The following local residents were named to Clark University’s Fall 2023 dean’s list, in Worcester, Massachusetts:
Sam N. Golden, of South China, was named to second honors.
Maya L. Patten, of Mercer, was named to second honors.
Frankie D. Roberts, of Unity, was named to second honors.
by Mary GrowAt a short special meeting April 1, China select board members approved the 32-article warrant for the June 11 annual town business meeting.
Budget committee members were scheduled to meet April 3 to make their recommendations on proposed expenditures. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood plans to have the official warrant ready for signing at the next regular select board meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, April 8.
Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood intends to propose dates for a public hearing at which she and board members will answer residents’ questions about the articles.
At that meeting, Hapgood intends to propose dates for a public hearing at which she and board members will answer residents’ questions about the articles.
The June 11 business meeting will be by written ballot. Polls will be in the former portable classroom behind the town office. The meeting moderator will be elected at 6:55 a.m., and polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Articles include proposed municipal expenditures for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2024; procedural issues, like setting the 2024-25 tax due dates and authorizing the select board to accept grants, negotiate contracts, buy equipment and conduct other town business; and approval or rejection of three ordinances.
Art. 29 asks if voters want to replace the 2008 Planning Board Ordinance with a new one. Art. 30 asks acceptance of Land Development Code amendments, needed to make China compliant with state law. Art. 31 asks acceptance of a new ordinance to regulate commercial solar development in town.
Copies of the ordinances are on the website, china.govoffice.com, under the Elections heading on the left side of the home page.
Select board votes to approve the articles were unanimous, except that one board member abstained on one article.
The municipal warrant does not include the 2024-25 school budget, which will be presented to voters separately.
by Mary GrowChina road committee members met March 26 and prepared a preliminary list of roads to be repaved in 2024, money permitting. The proposed work, according to committee member and China deputy clerk Jennifer Chamberlain, totals 5.27 miles.
The three longest stretches are 1.3 miles on Deer Hill Rd., from South Road to Lane Road; the 0.89-mile-long Kidder Road, between Route 32 (Windsor Road) and Weeks Mills Road; and 0.79 miles on Dirigo Road, approximately from McClellan Road to Tobey Road.
The rest of the list includes Achorn Lane, Morrill Drive, Shuman Road, West Tobey Road, Mayflower Lane, Pond Hill Road, Smith Road, Bradford Lane, Chadwick Hill Drive, Golfers Xing and Horseback Road.
Director of Public Services Shawn Reed said some of the short, dead-end roads are in such poor condition that they are difficult to plow.
Committee members discussed trying to reclaim some of the worst areas, a process that involves digging up the road and redoing it. Reed was doubtful; not many companies do the work, he said, and it is expensive.
Reed has no firm figure yet on 2024 paving mix prices. The prices will determine how many miles China can afford to do this year.
Committee members discussed paving options – where, if anywhere, less expensive chip-seal can be used, and what depth of material will be needed on different roads.
They did not disagree with Reed’s proposal to resume the crack sealing program for older paved roads, to prolong the life of the paving. He recommended inspecting roads last paved in 2021 and deciding which most need the treatment.
Reed explained to committee members that the speed limit signs the public works crew has been removing were posted by local order, before the present town manager took the position. However, he said, speed limits are set by the state Department of Transportation (MDOT), not by local officials.
Legislation is pending that might change the state’s procedure, Reed said.
Road committee members set no date for an inspection tour or next meeting.
by Mary GrowAt their March 26 meeting, China planning board members unanimously endorsed three proposed ordinance changes that select board members are considering presenting to voters at the June 11 annual town business meeting.
They are:
— A new Planning Board Ordinance;
— Amendments to chapters 2, 3 and 11 of China’s Land Development Code; and
— A new Chapter 8 for the Land Development Code, titled “Solar Energy Systems Ordinance.”
