March 8th: International Women's Day

In honor of International Women's Day, the Town of Millinocket, would like to acknowledge all the amazing women who work for the Town, the School Department and Elections.

The Town of Millinocket is extremely appreciative of the ladies listed below for their commitment to making Millinocket a quality place to live, work and play:

Jane Danforth, Tammy McLaughlin, Gail Mackin, Beverly MacLeod, Lori Santerre, Debra Bradford, Beverly Bubar, Bernadette Friel, Martha Frost, Jody Nelson, Marjorie King, Theresa MacDonald, Lynn Montgomery, Gladys Morrison, Rhonda Murphy, Judith Page, Nancy Theriault, Jo Ann Whitehead, Amber Carney, Sharon, Cyr, Diana Lakeman, Roxanne Johnson, Traci Thompson, Amber Wheaton, Jennifer Bernier, Katie Cullen, Julia Allen, Stacy Labby, Crystal Cail, Lorri Haskell, Angela Hannafin, Brittany Adams, Linda Albert, Emma Alley, Heather Ambrose, Amy Anderson, Karen Birmingham, RandiLee Bishop, Leslie Blanchette, Shawna Boyer, Sandra Brooker, Jessica Burke, Susan Buzzell, Victoria Campbell, Katie Carr, Rhonda Casey, Romona Cesare, Mia Charette, Amy Clinton, Brenda Clinton, Elizabeth Consalvi, Lorri Cyr, Ciera D'Alessandro, Alison DeMello, Patricia Demers, Tessa DeSilva, Katherine DiFederico, Laura Dwyer, Chelsea Ehret, Nikki Faribairn-Hensley, Pamela Farquhar, Shelley Farrington, Jessica Freeman, Heather Girsa, Angela Guy, Julie Hale, Kristen Harmon, Michelle Hatch, Kristi Hayes, Miranda Hayes, Jennifer Jandreau, Cassandra Kunkle, Shelley Lane, Alyssa LaPorte, Alicia Lazareva, Jessica Leach, Katie Leavitt, Courtney LeGassey, Anna Loome, Jesika Lucarelli, Carrie Lyons, Linda Madore, Michelle McGreevy, Danielle McNally, Tara McNulty, Jo-Anna Merry, Kamma Michaud, Staci Michaud, Debra Mooney, Susan Morrison, Jessie Morrison, Laurie Moscone, Lorrie Nadeau, Heather Oakes, Karen Oloughlin, Angela Osborne, Mary Osborne, Katy Pangburn, Beth Peavey, Diane Pelletier, Kimberly Petrin, Jil Potvin, Corinne Reece, Dawn Robbins, Donna Seamans, Margo Stevens, Joy Stewart, Taylor Sulander, Susan Szava-Kovats, Rhonda Tracy, Danielle Waite, Amanda Welch, Melissa Wheaton, Karen Wyman.

Fun Facts: Seven out of twelve Town Departments are lead by women. Three women currently sit on our Town Council. The list above makes up over half the entire staff who work for the Town of Millinocket. #girlpower

You may be ready but the ATV trails are not...

Riding on trails before they are open for the season can cause significant damage and can result in landowners permanently closing trails to all users. Do your part to maintain Maine's ATV trails and wait until they are open.

When will the trails open? Conditions around the state are varied and the decision to open trails is managed by the property owner and/or the club or organization who maintains the trail system. ATV trails in Maine typically do not open until late April or early May. 

Do your part and respect private landowners and ATV clubs by obeying all mud season closure postings.

Click here to learn more.

Town Clerks Office

Dog tags became available on October 15, 2023; Courtesy reminder phone calls began; Fees: $6 spayed/neutered; $11 intact. Mandatory $25 Late Fee effective Feb. 1, 2024. Please remember that all dogs must be vaccinated and licensed in their residing towns by State Statute and to utilize the Town’s Dog Park.

Town Board/Committee Expirations:

Board of Appeals:

• Krystle Garand 12/2023

Personnel Appeals Board:

• James Lawrence 12/2023

Recreation Advisory Committee:

• Brennan Turner 12/2023
• Stephanie Jamieson 12/2023

Board Committee Members: if interested to continue - kindly fill out the attached application and submit to the Town Clerk. You can get an application here.

Diana Lakeman, Town Clerk

Department of Tax Assessment

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR AN EXEMPTION?

Homestead Exemption Eligibility requirements:

• Must be a legal resident of the State of Maine
• Must have owned a homestead property in Maine for at least the past 12 months as of April 1.
• Must declare this homestead as your permanent place of residence and it must be the only property for which a homestead exemption is claimed. (Summer camps, vacation homes and multiple residences do not qualify.)
• Must file an application with the Assessor on or before April 1

Blind Exemption Eligibility requirements:

• Real estate property owners who have been determined to be blind by a licensed Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathy or Doctor of Optometry may be eligible for this exemption.
• Must file an application with the Assessor on or before April 1

Veterans Exemption Eligibility requirements:

A veteran who served on active duty in the armed forces may apply for an exemption from property tax in the place where they reside provided they:

• Served during a recognized war period and have reached the age of 62 years or;
• Have been awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; or
• Have become totally disabled from an injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service in the line of duty and is receiving any form of pension or compensation from the federal Government for total service-connected disability. A veteran receiving compensation as unemployable at the 100% level is considered totally disabled; and
• Receive a pension or compensation from the federal government for total disability, either service- or non-service-connected, as a veteran; or
• Receive a pension or compensation from the federal government for total disability because of injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service in the line of duty or because of unemployability; and
• File an application (and VA proof of service) with the assessor of the municipality in which the veteran maintains their permanent residence, on or before April 1.

