It was interesting to read in Wednesday's paper that three pillars of our community were interested in closing the L.L. Bean barn door after the horses had escaped, especially when a simple phone call by any one of them might have saved over 200 jobs in our community.

After the extremely popular liquidation sales stopped, had someone asked why, what are you doing with that space now and what does it cost to rent that empty space, something might have been done.

The mayor, in his business position in the community, is especially culpable in this regard.

The parking situation was no secret. There is a nice green space behind the call center now, and while I have never personally seen anyone use it, the lawn is mowed, so it apparently is visited by at least one person occasionally in the summer. If Bean had been given half the attention T-Mobile got, those 200-plus jobs may have been saved.

I retired from Bean in March and have gone back to help out during this peak season -- my unlucky 13th. The Bean job is a second or third job for many, trying to support a family in these troubled times.

Many are single moms and dads. Bean not only provides good financial support, Bean also supplies a support group for many.

It sounds trite, but it's true -- working at Bean is a family atmosphere. I went back after retiring because I missed the people there. The closing is extremely sad for many, who will not have the technical necessities to work at home or the financial ability to travel to another call center.

With a little foresight on the part of the powers that be, those over 200 jobs, and the pain of losing them, might have been avoided.

Bob Woodbury

Winslow