In the public eye: Operations Manager keeps Windham Parks and Rec running smoothly

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

Jason Hanken is a problem solver and a big part of the continued success of the Windham Parks and Recreation Department.

Jason Hanken has served for nearly
two years as the Operations Manager
for Windham's Parks and Recreation
Department. In that role, he is the
department's administrative hub
and a primary point of contact
for Windham Parks and Rec
helping residents navigate 
program registrations among
many other duties.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

As the department’s Operations Manager, Hanken serves as the administrative hub and primary point of contact for Windham Parks and Rec.

“On any given day, I’m working directly with Windham residents to help them navigate program registrations, set up payment plans or scholarships, and answer questions about upcoming community activities,” Hanken said. “Behind the scenes, I provide daily operational support to our director and team. That includes handling requisitions, department billing, and financial recordkeeping, as well as ordering supply inventory and managing our registration database.”

He also coordinates reservations for the Windham Town Hall gym, meeting spaces, and park pavilions, while assisting with Dundee Park operations, department staffing, and community events.

Hanken says the best thing about what he does in his job is helping solve problems for people directly, whether that’s at the front counter or over the phone.

“Residents often reach out when they're confused about a program, need help, or just have a lot of questions,” he said. “Being able to take the time to walk them through the process so they leave or hang up feeling totally confident and satisfied makes the job worthwhile.

The most challenging aspect of his job is wearing multiple hats and balancing two distinct speeds of the work.

“I’m juggling immediate, front-line customer service, answering phones, helping residents at the counter, and resolving day-of program questions, with focused administrative tasks like budgeting, purchasing, and facility scheduling,” Hanken said. “Learning to switch gears instantly so our residents get the attention they deserve without letting the behind-the-scenes operations slip is a continuous challenge, but it's what keeps the job interesting.”

In his second year as Operations Manager, Hanken says the biggest misconception people may have about those who work for Parks and Recreation is that staff members just plan games and hang out at events.

“Behind the scenes, our office operates like a full-scale business,” he said. “The community sees the fun end result but they often don't see the operational planning required to make it happen safely and smoothly: budgeting, purchasing, contracts, facility permits, staff training, and daily customer service. It’s a ton of logistics and coordination designed specifically so residents can show up, participate, and have fun without having to think about how it all came together.”

Hanken grew up in South Hiram and graduated from Sacopee Valley High School. He attended Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire, earning a degree in sport management. He completed his final credits at Saint Joseph’s College while completing an internship in the athletic department.

His career in recreation started under Linda Brooks years ago as a Summer Camp Director in Standish. From there, he spent several years in New Hampshire as the Assistant Recreation Director for Ossipee and then for Barrington, before returning home to Maine to work for the City of Lewiston.

 

“When I came back to Maine, I landed in Windham and got involved locally by volunteering on the town's Recreation Advisory Board,” Hanken said. “That gave me the opportunity to reconnect with Linda and support the department from the community side. In Lewiston, I worked my way through multiple roles, ultimately becoming the Recreation Superintendent, before taking a brief hiatus to manage a health care practice. When I saw the opening to work alongside Linda again, it was an easy decision. I was already very familiar with Windham, had great respect for the department, and knew firsthand how strongly this community supports its parks and recreation programs.”

He says the most important thing he’s learned while working for Windham Parks and Recreation is that relationships and follow-through are everything.

“Beautiful parks and organized leagues are essential, but the real backbone of recreation is the trust you build across the community,” he said. “Whether it's working alongside other town departments, supporting staff and volunteers, or helping a parent over the phone, consistent and transparent communication is what makes a department succeed.”

According to Hanken, his most memorable moment working for the Windham Parks and Recreation was when the department dedicated the basketball courts at Windham Community Park to Pat Moody.

“Seeing him there, surrounded by what felt like the entire town turning out to support him and play basketball on those courts, completely confirmed I had made the right decision to come back to Windham,” he said. “It showed me firsthand the kind of community pride and heart this town has.” <

Maine environment inspires artist’s imagination

By Erin Rose

Inspired by his grandmother’s passion to create, Irish-born artist Christopher O’Connor explores the natural world through his art.

