Woolwich selectmen April 17 commended the efforts of first responders and Fire Chief Shaun Merrill in containing a fire authorities said was deliberately set in a vacant building early Sunday morning, April 14. Arrests have been made following that fire and two in Dresden the same morning.

Merrill told selectmen, because the fires are under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s  Office, there wasn’t much information he could share. “All three fires were set within 15 to 20 minutes of one another,” he said. The small brick building that burned on Old Stage Road had once been a schoolhouse and was thought to be a total loss. “The windows and doors will need to be boarded up as soon as possible,” continued Merrill. He added, the State Fire Marshal has asked him how much the fire department spent putting out the fire.

The building, previously a home, had been vacant the last few years. Selectman Jason Shaw said the property had recently been purchased by Bath Water District. Located on a small knoll surrounded by trees, it originally served as the District #2 Union Bridge School, taking its name from a nearby bridge spanning Nequasset Brook.  According to “History of Woolwich Maine, A Town Remembered,” the one-room schoolhouse was built by the town in the 1880s and originally had a belfry and bell that was rung to signal the start of class. The school closed in 1950 when the elementary school opened on Nequasset Road. Before becoming a home, the building was used by the community’s Snowmobile Club as a clubhouse.

In hindsight, Selectman Dale Chadbourne wished the town had considered buying the property. “The building wasn’t much, but there was a fair amount of acreage that came with it that included the boat launch alongside the bridge at the bottom of the hill,” he told Wiscasset Newspaper April 18. “The town has a good deal of shore frontage but surprisingly very little public access to the water,” Chadbourne added. Years ago, he’d been given one of the wooden desks from the Union Bridge schoolhouse, he said.

Town Administrator Kim Dalton said with the annual town meeting starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 at Woolwich Central School, the town office will be closing at 5 p.m. that day. Voters will consider a 2024-25 town budget of $2.6 million. David King Sr., selectboard chairman, said the proposed town budget is up 6.64%; $168,222 over last year. The 2024-25 budget for Regional School Unit 1, which Woolwich is a part of, will be voted on in June. The first thing voters will hear when they enter the school lobby will be music performed by the Montsweagers, recipients of the community’s “Spirit of America” award.

Selectman and District Rep. 49 Allison Hepler was in Augusta on legislative business and unable to attend the selectboard meeting. It was the final day of the legislative session.

EMS Director Danny Evarts was absent as well, due to being in Washington, D.C. for the National Association of EMTs’ “EMS Day,” an annual event where EMTs meet with their Congressional representatives and lobby for EMS support on a national level. “Along with other representatives from Maine, I will be meeting with Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden,” wrote Evarts in his bi-weekly report. This is Evarts’ second year attending the event.

Woolwich Ambulance responded to 16 calls as of April 15; 14 patients were seen, 11 were transported. Evarts noted six of these calls were on one day, four within an hour of one another. Evarts added, one of the two siren speakers on Rescue 2 is broken and unable to be repaired. “This model of speaker is no longer manufactured, so we are currently looking for a used replacement,” he stated. Rescue 2 remains in service.

The 2024 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day for Woolwich residents is Saturday, May 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bath Public Works garage, 450 Oak Grove Ave., Bath. Pre-registrations are on a first come, first served basis. The event is for residential waste: no commercial haulers and no commercial waste accepted. For more information, call Bath Public Works at 443-8357, or visit www.tickettailor.com/events/bathpublicworksdepartment/1225904