LETTERS: Harwath defender of the underdog

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To the editor:

I have known Lindsey Harwath for more than 10 years, and I would characterize her as hard working, deeply principled, and a vehement defender of the underdog.  She is a farmer and has four children who attend the China public schools. She is passionate about education and is actively involved in the China Parent Teacher Organization.  Lindsey is not one to sit and watch others do the work;  if she sees a need, she speaks up, gets involved, and acts, which is why she has repeatedly run to represent the people of her community and why I support her candidacy.  Consistent with her independent nature, she does not affiliate with a political party, avoiding any commitment to vote a certain way based solely on party affiliation.

I am confident that Lindsey would represent her constituents with the same energy she has put into raising her family and fervently defending the causes she believes in – quality education, affordable healthcare, and equal rights for all people.  I urge you to support Lindsey Harwath to represent District #62 (China, Palermo, Somerville, and Windsor) in the Maine House of Representatives.

Janet Preston
China

LETTERS: A vote for any other party is a vote for facism

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To the editor:

Fascisim didn’t die in the 1940s. There are candidates on our ballots who brag that they will be voting against human rights on their campaign platforms. To avoid abuses of power in the future, we need to vote for candidates who value democracy, human rights and know the difference between fact and fiction.

We can’t afford to ruminate – when we have our futures at risk. It is completely understandable if you’ve been disappointed by a party. Now is the time to stand in solidarity with the party that has the greater ability to weaken the fascist foothold at every level of our Government.

Please vote for Democrats that support equality for all, social security, healthcare, and our planet. A vote for any other party is a vote for facism. This is a critical year to protect our Democracy and your vote could help save our future.

Megan Marquis
China

LETTERS: St. Valle understands rural Maine

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To the editor:

Important issues are at stake in this election that will affect our access to healthcare, housing and equal justice. Storme St. Valle is the candidate for Senate District #15 who is best suited to guide us through the 131st session. As a local nurse, mental health advocate and parent, he knows of the human struggles and the systemic obstacles we face.

Storme also understands rural Maine, when so often our leadership in Augusta ignores us. Storme and his wife both grew up on their family farms and know firsthand the obstacles and joys of agriculture. Abigail, Storme’s wife, described their farm connection, “I grew up on a farm, and Storme and I used to help on the farm during summer breaks. Storme has thrown hay in the summers, and stacked and split cords of wood in the fall/winter. My family has lived and worked in rural Maine since they immigrated from Scotland in the 1700s. Storme grew up in rural Guyana where his dad is a farmer/artist currently. Which is one of the reasons that he moved to Maine. It’s rural and reminds him of his first home. Storme has a green thumb and spends whatever spare time he has in his garden.”

St. Valle will be the change we need in both the rural and urban Senate District #15. St. Valle has committed himself to make sure politics works for Maine workers and families. As a Clean Election candidate, St. Valle truly represents us. Please vote for Storme St. Valle for Maine Senate.

Jeanne Marquis
China

LETTERS: Confident in Pam Swift’s abilities

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To the editor:

I am writing to express my support for Pam Swift as the candidate for Maine House of Representatives District #62. Although I did not know Pam prior to the last few months, I have been extremely impressed with her credentials, demeanor and commitment to the citizens of this district. Her Maine roots provide a strong sense of our culture and heritage.

With more than two decades of experience as a health care professional, she is obviously aware of the need to maintain adequate and affordable access to medical and health services for all of us. As an organic farmer, she knows the importance of healthy and sustainable agriculture and the need to protect our environment.

In her time as a member of the Palermo Select Board, she has stressed the need to communicate and work with her partners on that town’s needs and requirements. She understands the need for cooperation regardless of political or party affiliation. I have driven Pam to meet a number of registered voters in her district and was very impressed with her ability to communicate with and listen to their thoughts and questions.

