Jeffrey Hinderliter has known for years he wanted to work in Old Orchard Beach.

Hinderliter, who will begin his new position as town planner May 16, said he first knew Old Orchard Beach was the place for him when he attended a council meeting shortly after graduating from college.

“This is exactly where I need to be,” Hinderliter said.

Hinderliter currently is director of planning and development in Wiscasset. He previously was in charge of planning, code enforcement and plumbing administration in Gardiner and was code enforcement officer in Harpswell.

Hinderliter is a 1999 graduate of the University of Southern Maine, where he studied geography, anthropology and community planning. He also completed degree work in geography, economics and community planning at Towson State College in Maryland.

A native of Philadelphia, Hinderliter spent time in town in the 1980s and later while he attended the University of Southern Maine.

“I remember going to the Ballpark when I was a kid,” he said. “If I’m going to call anywhere in Maine home, it would be Old Orchard Beach.”

Hinderliter said he is looking forward to getting to work and finding more ways to involve residents in town planning. He wants to start Plan OOB as an opportunity for residents to help plan projects, including in the Ballpark’s 50-acre parcel of land.

“It would be a wonderful project for people to get involved in. I love having people be part of the process,” he said.

Hinderliter said he would also like to update the Comprehensive Plan to use as a roadmap for development in town.

“I’m looking forward to being around the people in Old Orchard Beach,” he said. “It’s an incredible opportunity for me and I feel very fortunate to be selected for this position.”

Grant will help conserve oldest map of downtown

McArthur Public Library received a grant to conserve the library’s oldest map of downtown.

The map shows the downtown and mill districts of Biddeford and Saco. Created in 1848, it shows early street names and mill complexes on either side of the Saco River.

The $1,500 American Heritage Preservation grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services also will be used to buy remote environmental monitoring equipment to facilitate better monitoring of special collections material.

Police crack down on fake inspection stickers

Biddeford police say they have seen an increase in stolen and fraudulent vehicle inspection stickers in the city.

Chief Roger Beaupre and several patrolmen in early March noticed suspicious looking inspection stickers on vehicles. Beaupre instructed officers to automatically run inspection sticker serial numbers on each car stopped to see if the stickers were stolen, according to police.

Police issued 12 warnings for expired inspection stickers; 13 violations for failure to display a current or valid sticker; nine citations for displaying a fictitious inspection sticker; 10 tickets for displaying an expired sticker; one citation for receiving a stolen inspection sticker; and 29 citations for using a counterfeit inspection sticker. Police also charged one person with aggravated forgery of an inspection sticker, a class B felony. 

The fraudulent stickers found in Biddeford differ slightly in color from valid stickers and often have numbers that appear less crisp, according to police. Most vehicles that display the stickers were at least 10 years old and had noticeable defects that led police to believe they would not pass inspection, Beaupre said.

Ballpark to host Small College World Series

The Old Orchard Beach Ballpark Commission will host the United States Collegiate Athletic Association tournament for the second straight year.

The Small College World Series will be held May 13 to 18. Ten college teams will compete for the national title in the double-elimination tournament. Local teams that will compete are from Southern Maine Community College and Central Maine Community College.

Teams will travel to Old Orchard Beach from as far away as Virginia and Texas.

The series begins May 13 with a luncheon for athletes, a parade of teams, home run derby and fireworks. Tournament play begins May 14. OOB 365 in the Park will feature local food vendors, professional displays and services from local businesses.

 “The Great American Pastime Day” will be May 15 at the Ballpark. All tickets will be $1 instead of the standard $3. The price is intended to be reminiscent of when the Maine Guides played regulation games at the Ballpark in the 1970s.

Games will be played Saturday and Sunday at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. For more information, go to www.oldorchardbeachballpark.com.

Schools, library  host citywide reading event

Biddeford schools and McArthur Public Library last week hosted the city’s first “One Book, One School, One Library” event.

Author Cynthia Lord of Brunswick visited Biddeford Intermediate and Biddeford Middle schools where students read her book, “Touch Blue.” Lord spent three days at the schools and library working with students and signing books.

The library received a $4,000 Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Visit award from the Association of Library Service to Children to pay for Lord’s visit. The library teamed up with the Biddeford Intermediate School Parent Teacher Organization to offer the event to all students.

Lord, who lives in Brunswick, said she was impressed by the welcome she received from students. She said it is fun to visit schools where every student has read the same book.

“It is so surreal,” she said. “It’s wonderful and exciting.”

Lord met with small groups of students to talk about how she creates characters and develops stories. She said “Touch Blue” was influenced by her experiences teaching at a small island school.

Chris Bulsa-O’Meara, Biddeford Intermediate School librarian, said this was the first time the library has been involved in the “One Book, One School, One Library” program. Reading the same book allowed students to discuss it with friends, she said.

Bulsa-O’Meara said students also benefit from meeting authors to see they come from different backgrounds.

“It can be a fun way to keep them inspired about writing and reading,” she said.

Saco woman hurt when car collides with truck

A Saco woman was injured when her car collided with a cement truck.

Kathryn Dydowicz, 44, was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center for a possible broken leg after the April 28 crash on Buxton Road near Foss Road.

According to police, Guy Poirier, 63, of Saco, was driving a Dayton Sand and Gravel truck westbound when Dydowicz’s car crossed the center lane. Poirier attempted to avoid the collision and Dydowicz’s car ended up in a ditch on the side of the road, said Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Holland.

Rescue personnel removed Dydowicz from her 2004 Honda Civic with the “jaws of life.” Holland said she had a non-life threatening medical issue immediately before the crash. Poirier was not injured.

A Maine State Police commercial vehicle enforcement unit assisted Saco police with the investigation. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection also was involved because the truck’s fuel tank was punctured, which caused a minor spill. The area around the spill as treated with an absorbent material and removed.

Holland said damage to the truck is estimated at $4,000. Damage to the car was around $12,000, resulting in a total loss. No charges are anticipated in the incident.

Voters will consider new Loranger windows

The Regional School Unit 23 school board voted Monday night to call for a bond to replace a window wall at Loranger Middle School in Old Orchard Beach.

The referendum must be voted on June 7 by residents in Old Orchard Beach, Dayton and Saco, the three communities in the district. The Saco City Council Monday night approved the warrant and the Old Orchard Beach Town Council was expected to do the same Tuesday night, after the Courier publication deadline. However, Dayton selectmen declined to approve the warrant at its meeting Monday, said Gary Curtis, a school board member from Old Orchard Beach.

Curtis said the decision is a violation of state law and the school district attorney will discuss the issue with Dayton’s attorney. He said the question cannot be on the ballot unless Dayton approves the warrant.

The referendum will ask voters to allow the school department to replace a window wall at the middle school for $368,290. A third of that cost will be paid by the state and the remaining two-thirds will be paid with an interest-free loan, Curtis said.

“It’s work that has needed to be done because the frames around the windows are rotting,” he said.

Curtis said the school district expects the repair to pay for itself in five to seven years through savings on heat. The windows currently allow cold air into the building and warm air out, he said. 

Thornton students to raise money for veterans

The Thornton Academy Dance Company will use its annual Spring Dance Informance to raise money for Freedom Dances.

Freedom Dances is a branch of the Wounded Warriors Project, which provides services to wounded military veterans. The Dance Company each year holds its Informance, an informal performance featuring all dance classes from the Saco school.

The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 21 at Thornton Academy in Saco. All current members of the military and veterans are encouraged to attend free of charge to be recognized during the performance. Tickets are $3 for non-military attendees. 

–  Compiled by Staff Writer Gillian Graham