Economic Struggles? How Rural Maine Stirs Up New Business

Vassalboro Views vary on proposal for topless coffee shop

BY SUSAN M. COVER for the Morning Sentinel

VASSALBORO -- Neighbors who live near the Grand View Motel, which could soon offer a grand view of another sort, offered mixed opinions Sunday on a proposal to turn the old motel into a coffee shop with topless waitresses.

Members of the Vassalboro Planning Board on Tuesday will consider Donald Crabtree of

Ellsworth's request for a business permit. Crabtree, who was working inside the building on Sunday, said he did not want to talk about his proposal prior to the meeting.

"I'd rather not talk," he said. "Not right now."

The former motel, which has been the site of many business ventures in the last several years, is on Route 3 just over the Augusta line. It was most recently Mac Daddy's Pub at the Fat Cat Grille, which closed three or four years ago, said Planning Board Chairwoman Virginia Brackett.
The one-story building with log cabin-style siding still has an array of signs out front, including a real estate sign, a Pepsi sign, a solicitation for someone to lease the building, and one that says

"Entertainment Thursday, Friday, Saturday."

Becky Young, who lives on Mudget Hill Road, which runs behind the motel, said they got a lot of unwelcome traffic when there was a bar open at that location. She's not in favor of a topless coffee shop.

"This is a rural town," she said as she walked her two dogs. "It's country. People move here to be quiet. I think it would bring a bad crowd."

Yet others said they hope some sort of stable business is able to make a go of it, regardless of whether waitresses wear tops or not.

"I'm hoping whatever takes place, hangs in there," said Mike Provencher, who's lived on the road for 20 years. "There were entertainment gals there before and it didn't seem like it was problematic."

Susan Smith, who rents a house on the road, said there were strippers at the bar a few years ago.

She isn't worried about a topless coffee shop.

"I work a lot, so it's no big thing," she said.

Randy McKiel said he too isn't bothered by his potential new neighbor.

"I don't mind what they do," he said. "They're just trying to make a living."

When the Planning Board meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Town Office, it will not have the power to judge the business based on the attire of the staff, Brackett said. The business is required to apply for a permit because that site hasn't been used for more than 90 days, she said.

The board is charged with considering whether the site can handle the traffic the business is expected to draw, whether there's adequate parking, and other things such as lighting and the septic system. Brackett said she has no opinion on the topless aspect of the proposal.

"It's not within our ordinance to say anything about it," she said.

Man accidentally shoots self in hip during target practice; Says he'll dress like New York Giants Star-Wideout for Halloween

(Insert your best Plaxico Burress joke here...)


BY BETTY JESPERSEN of the Morning Sentinel/Kennebec Journal

TEMPLE -- A Temple man is being treated at a Lewiston hospital for a gunshot wound in his hip after he accidentally fired his 9 mm handgun Saturday while reloading the weapon during target practice, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

Chad Baker, 20, was able to get back on his own to his car, where his girlfriend had been waiting for him, and she rushed him to the emergency room at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington.

About noon, Baker was target shooting alone in a sand pit on Maple Street and was trying out a gun he had acquired recently, Sgt. Steve Lowell said on Sunday.

Emergency workers are required to report all gunshot injuries to police. Lowell and Deputy Kenneth Charles questioned Baker at the hospital before he was transferred to CMMC.
The officers recovered the handgun at the scene, and no charges are being filed.

"The incident highlights the need for proper training when handling firearms," Charles wrote in a news release. "Proper maintenance and repair of firearms should also be promoted."

Police said a possible malfunction may have been a secondary cause of the incident.