I am absolutely confident in Pam Swift’s ability and desire to provide outstanding representation for the voters, and indeed all residents, of the towns of Palermo, China, Windsor and Somerville and Hibberts Gore; please give her your support as well.

Bob Bennett
South China

CHINA: Delta official explains proposed fee increases

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by Mary Grow

At their Oct. 24 meeting, China select board members heard a presentation from Delta Ambulance executive director Timothy Beals about proposed fees to be charged municipalities the organization serves.

There are 14 municipalities, Beals said, and Oct. 24 was his fourth presentation; he had previously been to Windsor, Smithfield and Vassalboro (see the Oct. 20 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

He summarized the history and activities of the non-profit organization, emphasizing its high-quality service. Delta Ambulance provides emergency services in response to 911 calls; it also uses its vehicles for transports from one medical facility to another, locally and out of area as needed.

Financial support has come entirely from insurance payments, which fall steadily farther behind expenses, he said. Recently Waterville and Winslow have started their own ambulance services, decreasing Delta’s call volume and therefore its revenue. Delta has responded by reducing staff, but still cannot make ends meet; hence the need to start charging municipalities.

The planned $15 per resident charge – lower than the fee charged by any other Maine service he mentioned – will cost China taxpayers about $66,000 in the next fiscal year, he expects. In recent years Delta has been averaging more than 400 China calls annually.

Delta’s governing board plans to start the fees Jan. 1, 2023, but they will be adapted to each municipal fiscal year. China will be asked to include funding in the 2023-24 budget that takes effect July 1, 2023.

Board members and Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood had many questions. For example:

  • Wayne Chadwick asked if the $15 per resident charge was negotiable. It’s “pretty firm,” Beals replied; and, he added later, likely to increase in 2024-25.
  • Hapgood asked if Delta’s board of directors could have more municipal involvement than the current five out of 13 seats. A possibility to be discussed by the board, Beals replied.
  • Select board chairman Ronald Breton asked about multi-year contracts, to simplify municipal budget planning. Another board of directors’ decision, Beals said.
  • Hapgood asked if the fee would increase if some of the 14 municipalities did not pay. Yes, Beals said, but by an unknown amount, because non-paying municipalities would not be served, reducing expenses.

No dollars, no emergency ambulance service. “It’s a hard thing for me to say,” Beals said, “but you can’t charge one town and not charge another.”

Beals said the response from other boards has been “understanding.”

In other business Oct. 24, select board members considered proposals from B. R. Smith Associates (BRSA), of Presque Isle, for building plans for a town office addition (see the Sept. 15 issue of The Town Line, p. 2). After discussion of options, they voted unanimously to spend up to $11,000 to have the company design a records storage building plus prepare a concept plan for a second addition in the future.

Municipal Building Committee chairman Sheldon Goodine explained that the storage building will be a “vault,” climate-controlled and fire-protected. Combining the full plan and the concept should help prepare for future interconnections, for example in electrical and heating systems.

Goodine predicted the additional expansion would be needed within two or three years.

“Not if I’m still on the board,” Chadwick replied.

By another unanimous vote, select board members sold the unneeded office trailer (former portable classroom) to the only bidder, for $50.

Hapgood issued another reminder that absentee ballots for Nov. 8 voting are available at the town office. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Thursday, Nov. 3.

The next regular China select board meeting will be Monday evening, Nov. 7. It will be Breton’s last meeting, as he is not a candidate for re-election.

New fee on brush at transfer station

by Mary Grow

Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 15, people disposing of brush at the China transfer station will be charged a fee of two cents a pound. Vehicles carrying brush will enter and leave over the scale so the weight can be measured.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood explained at the Oct. 24 select board meeting that China used to get rid of its brush for free: a company would chip it and haul away the chips to sell. This year, she said, because of changing economics, the company charged a $4,000 fee.

By combining China’s and Vassalboro’s brush piles, China’s charge was halved, to $2,000 – still more than she appreciated paying, Hapgood said.