Irish-born artist Christopher O'Connor, a former Windham
resident, captures the beauty of Maine's environment,
including a series highlighting the state's rugged coastline
called 'Coastal Waters' and 'River Reflections' which shows
scenes along rivers and waterways. He displays his
artwork exhibitions at the Portland Art Gallery and the
Artemis Gallery in Northeast Harbor.
SUBMITTED PHOTO    

A former Windham resident, the artist’s work captures the beauty of Maine’s environment, including a series highlighting the state’s rugged coastline called “Coastal Waters” and “River Reflections” which shows scenes along rivers and waterways. The “Artifacts & Curios” series features ordinary objects in colorful scenes.

Some of the pieces in the “Coastal Waters” series are clear enough to be mistaken for photographs, but as a viewer approaches the work, the perspective shifts and more details expose that it’s created by a human hand.

“From a certain distance it does look photographic, but the closer you get, all of the sudden it starts to break down to just paint,” O’Connor explained. “Before you know it, if you’re up next to it, it’s just scribbles. It looks like nonsense.”

“I love that juxtaposition,” he added.

Working on one piece in the continuing series over the summer was a rare chance for the artist to devote time solely to one work until it was complete.

“I had that wonderful experience where I had the time to pour myself into it until it was finished,” he said. “That was lovely but doesn’t happen all the time.”

O’Connor, who has exhibitions at the Portland Art Gallery and the Artemis Gallery in Northeast Harbor, looks for opportunities to display his work in ways that allows for the change in perspective.

“I love if I can have my piece hung in such a way that you can see it from a distance and you have that first experience,” he said. “Then as you progressively get closer, it’s confounding you because it keeps breaking down.”

Another series focuses on magnolia trees and their large while flowers. The composition appears layered and graphic, reaching from the canvas to show the individual blooms. The artist used lower quality brushes to help force himself to slow down to develop the intricate details.

“Because I am very detail oriented and process oriented, I try to find the quickest way to something sometimes,” O’Connor explained. “Ruining your brush to a degree, buying cheaper brushes so you can’t get the detail you want straight away slowed me down.”

“You have to build it up slowly, and I’ve been enjoying that,” he continued. “It pulls you out of yourself.”

The self-taught artist tends to focus on one subject for a period, creating eight to 10 works to add to a series solely relating to that subject.

“Then I get too familiar with it and need to break off and do something else,” he explained.

O’Connor’s love of creating began through experiences with his grandmother, Margaret Moran, in Dingle, County Kerry, who made dolls from her home, later selling those dolls to tourists passing by when the movie industry blossomed in the area.

“My grandma was wonderful, and she was always creative,” he said. “She had a beautiful, old yellow cottage outside of town. Inside, she painted it all different colors.”

“She was jolly and fun to hang out with, and part of my job as a kid was to hang out with her so she didn’t fall,” O’Connor continued. “We would go to the beach a lot and collect shells, and she would make dolls from the shells.” 

In 1970, the area around the Irish town was used to shoot David Lean’s “Ryan’s Daughter,” and tourists began to explore, which gave Moran the opportunity to offer her creations.

“She spun up a little stall to sell her little shell dolls,” O’Connor said. “Every morning she would bring them out, and after a few hours they would all be sold out.”

“She had a joy in making things,” he continued. “Being around that gave me a different perspective on what you could do.”

While O’Connor’s preferred medium is oil, the complicated process related to curing and allowing the piece to fully harden means that acrylics have been his most frequent medium due to their convenience.

“My favorite is oil, but I’ve worked with acrylics for the last 14 years, because they dry fast,” he said. “With oil, each painting is six months before it dries fully so those considerations are challenging sometimes. It gets a skin in 7-10 days but takes six months to fully harden and then you can varnish it.”

“It’s lovely but a pain,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor left Ireland to pursue love across the ocean. He moved to Portland to join his now-wife, Sonia Cook-Broen, an engineer and artist, 14 years ago. After living in Westbrook, the family moved to Windham at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s really beautiful. I love Ireland very much, but the weather can get to you after a bit. The rain and the rain and the rain,” he said. “I was having memories of Ireland over the weekend with the nor’easter. The weather is hard, but the reason I came over 14 years ago was my fiancé.”