Planning board and select board members have worked on versions of an ordinance to regulate commercial solar development in China for years. As of March 28, the latest draft is available for review on the town website, china.govoffice.com, under the Elections tab on the left side of the home page.
Besides the addition of Chapter 8, the other amendments to the Land Development Code are intended to implement the new state law promoting affordable housing by allowing higher housing density. The proposed revised ordinance is on the website twice, under Elections and under the planning board, which is under the title Officials, Boards and Committees on the right side of the home page.
The changes are comprehensive, adjusting several sections of the ordinance to encourage more residential units. They include addition of a South China Development District along Route 3 and Route 32 south as far as Weeks Mills Road.
An explanation at the beginning of the draft reminds readers that China’s 2020 comprehensive plan recommended such a district, “for additional housing and development.”
The new Planning Board Ordinance is available under Elections on the town website.
In other business March 26, planning board members unanimously approved Chris Harris’s four-lot subdivision on the south side of Route 3 not far east of South China Village, after finding that it meets all criteria in the town subdivision ordinance.
Harris presented his initial application at the board’s Oct. 24, 2023, meeting, where board chairman Toni Wall summarized the process of applying for a subdivision.
The March 26 meeting began with public hearings on the Land Development Code changes, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and on Harris’s subdivision, scheduled for 7 p.m. The anticipated interest in the ordinance amendments did not appear; no one attended the hearing.
Wall therefore moved directly to Harris’s hearing, which likewise brought no comments. When an abutter to Harris’s land arrived at 7 p.m., Wall invited comments, and received no objections to the subdivision plan.
The next regular China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. Codes Officer Nicholas French said as of March 26, he had no applications pending.
by Mary GrowThe China Board of Appeals has granted Carrol White’s application for a variance from lot size requirements to allow him to seek planning board approval to convert the former Silver Lake Grange Hall in China Village to apartments.
The action still needs two more steps: under China’s Appeals Ordinance (Chapter 9 of the Land Development Code), the board must meet again within 14 days to approve the written decision. Once finally approved, the variance must be recorded at the Kennebec County Registry of Deeds within 90 days.
White presented an application for the conversion to the China Planning Board at its Jan. 23 meeting, and a more complete application at the Feb. 13 meeting. On Feb. 13, board members voted that White’s project meets all ordinance criteria except for lot size; the Main Street lot is too small for the planned four-unit apartment building.
White therefore applied for the variance from the lot size requirement. He explained that he had obtained variances in the 1990s, but for various reasons, none was properly recorded and accepted (see articles on p. 3 of the Feb. 1 and Feb. 22 issues of The Town Line).
White wants a current, valid variance so that, when the planning board grants a permit for the conversion, he can sell the property to Daniel Coleman.
Coleman, who lives farther south on Main Street, said he has experience as a landlord. He intends to create four two-bedroom apartments in the 4,600-square-foot building, two on the ground floor and two on the second floor.
He said he likes China Village, appreciates the need for housing in Maine and plans to seek tenants who will contribute to the area.
Ronald Morrell, who lives farther north on Main Street and owns the empty lot across from the Grange Hall, supported the project. He hopes Coleman will preserve the historic appearance of the building, which dates from 1908.
Linda Morrell asked about parking. White said it will be behind the building.
White and Coleman said they have not yet done final plans for either the interior or the septic system. An architect has sketched a four-apartment plan, and test pits have been dug out back where the septic system will go.
Board of Appeals members had to rule on four criteria for granting a variance. The first, and most discussed, was that the property “cannot yield a reasonable return” without a variance.
White said the former Grange Hall has been for sale for years and no one has even asked to inspect it, though it could legally be a single-family home or an appropriate business. Several people commented that people wanting a 4,600-square-foot house would probably want more spacious grounds.
Appeals board member Robert Fischer dissented on the vote on that criterion. It was approved 4-1-1, with newly re-elected board chairman Spencer Aitel abstaining, as he always does unless his vote is needed to break a tie.
