Woolwich selectmen agreed Wednesday, Nov. 4 to give a wire cage containing free, split firewood outside the town office another try after a volunteer stepped forward to help monitor it. Geneva Robinson said she’d be willing to keep the cage filled with firewood provided by Midcoast Wood Bank. The cage will be placed in the parking area across from the town office.  

Robinson offered to help after reading in the newspaper the cage had been removed because a volunteer couldn’t be found to keep it filled, a condition of Midcoast Wood Bank's. Residents are permitted to help themselves to an occasional small load of split firewood stored in the cage 24/7. The cage will be placed in the parking area across from the town office under a street light and monitored by a camera. Selectmen will leave it up to Robinson to work out details with the wood bank. She said the wood cage could be delivered as soon as the week of Nov. 9.

Selectboard Chair David King Sr. said information about Midcoast Wood Bank has been posted on the town’s website. The non-profit organization based in Topsham offers up to two cords per household of free, split firewood to residents in need, to be used as a source of winter heat. The group has partnered with a number of other area communities. King noted firewood in the cage is intended for emergency home heating use and not as a source of free camp wood. 

Voting at the elementary school went very smoothly on Election Day. Town Administrator/Town Clerk Kim Dalton said 2,088 of the town’s 2,700 registered voters cast ballots. Voters returned incumbents Allison Hepler and Jason Shaw to the selectboard. Jamie Dorr and Jennifer Rich-Smith were elected to represent Woolwich on the Regional School Unit 1 board.

EMS Director Danny Evarts said the ambulance department was looking into providing more comfortable accommodations for its night crew. “Night shifts are difficult to fill as we have no sleeping quarters for our out-of-town personnel,” he told selectmen. Evarts has reached out to various sources in hopes of finding additional staff to cover the night shifts. Woolwich EMS responded to 24 calls last month; 23 patients were seen, and 19 were transported. MC1 was called 13 times.

Fire Chief Shaun Merrill said the fire department responded to seven calls in October. These included providing mutual aid assistance for structural fires in Wiscasset and West Bath.

Woolwich will honor its military veterans Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, at a program beginning at 11 a.m. in Nequasset Meeting House. Featured speakers will be Kenneth Chamberland, Robert Meade and Gary Wright. Live music will be provided by the Montsweagers and the Harveys. Tegan Rand will serve as master of ceremonies.

The Station 46 bridge near Taste of Maine Restaurant will be renamed the “Veterans Memorial Bridge" at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. The community is invited to attend the ceremony that will include participation from the Bath-based Smith-Tobey American Legion Post 21 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7738. Nina Ryan of Woolwich has been asked to sing the national anthem. 

The town office will be closing at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving.