Lauren Emery joins Madison Area Health Center

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Lauren Emery

This October, staff at Madison Area Health Center are pleased to welcome Lauren Emery, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Lauren has experience in both inpatient and outpatient counseling.

Lauren earned her master’s degree in General Mental Health Counseling from Capella University. Previously, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Mental Health And Human Services from the University of Maine at Augusta. She has also achieved her Mental Health Rehabilitations Treatment certificaton, and holds certification with the National Board of Certified Counselors. Lauren has experience providing treatment to patients of all ages who are working through issues such as anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, and more. Lauren is a great addition for the Madison area and surrounding communities.

Lauren joins physician Diane Zavotsky; nurse practitioners JoHanna Davis and Jeanne Stokes; physician assistant Marie Mason; psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Kelly Bell Bragg; and licensed clinical social worker Danna Lee. Our clinicians offer healthcare services to patients of all ages. Chenoa Jackson, licensed social worker, serves as our Connector and can assist you in accessing affordable healthcare options and other services.

 

 

 

Lovejoy Health Center welcomes Ashley Rancourt

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Ashley Rancourt

This October, staff at Lovejoy Health Center, in Albion, are pleased to welcome Ashley Rancourt, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Ashley has experience in both inpatient and outpatient counseling environments.

Ashley earned her master’s degree in Clinical Counseling from the University of Southern Maine. Previously, she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maine at Farmington. Ashley comes from years of experience providing treatment to adolescent patients through her work in local schools. Ashley brings background in both one-on-one and group therapy treatments. Ashley will be a great addition for the Albion area and surrounding communities.

Ashley joins physician Dean Chamberlain; physician assistant Nikki Kimborowicz; family nurse practitioner Keiko Kurita; and licensed clinical social worker Deb Daigle. Our clinicians offer medical and behavioral health services for patients of all ages. Residents of Albion and nearby towns have enjoyed quality care at Lovejoy Health Center since its founding in 1978.

Maine students among the most likely to drive the country’s tech future, reveals data

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Photo credit: Barta IV, https://www.flickr.com/photos/98640399@N08/9287370881

CodeWizardsHQ, a provider of coding classes for kids and teens, has carried out a comprehensive study and identified the most and least progressive states when it comes to access and enrollment to computer science courses. Given the significance of computer science in the modern world, not having access to courses such as coding can put children at a significant disadvantage to their peers when it comes to opportunities when they are older. The study revealed that there are significant disparities based on the location and profiles of students.

The company analyzed data from Advocacy Coalition to determine a ranking from 1 to 50 (with 1 being the highest ranking) of each state’s I.T. progressiveness. The data revealed that Maine has a rural access rate of 55 percent and a minority access rate of 76 percent, with 60 percent of high schools offering computer science. This places Maine in 23rd position overall in America.

Ranking factors included: rural accessibility, race accessibility, minority student accessibility, female enrollment, economically disadvantaged student enrollment, and the number of high schools offering computer sciences to students.

VASSALBORO: Town seeks ideas for use of ARPA funds

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by Mary Grow

At their Oct. 27 meeting, Vassalboro select board members planned for a December discussion of ways to use federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Town Manager Mary Sabins intends to ask town departments and committees for suggestions, as she did last year. After audience member Holly Weidner offered ideas, board chairman Barbara Redmond invited her to submit them in writing to the town office.

The officials set the end of November as the deadline for suggestions. This timetable should let them consider recommendations and integrate ARPA spending into their proposed 2023-24 municipal budget.

If board members stick to their every-other-Thursday schedule, the December meetings will be on Dec. 8 and Dec. 22.

The first 70 minutes of the Oct. 27 meeting were spent reviewing the personnel policy, 20 single-spaced typed pages. With town employees in the audience and occasionally participating, board members and Sabins discussed a wide variety of provisions.

As planned, board members made no decisions. Sabins said much of the original (November 2011) version was written by a lawyer; she recommended current town attorney Kristin Collins, of Preti-Flaherty’s Augusta office, be asked to review changes.

Town Manager Mary Sabins intends to ask town departments and committees for suggestions, as she did last year.

One change board members seem likely to approve is an increase in the annual amount the town pays to reimburse public works employees for boots. The current figure is $100; an invoice among the bills paid Oct. 27 showed an employee’s new steel-toed, waterproof boots were priced at $169.99 (he bought them on sale, and even with tax exceeded his reimbursement by less than $10).

Since some of the changes discussed will impact the town’s 2023-24 budget, select board members hope to have a final document approved by early 2023. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Nov. 10.

