Residential leaf and brush disposal site open for spring season in Windham

By Ed Pierce

With the winter season at an end, Windham residents are now able to collect and dispose of leaves and unwanted brush that has accumulated on their property since last fall.

The Windham Leaf and Brush Disposal
Site at the end of Enterprise Drive in
North Windham has opened for the 
spring season. The drop-off facility
is open 24 hou0rs a day ands will 
close for the season at 6 p.m. on
Sunday, May 10. FILE PHOTO
 

Windham’s Department of Public Works has announced the opening and hours of operation for the Windham Leaf and Brush Disposal Site at the end of Enterprise Drive in North Windham. The drop-off facility officially launched for the spring on Saturday, April 18 and closes for the season at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 10.

The site is located at the very end of Enterprise Drive off Route 302 behind the self-storage building in North Windham.

Windham DPW officials are asking that residents who are dropping off items for disposal to separate their leaves from brush and place them in the appropriate areas where the marked and posted signs indicate.

For those transporting leaves to the site in paper or plastic bags, DPW requests that the leaves be removed from the bags and the bags taken back home for proper disposal. They also ask that residents not take any brush or branches larger than 12 inches in diameter to the site for disposal. Grass clippings are allowed but large heavy tree stumps are not.

As a reminder, residents are not allowed to dump garbage, metal trash, used television sets or appliances at the town’s Leaf and Brush Disposal Site.

Windham DPW reminds town residents that leaves are not collected at the curb by the town, and bags of leaves should not be placed in recycling bins for collection. Typically, about 400 to 500 yards in cubic feet of leaves and unwanted brush are collected at the town disposal site every year during the spring leaf and brush disposal season.

The site is open 24 hours a day for Windham residents.

The Windham Leaf and Brush Disposal Site is managed by Grondin and Sons, a local construction company.

Larry Grondin, vice president of Grondin and Sons, said that the company agreed to manage the site because Windham Public Works had no room for it when the new Public Works building off Windham Center Road was completed six years ago.

“It's worked out so far for us both and we like working with them," Grondin said.

According to Grondin, all materials that are gathered during the spring and fall brush seasons are given new life through a process used by Grondin and Sons.

Grondin and Sons instead repurposes the collected organic materials instead of burning the leaves and brush like town residents would in the past.

The collected leaves from the site are composted, and wood-based materials go toward creating heating materials.

Grondin said knowing that the leaves and brush gathered are repurposed rather than being sent to a waste facility is environmentally sound. The disposed materials gain a new purpose, and it also provides residents with a local site in Windham to self-dispose of leaves and brush totally free of charge.

Windham Public Works officials ask town residents using this leaf and brush disposal service to adhere to all rules so it may continue to offer it free of charge to the public in the spring and fall.

For questions about the Windham Leaf and Brush Disposal Site or how to properly dispose of leaves, brush and branches under 12 inches in diameter there, call Windham Public Works on Mondays through Thursdays from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 207-892-1909. <

Windham in the 1950s: Riding the Bus

By Max Millard

In the years 1958 to 1961, when I rode the Windham school bus, the trip to school was often the best part of the day. I was part of a clique of boys who occupied the seats at the very back, where we played poker for much of the ride. It was a juvenile version of the game, with aces, deuces and one-eyed cards being wild. No one carried money, but we did have an informal currency: marbles, which you could buy almost anywhere.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Max Millard rode the
school bus to J.A. Andrew School in South Windham. The
bus driver, Arthur Tyler, always took the same route from
the end of Windham Center Road onto Route 302 and then
a right turn leading to South Windham.
COURTESY PHOTO   

If a child dropped a marble on the floor, it would soon roll to the front, where it was snatched by our driver, Arthur Tyler. He was a strict, humorless old-timer who maintained good order on board and kept to an exact schedule. All the kids on his route had to be waiting at streetside when he arrived, or he would give several blasts on his horn and finally move on.

He didn't stop at every house but often retrieved a cluster of kids from several neighboring homes. In Windham Center, I waited with Steve and Jim Quimby, Dennis Hawkes and several others. On sub-zero days we would pick up twigs and brandish them like cigarettes, exhaling clouds of vapor to pantomime smoking.