The other criteria, approved by 5-0-1 votes, are:
— The need for the variance is due to the property’s “unique circumstances,” not to “the general conditions in the neighborhood”;
— Granting the variance will not “alter the essential character of the locality”; and
— The need for a variance is not “the result of action taken by the applicant or a prior owner.”
Aitel commented that the final criterion always gives him pause, because obviously many years ago a prior owner did something that did not meet 2024 regulations.
The Grange Hall fails to meet another contemporary requirement: it is seven feet from the north line of the property, instead of the required minimum 10 feet. Codes Officer Nicholas French said the building is “grandfathered” for this requirement, comparing it to buildings around China Lake closer to the water than would be allowed for a new building. Aitel added that such buildings can be modified as long as changes do not increase the non-conformity.
After Aitel was re-elected board chairman, member Michael Gee volunteered to be secretary and was promptly chosen.
Board members did not schedule their next meeting.
(photo credit: Erskine Academy)
High Honors: Tristan Anderson, Leah Bonner, Heather Bourgoin, Elizabeth Brown, Nolan Burgess, Nathalia Carrasco, Elise Choate, Marshall Clifford, Caleigh Crocker, Brielle Crommett, Noah Crummett, Skyler Danforth, Isabella Day, Keira Deschamps, Hailey Estes, Kaylee Fyfe, Aaralyn Gagnon, Meilani Gatlin, Caleb Gay, Tucker Greenwald, Nathan Hall, Natalie Henderson, Anna Jarosz, Hannah Kugelmeyer, Henrique Leal Ribeiro, Landon Lefebvre, Aidan Maguire, Liberty Massie, Holden McKenney, Akela Mitchell, Lucas Mitchell, Austin Nicholas, Jeremy Parker, Nathan Polley, Jessica Pumphrey, Evelyn Rousseau, Max Sanborn, Jamecen Stokes, Reese Sullivan, and Baruch Wilson. Honors: Abigail Adams, Lacey Arp, Duncan Bailey, Isabella Boudreau, Kellsie Boynton, Robin Boynton, Wyatt Bray, Kaleb Brown, Carol Caouette-Labbe, Makayla Chabot, Timothy Christiansen, Simon Clark, Alexia Cole, Connor Coull, Thomas Crawford, Gavin Cunningham, Jesseca Eastup, Hunter Foard, Cole Fortin, Brayden Garland, Julius Giguere, Nathan Grenier, Sammi Jo Guptill, Tara Hanley, Jessica Hendsbee, Trinity Hyson, Stephanie Kumnick, Mackenzie Kutniewski, Logan Lanphier, Sophie Leclerc, Jack Lyons, Abigail Miller, Royce Nelson, Alejandro Ochoa, Alyssa Ouellette, Keith Radonis, Christine Smith, Giacomo Smith, Adam St. Onge, Kinsey Stevens, Gavin Turner, Ryan Tyler, Jack Uleau, Haley Webb, Elijah York, and Maddison Zepeda.
