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BBACC Connects
March 19, 2020
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A Note from BBACC Director, Teri Doty
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We are in the midst of an unprecedented situation where we are unsure of what to expect in the coming days, weeks, and months. Please know that we at the Chamber are here for you. As of now, our office remains open to assist you. We ask that you call or email us to let us know how we may help during this time.
I want to extend a special thank you to Sue Lessard with the Town of Bucksport, and to Rich Rotella with Bucksport Community & Economic Development. Keeping up with the continually changing influx of information is not easy and we, at the Chamber of Commerce, are extremely appreciative of their support.
Please continue to post or send us your business updates. We are here for you.
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Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony POSTPONED
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Bucksport Bay Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its Annual Meeting and Board Member Vote Thursday, March 19 via teleconference for Board Members only.
The Awards Ceremony has been postponed
due to concerns over COVID-19 and CDC recommendations. This is NOT a cancellation. We are shooting for a new date in May. If anybody has any questions or concerns, please call the Chamber at 469.6818. Thank you for your understanding.
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A Message from the Town of Bucksport
Regarding COVID-19 Virus
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To the residents of Bucksport,
The Town of Bucksport has been monitoring the COVID-19 virus and its potential impact in our community. After serious consideration and in consultation with the Town Council, we will be making some adjustments in the way Town services are provided. These will be evaluated on an ongoing basis and changes will be made as information and circumstances change. Our goal is to ensure the safety of our employees and our residents in the most responsible ways possible. We apologize for the inconveniences that these measures will cause. It is important to avoid the need to shut down entirely through unintended exposure to the virus. We strongly encourage residents to practice social distancing to avoid potential contact but we also encourage everyone to call and check on neighbors, friends, and family to avoid social isolation. We are erring on the side of caution in order to do our best to slow the spread of this virus.
Sincerely,
Sue Lessard
Town Manager
The following measures will be implemented as of Monday, March 16th until March 31st. If circumstances warrant, that time period will be extended:
Public Safety – Access to the Public Safety Building will be closed to all except emergency needs. If you have a non-emergency request such as a burn permit or a police report, please call dispatch at 469-7951 and they will assist you in obtaining what you need. Emergency needs for police, fire, and EMS should be treated as normal by calling dispatch for assistance.
Transfer Station – The transfer station will remain open for normal hours, however, personnel will practice social distancing of at least six feet, will be wearing masks and gloves, and will not be able to assist with unloading trash or other items. Payment for the disposal of demolition debris, appliances, etc. will be made by mail to the town office and money will not be collected at the Transfer Station.
Public Works – Public Works personnel will continue to work however there will be no public access to the Town Garage. Persons with road concerns or questions should call the highway garage and questions will be answered.
Sewer Treatment Plant – The Sewer Treatment plant will be open and operating but no non-employees will be allowed access to the plant.
Recreation – All recreation programs and the fitness center at the Jewett School will be closed until March 31st. We are sorry for any inconvenience but it is necessary to prevent the potential spread of the virus.
Code Enforcement – Those wishing to get building permits or who have questions regarding projects should call the town office at 469-7368 and we will be processing as much as possible via phone, email, and snail mail.
General Assistance – Persons seeking general assistance should call the Town Office at 469-7368 and we will process applications over the phone.
Town Office – Tax due date is being extended from March 31st to April 30th to allow more time and to eliminate the need for residents to come to the Town Office for that purpose for the near future. The town office will be closed to public traffic as of Monday, March 16th but staff will be working and people are asked to call the Town Office at 469-7368 and we will do our best to provide the services that you require. We will be installing a dropbox outside of the Town Office to allow people to drop off tax and sewer payments. It is possible to re-register vehicles and boats, get dog licenses, and get hunting and fishing licenses online. There are links on the Town website at https://www.bucksportmaine.gov
Town Council – The Town Council will be publishing a new budget hearing schedule for meetings in May instead of April as a precaution. The impact of this virus on residents and businesses will become more evident by that time and the Council will have more information that could impact its budget decisions. At the present time there will be a Town Council meeting on March 26th with emergency business items only and as of today, there will be one Council meeting in April with a limited agenda as well. There will be no Council Committee meetings through March 31st.
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For more business-specific information in the Bucksport Bay Area and how we are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, please go to the Bucksport Community & Economic Development Facebook Page or
click here
to see updates.
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Senior Center Meals Delivery Only
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In an effort to promote the health and safety of our community the Senior Center is closed to outside visitors. All activities and programs have been postponed. We will not be serving lunch at the Center, but we will still be delivering meals to those in need. If you need to order a meal for delivery call the Center at 469-3632.
These delicious freshly prepared meals are available for the unbelievably low price of $6.00 dollars. The meals include an entree, sides and even a dessert.
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What about the Movies?...
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In an attempt to keep the public and our staff as safe as possible; the Alamo Theatre has closed until further notice.
The archives of Northeast Historic Film will remain up and operating for now as our staff is small and social distancing is fairly easy and diligent hygiene practices have been put in place for shared spaces. We will not allow visitors or customers into the archives beyond the glass entry hall and you must have an appointment or be a courier to enter. We have an area set up for picking up and dropping off film and video. Disposable gloves, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer are there for all parties to use.
We thank you for your patience. We value your efforts to respect this new protocol. We will be evolving our strategies as the virus spreads and updating you as best we can. Please check our Facebook pages for the most up-to-date information.
Stay healthy!
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Do Not Touch Your Face and Wash Your Hands!
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Soap & Water:
- Moisten hands with water and then apply liquid soap.