Now that disposal costs the town money, select board members voted unanimously to pass the cost on to transfer station users.

Hapgood said experiments in anticipation of the new fee showed most people will pay between two and five dollars.

OPINIONS: A “yes” vote urged on broadband ARPA warrant article

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COMMUNITY COMMENTARY

by Bob O’Connor
China Broadband Committee

The China Broadband Committee was formed in 2017 to find a way to bring the best Broadband internet solution to China. Last year we chose Axiom Fiber to build that system. The selectboard and townspeople voted down our proposal last November because of the risk that it could potentially adversely affect property taxes due to repayment of the $6 million bond if not enough townspeople signed up for this service.

As a committee, we went back to the drawing board to look at all possible solutions again. We reviewed proposals from our incumbent providers, Spectrum Charter, and Consolidated Communications. We found the Spectrum bulk proposal too financially risky for the town. Consolidated was not interested in expanding into China because we are in “Classic” China Telephone territory. The company might consider expansion in the distant future, seven or more years from now.

Unitel, of Unity, Maine, has been in the telephone business since 1904, about the same time that the China Telephone Company got its start. Unitel first offered fiber internet to the home in a limited area starting in 2015. Late last year, Unitel was acquired by Direct Communications, a larger family-owned company that offers fiber to the home in a few rural areas in a few US states.

Our broadband committee started working with Direct Communications (DC) shortly after they acquired Unitel last year. Unitel/DC are looking to expand to towns around Unity with the help of the current grants and funds. These grant funds can be spent to cover areas of our town that the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) defines as “Least Served” and “Unserved”. This includes about 25 percent of homes in China that typically have DSL or no service.

MCA now classifies the rest of town as “Underserved”, meaning that their service does not meet the minimum speed of 100/100 Mbps. This includes those with cable service from Spectrum. All new internet projects funded by MCA must be built to the minimum 100/100Mbps standard.

Our currently proposed project with Unitel/DC is to build a fiber backbone in town that is strong enough, that is, has enough fibers, to serve the whole town while initially serving the Least Served and Unserved areas. After this project is complete, Unitel/DC will continue to expand to the rest of the town, the underserved folks.

Town funding from this project is from the TIF fund of $30,000/year for 10 years for a total of $300,000. This expenditure was previously approved by the voters in 2021. Also, we are requesting $70,000. from a part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that China has received.

Unitel/DC will match our $370,000 contribution to the project.

We are also applying for an MCA “Connect the Ready” grant for about $460,000. The total project is approximately $1.2 million dollars with the Town contributing 31 percent, Unitel/DC contributing 31 percent and the MCA grant covering the remaining 38 percent of the project.

We will only apply for this grant if the townspeople vote in favor of the $70,000 ARPA fund distribution on the Warrant Article on November 8, 2022.

The town selectboard unanimously (5/0) recommended a “yes” vote on this $70,000 Broadband ARPA Warrant article. The Budget committee also recommended a “yes” vote (5/1).

Neither the TIF nor the ARPA funds will raise property taxes, and Unitel/DC would fully own and operate this service with no requirement for involvement from town staff.

Fiber internet service by Unitel / Direct Communications will improve internet speeds and reliability, increase value of your home, encourage economic development in town, allow for online learning, education, work, telehealth, and entertainment at an affordable and competitive price.

We appreciate your support. Thank you.

Read more about China’s broadband initiatives here.

China Historical Society to meet

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Location of the China Historical Society, next to the China town office and above The Town Line.

by Bob Bennett

The China Historical Society will be meeting on Saturday, October 29, at 10 a.m., in the portable building at the China Town Office. At their September get-together, it was decided that they definitely need to continue and move forward while attempting to recruit new members and build greater interest in China’s unique and valuable history among residents and visitors of all ages and backgrounds. While there will be no set agenda, there will likely be discussion of the society’s bylaws, its tax exempt status, collections and any other topics and/or questions that come up.

