self-serving manner and with the flimsiest excuses, that it no longer wants to support the efforts of the Medical Loan Closet or the committee on aging, and has cancelled the program. Without any notice to the population of Kennebunk, it is now not possible to obtain any equipment at all on loan. Instead of being known as a town that supports its elderly citizens, it now looks as if it doesn’t care.
While the town continues to approve the construction of enormous houses for the wealthy, and still lacks any meaningful transportation system, it has decided to ignore the elderly.
It is an open question about what is to be done.
Bevan Davies
Kennebunk
Eldercare facility is ‘only viable’ use for Village Parcel
To the editor,
Wake up Kennebunkport. I haven’t worked with budgets in years, but I do recognize an increase when I see one. The annual rate of inflation in the United States since 2016 is about 6 percent, the increase in the tax mill rate in Kennebunkport is almost 30 percent ($7.46 in ’16, $9.96 in ‘20) There is a 55.73 percent increase in our municipal department for 2021.
The town foolishly purchased the ‘Village Parcel’ for $10 million dollars, added $4 million for financing and now we’re paying the price big time. Now they want to spend another $4 million of a new town hall and upgraded fire station. Are you kidding?
Unfortunately we’re stuck, there’s no way they could ever sell the ‘parcel’ for anywhere near what they paid for it. I find it ironic that we’re still talking about market rate and affordable housing when our taxes are going up by 30 percent.
About 40 percent of our residents are 65 years or older and I would imagine many are on fixed incomes.
I still maintain that an eldercare facility, including 55-plus housing, independent living and assistant living is the only viable use of the Village Parcel. Currently the density of eldercare is the highest of any other use, elderly is exempt from the growth management ordinance which limits any other developer to seven permits a year.
The projected growth rate for southern Maine from 2019 to 2024 is 1.7 percent. Most elderly are already residents of the area and when they sell their homes it should create additional housing for others.
Bill Case
Kennebunkport
A reminder not to idle
To the editor,
As a resident of Kennebunk, and one who worked for the last couple of years on getting the word out on the town’s no idling policy, which was ratified by the select board over 10 years ago, in 2009, I was extremely pleased to receive my tax bill just now. Yes. Pleased to receive my tax bill.
Why? Because included was the newsletter, Kennebunk Currents and the leaflet co-authored with members of Kennebunk’s Energy Efficiency Committee, which serves to remind people of the policy, and importantly the reasons why not to idle.
When I visit the beaches, the post office, the grocery store, I undoubtedly find at least one car idling – at times with no one even sitting in it, at times, someone sitting while reading the paper, or having lunch. At times from the time I start my walk to the time I return, so possibly an entire hour.
When I see that, I think to myself, ‘Is this person really that out of touch with the consequences of their action? … or are they just plain selfish?’
If the former, I hope they’ll change their behavior now that they’ve been alerted to the consequences of their actions; if the latter, well, I’d like to ask them to learn to be more mindful of others and share Richard Whately’s insight that, “A person is called selfish, not for pursuing his or her own good, but for neglecting his or her neighbor’s.”
Along with animals and plant life, we humans are meant to breathe clean air. Here in Maine, car emissions are the leading cause of air pollution and global warming, and this is one sphere we all share responsibility in, and can make a difference in.
Not idling, unless when in traffic, is one way, and an easy one at that. I thank Kennebunk’s leadership for acting on this, hope its residents will catch on, and look forward to others developing a no idling policy in their towns.
Andrea Roth Kimmich
Kennebunk
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