High Honors: Daphney Allen, Emmett Appel, Emily Bailey, Noah Bechard, Rylan Bennett, Octavia Berto, Jayda Bickford, Brooke Blais, Olivia Brann, Carter Brockway, Keenan Clark, Hannah Cohen-Mackin, Andra Cowing, Lauren Cowing, Gabrielle Daggett, Trinity DeGreenia, Aidan Durgin, John Edwards, Ryan Farnsworth, Keeley Gagnon, Hailey Garate, Ellie Giampetruzzi, Echo Hawk, Serena Hotham, Kailynn Houle, Alivia Jackson, Walker Jean, Ava Kelso, Sophia Knapp, Jack Lucier, Owen Lucier, Eleanor Maranda, Jade McCollett, Abigail McDonough, Shannon McDonough, Madison McNeff, Colin Oliphant, Makayla Oxley, Noah Pelletier, Carter Rau, Elsa Redmond, Lillian Rispoli, Laney Robitaille, Carlee Sanborn, Joslyn Sandoval, Aislynn Savage, Kyle Scott, Jordyn Smith, Zoey Smith, Larissa Steeves, Kaylee Tims, and Clara Waldrop. Honors: Haileigh Allen, Jeffrey Allen, Ava Anderson, Bryana Barrett, Brody Campbell, Paige Clark, Madison Cochran, Dylan Cooley, Aydan Desjardins, Brady Desmond, Lucas Farrington, Addison Gagne, Kaylene Glidden, Jonathan Gutierrez, Trent Haggett, Brandon Hanscom, Landen Hayden, Emma Henderson, Rion Kesel, Kaiden Kronillis, Bodi Laflamme, Chase Larrabee, Shelby Lincoln, D’andre Marable, Kaeleigh Morin, Gavyn Paradis, Ava Picard, Alyssa Pullen, Victoria Rancourt, Justin Reed, Nathan Robinson, Achiva Seigars, Emily Sprague, Parker Studholme, David Thompson III, Grace Vashon, and Adrianna Vernesoni.
High Honors: Connor Alcott, Emily Almeida, Kylie Bellows, Addyson Briggs, London Castle, Nathan Choate, William Choate, Drew Clark, Lillian Clark, Madeline Clement-Cargill, Sylvia Davis, Joshua Denis, Audryanna DeRaps, Charles DeSchamp, Lauren Dufour, Madison Gagnon, Madison Griffiths, Mia Hersom, Halle Jones, Kasen Kelley, Kayle Lappin, Jacob Lavallee, Ava Lemelin, Nathaniel Levesque, Jack Murray, Elijah Nelson, Jordyn Parise, Ruby Pearson, Elijah Pelkey, Isabelle Pelotte, Emily Piecewicz, Taisen Pilotte, Hannah Polley, Desirae Proctor, Michael Richardson, Owen Robichaud, Leahna Rocque, Jackie Sasse, Edward Schmidt, Kathryn Shaw, Madelynn Spencer, Kayla Stred, Gentry Stuart, Abigail Studholme, Donovan Thompson, Kammie Thompson, and Addison Witham. Honors: Savannah Baker, Gavin Bartlett, Brock Bowden, Kolby Caswell, Saunders Chase, Timothy Clavette, William Ellsey Jr., Jacob Faucher, Solomon Fortier, Stephen Gould, Brandon Haley, Aiden Hamlin, Willow Haschalk, Evan Heron, Easton Houghton, Aidan Huff, Jacob Hunter, Alexus Jackson, Timothy Kiralis, Savannah Knight, Brayden McLean, Parker Minzy, Tucker Nessmith, Phoebe Padgett, Jacoby Peaslee, Abigail Peil, Jackson Pelotte, Kameron Quinn, Eli Redmond, Alexander Reitchel, Autumn Sawyer, Jaelyn Seamon, Benjamin Severy, Nichala Small, Benjamin Sullivan, Phoebe Taylor, Addison Turner, Charles Uleau, Isaac Vallieres, Finnegan Vinci, Oryanna Winchenbach, Brody Worth, and Maddilyn York.
