January 10, 2025
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Notes from the Chair:
It is one year since sections of our Ocean Avenue were hit hard by the first of the January Storms! Since then we have contracted with Walsh Engineering to design the plan for Shoreland Stabilization, and we’ve been working with FEMA and MEMA (who have to approve everything so we can get 90% reimbursement after all the repairs and mitigation is done). Walsh is applying for the necessary permits this month and if you live within 1000 feet of Ocean Avenue you will soon receive a notice. Then the bidding process begins, and then the repair work can start (depending where we are in the queue with other Towns that also need work from available contractors).
We appreciate that everyone is still driving mindfully on the one lane and damaged parts of Ocean Ave. and your patience will continue to be needed all spring/summer as this work progresses.
In other Town news: our audits are getting done!
The fiscal year 2023 (which ended June 30, 2023) is finally finished and a few copies are available for you to look at in the Town Office. Please do not take one home!
Now our Auditor is working on FY 2024 (year ended June 30, 2024) and that will finally bring us up to date. This audit should be completed much faster because of TRIO.
As you know, Annual Town Meeting begins with Town (municipal) elections.
This year the election is scheduled for June 10, 2025, which is the same date as our State election. Nomination papers will be available from the Town Office by March 10, 2025 so you can run for office! Papers must be returned to the TO by April 9, 2025.
This year we will be electing 1 Select Board member, Fire Chief, Road Commissioner, and Public Safety Officer.
If you are interested in running for the Select Board, I encourage you to attend our twice monthly meetings (usually 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 7 pm, unless holidays, weather, or illness/injury intervenes). And you can always ask me what the job entails.
I can tell you that it helps to really care about Sorrento, and you can make between 2 and 12 dollars per hour! (That depends on how much time you give to the job.)
You will not get a designated parking space at the Town Center, nor at the Town Harbor parking lot (only the Clerk and the Harbormaster get those).
At the very least the Select Board is responsible for all Town assets, and must be careful stewards of the taxpayers money.
You will have to deal with all kinds of people and personalities, and most of them are friendly and appreciate the work we do.
If it turns out you are the only one on the ballot for any office, please do Not assume that you will win! In a Municipal election write-in candidates do not have to declare their candidacy.
Even if you do not want to run, registered voters can write you in, and you might win.
If you want to run for office it is worth campaigning, to let the voters know who you are.
Stay tuned for more good news coming soon!
And may this New Year be a Healthy and Peaceful one for all of us in our little Town.
May 15, 2024
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From where I sit this is a banner day!
If you are reading this, you know our long awaited Town of Sorrento website
has finally come to fruition!
We had one hired consultant, Diana Zenzano, (mostly paid for by
donations), and Hundreds of Hours of Volunteer Labor.
Neither the consultant, nor the volunteers were available to work on the
website consistently, so there were many long gaps, and it all took much
longer than we had hoped, and it is still a work in progress.
Nonetheless, here is what we have now.
A Thousand Thanks to those who put in the most time:
Ann Hoffner, Darla Crocker and Daphne Preuss.
And thanks to Sam Younger, Wendy Worrell, Gianna Settin, Crosby Noyes,
Matt Gurin, Rob Wilpan, Mike Gurtler and Marc Perry.
And thanks for photos from: Trina Wellman, Lisa Heyward, Ted Preuss and
Lucian Sharpe.
Your generous volunteering is one of the many reasons I love Sorrento!
And apologies if I forgot to mention someone. Please let me know.
As of now, small changes can be made in-house.
Bigger things, like taking credit card payments, will have to come about in
Phase 2.
If you want new content, or re-worded content, please write it up and
email to:
Webmaster@sorrentomaine.org for review, and the Select Board will
consider the changes.
Meanwhile, please enjoy your tour through the website for
Our Town of Sorrento!
Sincerely, Hilly
Chair of the Sorrento Select Board