community

Detail, panoramic photograph Augusta, Maine c. 1900 Library of Congress, #pan 6a16445

Maine's changing communities and our threatened environment have Joann Austin's full attention. "The traditions that radiate from the village center of each community," she says, "add value to our lives here. We need to protect what is best about our communities while working to fulfill our future goals .

Attention should be paid to preserving our rich heritage of rural agriculture as we move into the "global economy." As in Augusta and Winslow, this is also true in China and Vassalboro. How businesses situate in our communities and how information reaches us locally will shape our communities for good . . . or for ill."

A year ago, Joann Austin was instrumental in saving The Town Line newspaper, which provides local news in China, Vassalboro, Winslow and other nearby towns. This was an example of her numerous efforts to sustain local institution that carry forward the community's traditions. Another example of her commitment to our communities is her active involvement in the Oak Grove School Foundation, which annually reviews and funds educational projects throughout Central Maine.

As President of the Oak Grove Board, she was instrumental in initiating development of the old Oak Grove School campus into the State's new Criminal Justice Academy. "The Academy means more jobs with local growth and is a example of what I want to continue to facilitate," she says.

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