High Honors: Isaac Audette, Olivia Austin, Jeremiah Bailey, Linnea Bassett, Luke Blair, Jackson Blake, Silas Bolitho, Madeline Boynton, Delaney Brown, Liam Burgess, Emma Casey, Olivia Childs, Hunter Christiansen, Khloe Clark, Owen Couture, Jilian Desjardins, Robin Dmitrieff, Logan Dow, Isabella Farrington, Adalyn Glidden, Cody Grondin, Addison Hall, Madison Harris, Eva Hayden, Reid Jackson, Ivy Johns, Callianne Jordan, Chantz Klaft, Gaven Miller, Annie Miragliuolo, MacKenzie Oxley, Bryson Pettengill, Caylee Putek, Tayden Richards, Jessika Shaw, Lailah Sher, Bryson Stratton, Gabriel Studholme, Sabrina Studholme, Kaleb Tolentino, Cayden Turner, Carter Ulmer, Isabella Winchenbach, and Eryn Young. Honors: William Adamson IV, Ariana Armstrong, Ashton Bailey, Delia Bailey, Benjamin Beale, Hailey Boone, Cassidy Brann, Logan Chechowitz, Tyler Clark, Connor Crommett, Ryley Desmond, Kiley Doughty, Nolan Dow, Kelsie Dunn, Bella Dutilly, Wyatt Ellis, Gavin Fanjoy, Danica Ferris, Madison Field, Gianna Figucia, Scott Fitts, Audrey Fortin, Colby Frith, Nicholas Gould, Paige Greene-Morse, Lilly Hutchinson, Evan James, Channing Kelly, Peyton Kibbin, Maverick Knapp, Bryson Lanphier, Sawyer Livingstone, Jack Malcolm, Jasai Marable, Kate McGlew, Gage Miller, Alexis Mitton, Jacoby Mort, Emi Munn, Madeline Oxley, Molly Oxley, Layla Peaslee, Teagan Pilsbury, Sovie Rau, Samuel Richardson, Colton Ryan, Lucas Short, Braeden Temple, Mackullen Tolentino, Tyler Waldrop, and Brayden Ward.
by Mary GrowAt their March 25 meeting, China select board members continued preparations for the June 11 annual town business meeting. They scheduled a special meeting Monday evening, April 1, to review the town meeting warrant (if Brent Chesley, who was absent March 25, is able to attend); their regular meeting April 8 is the deadline for a final warrant.
As of March 25, the draft warrant includes three ordinance revisions: amendments to the Planning Board Ordinance; changes to chapters 2, 3, and 11 of the Land Development Code, prepared by town attorney Amanda Meader to meet new state affordable housing requirements; and a new solar ordinance that, if approved, will become chapter 8 of the Land Development Code.
As of March 25, the draft warrant includes three ordinance revisions: amendments to the Planning Board Ordinance; changes to chapters 2, 3, and 11 of the Land Development Code, prepared by town attorney Amanda Meader to meet new state affordable housing requirements; and a new solar ordinance that, if approved, will become chapter 8 of the Land Development Code.
In other business March 25, select board members awarded the bid for a new storage vault attached to the town office to the lower of two bidders, Ralph McNaughton Construction, of Corinna, Maine, for more than $267,000.
Sheldon Goodine, chairman of the building committee, reminded board members that the high price includes a lot of “mechanicals” to keep the addition lighted and heated.
Board chairman Wayne Chadwick commented that delaying a decision would not bring the price down. Goodine said the project has been under discussion for four years.
Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said the town does not have $267,000 to spare at the moment. She and board members discussed funding sources, like the board’s voter-approved contingency fund; the town’s undesignated fund balance (informally called surplus); or perhaps, with voter approval on June 11, reallocated Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds.
Board members authorized Hapgood to discuss with the McNaughton company reducing the cost by having China’s public works crew do some of the groundwork.
Hapgood warned board members of another large pending expenditure: the proposed 2024-25 Kennebec County budget would raise China’s county tax by 39 percent, an increase of $238,000.
The public hearing on the draft county budget was scheduled for Wednesday evening, March 27. Hapgood planned to attend; Chadwick said he would if he could.
Board members postponed action on two agenda items, a request from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office (KSO) to put an antenna on the radio tower at the China town office and a proposed easement over land at the Branch Mills dam.
Hapgood said attorneys were discussing liability issues that might come up if KSO shared the town’s tower. She proposed offering use of the tower for free, since expanding KSO’s range would be a public service. Chadwick and fellow board member Blane Casey, with the proposed county budget fresh in their minds, leaned toward asking for payment.
The manager said there were still unanswered questions about the proposed easement.