Because the second November meeting would fall on Thanksgiving Day, it will be rescheduled. As of Oct. 17, the tentative date is Tuesday, November 22.

WINDSOR: Solar facilities moratorium extended by 180-days

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by The Town Line staff

The October 11 Windsor Select Board meeting opened with a short public hearing concerning a 180-day extension of the Utility Scale Solar Facilities Moratorium Ordinance.

F. Gerald Nault said the only thing he would like to bring up is within the ordinance itself, regarding the question on the solar energy facilities occupying 800 square feet or less. He said within the ordinance it doesn’t say whether an applicant can apply multiple times on the same parcel of land of 800 square feet or less each time, and wanted the select board to be aware that if an applicant applied for 800 square feet or less, they could apply over and over on the same parcel and not have to go through the application process. Nault felt the language should be clarified that only one solar energy facilities occupying 800 square feet or less should be allowed on the same parcel of land within the ordinance.

Town manager Theresa Haskell said the public hearing was to discuss the extension of the moratorium ordinance for an additional 180 days with the problem giving rise to the need for the moratorium still exists, and reasonable progress is being made to alleviate the problem. She also stated the information Nault brought forward could be discussed during the regular select board meeting. No one else spoke at the hearing.

During the regular select board meeting members voted 4-0 to extend the moratorium by 180 days. Selectman Andrew Ballantyne was absent. A special town meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 9, concerning the utility scale solar energy facility ordinance.

Nault proposed the select board make the following change to the previously approved ordinance: “Solar Energy Facilities occupying 800 square feet or less on the same land parcel are exempt from the requirements of this ordinance. All solar energy facilities must meet state electrical codes and permitting requirements, and applicable requirements of any other ordinance of the town of Windsor. An applicant may only be allowed one installation of an array of less than 800 square feet on the same land parcel only.” The select board unanimously approved the proposal.

In other business, during public comment, Delta Ambulance representatives Tim Beals and Bill McKenna were in attendance at the meeting. Beals gave a brief history of Delta Ambulance, then went on to say they can no longer run on patient billing alone. He stated Delta depends on patient billing to support its 24/7 operation.

Delta participates with Medicare, MaineCare and private insurance companies. In the event a patient has no insurance, Delta must bill the patient directly. A patient who is not transported is not billed with only two exceptions, cardiac arrest and diabetic emergency.

Waterville and Winslow recently developed their own ambulance services and no longer contract with Delta. After losing both Palermo and Jefferson, the Delta board of directors has reviewed several models of service fee agreements and are looking to charge a straight-forward per capital amount of $15 and would take effect in January 2023. The estimated cost to the town of Windsor would be $39,000. Beals also stressed that any town that does not come to some agreement, would not be served by Delta.

The next Windsor Select Board meeting was held on October 25.

New fee on brush at China transfer station

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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.

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.

VASSALBORO: Talks continue on VCS-located daycare

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Jennifer Lizotte attended the Oct. 18 Vassalboro School Board meeting to continue discussion of the daycare program she heads at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) (see the Sept. 29 issue of The Town Line, p. 3, for the initial discussion).

Board members had compiled a page-and-a-half list of questions and comments about the program. Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer distributed suggestions for a lease agreement from the school attorneys.

Lizotte said at the previous meeting that the program runs from 6:30 a.m. to about 5:30 p.m. weekdays and has 44 youngsters enrolled. There are 26 names on the waiting list, she said; she has enough staff to enroll eight more, but there is not space for them in the area VCS can spare.

Lizotte thinks a daycare at the school is valuable; parents who go to work early or get home late, and parents who cannot pick up children in the middle of the day on an early release day, know their children have a safe place to stay.

Pfeiffer and board members agree an in-school daycare is a benefit. “Without the daycare a lot of families would be really facing hard times,” one person wrote.

There is concern about costs, though, and suggestions that the school charge rent in return for services provided – from electricity and heat to light bulbs and toilet paper – or that school officials explore possible town financial support.

Another comment asked about year-round security. Pfeiffer and Lizotte answered the question: the school has a crisis team and a regularly-updated crisis plan; daycares are required to have safety and security emergency plans; and when the two share a building, they cooperate.

The daycare discussion is scheduled to continue at the board’s Nov. 15 meeting.

In other business, Principal Ira Michaud reported favorable reactions to the September VCS newsletter. The colorful document was sent to students’ families; paper copies were left at the town office; and it is available on the website, vcsvikings.org, under the “Latest News” heading.

Assistant Principal Tabitha Brewer said she is working with town recreation committee members to bring community activities back to the VCS gym, after a covid-caused break.

