Welcome to the Harpswell Anchor. Here you can find information on our unique community whether it be local events, historical vignettes, and profiles of some of our unique individual residents.

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The Anchor Staff

Tuna Fishing Fever

Written by Tom Allen | 30 August 2010

There's something primal about catching a fish. The tug at the end of the line seems to be connected directly to our nervous systems, triggering a jolt of adrenaline out of proportion to the size of the catch. Even a mackerel or other small fish is a nerve-jangling thrill. So imagine what it's like to catch a big fish-a really big fish. Some call it tuna fever. Dana Hole has tuna fever. A Harpswell lobsterman, Dana's been going on friends' boats since he was a teenager. This season, his second in his own boat, the 36-foot Elz Bellz, Dana harpooned one of the first swordfish landed in Harpswell in years. (Okay, a swordfish isn't a tuna, but the feeling's the same.) Let him tell you the story sometime, and you'll know he suffers from tuna fever. Dana was down on deck, when his friends in the spotting tower called down that they'd spotted another basking shark. "So I had seen nine that morning," Dana says, "and didn't need to see another one. We practically ran it over and one guy says, ' Look, its a swordfish." So Dana scrambled up into the stand and grabbed the harpoon. Now comes the embarrassing part-the part that'll get him ribbed for years.

Crisis In Cundy's Harbor

Written by Bob Jørgensen | 30 August 2010

Ben Wallace is a dedicated citizen. By day is a full time career firefighter in Portland, where he has helped protect the public for 13 years. His job there currently includes serving in the Fire Prevention Bureau, conducting safety inspections and reviewing building permits. For most men, that would be enough. But Ben isn't most men. In the evening, on weekends, holidays, and during his vacation, he devotes his time, training and expertise to serving as Cundy's Harbor's Fire Chief. He worries about finding more volunteer firemen to replace his aging team.
We spent some time with Chief Wallace and learned that Cundy's Harbor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Dept. (CHVFRD) was founded in the 1950's and is currently comprised of 20 certified firemen and licensed EMTs and a couple of fire police members, whose job it is to direct traffic at fire scenes. The CHVFRD is an independent substation that covers the area of Harpswell to the north and east of the intersection of Harpswell Islands Road and Steven's Corner Road. It operates in conjunction with Harpswell's other two independent substations on Harpswell Neck and Orr's Island. An evening or early morning fire can see as many as 30 trained firefighters drawn from the combined pool of people from the three substations, while daytime fires incidents are usually responded to initially by 12-15 firemen. Additional men and equipment from Brunswick, Bath and other communities may be called in to serve as backup resources to their brother firefighters if and when necessary.

Property Taxes

Written by Amber Skinner | 30 August 2010

With property tax bills having landed in a mailbox near you recently, questions abound about what exactly they are used to pay for and how the amount is determined. Property taxes, the oldest form of taxation in Maine, are used to fund local government services and, by Maine state law, are the only revenue communities can use to fund their portion of county government and school district budgets. In Harpswell, half of the Town budget is paid for with property taxes, according to Town Administrator Kristi Eiane.To determine a person's property tax, the Town multiplies the assessed value of the property by the mill rate, then divides that number by 1,000. Harpswell's mill rate in 2009 was $6.19; this year, it is down to $6. Recent mill rates in Bath and Portland were over $17. More than two-thirds of Harpswell's mill rate goes to Maine School Administrative District 75 ($4.14 out of $6), about 10% goes to Cumberland County ($.61) and the rest goes toward funding the Town's budget ($1.25).

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Welcome to the Harpswell Anchor

Tuna Fishing Fever

Crisis In Cundy's Harbor

Property Taxes