Sagadahoc Preservation Inc.
Annual Meeting Summary 2025

Outgoing Trustees:

Meg Barker, Rick Bisson, Kara Zech-Thelen, and Katie Winglass

New Trustees:

Mary Anne Ballard, Peter Blachly, Kim Heithoff, and Paul Seaman (See biographies below)

2025 Officers: President – Alicia Romac,  Vice President – Irene Drago, Treasurer – Kirsti Huotari    Secretary – Geniene Marco

Continuing Trustees:

Judy Barrington, Preservation Chair, Morgan Decker, Education Chair

Jeff Assenza, Chair, Winter Street Oversight Committee

Annie Parker, Curtis Henderson, Kelli Pallito, Suzi Ring, Jeff Robinson, and Jackie Berry

President’s Report

I am deeply grateful for the dedication and hard work of our Board of Directors over the past year. Together, we have:

• Hosted our annual House & Garden Tour and added the Maine Author’s Expo
• Continued our Fourth Grade Architectural Program with area schools
• Rebuilt the chimney and painted the north sanctuary wall
• Replaced the front tiered windows with custom mahogany frames, original glass, and   added reproduction louvers
• Completed the kitchen renovation at the Winter Street Center
• Launched The Maine Songwriters and Musicians Concert Series
• Sponsored the Washington Park Historic District project
• Served as the fiscal sponsor of the Kennebec Riverview, Inc. project to preserve waterfrontage in downtown Bath

We also completed a detailed assessment of the Winter Street Center and are developing a three-phase renovation plan focusing on accessibility, structural stabilization, and essential upgrades to fully open the buildings for expanded community use.

To strengthen our capacity and vision, we have engaged Bridget Alexander and Tali Pieper of Mighty Oaks Consulting, whose expertise in grant development, program-based budgeting, and strategic planning will help us take SPI to the next level. Together, we are laying the groundwork to expand programming and public access at the Winter Street Center.

Looking ahead, 2026 will be a pivotal year of planning and implementation for Phase I of our restoration efforts. We invite you—our members, friends, and community partners—to take part through your ideas, volunteer time, or professional expertise.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or suggestions on how we can work together and effectively to achieve these goals.

With gratitude for your continued support and involvement,

Alicia Romac
President, Sagadahoc Preservation, Inc.

Biographies of Trustee Nominees in alphabetical order

Mary Anne Ballard is a resident of Indiana, New York City, and Bath. She is a musician who plays the viola da gamba, a string instrument dating back to the Renaissance and Baroque periods. She’s also a teacher and a director of early music. She recently retired from the faculty of Oberlin’s summer Baroque Performance Institute. From 1997 to 2005, Mary Anne served on the board of Early Music America, a national board which she re-joined in 2011 for two more terms. Mary Anne has a B.A. from Wellesley College and an M.A. from University of Pennsylvania. She grew up in Louisville, KY and lived in Philadelphia for almost thirty years. She has been coming to the Bath area with Alexander Blachly, her husband, every summer since 1986. Recently, she and Alexander purchased a house on Trufant Street so they could spend more time in Bath and enjoy their retirement.

Peter MacDonald Blachly is a resident of Bath. In recent years he has been a towing captain for Sea Tow and an operations and fundraising manager for International Pharmaceutical Quality. He is also a writer, author, and concert promoter. He attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. and St. Johns College in Annapolis, MD. In 2002, he received a degree in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England. He was the Board President of Maine Songwriters Association, Portland, Maine, from 2009 to 2013, and he was a member of Kennedy Center’s National Leadership Council for Arts Education in 2104. From 2013 to 2017, he was a concert promoter for the Chocolate Church Arts Center here in Bath.

Kim Heithoff is the Director of Epidemiology and Real-World Evidence for Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals (US Affiliate). Kim earned his B.S. degree from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. He also has a M.Ed. from the University of Missouri, an MPH from Johns Hopkins University, and a SC.D. from Johns Hopkins University. As a scientist, he has worked at Biogen in Cambridge, MA, at Monument Analytics in Baltimore, MD, at Merck & Co. in Kenilworth, NJ, and at Novartis Pharmaceuticals in East Hanover, NJ. A few years ago, he purchased the former Cosmopolitan Club, a Greek Revival home one door north of the Winter Street Church on Washington Street. Today, he’s a close neighbor of SPI.

Paul Seaman is a Licensed Architect and Principal at the Seaman Design Group, LLC. He studied product design and architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. After working in the profession for several years, he continued his study abroad, traveling extensively and studying both Classical and Modern Architecture. He earned his master’s in architecture from Syracuse University in Florence, Italy. Included in his background is work with Polo Ralph Lauren, LLP in NY. Starting with freelance work creating presentation quality hand-drawn renderings of cabinetry and store fixtures for product display, he was then offered the opportunity to design furniture, fabric, and tabletop accessories introducing new products seasonally for The Ralph Lauren Home Collection. Following years of practice as a licensed architect in the State of Maine and The Commonwealth of MA, Paul continues as a sole practitioner and maintains his dedication to working as a Licensed Architect in the Greater Cape Ann region. Paul now resides in Bath.

We are thankful for in-kind and financial donations from:

Anonymous Donation(s)

1772 Foundation through Maine Preservation

Bath Printing

Bath Rotary

Bath Savings Trust

Morse Technical School – Electrical Program

Morse High School – Freshman Community Service Program

Gnome Landscaping

Jorgensen Landscaping

Judy Barrington

Ned Baxter

Pat Dutton, Electrician

Judi Mansfield

Joanne Marco

Steve Marois

David Matero Architecture, Inc.

Judy Metcalf, Attorney

Joseph Minott

William Racine, CPA

Maureen Renner & Dan Moore

Senecal Construction

White Chapel Joinery

 Every smile, every kind gesture, every effort to make a positive impact is beneficial and appreciated, apologies for any omissions.