Emerging ferns, Sanford Tribune, May 13, 1976
By Lawrence Furbish
School budget issues once again covered the front page of the Sanford Tribune, with the headline being “Zero Increase in School Budget.” The School Committee and the Warrant (budget) Committee came to reluctant terms and recommended a $3,552,828 budget for the 1976-77 school year. After a meeting that ran until nearly midnight, the School Committee gave School Superintendent Charles Beattie the OK to provide zero increase numbers that included a cut of $58,900. It was unclear if there would be an attempt to restore additional funding from the floor at the upcoming Town Meeting. The Sanford Teachers Association raised several concerns, and its negotiator accused the School Committee of “nickel and diming the school budget to death.”
Gary Sullivan, chairman of the Sanford Fire Commission, also aired several critical comments about the Warrant Committee’s role in town affairs. According to Sullivan, the Warrant Committee was “on the edge of establishing dictatorial control over Sanford’s affairs.” If this were left unchecked, he warned, the balance of power within the community would be threatened with elected boards and commissions advising and the Warrant Committee leading.
An open house and dedication of the new $300,000 wing of Goodall Memorial Library was on tap with the public invited to inspect the facilities under the guidance of library staff. State Librarian Gary Nichols of Augusta was scheduled as the main speaker. The new wing nearly doubled the size of the original building, which opened in 1937. Money for the addition was appropriated at the December 1974 Town Meeting.
The Sanford Urban Renewal Authority was advertising for bids to demolish 7% of the commercial buildings in the Springvale project area. Buildings to be torn down included Brown TV, Folsom’s Furniture, Norman’s Variety, Emery’s Pottery, Wilson’s Art Supplies, and Goodwin’s Small Engine Repair. An old bank vault door from Springvale National Bank in the 1900s was being moved to the Town Hall basement.
Bicentennial celebrations continued with a visit to Sanford from a train of colorful covered wagons drawn by Percheron horses. It was part of a major Bicentennial Wagon Train pilgrimage going on with entries from many states converging on Valley Forge, PA, on July 3.
It was good news and bad news for the Sanford High School boys’ baseball team. On Saturday, they lost to Portland in an error-filled contest at Goodall Park, 8-3. Then on the following Tuesday, they pinned an 8-2 loss on Westbrook, leaving them with a 6-4 record and third place in the Telegram Leagues American Division.
“The Exorcist” was the main attraction at Twin Cinema, or you could catch Alan Delon in “No Way Out” at the Sanford Drive-In.
Shaw’s had boneless pot roast for 88 cents a pound or ground beef for 78 cents. You could get a bucket of 45 munchkins at Dunkin Donuts for $1 with a coupon. Finally, you could dance to the band Straight Lace for $2 a couple at the Elks Club.
Lawrence Furbish is president of the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society. The Historical Society Museum in Springvale has many resources regarding Sanford’s history. The museum and the Goodwin House are open Thursday and Saturday, 10 am-2 pm and Friday 10 am-4 pm.
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