The Wells Fire Department has just recently hired two new full-time firefighters and one temporary firefighter to fill in for firefighter Litvinchyk while he is deployed overseas until March of 2022. Keegan Ricker and our own call firefighter Garrett Earley were hired in the two permanent roles and Michael Toth was hired for the temporary position to help alleviate some of the overtime as well as minimizing the call back time that the empty position would require for the next 8 months.

Keegan Ricker comes to us from Kennebunk Fire Department where he was working as a per-diem firefighter. Michael Toth also comes from Kennebunk fire but will continue his role as a per-diem firefighter there while working for us. Garrett Earley was a call firefighter with Wells for the past several years and has been working as a Lifeguard Captain for the last two years and a third year as a regular lifeguard. Garrett and Michael are enrolled in an advanced EMT class that will be held here at the Wells Safety Complex and should complete their training by the end of the year after which they will be required to perform clinicals or “hands-on” training in a hospital or ambulance setting before they can obtain their AEMT license. Keegan comes to us with his advanced (AEMT) license already.

The Advanced EMT course that has been established through United Ambulance in cooperation with the Wells Fire Department will also include two other Wells fulltime firefighters. They include Tyler Belanger, and Carissa Gordon. Once completed in early 2022 there should be 7 fulltime firefighters at the Advanced EMT level.

The Fire Department is also going through some growing pains as we lose Linda Rizzo, our executive assistant to the Medford, Ma Fire Department. Linda leaves behind a great void to fill but fill it we must. We are sorry to see her go but wish her well. On Friday we interviewed several candidates to fill her role and will be working through a process to determine the right fit for our organization. Once one is selected, they will be introduced to the rest of the Town offices as soon as we get the opportunity. In the meantime, we wish to thank Tammi Hollins from Finance, Marianne Goodine from the Town Manager’s office and Sally Stewart from PD for offering to help us get through the transition.

The library is wrapping up another successful summer reading program. With one week of Tails and Tales left to go, we’ve had a record number of signups: 366 children, 122 teens, and 148 adults! The library hosted jugglers, magicians, musicians, weekly craft programs, stargazing, squirrels, cocktail-making, and so much more, thanks to the Friends of the Library. A big thank you to all our patrons and staff who made it a fun, energetic, reading-filled summer!

Construction projects on the air conditioners and front columns will begin soon, but we are open regular hours.

As autumn looms, we look forward to a new school year and are planning fun teen programs for Wednesday afternoons after school.

Mark your calendars for other September programs, as well. Mother Goose and Toddler story times will resume at the library. For adults, we will have a class on Chinese Brush Painting and a Vibraphone performance by Rich Araldi. Lastly, we’ll be premiering a new story at the harbor story walk in September.

See what all is happening at www.wellslibrary.org.

Over the past 12 years, the Town, on average has approved 61 dwelling units within subdivisions each year. During this time a total of 955.7 acres of Open Space has been created which equals about 80 acres per year. For each dwelling unit approved approximately 1.3 acres of Open Space has been established. 

In most cases the answer would be no. Paved and gravel roadways are designed to often be located within the center of a Right-of-way (ROW). Often ROWs are 50 feet wide, and the roadway (gravel or paved travel-way) is only 22 to 30 feet wide.  If you aren’t sure where your parcel boundaries are, we recommend trying to locate the monuments/pins, reading your Deed or Boundary Plan to determine boundary line distances/locations or contacting a Professional Land Surveyor to assist you in locating your boundary.

All Lodging Facilities in the Town of Wells are different. Lodging Facilities include: Hotels/Motels, Housekeeping Cottage Complexes, Seasonal Cottage Complexes and Bed-and-Breakfasts. This is due to the significant history Lodging Ordinances have undergone in the past 40-50 years. Definitions, uses, and performance standards have been changed, added, or eliminated; with some changes occurring 4 or more times in the past 20 years. This has caused nearly all Lodging Facilities to fall under a variety of different office requirements, length of stay restrictions, buffer and screening requirements, unit size restrictions, etc. We recommend contacting the Planning Office if you have any questions regarding a particular Lodging Facility.

All submissions and associated review documents for Planning Board or Staff Review Committee are posted in our online Agendas at https://www.wellstown.org/agendacenter . All project files can be emailed upon request as well as hard copies made for a small fee.

Often these matters are considered Civil, and we recommend you contact your neighbor to amicably resolve the matter. You may also need to contact your attorney for legal recommendations or the Police Department. The Planning Office is happy to provide boundary plan copies or aerial imagery for a small fee. We can also investigate if any site plan or subdivision plan violations have occurred, if applicable. 

Another successful HarborFest was held on Saturday July 31^st with nearly a thousand people attending. The Town docks were crowded with nearly 75 participants in the crab catching derby.

On Friday, July 16^th Officer Emily McPadden graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy as part of the 39^th Basic Law Enforcement Police Training class. We would like to welcome Emily back after being away for the 18-week academy.

On Monday, August 16^th Officer Justin Crowley will begin his 18-week Basic Law Enforcement Police Training class at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. We wish him the Best of Luck and look forward to his graduation in December 2021.