In addition to final action on the June 11 meeting warrant, Hapgood expects the April 8 meeting agenda to include a presentation on the town’s valuation from assessor William Van Tuinen.
Few humans understand that a year in which two digits in our current Gregorian calendar add up to a third digit – like 2024, because 2 +2 = 4 — is a Gathering Year for the Improbables.
The last such year was 2013 (2 + 1 = 3). The next will be 2035 (2 + 3 = 5).
No human understands what criteria the Improbables use to choose their gathering place. There have been many theories and surmises over the centuries; none has had predictive value.
It is clear, however, that this year the small town of China, Maine, has been honored.
The earliest sighting, in late January, was of a pair of unicorns just off Maple Ridge Road, near the Winslow town line. The person who saw them did not report the sighting until this week.
“I’d had a couple beers, and I thought I was seeing things, like white horses with branches somehow stuck on their heads,” he confessed. “Couple beers don’t usually bother me. Couple unicorns, now, that’s a different story.”
A strange Yeti-like creature captured by a game camera near China Lake with China Baptist Church in the background.
The first Himalayan Yeti (also called the Abominable Snowman) was photographed by a game camera at a home on the northeast side of China Lake, apparently sampling suet from a bird-feeder. Two nights later, he or she returned with two other adults and a youngster. The homeowners took down the feeders and the camera.
In Thurston Park in February, cameras put up to deter vandals spotted 11 Bigfeet (Sasquatches), probably Canadian, and 11 Yowies from Australia playing a game that seemed to be similar to cricket. A park volunteer who studied the film said the Yowies won by a substantial margin, despite being less accustomed to winter weather in Maine.
A Deer Hill resident swears the animal who loped across Deer Hill Road in front of her car late one night was a werewolf. “I watch lotsa horror movies; I know one of them things when I see it,” she explained.
The werewolf was heading west, she said – “probably going down to the river hopin’ to find runnin’ water so’s he could get a drink.”
As word of unusual appearances began to spread, more people came forward to tell their tales. They include:
— The bird-watcher who is convinced he saw a roc over Three Mile Pond – “No, it was definitely not a big eagle. Not even big eagles come that big.”
— The Weeks Mills woman who did not dial 911 when a dozen centaurs filed down her driveway. “I’m a part-time 911 dispatcher myself, and I know what I’d be thinkin’ if I got a call like that,” she explained.
— The South China resident who watched a troop of elves hold an archery contest in his yard. “Man, those little guys can shoot – right into the bulls-eye every time, and so fast you couldn’t hardly believe it,” he said admiringly.
— Two China Village residents who interrupted their morning jog to see why the ducks in the open water by the causeway were agitated: they watched Poco, the 50-foot-long water snake from Pocomoonshine Lake, in Washington County, welcoming Champ from Lake Champlain, in Vermont, and Nessie from Loch Ness, in Scotland.
If past Gatherings are a guide, the Improbables will meet and greet in China until April 1. That evening, they will return to their homes until April Fools Day 2035.
Part of the crowd at the winters of the past memory-session sponsored by the China Historical Society. (photo by Eric W. Austin)
On the afternoon of Sunday, March 17, I parked in a puddle across from the China Baptist Church on Causeway Road. The day was cold and gray, but notably, China Lake was almost entirely free of ice, marking an unusually warm and (mostly) snow-sparse midwinter in Maine.
I was attending a memory-session at the Baptist church, organized by the China Historical Society, dedicated to reminiscing about winters past. Inside, several tables were set up with historic items brought by attendees or provided by the historical society, alongside a collection of photos. My attention was captured by a photo of an old-fashioned rail engine buried in the snow, with several men shoveling it out.
Bob Bennett, a member of the society, explained that the photo depicted one of the engines from the narrow-gauge railway that once connected China, Albion, and Branch Mills. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, this railway was a bustling conduit for passengers and goods (mostly milk and potatoes). (Incidentally, Bob Bennett has plans for a tour of the narrow-gauge railway this summer, and interested individuals are encouraged to contact him or the society to reserve a spot.)