“It’s nice to see some of the normalcy come back,” Pfeiffer commented.

Finance director Paula Pooler reported she sees no 2022-23 budget problems so far, and the food service program remains in the black. The audit of the 2021-22 fiscal year is under way, she said; and she has already set up 2023-24 budget accounts for the Vassalboro, Waterville and Winslow school departments.

Curriculum coordinator Carol Kiesman was looking forward to a visit to the pre-kindergarten classes by officials from the state Department of Education. Pfeiffer was expecting federal and state emergency management personnel to discuss ongoing plans to make VCS an emergency shelter for the town.

School board members have almost finished reviewing the school’s strategic plan. The final version, when approved, will be put on the website, Pfeiffer said.

Pfeiffer issued another reminder to parents who have not yet filled out the application for free school meals: please do so. Breakfast and lunch are free by state law; but the forms are essential documentation, for example for applying for state and federal grants.

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.

CHINA: Six referendum questions on ballot deal with ARPA funds

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by Mary Grow

At the polls on Nov. 8, China voters will express their opinions on state elections, including choice of town representatives to the state legislature; local elections for select board, planning board, budget committee and Regional School Unit #18 director; and eight local referendum questions.

Six of the referenda ask approval to spend federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for specified projects. Two are proposed amendments to town ordinances.

With one exception, members of the town select board and budget committee recommended unanimously that voters approve all proposed expenditures.

The exception is the first question, asking for $70,000 in ARPA funds to help create a privately-owned fiberoptic broadband system that would initially extend broadband service to parts of China that are unserved or underserved.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members have repeatedly discussed expanding and improving service and have explored various approaches. The current plan would add the $70,000 to $300,000 from the Tax Increment Financing Fund (TIF) for the town’s share of a privately-owned and privately-run broadband service, comparable to and competitive with Spectrum and other providers serving China residents.

China voters already approved a schedule of TIF expenditures that includes $30,000 a year for 10 years for broadband.

The remaining cost of the expansion and improvements would be paid by Direct Communications, of Idaho, and its Unity-based subsidiary, UniTel, who would own and operate the service, and by a state grant aimed at extending broadband service to unserved and underserved areas.

Select board members unanimously recommend approval of the funding, even though some have opposed past CBC recommendations. When the budget committee reviewed the question, after a brief discussion five members voted to recommend the expenditure and Michael Sullivan voted against recommending it.

The other question that generated discussion on the select board and the budget committee is No. 5 on the ballot, the request for no more than $75,000 in ARPA money for a new, one-year, senior fuel assistance program. Select board member Wayne Chadwick suggested the program as he looked at high prices residents are likely to face to keep warm this winter.

Discussion was not over the merits of the program, but over how it would work. Select board members adopted a set of standards, found on the town website, chine.govoffice.com, under the elections tab, with the title “Senior Citizens Fuel Support Fund.”

The questions that have generated little or no discussion during board and committee meetings ask voters to approve the following ARPA expenditures.

  • No more than $21,590, to reimburse China Rescue for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
  • No more than $7,000 for improvements to the radio tower at the town office complex on Lakeview Drive.
  • No more than $22,000 to buy three heat pumps, for the town office and at the transfer station office building and the scale shack.
  • No more than $30,000 to repair cemetery fences.

The first proposed ordinance change is an amendment to China’s Quorum Ordinance. The ordinance currently says that every town meeting, regular or special, requires having a quorum assembled before business can begin. The quorum consists of “four percent of the residents registered to vote as of the first business day of January in the year in which the meeting is held.”

This requirement has translated to between 120 and 130 voters in recent past years, before town officials changed to a written ballot in 2020 because the covid pandemic led to a ban on large gatherings.

At the Aug. 22 select board meeting, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood proposed changing the requirement to 100 registered voters.

She explained that Maine law now automatically registers as a voter anyone who applies for a state driver’s license. Consequently, she said, China adds a handful of new voters almost every week, with no indication that any of them intend to vote; and therefore the quorum requirement steadily increases.

Three select board members recommend voters approve the change. Chadwick and board chairman Ronald Breton think 100 voters too few.

The second proposed ordinance change is a series of amendments to two sections of China’s Land Use Ordinance, recommended by planning board members after long discussion. Many are required to bring China’s ordinance into conformity with state regulations.

Copies of the Land Use Ordinance amendments are on the website, under two left-hand tabs: Elections, above the fuel assistance fund standards, and the separate tab titled “**Ordinance Updates – Public Comments**.”

The long-discussed new ordinance that would govern future commercial solar development in China is not on the Nov. 8 ballot, as planning board members have not yet agreed on a final version.