Entries by Mary Grow

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Trotting parks

by Mary Grow Your writer intended to deliver the promised article on Charles Hathaway and his shirt company, and more information on Waterville’s historic Main Street buildings, this week. But a reader reacted to last week’s digression on agricultural fairs with a question: what is a trotting park? Hence another digression, which led your writer […]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Agricultural Fairs

by Mary Grow Your writer is pleased that she didn’t promise a story about Hathaway shirts this week, because, considering the season, she decided to detour to write about the country fairs our ancestors enjoyed. Some of the historians cited previously in this series mentioned them; your writer will share bits of their information. Samuel […]

China budget committee urges approval on 6 ballot questions

by Mary Grow China Budget Committee members have recommended voters at the town’s Nov. 8 town meeting approve all six proposed expenditures from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants. All votes but one were unanimous. Select board members have unanimously recommended approval of the expenditures (see The Town Line, Aug. 25, p. 2). The […]

CHINA: Computer problems stall setting tax rate

by Mary Grow China select board members were again lacking the information they need to set the 2022-23 tax rate at their Aug. 29 meeting; the town’s assessment process has been plagued by computer problems. They will schedule a special meeting as soon as possible, they hope on or before Tuesday, Sept. 6. After the […]

China TIF committee hears reports from fund recipients

by Mary Grow At their Aug. 24 meeting, China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee members heard reports from representatives of programs that have received TIF funds. The China Broadband Committee’s project has a 10-year, $30,000 a year allocation, approved by voters. The Thurston Park Committee, the China Region Lakes Alliance (CRLA) (and the China Lake […]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville historic district – Part 2

by Mary Grow This week’s description of Waterville’s Main Street Historic District begins where last week’s left off, with the Common Street buildings on the south side of Castonguay Square, and continues down the east side of Main Street. It adds a summary of the separate Lockwood Mill Historic District, across the intersection of Spring […]

Vassalboro school board hears upbeat reports

by Mary Grow Vassalboro School Board members heard a series of upbeat reports and appointed an unusual number of new staff members at their Aug. 16 meeting, the last one before classes at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) start again Sept. 1. Both new Principal Ira Michaud, in his written report, and Director of Maintenance and […]

Seven substantive questions to appear on Nov. 8 ballot in China

by Mary Grow At their Aug. 22 special meeting, China select board members approved seven substantive questions to be submitted to voters on Nov. 8. They postponed deciding whether to add an eighth question until their next regular meeting on Aug. 29. The voting in November, on the state election day, is technically China’s annual […]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville historic district – Part 1

by Mary Grow As sources cited in this and the following articles say, Waterville’s downtown business district was in the 19th and 20th centuries (and still is in the 21st century) an important regional commercial center. Buildings from the 1830s still stand; the majority of the commercial buildings lining Main Street date from the last […]