The family moved to Portland around Christmas last year, where O’Connor has a studio on the Eastern Promenade.

“I have no commute,” he said. “I can get up in the morning and just start painting if I feel like.”

O’Connor has two stepchildren, Matilda and Makai. Makai picked up art last year and O’Connor is excited to see his growth over time.

“He’s quite phenomenal and he’s working fast.,” he said.

Examples of O’Connor’s work can be seen at the Artemis Gallery or the Portland Art Gallery. More information can be found on his website https://www.christopheroconnorpainting.com/. <

From Caregiver to Author: Sherburne to share her story at Windham Library

By Masha Yurkevich

For more than 20 years, Dale Ruth Sherburne was a wife, mother and caregiver. When her husband, Russ, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, her life gradually became centered around caring for him and supporting their family. Now, Sherburne is sharing that experience with others through her recently published book, “Neither Wife nor Widow,” and through speaking engagements focused on caregiving, loss and finding a new sense of identity.

Maine author Dale Ruth Sherburne will appear
at the Windham Public Library from 6 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 7 to discuss her recently
published book 'Neither Wife nor Widow' 
about her experiences taking care of her
husband who had been diagnosed with early
onset dementia and how it led her to find a 
new sense of identity. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Sherburne will bring her message to the Windham community during an upcoming appearance and discussion at the Windham Public Library. The event will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7. Attendees can participate in person at the library or by ZOOM.

A Maine native, Sherburne has spent much of her career working with children and families. She was a director of child psychology and special education before becoming a full-time caregiver. Sherburne says the experience of caring for a spouse with dementia brought a complicated mixture of emotions.

“There was this jumble of emotions,” she said.

One of the most difficult parts was watching her husband change while still feeling like his wife. The experience left her in a position that did not fit neatly into the traditional definitions of either wife or widow.

“I wanted my husband,” Sherburne said, as she described the emotional conflict she experienced during those years.

That experience became the foundation for “Neither Wife nor Widow,” which was published April 1, 2025, by Maine Authors Publishing. The 329-page paperback explores the caregiving journey and the challenges that Sherburne went through and that can come with losing parts of a relationship while the person you love is still physically present. The book contains 185 stories, each about one page long.

Each story begins with a quote and ends with an honest emotion, ranging from guilt and joy to frustration, anger and fear. The book is available in paperback and Kindle editions through the personal website of Sherburne, Amazon, Maine bookstores, and libraries.

Although the story is deeply personal, Sherburne hopes readers will see themselves in it, particularly people who have experienced the isolation that can accompany caregiving.

“Caregivers are isolated,” she said.

For Sherburne, writing became one way to make sense of her experience and to connect with people who may be going through something similar. She also wants to encourage caregivers to remember that their own lives and identities matter. One message she hopes people take away from her work is to “embrace yourself.”

Sherburne also speaks about the importance of continuing to live while caring for someone else. During her own experience, she received advice that stayed with her: “'You go live your life for you, and you go live your life for your husband.”

The author’s appearance in Windham will give community members an opportunity to hear Sherburne discuss her book, her experiences as a caregiver and the process of moving forward after years of caregiving.

Beyond her book and speaking engagements, Sherburne is also building an online presence. She has Instagram and Facebook pages where she shares her work and connects with readers. She also hopes to open a YouTube channel in the future, expanding the ways she can share her experiences and her message. When she is not writing or speaking, Sherburne enjoys a quieter Maine lifestyle. She lives with her pets and enjoys nature, books, crafts. Those interests provide a contrast to the many years when caregiving occupied so much of her daily life. 

For Sherburne, however, the end of her caregiving role did not mean the end of her story. Instead, it gave her an opportunity to reflect on what she had experienced and use those lessons to help others with her book “Through Neither Wife nor Widow,” her speaking engagements and her growing online presence, Sherburne is continuing a conversation about caregiving that can often be difficult to have.