The bus always took the same route to J.A. Andrew School – down to the end of Windham Center Road, then onto Route 302, where we picked up Brenda Espaignette, Pamela Wood and Clifton Gray, followed by a right turn leading to South Windham, to the homes of Nancy Millet, Tommy Szostak, Maurice Clark, and many others. Among the passengers was Mrs. Toppi, the school cook. She was an elderly and corpulent woman with a bright smile and much enthusiasm for her job, but little conversation apart from the day's menu. With minimal help, she managed to prepare a meal for the entire school.

At the River Road, we scooped up Timmy Dolby, whose family owned the town funeral parlor. Timmy was somewhat of a maverick. If there was any commotion on the bus, he was invariably among the suspects. Arthur Tyler kept a special seat for miscreants at the very front of the bus, which he called the “dog house.” When Timmy was called to occupy it, Arthur addressed him as “Digger Dolby.”

At school, the biggest sport at recess was not baseball or basketball, but marbles. To start the game, a player would grind his heel into the dirt and excavate a circular “pot” about 2 inches deep and 6 inches across. Then the competitors would stand behind a line and take turns throwing marbles toward the pot. Whoever came closest would go first. 

To play the game, we placed one foot up against a marble, then kicked it with the other foot. Before starting, a player could announce the rules and follow it up with the phrase “touch black,” then touch the bottom of his shoe to make it official. He might say, “Boot and a shoot, touch black” which meant each “boot” would be followed by a “shoot,” by crouching down and pushing the marble forward with an index finger.

During the game, some kids would announce a new rule, such as “clearsies.” That meant clearing away any debris that was between the marble and the pot. It was always questionable whether this was legal, but usually the bigger kid got his way. Other times kids would announce “trenchsies” and dig a trench from the marble to the pot, or “airplanesies,” and simply pick up a marble and drop it in the pot. But no one accepted these infringements of the rules.

Booting the marble was as tricky as putting a golf ball. Whoever got the last one would keep the whole potful. The most skilled players held a certain status, and everyone respected them for the huge sacks of marbles they would lug around.

The commonest marbles were cat's eyes, so called because that's what they resembled. The more prized marbles were of a transparent color and called pures. The big marbles were simply bigs and the most coveted marbles were big pures. The best marble players would often play for two or three bigs at a time. Such matches always attracted a crowd, like fans at a major golf tournament.

Arthur Tyler had one of the largest marble collections of anyone. He kept them in a jar, and one day when it was full, he announced a contest: Whoever came closest to guessing the total would get them. It turned out that he had 161, and the lucky winner guessed 160.

In the fall of 1961 I entered Field-Allen Junior High, where I could walk to school, so my bus-riding days were over. But I never forgot how to play marbles. In later years, I tried to teach the skill to children who knew nothing about the game, but I never found a single child who showed interest. What had once been a passion for my peer group had become a tedious pastime for the next generation.

Max Millard is a retired journalist and teacher in San Francisco, California. Send email to [email protected] <

WHS senior pays tribute to Diamond with new softball team name

By Ed Pierce

The late Bill Diamond continues to influence future generations in Windham and a new initiative started by a high school student hopes to keep his memory alive.

Windham High School softball player Oakley McLeod once
played for the Bill Diamond team in Windham Little League
years ago and has created a new team in the league for this
season to honor the memory of the late Windham legislator,
educator and businessman. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Oakley McLeod, 18, is a senior at Windham High School and came to know Diamond through her participation in Windham Little League softball. Diamond sponsored a softball team in the league for years and McLeod says that at one time or another she and most of her WHS softball teammates played for that youth team.

Diamond, who served more than 40 years in politics and service to the state, died at the age of 80 in August 2025 following a hard-fought battle with cancer. He served as a state legislator representing Windham, Maine’s Secretary of State from 1989 to 1997 and was also an educator and businessman who sponsored many local youth sports teams.

“I have been playing softball for 11 years and I love how softball shaped me into the person I am today,” McLeod said. “I am more confident and comfortable with myself, and I like how it involves mental and physical strength. What I remember about being on Bill Diamond’s team are the friendships I made and it was a start to my softball career. I remember learning the game through many great coaches and looking up to the older girls. I know how much it meant to Bill seeing girls play the sport they love.” 

