All five finalists will have a hand in new D-F Police Department patch
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Five students artists will each have a hand in designing a new patch for the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department, town officials announced during a March 12 selectmen’s meeting.
Town Manager Jack Clukey said the previous week the board’s protection committee met with Police Chief Ryan Reardon “and we talked about the presentations on the patch.”
Reardon organized a contest to involve younger members of the community as students were invited to design a new emblem for the department. Fifty submissions were made and five finalists were chosen via a vote conducted with the artwork on display in the lobby of the Center Theatre.
The top five vote-getters were Foxcroft Academy freshman Maranda Poulin, who received 226 votes; SeDoMoCha eighth-grader Grace Carlson, 166 votes; SeDoMoCha seventh-grader Justice Batchelder, 134 votes; SeDoMoCha eighth-grader Ruby Rideout, 115 votes; and SeDoMoCha sixth-grader Halle Page, 101 votes.
The five girls each gave a presentation to the selectboard at the Feb. 26 meeting, explaining how they determined their design, significance for the town, historical information and more.
“The consensus of the group was every patch had a unique quality that we liked,” Clukey said. He said instead of choosing one work of art over the other four, elements from each will be combined into one new patch for the police department.
The students’ artwork will be used by Brian Gilbert Designs of Cumberland, which has agreed to donate staff time for the process, to design the finalized emblem.
“We will move forward with everybody being a contributor to the patch,” Clukey said, saying the police chief was excited about the idea of using components of the five designs.
“Equal prizes will go to the winners,” Selectperson Jane Conroy said. Clukey then said each student will receive $50.
“I was thinking just how amazing they were and how skilled they were with their design and presentation,” Select Vice Chair Cindy Freeman Cyr said. She said The Mill, East Main Street bridge and a soaring eagle are examples of graphics that may be combined into the new patch.
Clukey said a patch raffle is being planned, with proceeds benefiting the Center Theatre to thank the facility for displaying the artwork. The town manager said a public unveiling of the finalized design will also likely be held sometime later in the year.
In other business, the selectmen signed the paperwork to schedule a public hearing on the 2018-19 municipal and wastewater budgets for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28 at the Morton Avenue Municipal Building.
“As we move ahead in the budget process the final meeting is a joint meeting between the two boards with a public hearing,” Clukey said. The budget advisory committee sessions have been held on Wednesday evenings, and the group is set to meet with the selectmen on March 21 before the final meeting with the public hearing one week later.
“The budget process that we adopted says before we do our town meeting we hold a public hearing,” Clukey said.
The annual meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 28 at the gym on Morton Avenue. The articles approved then will move to a referendum vote on Tuesday, June 12.
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Contributed file photo
A GROUP EFFORT FOR NEW POLICE DEPARTMENT PATCH — Components from each of the five finalists’ designs in a contest enabling Foxcroft Academy and SeDoMoCha Middle School students to create a new patch for the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department will be incorporated into the forthcoming logo. The top students each presented their patches to the selectmen during a Feb. 26 meeting. The finalists are front, from left, SeDoMocha eighth-grader Ruby Rideout, seventh-grader Justice Batchelder, Foxcroft Academy freshman Maranda Poulin, SeDoMoCha sixth-grader Halle Page, and eighth-grader Grace Carlson. Pictured with the students are SeDoMoCha Middle School art teacher Bobbi Tardif and Police Chief Ryan Reardon.