Her story recognizes the complicated emotions that can come with caring for someone you love while also reminding caregivers that they should not lose sight of themselves. That idea has become an important part of the message she now shares with others.

For those interested in hearing Sherburne speak about her journey firsthand, her Oct. 7 author appearance at the Windham Public Library will offer an opportunity to learn more about her book and the experiences that inspired it. <

Deadline nears to participate in WindowDressers community build

By Ed Pierce

Colder weather is nearing and for many, staying warm in winter is a priority. An economical and helpful way to do that is to participate in the WindowDressers program.

The second WindowDressers Community Build will be held
Dec. 1 to Dec. 6 at the South Windham Fire Station. The
program offers low-cost or free insulated window inserts
placed in windows to keep heat in homes during winter. A
deadline of  Nov. 1 is nearing to measure windows and 
anyone interested in participating should sign up now. 
SUBMITTED PHOTO 

WindowDressers provide insulated window inserts to help keep heat in for free or at a low cost. It is a grassroots volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that trains, supplies, and supports teams of volunteers hosting community builds with the goal to create insulating window inserts for local residents.

The program brings together community volunteers of all economic and social situations together to improve the warmth and comfort of interior spaces, lower heating costs, and reduce emissions by producing low-cost insulating window inserts that function as custom, interior-mounted storm windows.

Camille Beaulieu, an AmeriCorps volunteer serving with the Town of Windham, is organizing the second Window Dressers Community Build from Dec. 1 to Dec. 6 at the South Windham Fire Station.

Beaulieu said insulated window inserts help prevent heat loss in homes, much of which occurs through windows with about 30 percent of an average home’s heat loss occurring through windows and doors.

“Our custom-built window inserts significantly reduce this heat loss by creating two additional sealed air spaces: one between the insert and window and another between the two plastic layers,” she said. “This effectively doubles window insulation, making homes more energy efficient and comfortable throughout the winter. Our research shows that, in a typical house, and one medium sized insert (30 inches by 52 inches) can save an average of 8.5 gallons of heating oil every year.”

The price of the inserts varies upon the size and complexity of the required insert.

“Inserts are free for those who cannot afford to pay, and low cost for middle- and high-income households,” Beaulieu said. “WindowDressers keeps their insert prices exceptionally low at about 50 to 75 percent cheaper than commercial products through their non-profit model of cooperative insert-building. This means that customers contribute time at our local Community Build.”

Last year was the first year that Age Friendly Windham (AFW) participated in the WindowDressers community build event.

Age Friendly Windham Coordinator Erica Bell-Watkins said the program aligns with the organization’s action plan to help facilitate weatherization programs for the community. It also aligns with the Town of Windham’s energy plan 2023 to educate and assist residents with utilizing energy efficiency programs.

“It was a wonderful community building event that brought people from the region of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences together,” Bell-Watkins said. “Students from Saint Joseph’s College hopped in to help along with volunteers from several organizations and the window receipts. We shared meals and stories."

Residents of the Sebago Lakes Region, which includes Windham, Raymond and Standish, can sign up now for inserts which will be built and distributed in January.

The inserts are built of attractive pine frames and wrapped drum-tight with two layers of durable plastic film. These layers create an insulating air space while letting in all the light and views. Foam weather stripping around the outer edges stops drafts and ensures the insert’s snug fit.

All inserts are built at the community build event, where volunteers and customers come together to assemble them. Each insert is made in a few simple steps with the help of custom jigs, which guide every step of assembly so that anyone, regardless of experience, can easily and consistently build inserts. 

“Customers install the window inserts themselves once they bring them home,” Beaulieu said. “The inserts are lightweight and designed to slide easily into the inside of the window. Each insert has a small pull tab at the bottom for removal at the end of the heating season.”

The WindowDressers program is supported through a diverse range of funding sources, including individual donations and grants from foundations across New England.

According to Beaulieu, WindowDressers is still actively accepting insert requests and actively measuring windows. The measuring deadline is Nov. 1 so all orders must be in and measured before then.