To honor the role Bill Diamond played in her life and continue a tradition that he started, McLeod stepped up this spring and created a new Windham Little League softball team carrying the Bill Diamond name.

“I wanted to name it after Bill Diamond because I played on the Bill Diamond team when I was younger and it brings back memories and holds a tradition to the Windham community,” McLeod said. “I want young girls to know how much he has done in the community.”

She also has been backed by her family in creating the new youth softball team. 

“My family has been supportive through naming the team in Bill Diamond’s name,” she said. “They all thought it was a great way to represent the community, and it showed growth in myself as well as the Windham community having my back. We all miss Bill and want to keep the impact he had upon Windham.”

She said her high school teammates also have supported her efforts to create the new team and name it for Diamond.

“They think it’s a great way to honor our history as well as Bill’s and they want young girls to get the same impact that we did,” McLeod said. “Playing Little League softball was a key impact in our life and we made great bonds and played the sport we loved.”

McLeod says that in getting to know Bill by playing on a youth softball team he sponsored, it was evident how much he cared about children.

“Bill was great and he always supported children though his work in the legislature and as a teacher and principal, so he knew kids,” McLeod said. “I think more people should know his background because he was always there for Little League and he made a great impact upon Windham. They should know his love for softball and educating kids.”

According to McLeod, creating this team with Diamond’s name is a small way of paying respect to the person he was. 

“Personally, I would love to represent Bill Diamond as much as I can. I wanted to show my love for softball and the love I had for Little League by representing Bill Diamond and his impact on Little League players,” she said. “I wanted to keep the memories going and bring back a great time in my life.”

Even though Diamond is no longer with us, McLeod says he would love the thought of naming a new team in his honor.

“I know Bill loved softball so seeing his name again would mean something to him because we all grew up with the Bill Diamond team and we all loved it,” McLeod said, “Bill came to support our games, so Bill would think this is a good thing.” <

Cumberland County Regional Communications preparing for Fourth Annual Touch-A-Truck event

By Ed Pierce

Cumberland County’s 911 Regional Communications Center is preparing to host the Fourth Annual Touch-A-Truck on Saturday, April 18 at 22 High St. in Windham.

The Fourth Annual Touch-A-Truck event hosted by
Cumberland County's 911 Regional Communications 
Center will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 18 at 22 High St. in Windham. The free
event for families will offer up-close experiences with
public safety and public works vehicles, demonstrations,
food trucks and vendors. COURTESY PHOTO   

The free event will be held rain or shine, with Touch-A-Truck activities running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and everyone is welcome to attend and participate.

This family friendly event will feature:

** Fire Trucks, Police Vehicles and Emergency Medical Technician equipment

** K-9 Demonstrations

** Utility Terrain Vehicles

** Drone Demonstrations

** Public Works Vehicles

** Maine Forest Service

** A Bounce House

** Food trucks

** Safety tips

** Vendors

** 9-1-1 simulator for kids

** Dispatch facility tours

The Cumberland County Regional Communications Center (CCRCC) is a Public Safety Emergency Communications Center. The CCRCC provides emergency and non-emergency dispatch service for many public safety agencies within Cumberland County and serves as the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for 19 of the 28 different communities within Cumberland County. As the Public Safety Answering Point for those communities, the center receives all 9-1-1 phone calls for those areas.

Events such as the Touch-A-Truck gathering is an opportunity for the Cumberland County Regional Communications Center’s Public Education Team to educate the public about 9-1-1. Its goal for the Public Education Program is to successfully teach children and adults what to do in the event that they have an emergency and need to call 9-1-1.

The team consists of many dedicated and knowledgeable Emergency Public Safety 9-1-1 dispatchers who are able to answer questions to help the public better understand what they do, how they do it and provide a 9-1-1 Simulator experience that is designed for children in grades K to 4.

The 9-1-1 Simulator allows children to actually dial 9-1-1 on a telephone and answer pre-recorded questions. These questions are similar to what they would be asked should they ever have to call for help in the future. Through the use of the 9-1-1 Simulator and having trained dispatchers on location for the Touch-A-Truck event, Cumberland County Regional Communications Center strives for both children and adults to leave the event having more knowledge of what to expect if they have to call 9-1-1 someday. <