September’s meeting was, for me, a true eye-opener as far as the knowledge of, and interest in, our town’s past as reflected in the comments of the attendees. Hopefully this “excitement” will be continued and we will welcome a larger turnout at the upcoming meeting. I hope to see many of you there.

A view from above

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Barbara Frost at the top of the China Baptist Church steeple. (contributed photo)

CHINA, ME — From her camp, from her boat, and as she walked around China Village, Barbara Frost saw the China Baptist Church and the steeple. Barbara got acquainted with some of the church members and volunteered to do some work around the church (she called it ‘puttering’ around). In her ‘puttering’ she cleaned, painted, repaired and completed many much needed projects.

One day, talking to Pastor Ron [Morrell], she expressed a desire to climb into the steeple, knowing what a great view there would be from the bell tower.

He agreed, but admitted he’d have to find a younger person to accompany her.

Recently, she got her wish as Brad Bickford and Dale Peabody joined her in her climb.

The trustees have installed a webcam in the steeple and Brad is working on getting it online on the churches website. This will give folks from away a chance to see what’s happening on China Lake year round.

A little history….In 1993 the steeple began to tilt and had to be removed and repaired. The church started a ‘Steeple People’ project and with lots of fundraising (bike race around China Lake, auctions, dinners, etc.) had the steeple and bell back up in just a few months.

China workshop aims to bring area towns together

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Volunteers prepare window inserts at a previous WindowDressers workshop, in Vassalboro. (photo courtesy of Vassalboro Historical Society)

by Eric W. Austin

CHINA, ME — Planned for the second week in November starting just after Election Day, the China Window Dressers workshop is moving full steam ahead. The intent of the workshop is to build low-cost window inserts to reduce heating expenses for homeowners in central Maine. The organizers have spent the past year taking orders and visiting local homeowners to measure the windows requiring inserts, and now they are looking for volunteers to help at the upcoming workshop.

Sponsored by the China for a Lifetime Committee, a local group dedicated to philanthropic activities meant to improve the quality of life for China residents, and assisted by other local organizations, the initiative is modeled after the classic “barn-raising” community efforts of the past, with residents working together for the benefit of everyone.

Committee chairman Christopher Hahn describes it this way: “The workshop is a great chance for the community to come together and help one another during these tough financial times. Such events don’t happen as often as they should anymore in this age of Facebook and online Zoom meetings, so we jumped at the opportunity to organize this workshop. It fits right in with our mission of ‘neighbors helping neighbors.’ I hope to see many familiar faces and hopefully some new ones.”

The committee has received more than 130 orders for window inserts from over two dozen local clients across central Maine. Although the workshop will take place at the China Conference Center, orders have been open from any of the area towns and volunteers for the upcoming build workshop do not need to have ordered inserts or live in China. The workshop will run from Wednesday, November 9, through Sunday, November 13. Work shifts are divided into a morning shift from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., and an afternoon shift from 1 – 5 p.m. Food will be provided by community volunteers between shifts. The first two days are devoted to putting together the wooden frames for the window inserts, while the next two days will be for wrapping those frames in plastic and foam. Sunday will serve as an overflow day if everything cannot be completed by Saturday evening.

No experience is necessary to help out, and there are still plenty of spots that need to be filled. Hahn says they are aiming for eight people per shift. The work is not complicated, and designed to flow through an assembly line process, making it easy for anyone to participate. Participants from earlier workshops will be on hand to answer any questions and provide guidance for volunteers.

For those interested in signing up to participate in the workshop, there are several ways to get involved. The easiest way is to visit the Window Dressers website at windowdressers.org. Click on “Community Builds” link on the menu at the top-right of the page, then scroll down to the China build and click where it says “Sign up to volunteer”. (Click here to go there directly.) That will take you to a page where you can choose which time-slot best fits into your schedule.