The session began with an old film recently digitized by the historical society, showing ice harvesting on China Lake. The film was grainy and silent, which left me wishing for a lively piano soundtrack to accompany the visuals.
David Rodrigue speaks to the group. (photo by Eric W. Austin)
Ron Morrell (photo by Eric W. Austin)
Ron Morrell, who moderated the discussion along with Scott McCormac, then invited the audience, comprising about two dozen residents, to share their memories. The conversation turned to the scale of ice harvesting on China Lake and the Kennebec River, where over 40 operations would take place each winter. The ice was cut with large saws and stored in sawdust-packed houses near the water.
A few attendees shared fond childhood memories of playing in the sawdust. One story, told by Harold Charles, involved two sisters who got back at their bothersome older brother by burying him up to his neck in sawdust at a local ice house.
Questions about the longevity of the stored ice led to discussions about the sawdust from local sawmills in Vassalboro, which was essential for preserving the ice all year. The conversation also touched on Maine’s ice being exported as far as Africa and the cobblestones used as ballast for the returning ships, which contributed to many of New England’s cobblestone roads and walkways.
The China Historical Society’s call for more winter photos from residents was highlighted, with a promise to digitize and return any photos shared.
Scott McCormac, president of the China Historical Society (photo by Eric W. Austin)
Following this, Harold Charles read from a diary entry or letter from the 1940s or ’50s, which included amusing advice on predicting the severity of the coming winter based on observations of corn husks, onion skins, and the behavior of squirrels.
Neil Farrington (photo by Eric W. Austin)
The discussion also covered memorable difficult winters, with Neil Farrington recalling skating through fields after an ice storm, and another resident reminiscing about the town’s post-New Year’s Christmas tree bonfires.
A brief slideshow showcased images from China, South China, and Branch Mills, with one resident explaining the purpose of wooden planks laid along the sidewalks to avoid the mud, due to the unpaved roads of the time.
The session wrapped up with anecdotes about E.B. White, known for Charlotte’s Web, who once spent a night in China, and reminiscences about the challenges of keeping warm in older times.
The event was documented by Tom Parent, with photos and audio recordings soon to be available from the China Historical Society. To join the society, a nominal membership fee of $10 (for individuals) is required.
by Mary GrowAfter a lightly attended March 12 public hearing, China planning board members approved Perennial Sand Pit Solar’s planned community solar farm in a gravel pit on the west side of Route 32 (Windsor Road) in southern China (see The Town Line, issues of Feb. 22, p. 3, and March 7, pp. 2 and 3).
Before the unanimous decision, board chairman Toni Wall read an email from abutting landowner David Orr opposing the project. Applicants Nick Lacasse, of Perennial Sand Pit Solar, in Hallowell, and Andrew Johnston, of Atlantic Resource Consultants, in Freeport, answered questions from board and audience members.
On another issue, Chris Harris attended the March 12 meeting to talk again about his proposed subdivision on the north side of Route 3. Board members found his application complete and scheduled a public hearing for their March 26 meeting.
The March 26 meeting will include another public hearing, on proposed changes to China’s Land Use Ordinance to incorporate relevant parts of the new state housing law, commonly called LD 2003. Wall commented that town attorney Amanda Meader “did a really nice job” revising the ordinance.
Codes officer Nicholas French explained that with voter approval, the ordinance will allow up to two more “dwelling units” on some lots with single-family houses. One of the new units must be inside or attached to the original building; the other can be separate.
Turning to the proposed solar ordinance, planning board members unanimously approved the only change recommended by select board members at their March 11 meeting. The result is deletion of the sentence requiring that solar energy systems with more than two acres of panels “be further buffered such that they are not visible year-round from public roads.”
Members of both boards agreed that the requirement would be impossible to meet in some places in town; and that because of other buffering requirements, it is unnecessary.
The March 26 planning board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room.