MACHIAS – Christine Therrien gave 41/2 good years to the town as its manager, and many in the town gave her a good thank-you party in return Tuesday evening.

The Machias Rotary Club and the Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce threw a going-away party for her at the Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant.

It was in that same meeting room, coincidentally, that Therrien had presided over the Rotarians as their president during 2004, and over Chamber members as their president in 2003.

Tuesday was Therrien’s last day on the job. She starts in her new position as the town manager for Madawaska in Aroostook County on June 5.

She was thanked as much for caring about the community as for her work on several projects. No one mentioned the unglamorous sewer issues that have taken much of her attention, but the ways she spent the rest of her time was much noted.

Some of the projects she oversaw in her tenure:

. Working toward a new Machias Regional Airport. Therrien took on the role of airport manager within her town duties, and that extended to leadership in planning for the new Machias Regional Airport. James Sparaga, a member of the airport planning group, spoke to her role in that.

. Overseeing the renovations so far of Station 98, the old train station still in much need of repair. While grant money for full improvements is still out, she arranged just this spring for the removal of years of pigeon waste inside plus a new roof outside. The Chamber’s Louise West gave her a plaque that read, “We’re guano miss you!”

. Envisioning a better downtown. She initiated the Eye of Machias committee with several area business owners, resulting in the hiring of a consultant who will prepare a plan for a downtown facelift, it is hoped, in 2007.

. Getting $100,000 for the Porter Memorial Library upgrades. She wrote the application for the Community Development Block Grant money that contributed to the $700,000 historical upgrade of the local library. Francis Schumann, formerly the president of the library board, thanked her for that.

. Establishing Margaretta Days. Coordinating with Chamber members, she helped organize the historic festival that commemorates Machias’ role in the American Revolution. The second event will be celebrated June 9-11.

. Decorating and celebrating the holidays. Working with students from both Rose M. Gaffney and Machias Memorial High School, she set out scarecrows at Halloween, luminaries and a tree at Christmas and banners for the town’s annual Blueberry Festival each August.

Those who spoke had kind words for Therrien.

“It’s sad for Machias to lose you,” said Sandra Altmannsberger, a selectman who served through 2005. “You don’t know how grateful we are to have had the likes as you as town manager. You showed us how the job should be done.”

Therrien responded by reading a poem she had written.

It ended with the words, “A part of me will stay here, for in my heart remains a special love, respect and concern for the place called Down East Maine.”

The duties of the town manager will be handled temporarily by Eddie DuGay, a Cherryfield legislator who is also currently working on the renovations at the former Cutler naval base.

DuGay’s arrangement with the selectmen is to spend portions of Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the town office, or the equivalent of two days a week, until a new town manager is hired.

The annual town meeting and elections that had been set for June 13-14 will be rescheduled, because the town report can’t be prepared in time in the absence of a full-time town manager.