Veteran’s Widow/Widower Exemption Eligibility requirements:

• Unremarried Widow, Widower or the Minor Child of a Veteran and Unremarried Widowed Parent of a Veteran may also be eligible for this exemption.
• Must file an application with the Assessor on or before April 1

Applications/further information can be found at the following web address:

https://www2.maine.gov/revenue/taxes/tax-relief-credits-programs/property-tax-relief-programs/property-tax-exemptions

Lorna Thompson, Tax Assessor

Wastewater Department

We would like to remind the residents of Millinocket to please NOT flush wipes, paper towels, grease, plastics, Q-tips or anything other than toilet paper into the sewer system. Even the "flushable" wipes will clog the sewer system. These items are causing extreme plugs to the sewer system and costly maintenance to our pumping stations. We would like to thank the residents for this consideration.

Jason Ingalls,

Wastewater Treatment Facility Superintendent

East Millinocket Police Department

At the beginning of 2023, EMPD sent a request to Representative Jared Golden to apply for Community Project Funding to help with necessary equipment upgrades. We just recently were notified that the funding has passed, and our request was approved as a part of a $963,000 approved request for law enforcement technology modernization. The funding will be used to buy body worn cameras so all officers will be able to wear BWC. This will also provide funding for the first 5 years of storage of all the videos, which is one of the largest expenses. Additionally, money will be used to buy a TruNarc drug testing device which is one tool used to test drugs and is one of the safest pieces equipment available to officers to use on the street to test drugs. EMPD will receive close to $100,000 from the CPF.

During February school vacation, members of the East Millinocket Police Department along with other local, county, and state law enforcement officers completed multiple active shooter exercises at the Stearns Middle / High School and Granite Street School. Also, area Fire / EMS departments took part in the joint training and exercises. This training opportunity was great for all law enforcement, Fire / EMS agencies to collaborate with each other to train for these types of incidents. We genuinely want to thank the Millinocket School Department for making these exercises possible for the use of their facilities.

 As everyone is aware, the Solar Eclipse is upcoming in a few short weeks. EMPD will have multiple added officers on duty to help with the influx of visitors into our region. We want everyone to expect heavy traffic in the region and to please drive with patience. EMPD will be working with multiple area law, fire & EMS agencies to provide coverage for the expected large crowds. Please know one of our main concerns is resident and visitor safety and traffic flow. EMPD and other law enforcement will not respond to parking complaints on private property unless the issue involves the flow of traffic on a public way. Please plan ahead as the Eclipse weekend approaches to be sure you are prepared for the potential for a large volume of extra visitors to our region.

Police Chief Cameron McDunnah & Corporal Bradley Fitzgerald

Millinocket School Department

Principal Beth Peavey is pleased to make the following official announcement for the Class of 2024:

• Valedictorian: Braidey Girsa
• Salutatorian: Jack DiFrederico
• Maine Principal’s Award: Gracyn Sanders

Some upcoming dates for Stearns:

• National Honors Society Inductions ceremony will take place on March 14th in the Stearns Library.
•  Stearns will be hosting the State One Act on March 22nd and 23rd.
• The Junior High Science Fair will be taking place on March 27th in the middle school gym from 6-7pm.
• Region Step up Day will be March 26th.

The Food Service Department announced serving 4,324 breakfasts, and 4,854 lunches in the month of February.

We have been provided another $14,000 towards professional development as part of the SIGs grant based on being on a tier III School Improvement Plan (SIP) plan as of May 2023. This needs to be spent by 9/30/24. I am adjusting the application budget to include professional development for the IXL program we are transitioning to in place of iReady. The Maine DOE is still waiting for information from the USDOE before telling us if we are still a tier III school.

A child find form has been sent home with each student, emailed to parents, and posted on the Granite Facebook page. This is to gather enrollment information for PK and Kindergarten for next year.

We received approval for a $50,000 literacy grant through the MDOE. This will be used to buy decodable books for phonics instruction K-3 and for short read texts for comprehension instruction K-5.

Zach McEwen had a University of Maine Jazz Combo perform for students at Granite Street School on March 1. It was very successful, and it was great to see students inspired by the group and hopefully it will inspire more interest in the Elementary Level for more instrumental lessons.

The Superintendent met with the superintendents from Medway and East Millinocket schools last week. They continue to talk about efficiencies and possibilities for collaborating. Possibilities include staff, teacher, administration and program level sharing. There are many road blocks however, we consider each conversation from the view of our students' needs and effect on our tax payers.

There is a lot of legislation being debated at this time in Augusta. Several would result in unfunded mandates. We will be continuing to monitor these and make plans for any FY25 impact. EX: FMLA, CDS, 125% support staff pay, etc..

Making progress with increasing effective communication with the public. Our Communication Committee supports the development of a new Millinocket School System app and this contract includes a mirror image for an updated and intuitive website. 

Granite Street and Stearns Cafeterias are in need of substitutes! This is a great opportunity for anyone looking for some work flexibility. The sub pay is $14.35 per hour. Maine law requires substitutes to be fingerprinted through the Maine State Police, but we will reimburse you the $70 up front cost after you sub for us for 3 months. Please call (207) 723-6400 or email millinocket@millinocketschools.org if you are interested.

Dr. Shelley Lane, Superintendent of Schools

The Outdoor Sport Institute is hiring for the 2024 KAT Trail Crew! Open positions include Trail Crew Members, Crew Leader, and a Machine Operator. 

For more information on each of these positions, please visit our webpage.

You may request an application or submit a cover letter + resume by emailing: employment@katahdinareatrails.org

Don’t miss out on being a part of developing and growing exceptional non-motorized trail experiences and a vibrant, welcoming trails community in Maine’s Katahdin Region!