“Anyone who wants to request inserts should do so now, so volunteers have enough time to measure all windows by Nov. 1,” Beaulieu said. “We are also asking folks to volunteer to build window inserts with us Dec. 1 to 6 at this link: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/922215120126/false#/invitation. You can also sign up to provide food, if you're unable or not available for build shifts.” <

Raymond-Casco Historical Society selling honey after successful harvest

By Ed Pierce

It’s been more than a year in the making, but Sue Pride of the Raymond-Casco Historical Society says its “Honey Bee Project” is such a success that it is now able to offer an abundance of honey for sale to the public.

Beekeeper Ingo Hartig of Raymond has
helped establish a 'Honey Bee Project' for
the Raymond-Casco Historical Society and
it yielded more than 90 pounds of honey
this year. Honey is now for sale at the
Raymond-Cascp Historical Museum at
1 Shadow Road in Casco.
SUBMITTED PHOTO   

In the early spring of 2025, the society launched the project when beekeeper and member Ingo Hartig established two hives on the Raymond-Casco Historical Museum campus in Casco. Hartig also offered educational talks at the Casco Public Library and the Raymond Village Library about beekeeping.

The museum also hosted a lively Bee Celebration later in 2025, with the Queen Bee in attendance, bringing crafts, games, and all things honey to families and visitors on a weekend event. Since then, school groups and homeschoolers have made the bee talks a popular event, sparking curiosity and countless questions about beekeeping.

Pride said that although the original museum hives were lost this spring because of weather or as the result of other natural causes, strong educational interest inspired the historical society to continue the program with newly purchased bees.

“This year’s improved spring weather helped the new colony thrive,” Pride said.

In May, third graders from Raymond Elementary School visited the museum and engaged enthusiastically with a presentation about bees with Hartig, reaffirming the historical society’s decision to keep the program alive.

According to Pride, this season yielded a major success with a harvest of more than 90 pounds of honey.

“After uncapping the waxed cells, pouring out the golden liquid, and extracting it in a centrifuge, the honey has been bottled under the label “Ingo & Hugo’s Honey” honoring both the beekeeper and his helper,” Pride said.

There is always something of interest happening at the Raymond-Casco Historical Society Museum and with the addition of bee hives to the site, Pride says visitors have more to explore from regular weekend events to new collections, and the museum always tries to offer something to fit everyone’s interests.

She said that the museum campus has expanded significantly over the past several years with the addition of a blacksmith’s shop and an old schoolhouse on the museum grounds. Visitors can now take in exhibits showcasing actual items from the Raymond area, as well as the museum’s popular transportation barn.

“A lot is happening here at Raymond-Casco Historical Society,” she said. “We have new exhibits, a model farm, and new bee hives. The idea is to let people know how important honeybees are. Ingo especially likes working with children.”

For the early settlers of Raymond, honey gathered from bee hives was used instead of sugar, which was a highly taxed item by the British. The production of honey and beeswax became an important source of income for colonists, and used to make products such as candles, lipstick, shoe polish, and mead.

The honey collected from the 2026 harvest is now for sale at the Raymond-Casco Historical Museum, 1 Shadow Lane off Route 302 in Casco. The price is $15 per bottle.

The museum is open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays this fall.

Honey will also be available from 3 to 6 p.m. at Casco Fest on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27.

“The honey is selling quickly, and community members are encouraged to visit the museum soon to purchase a bottle and support this educational and environmental initiative,” Pride said.

To learn more about the Raymond-Casco Historical Society or the “Honey Bee Project,” visit www.raymondcascohistoricalsociety.org or follow the historical society on Facebook for updates, events, and historical programing. <

Windham Leaf and Brush Disposal Site preparing for seasonal opening

By Ed Pierce

It seems like summer just started but falling leaves tell a different story for Windham residents as their yards fill up with leaves and piles of unwanted brush that have accumulated on their property since spring. The big question is how to get rid of it.

The Windham Leaf and Brush Disposal Site will be open
from Saturday, Oct. 17 to Sunday, Nov. 8 at the end of
Enterprise Drive off Route 302 behind the self-storage
building in North Windham. COURTESY PHOTO

With that in mind, Windham’s Department of Public Works has announced the dates for dropping off leaves and brush for fall disposal and residential clean-ups in town.

