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Still Hardy After
All These Years
Neville Hardy |
It’s hard to say
which role provides Neville Hardy with his unique perspective on
Deer Isle—his 25 years as proprietor of Hardy’s General Store or his
34 years as selectman.
Through the
grocery, which he opens each morning at 5:30, Hardy gains the daily
take on the town and island.
“You hear
everything,” he said of how the regulars gather within early-morning
earshot. “They talk about what happened last night, what’s
happening today, where they are going fishing or clamming.”
The big picture
comes clear to Hardy because of his official elected position. He
has spent the last 25 years as the first selectmen after starting in
the third and second positions.
“You see everything
that way, too,” he said. “Lot of changes. Population, development, schools, building
codes, zoning ordinances. All those things.”
Somehow, 34 years
have passed. Only now is Hardy, 63, thinking about slowing down.
He says he may give
up his selectman’s position when his term ends next year. That would
give him an even 35 years.
Then again, Deer
Isle means the world to him. It’s where he grew up, one of a long
string of Hardy generations. Too long, in fact, for him to remember.
Being a selectmen
of 34 years’ tenure, he said, “is a challenge.
“There are always
different projects,” he said.
“There is always
something different. Ten years ago, we had to change our landfill
over to a transfer station. Now we have a project with the old
elementary school, making the grounds into a park.”
Hardy enjoys most
of the people he deals with, most of the time.
He knows almost
everyone in town, even the newcomers. He also serves as one of Deer
Isle’s tax assessors, so he mingles with them when he looks at lots
and properties.
“I like helping
people,” he said.
Not a day goes by
when Hardy doesn’t have a hand in goings-on at both the general
store and the town office.
He starts his day
at 5 at the store, where he works until noon. Then it’s over to the
town office until
4 p.m. Then he finishes back at the store, closing at 7 or
8 p.m.
He gets help at the
store from his wife, Darlene, and their daughter, Bonnie Lynn.
They don’t care if
someone walks in the door and talks town business instead of buying
gas.
“Half the town
drops in there, or calls there,” he said. “That doesn’t matter, as
long as I can take care of their problem.”
It’s a life he
loves, pulling double duty all time.
“I’ve got to hang
it up sometime,” he said.
Then he hedged.
“Next year it will
be 35 years for me. But as long as I’m still feeling fine, I’ll
stay.” |
