Have you heard of the Betty White Challenge? To honor the late, super-great, Betty White, people are being encouraged to donate $5.00 to their local animal rescue or shelter. We have two great local options, Safe Haven Humane Society here in Wells and the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk. If cats are your passion, you may wish to donate to Safe Haven. If you lean more towards dogs, rabbits, and other furry animals, a donation to AWS may be more your style.

Mark Dupuis, Fire Chief

Happy New Year. May this New Year be a step forward, bringing on new adventures and new achievements!

Chief Dupuis and Captain Jeff Nawfel went out to the Pierce Manufacturing factory in Appleton Wisconsin to establish and confirm all the technical details of our new Tower Truck including axle weights, aerial tip weight, maximum speed, and many of the details that were needed to ensure the build is done exactly as specified and meets all NFPA national standards as well as all DOT requirements. The facility was amazing, and it became very apparent that we will be getting the highest quality truck on the market today! We are looking forward to the truck being completed sometime in mid to late Summer. As things progress, we will continue to share updates.

In December our crews responded to several fires in homes, including two a week apart that required a full first alarm be transmitted requiring mutual aid from three departments to assist with the extinguishing and overhaul of the residence. With that I want to thank all our off duty and call firefighters who responded to these incidents. They worked together to ensure the fires were unable to spread beyond the rooms of their origin and helped to keep the homeowners from a much more significant loss. If it wasn’t for their courageousness and teamwork, it could have been a different outcome.

We were glad to be able to participate in the Christmas Parade this year as normal. It was nice to see everyone get together during this ongoing pandemic for the holiday season. Thank you to all who participated. It was truly a joyous event.

Michael Yorke, Harbor Master

With the clamming season underway you might notice a lot more activity on the intertidal shore of Wells Harbor. Recreational clam diggers can harvest one peck of clams per day on every other weekend and Holidays till the end of March. Clam licenses purchased from the Town are required to participate.

Duck hunting season has been upon us as well, creating more than usual winter traffic at the boat launch.

We have a few resident seals this winter showing up at random tides and times, sunning themselves on the Marsh shores and docks on warm days. Many Loons have arrived for the winter, if you have a powerful camera lens you can catch them feasting on Green Crabs which is appreciated by all.

Last but not least, the new Shellfish building is coming along nicely thanks to many volunteers who are lending their time and experience at the construction trade. Special thanks to all whom have helped, this building is sure to be a valuable asset to the citizens of Wells.

Jo-Ann Putnam, Chief of Police

On Tuesday January 4, 2022, four members of our agency were pinned at the Select Board meeting. Our newly promoted supervisors are Sergeant Christopher Baez, Sergeant William Jepson, Corporal Jeffrey Galasyn and Corporal Karl Roy. The ceremony included introductions from Chief Putnam and the badge pinning by Select Board Chair Sean Roche. The promotional process included a letter of intent and essay, written exam, oral board, and a command staff interview. All four members are joining Sgt. Timothy Cetrano who was previously promoted from this promotion process.

Cindy Appleby, Library Director

Winter is in full force but the library has plenty of books and DVDs to keep you cozily entertained on cold days.

AARP Tax Aide is returning to the library! Assistance will be available on Tuesdays starting February 1^st through April 12^th by appointment only. The library website will post the contact information for appointments as soon as we have it. Federal tax forms should be arriving soon, as well.

Calling all polar bears, seals and walruses! Come have a blast at our Arctic Party on Thursday, January 27^th at 6:00 p.m. All ages welcome to celebrate winter with crafts, games and fun!

Wishful Reading meets on Tuesday, January 18^th at 2:00 p.m. to discuss The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.

February’s nonfiction book group will be discussing Lincoln’s Last Trial by Dan Abrams on Wednesday, February 2^nd at 4:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Have you stopped by to see the beautiful quilts made by Maureen Johnston hanging in our Ethel Weymouth Art Gallery? They’ll be on display through January.

The library will be closed on Monday, January 17^th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Michael Livingston, Town Engineer/Planner

The Planning Department is working on potential ordinance changes for the June Town Meeting: Cluster Subdivisions, Multifamily Developments, Update to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) to adjust for new state laws and the elimination of a sprinkler system requirements for Marijuana facilities.

The Planning Board is currently reviewing several projects that are nearing final approval: Relocation of Diary Queen on Route One, Parker Ridge Subdivision, Grand Trail Phase 3 Subdivision, and Dell Downeast Subdivision. Several application reviews have been suspended until the snow cover is gone in order to conduct site walks. Construction monitoring continues on active projects. The Harbor Road sidewalk project has been completed.

Beth Widmayer, Chair

Here’s another short interview with a Wells resident who has taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint. If you know someone who has taken similar steps, we’d love to talk to them. Please contact WEAC Chair, Beth Widmayer.