The Windham Leaf and Brush Disposal Site will officially open for the fall season at 7 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 and will wrap up operations for the fall season at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. The Leaf and Brush Disposal Site can be found at the very end of Enterprise Drive off Route 302 behind the self-storage building in North Windham.

According to Windham DPW officials, residents who are dropping off items for disposal at the Leaf and Brush Disposal Site need to separate leaves from brush and place them in the appropriate areas where the marked and the posted signs indicate at the disposal site.

For residents transporting leaves to the Leaf and Brush Disposal Site in paper or plastic bags, DPW requests that the leaves be removed from the bags and the bags taken back home for proper disposal there. They also ask that residents not bring any unwanted brush or branches larger than 12 inches in diameter to the site for disposal.

Grass clippings are allowed to be dumped at the Windham Leaf and Brush Disposal Site, but large heavy tree stumps are not permitted for disposal there. And, DPW says that residents are not allowed to dump garbage, metal, trash, rubble, old televisions or appliances at the facility.

For new residents who were wondering, the Town of Windham does not offer a collection for leaves at the curb, and bags of leaves should not be placed in weekly recycling bins for collection.

Each fall about 600 to 700 yards in cubic feet of leaves and unwanted brush are typically collected at the town’s Leaf and Brush Disposal Site.

Windham DPW officials say to use the service, load up your vehicle and take the bags for disposal to the Leaf and Brush Disposal Site which will be open around the clock, 24 hours a day to Windham residents.

While Windham's Public Works department once handled both spring and fall brush disposal services, the town is assisted in this bi-annual collection by R.J Grondin and Sons, a family-owned construction company.

Larry Grondin, vice president of Grondin and Sons, said that it was a "good fit" to offer the town assistance with brush disposal.

"After we helped with Public Works' new building, the initial plan was to just help out while construction was taking place,” he said. “Though we settled on us taking over with the brush disposal entirely since they no longer had the room for it. It's worked out so far for us both and we like working with them."

Grondin said that all materials gathered during the spring and fall brush seasons are given new life through the Grondin and Sons company. Instead of burning the leaves and brush like residents in the past once would, Grondin and Sons find new purposes for the materials.

The leaves are composted, and wood-based materials collected are used to create new heating materials.

Grondin said it’s great knowing that the leaves and brush gathered are repurposed rather than trashed at a waste facility. These disposed materials in Windham gain a new purpose, and it also provides residents with a local site place to self-dispose of leaves and brush free of charge.

To learn more about Windham’s Leaf and Brush Disposal Site, call the Windham Public Works Department at 207-892-1909 or visit www.windhammaine.us. <

Windham voters to decide outcome of two referendums in November

By Ed Pierce

Several significant issues will be decided by referendum in Windham on Nov. 3 and if passed will have lasting implications for town residents for years to come.

Windham voters will cast ballots on Nov. 3 on two town
referendums. The first changes the way the town budget
is approved and amends the town charter to move from
an Annual Town Meeting to public voting in June on the
budget. The second is to approve or reject issuing 
general obligation bonds of up to $19.5 million to
finance the costs of repurposing Windham Middle School
for use as a community center and moving town offices and
Windham Public Library there. This is an artist's depiction
of the completed project. COURTESY PHOTO 

The first referendum modifies the Windham Town Charter to scrap the annual town meeting on a Saturday in June where the municipal budget is discussed and voted on by residents and instead changes municipal budget approval to a public vote held on Maine Primary Day on the second Tuesday in June. This would coincide with the RSU 14 school budget vote for Windham voters.

Since the town charter was adopted and the town council form of government was put in place in 1975, public participation at the Windham Annual Town meeting has dwindled to around 150 residents out of more than 12,000 registered voters in town over the past two years.

During Windham Town Council meetings for several years, councilors discussed the legal aspects of making a charter change with the town attorney. They learned that to make a change to the charter, an amendment was needed and it is required under Maine law to propose an amendment through a formal process that includes public notice, public hearings, and ultimately a vote by town residents at a regular or special election.

