Ira Mandel talks about building community in his Waterville neighborhood Thursday at his home on Cool Street. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

Most days you can catch Ira Mandel outside his home on Cool Street in Waterville, planting flowers, trees and shrubs, weeding and chatting with strangers who have become like friends.

A 72-year-old retired physician who has delivered hundreds of babies, cared for families and hospice patients and started two recovery houses on the coast for people with substance abuse disorders, Mandel enjoys getting to know others and hearing their stories. He loves to help form friendships.

He created a welcoming spot on his lawn for passersby to stop and sit, meet others and sip a cold drink from a red and white cooler on his picnic table. He also hung a sign that says “Be a Friend” and supplied note paper and pens for those wanting to leave messages.

He treasures the notes he receives.

“So many thanks for bringing joy to Cool Street,” one message says. “We live on Violette Avenue, and seeing how you transformed your space and yard brings out how cool Cool Street is in Waterville.”

Another note expressed gratitude for Mandel’s generosity.

“This is the kindest form of act I’ve ever come across,” it says. “I was really thirsty. Thank you so much.”

Thank you notes are seen on bulletin board of The Cool Spot in front yard of Ira Mandel’s home Thursday on Cool Street in Waterville. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

An amiable man with an easy smile, Mandel said he and his wife moved to Waterville from Camden two years ago during the coronavirus pandemic and fell in love with the 100-year-old house at 47 Cool St., which they have renovated and landscaped. As Mandel began yard work, he loved chatting with people passing by, including those from all walks of life. Some were homeless.

Most, he said, seemed hungry for someone to talk to. Many were struggling. Many were just happy to make a new friend.

People in his immediate neighborhood seemed to keep to themselves, he said, while those he met on the street said they longed for an environment where people talk to each other on porches and lawns as they did in the old days.

Last year I wrote a column about Mandel’s efforts to draw people together. He hosted a square dance at a local hall attended by about 120 people. He had hoped to continue his efforts after that fall gathering but his mother became ill and eventually died at 96.

With unshaken optimism, he is once again working to help build community, connect people, and help those who may be struggling with feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Signs for The Cool Spot are seen in front yard of Ira Mandel’s home Thursday on Cool Street in Waterville. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

He is organizing a neighborhood association which he already has named The Cool Neighborhood Association, honoring not only the name of his street, but also John Jacob Cool, a Revolutionary War soldier for whom the street is named. Cool, who is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, had owned a wide swath of land around where Mandel lives.

A local church pastor has offered space for an association to meet, according to Mandel. The group could plan potluck dinners, festivals, and holiday celebrations, form a softball team, and volunteer to visit local nursing home residents. They could pursue neighborhood improvements.

A bulletin board on Mandel’s lawn invites those interested in taking part to stop and leave a note, email him at [email protected], visit the Facebook page, Cool Neighborhood Association, or check the website www.jjcool.org.

“We’re really just kind of gearing up,” Mandel said Thursday. “It’s going to be very organic. My thinking is just to connect people, get them to start talking and see how it goes.”

Mandel met with Paula Raymond of the South End Association, attended an association board meeting and visited a recent National Night Out event in that area of the city. He said he doesn’t want to replicate what that group is doing but perhaps the two associations can collaborate and support each other in various ways.

As he sat on his lawn under a large maple tree, among giant sunflowers and crawling English ivy, Mandel touted the idea that social connections bring people comfort and joy, but also promote better physical and mental health.

A young woman walking a dog on the sidewalk called out, “Hi Ira!” to which he returned the greeting. “Hi Olivia!”

Ira Mandel talks about building community in his neighborhood Thursday at his home on Cool Street in Waterville. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

The new neighborhood association wouldn’t have to be limited to the blocks around Cool Street but could encompass a wider area, sprouting even more opportunities, according to Mandel.

“There’s an infinite number of possibilities for what we can do,” he said.

Amy Calder has been a Morning Sentinel reporter 37 years. Her columns appear here Sundays. She is the author of the book, “Comfort is an Old Barn,” a collection of her curated columns, published in 2023 by Islandport Press. She may be reached at [email protected]. For previous Reporting Aside columns, go to centralmaine.com