In the last seven days, the RSU 12 board revisited and reinstated, albeit temporarily, the Wiscasset High School mascot; there was a major structure fire in the Damariscotta Mills; and, a simmering dispute between the town of Newcastle and the Newcastle Fire Company boiled over in the public eye, again.
It seems we have been here before.
Last November we praised the RSU 12 School Board for forming a committee to consider the mascot issue. In January we criticized the board for unilaterally stripping the away the “Redskin” mascot without waiting for their committee’s report.
Now we are nonplussed they felt compelled to revisit the issue, although they deserve credit for paying attention to the expressed opinion of the majority of Wiscasset residents who favored the “Redskin” moniker.
Still, we can’t help but think all the time, effort, and energy expended on this issue could be better invested on behalf of the students all parties claim to support. For all the talking and emotion surrounding this issue, the name of the high school sports team is likely the least important thing involved in preparing students for the challenges that await them in the real world.
No matter how majestic or inspiring, a school nickname doesn’t do squat for you on the SATs.
This week a lingering dispute between the town of Newcastle and the fire company came to a head, again. Last year, it was a certified audit that was at issue. This year, it is a failure to follow specified bid procedures. Either way the fire company and town it serves are not on the same page, again.
It’s unfortunate because the fire company and the town are on the same page about the most important thing: ensuring the safety and well being of the town’s residents.
The fire company isn’t out to screw the town out of anything and anyone who thinks so needs to have their head examined. These are men and women who have pledged to serve the town, their town, at the risk of their very lives.
Still, there is process to be followed whether it’s an audit, a warrant article, or a bid item, and serving the town well really means following the process.
We would like to see the town and the fire company trustees come together and iron themselves out. If they don’t, it simply sets the stage for another, similar dispute next year and the year after, and the year after. The longer this goes on, the deeper the resentments will go.
Now let’s look at this last Friday night, when one of the iconic buildings in the Damariscotta Mills was going up in flames. Firefighters and civilians from all over answered the call for help. Neighbors were literally coming out of the woodwork to offer the homeowners aid and comfort. So much so that a gang of friends and neighbors descended on the destroyed home Saturday for an impromptu work party.
That’s a good look at what’s important; at what’s so good about living here: the teams of trained, dedicated semi-professional volunteers coming out to do what they do best in the heat of the moment and then, out of the ashes that follow, members of the community rising to the occasion.