- Rub hands together, away from the flow of water, for 20 seconds.
- Rinse hands free of soap under running water.
- Dry hands with a clean, disposable paper towel. Ensure that there is no recontamination of the clean hands.
- Turn off faucet using paper towel.
- Throw the used paper towel into a hands-free trash can
Hand Sanitizer:
- Can only be used when hands are not visibly soiled.
- Can be used by adults and children 2 years of age and older.
- Should have 60-95% alcohol.
- Manufacturer’s instructions must be followed.
- Very close supervision of children should be provided.
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Wash, wash
Wash your hands
Wash them nice and clean.
Scrub them here
Scrub them there
And scrub them in between!
Source: halseyschools.com
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Vancil Vision Care
wants you to Know...
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At Vancil Vision Care we are asking patients to not bring guests with them to their appointments. We are requesting only a legal guardian or driver accompany a patient to their appointment.
We request that anyone feeling ill or having a fever please reschedule their appointment.
And, as always, we encourage people to wash their hands and not touch their face.
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YMCA Fitness Center Closed
Beginning March 16
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The fitness center is closed. There will be someone available via phone Monday through Friday 8-4.
Please see a list of suggested online activities, virtual tours, and recipes for kids
online here.
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Effective immediately
Hours now are unlimited - just call or text
Patty’s cell phone number 207-256-6971 to place an order
Shop online
FREE SHIPPING on orders of $25 or more!
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Meal Pick Up at MacLeod's
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Bank Lobbies Close.
Drive Up Services Remain Available.
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Though normal table service may be closed at MacLeod's Restaurant, meals (from a limited menu) are still available! Call 469-3963 during the day and they will have your food ready for pickup between 4 and 7pm.
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Seaboard FCU is restricting all branches to DRIVE-UP SERVICE ONLY until further notice. Drive-Up Service will be available during regular business hours.
To access your accounts during this time, we encourage you to utilize our digital banking
channels:
• Online Banking
• Mobile Banking
• PS24 Telephone Banking
• Mobile Deposit Capture (remote electronic deposit ing of checks)
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Scott Design COVID-19 Update
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Scott Design is considering the impact of COVID-19 on online shopping.
Read his letter
here , on our Facebook Page, or contact him directly at:
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The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are providing
special payment relief to individuals and businesses in response to the COVID-19 Outbreak. The filing deadline for tax returns remains April 15, 2020. The IRS urges taxpayers who are owed a refund to file as quickly as possible. For those who can’t file by the April 15, 2020 deadline, the IRS reminds individual taxpayers that everyone is eligible to request a six-month extension to file their return.
Individuals: Income tax payment deadlines for individual returns, with a due date of April 15, 2020, are being automatically extended until July 15, 2020, for up to $1 million of their 2019 tax due. This payment relief applies to all individual returns, including self-employed individuals, and all entities other than C-Corporations, such as trusts or estates. IRS will automatically provide this relief to taxpayers. Taxpayers do not need to file any additional forms or call the IRS to qualify for this relief.
Corporations: For C Corporations, income tax payment deadlines are being automatically extended until July 15, 2020, for up to $10 million of their 2019 tax due.
This relief also includes estimated tax payments for tax year 2020 that are due on April 15, 2020.
Penalties and interest will begin to accrue on any remaining unpaid balances as of July 16, 2020. If you file your tax return or request an extension of time to file by April 15, 2020, you will automatically avoid interest and penalties on the taxes paid by July 15.
The IRS reminds individual taxpayers the easiest and fastest way to request a filing extension is to electronically file Form 4868 through their tax professional, tax software or using the Free File link on IRS.gov. Businesses must file Form 7004.
This relief only applies to federal income tax (including tax on self-employment income) payments otherwise due April 15, 2020, not state tax payments or deposits or payments of any other type of federal tax. Taxpayers also will need to file income tax returns in 42 states plus the District of Columbia. State filing and payment deadlines vary and are not always the same as the federal filing deadline. The IRS urges taxpayers to check with their state tax agencies for those details. More information is available at
https://www.taxadmin.org/state-tax-agencies.
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As of tomorrow, Thursday, March 19, 2020, we are suspending our open door walk-in care hours until further notice. We are asking everyone who is not feeling well to call our office, including Saturday, to be screened by phone prior to coming to the clinic. We will see patients at that time if needed after they are screened. This will limit potential exposure of patients and ensure those who need to be seen will be cared for. We are doing limited testing due to lack of adequate supplies after an assessment is conducted by a provider.
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Castine Historical Society Announces House and Garden Tour 2020
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The Castine Historical Society, which serves as a window into Castine’s extraordinary past as one of the first settled towns in Maine, has announced that it will host its
House and Garden Tour on July 23, 2020. The upcoming tour will incorporate Maine’s Bicentennial into the walking tour throughout the village. The tour will include 9 homes, 5 gardens, and Castine’s Dyce’s Head Lighthouse and John Perkins House.
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Bucksport Arts Festival August 7-8, 2020
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6th Annual Bucksport Arts Festival
Downtown Bucksport, Maine
Friday August 7 and Saturday August 8
Rain or Shine
A project of Main Street Bucksport
and Lighthouse Arts Center
Save the date for this year's festival!
Join us in celebrating the Arts on Bucksport's beautiful waterfront.
If you are interested in applying to be an artist at this year's festival, please call Sadie at 207-702-9135.
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[83 MAIN STREET]
[BUCKSPORT, ME, 04416]
[MONDAY - FRIDAY]
[8AM TO 12PM]
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