If you’re not tech-savvy, or don’t have internet access, you can also send an email to ChinaforaLifetime@gmail.com or call the China town office at 445-2014 and let them know what days you are available to help.

More information about the China for a Lifetime committee can be found on their website at chinaforalifetime.com.

CHINA: Voters to decide local and state elections

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by Mary Grow

China voters have local elections on Nov. 8, as well as the state elections. There are several contests for state offices; on the local ballot, there are more vacancies (which can be filled by writing in a name) than contests.

The state contest is topped by the race for District 1 representative to the United States Congress, between Democratic incumbent Chellie Pingree, of North Haven, and Republican challenger Edwin Thelander, of Bristol. There is also a line for a voter to write in a third person.

This ballot calls for ranked choice voting. Voters are asked to fill in an oval under the “1st Choice” column for their preferred candidate; they may fill in an oval under the “2nd Choice” column and, if they added a name, the “3rd Choice” column.

The reverse side of the state ballot is not ranked-choice. Voters are asked to mark the oval beside only one candidate’s name for each office.

Contests on this ballot are as follows. Names are listed in alphabetical order for each position; there is a line for a write-in candidate for each office.

  • For governor, Independent Sam Hunkler, from Beals; Republican Paul LePage, from Edgecomb; and incumbent Democrat Janet T. Mills, from Farmington.
  • For District #15 state senator, Republican incumbent Matthew Gary Pouliot, of Augusta; and Democrat Storme June St. Valle, also of Augusta.
  • For District #62 state representative, Independent Lindsey D. Harwath, of China; Republican Katrina J. Smith, of Palermo; and Democrat Pamela J. Swift, also of Palermo. The winner will succeed Republican Timothy Theriault, of China, who was term-limited.
  • For Kennebec County Register of Deeds, Republican Matthew James Boucher, of Oakland; and incumbent Democrat C. Diane Wilson, of Litchfield.

Three current office-holders are unopposed for re-election: Kathleen Grant Ayers, Democrat of West Gardiner, for Kennebec County Register of Probate; Democrat Thomas F. Doore, of Augusta, for Kennebec County treasurer; and Democrat Maeghan Maloney, of Augusta, for District #4 (Kennebec and Somerset counties) district attorney.

China’s local ballot includes candidates for four offices: select board, planning board, budget committee and member of the Regional School Unit #18 board. Select board, planning board and budget committee members serve two-year terms. RSU #18 board members serve three years.

China’s Nov. 8 voting will be in the portable building behind the town office. Polling hours will be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vehicle entrance will be from Alder Park Road only; the driveway onto Lakeview Drive will be blocked off.

The China town office will be closed Nov. 8 so that staff can be at the polls.

This ballot is not ranked choice. There are spaces for a write-in for each position.

Select board members and the RSU delegate are elected from anywhere in town. The planning board and budget committee have at-large members plus representatives from four districts. District Two (northeast) and District #4 (southwest) positions are to be filled this year, and also the planning board at-large position and the budget committee secretary and at-large position.

  • For select board, there are three names on the ballot for three positions: incumbent Blane C. Casey, Brent A. Chesley and incumbent Janet M. Preston. The third board member whose term ended this year, Ronald Breton, is not running.
  • For planning board, there is one name on the ballot, incumbent James Wilkens for the at-large position. District #2 member Toni Wall said she will accept re-election if enough voters write in her name. District #4 member Scott Rollins said he will not accept re-election; he has too many other demands on his time.
  • For the budget committee, District #4 member Timothy Basham and at-large member Elizabeth Curtis are unopposed for re-election. Secretary Trishea Story said she will serve again if enough writers write in her name. There is no candidate for the District #2 seat; Thomas Rumpf’s term is ending.
  • Three candidates seek to represent China on the RSU board: incumbent Dawn M. Castner; Wallace R. Pooler, III; and Darrell A. Stevens. China’s other representative, whose term ends in 2024, is T. James Bachinski.