Another alternative for the council would have been to form a charter commission of appointed or elected citizens who would research the existing charter, potentially comparing it to those of other municipalities, and drafting a proposed amendment.

After lengthy discussions, councilors chose to increase public participation voting on the municipal budget through an amendment that moves away from an in-person town meeting to a balloted referendum vote and also raising the threshold requiring voter approval for off‑budget spending from $25,000 to $500,000. Councilors say this would give the council flexibility in presenting either a single up‑or‑down budget vote or departmental line items.

In May, Windham Town Council Vice Chair Bill Reiner said he supports the charter amendment.

“While I love the tradition of the Town Meeting, its method has outlived its usefulness,” Reiner said. “Because of that I fully support the efforts being made by the council to enact the potential for change and the ability to bring this Charter Amendment before the people for their consideration and vote. Lastly, and equally important in my mind, is that this discussion and potential change was initiated by input from the public on how they want the town to operate.”

Reiner said that raising the threshold requiring voter approval for off‑budget spending will allow the council to approve purchases up to a $500,000 limit without going to a town-wide vote for approval.

“This falls in line with surrounding towns,” he said. “The current limit of $25,000 no longer provides for emergency operations or acquisitions in a meaningful way.

Councilors chose to put a ‘Charter Amendment’ method before voters which can be used when a specific existing section of the charter is desired to be changed and the change proposed will not drastically affect the charter in its entirety. 

At this year’s Annual Town meeting in June, Windham Town Council Chair Mark Morrison said that the low participation of voters at the town meeting shows why a charter amendment is needed to change the budget process to a public vote by secret ballot like the annual RSU 14 budget vote every spring to increase participation. 

Those who oppose the charter amendment say that voters are being asked to cast their ballot without full information or fully understanding complex or legal language contained in referendums about what they are voting on.

The other referendum issue that Windham voters will determine in November is whether the town should purchase Windham Middle School for $1 once it is vacant in the fall of 2027 and repurpose the facility into a Community Center and housing town offices and the Windham Public Library there for up to $19.5 million by issuing general obligation bonds for the project.

Repurposing the school for use as a community center, including the costs of design, engineering, professional services, site preparation, construction, renovation, operating costs, and other improvements and furnishings as may be required in connection with the project. The proposal includes appropriating up to $2 million of the town’s fund balance as the Windham Town Council deems reasonable and necessary to reduce the borrowing amount and directly pay for costs of the project.

The existing Windham Middle School building first opened in 1974 and was intended for a capacity of 483 students. That number has grown in the past 52 years to 650 students and some sixth graders being housed for classes at the adjacent Field Allen School, which was built in 1949.

In November 2023, a plurality of voters in the school district, which encompasses Windham and Raymond, approved a referendum to build the new Windham Raymond Middle School with about 77 percent of construction costs paid by the Maine Department of Education’s Major Capital Construction Program. The total project budget to construct the new school is estimated at about $171.5 million, with the state funding $131.7 million of that expense and residents of Windham and Raymond paying the remaining $39.8 million.

As part of the referendum in November 2023 to obtain $131.7 million in state funding for the new middle school, RSU 14 voters agreed that the existing Windham Middle School could not be used as a school again, since the state had already contributed funding for substantial repair costs over decades of the building’s use and the school does not have a fire suppression system.

A 20-member Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee looked at ways to best use the soon-to-be vacated school building and found that the basic structure of the school was sound and that it offered 80,000 square feet of available space, the committee looked at the existing town buildings with long-term replacement costs and short-term maintenance, parking improvements and repair costs and decided that a number of municipal services could be relocated to the site for a fraction of the cost of renovating or replacing current buildings.

Windham Town Manager Robert Burns says although the benefits of the Windham Middle School Repurposing Project come with a cost, in the long run it will be cost-effective for the town.

He said this proposal would move Town Hall offices there, along with Windham’s Social Services Office, which houses the Windham Food Pantry, the Windham Public Library, Windham’s Medical Loan Closet, and create a Community Center.

“This building represents an opportunity for us to move forward,” Burns said. <