March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Manager praises spirit of community

FAIRFIELD — Hard work and lack of sleep were beginning to take a toll Thursday on Town Manager Terry York.

Her own home is still without electricity; the pipes in her kitchen and laundry room had burst; she is living in a motel room with her husband and two dogs; and to make matters worse, she is sporting one heck of a shiner from falling face down on the ice.

As she sat behind her desk at the Fairfield town office, with a line of people waiting to get emergency food assistance, York was moved to tears as she praised the volunteers who have kept Fairfield running for the past eight days.

“Excuse me, I get emotional when I think of it,” York apologized, as she listed the countless ways Fairfield police, firefighters, public works, churches and neighbors have helped each other through the storm.

“We’re exhausted, and we’ve heard a lot of sad cases come through here today,” said York, “but at the same time, I can’t say enough about the town workers. There was none of `this isn’t my job’ stuff.”

York credited community cooperation with helping to have every road in Fairfield passable by Sunday evening.

“The public works crews were getting trees out of the road. The firefighters, in their own vehicles, were clearing brush. Even the Explorers, the junior firefighters, chopped the ice off the bridges. The cooperation has been phenomenal, and everyone has worked tirelessly,” said York.

The town’s community center became command central, with York cooking spaghetti for town workers and even sleeping at the center the first night of the storm.


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like