China selectmen set tax rate at 14.40 mil

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen have set the tax rate for the current fiscal year, after a presentation by Tax Assessor William Van Tuinen at the Aug. 16 Selectboard meeting.

The new rate Van Tuinen recommended and selectmen approved is 14.40 mil, or $14.40 for each $1,000 of taxation. The rate for the year that ended June 30, 2021, was $14.90 per $1,000, selectmen said.

Van Tuinen warned property-owners not to expect lower bills, however. Tax bills depend on the value he has assigned to property multiplied by the tax rate; and because house prices have risen so dramatically, he increased building valuations by 16 percent.

He used building values for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2020. Since house prices have continued to rise, another upward revaluation is likely in a year.

Van Tuinen explained that by state law, an assessor needs to keep valuations close to market prices. If the difference gets too large, the state penalizes the town, by reducing various state financial contributions.

China is expected to spend more than $9.5 million in the current fiscal year, with more than half going to the school budget. By Van Tuinen’s figures, a little under $7.1 million will come from property taxes, the rest from other sources, including an anticipated $500,000 in state revenue sharing.

At the June 8 town meeting, voters approved a list of other revenue sources – revenue sharing was then estimated at $335,000. They also set tax due dates: the first half payment is due Thursday, Sept. 30. Town Manager Becky Hapgood expects bills will be mailed out before the end of August.

Selectmen followed up on another town meeting vote at their Aug. 16 meeting, the one authorizing them to sell the former subdivision on the east side of Lakeview Drive through a licensed real estate agent and to put the proceeds “in an assigned fund to reduce the mil rate in the fiscal year following the sale.”

After discussion, they voted unanimously that Lucas Adams of Adams Realty should handle the sale. Adams proposed a seven percent commission and, Hapgood said, he offered to work with Lindsey Harwath, head of the People’s Park organization seeking to raise funds to buy the land, and to reduce his commission if the group succeeded.

Adams valued the land at between $80,000 and $100,000. Selectmen split the difference and voted, again unanimously, to set $90,000 as a starting price.

Selectman Janet Preston asked whether the other board members had a goal for the property – did they favor the park (which she supports), or were they willing to see it become whatever a buyer wanted, even if the use did not benefit the town?

Sell it to the highest bidder, Selectman Wayne Chadwick said. He and fellow board member Blane Casey are dedicated to keeping taxes down; both reacted to the approved mil rate by commenting they need to budget more tightly this year.

Chadwick then made a third motion, to put the property on the market immediately while the market is up, rather than waiting to give the People’s Park group time to seek pledges and grants. That motion was approved on a split vote, with Chadwick, Casey and Irene Belanger in favor and Breton and Preston opposed.

Two other major items on the Aug. 16 agenda were proposed questions for the Nov. 2 local ballot.

Board members postponed action on the planning board’s requests and did not discuss the draft Solar Energy Systems Ordinance or the proposed shoreland zoning changes. (See related story, p. 8).

They debated the China Broadband Committee’s (CBC) request to ask voters to approve a bond issue for more than half an hour, discussing first whether to ask voters to weigh in at all and, after they agreed to that, whether there should be a Selectboard recommendation to approve or reject the article.

If the issue goes on the ballot, voters approve and selectmen borrow the money, currently anticipated to be $5.6 million, it would be used by Axiom Technologies to build new broadband infrastructure.

Chadwick was the only board member to vote against putting the bond issue on the Nov. 2 ballot. He thinks town government should not be in the telecommunications business.

Casey agreed with Chadwick, and Breton has strong reservations about the CBC’s plan. But both argued that after CBC members have worked so hard, they deserve a vote.

The selectmen’s recommendation on the article will be “Leave to the people,” or similar wording. Chadwick and Breton opposed that decision; Chadwick would have recommended not to approve the bond, and Breton thought selectmen should offer guidance.

“They [voters] didn’t elect us to dump it on them,” he said.

Less controversial agenda items included:

— Accepting the highest of seven bids for the old grader, $13,250 from Baker Machine, in South China;
— Reappointing Belanger as the town’s representative to the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments’ General Assembly, with Preston the alternate; and
— Renewing the license for Wildwood Pawn Inc., outside China Village.

Hapgood presented preliminary information she had collected on heat pumps for the town office and transfer station. Chadwick suggested other local venders she could contact.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting will be Monday evening, Aug. 30.

CHINA: New transfer station visioning subcommittee begins work

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by Mary Grow

Four members of China’s new Transfer Station Visioning Subcommittee defined their job and planned how to start doing it at their initial meeting Aug. 11.

Chairman Chris Diesch, of Palermo, said the group needs to develop two documents: a brief mission statement telling what the transfer station is for, and a vision statement talking about what should be accomplished in the next five or 10 years.
Larry Sikora, Chairman of the Transfer Station Committee, said that group has a five-year plan that is reviewed and updated annually, but it is more “nuts and bolts,” focused on operations and equipment.

The visioning statement, in Sikora’s words, would be more about “something we’re not doing now but it’s possible we could do.”

Diesch volunteered to collect samples of mission and vision statements for other Maine towns’ transfer stations, and Ashley Farrington offered to provide suggestions from a course she took.

The committee’s final drafts will be reviewed by the full Transfer Station Committee and when approved forwarded to the town manager and the selectmen.

The next meeting, the group decided, should be planned for two hours, an hour on each document. Other transfer station committee members will be invited.

By consensus, preferred meeting days and times are Fridays starting at 11 a.m. The next meeting will be scheduled on a September Friday if all members are available, or early in October.

Webber Pond Association elects new president, vice president; votes down membership restrictions

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Webber Pond.

by Roland D. Hallee
with contribution from Susan Traylor

The Webber Pond Association annual meeting was held on August 14, at the Vassalboro Community School with 88 association members present.

There were several controversial items on the agenda at this year’s meeting, including the drawdown, association membership, and ownership of the Webber Pond Dam.

Following the president’s and vice president’s report, election of officers were held.

John Reuthe was elected the new association president, unopposed. Past president Frank Richards, who had held the office for 20 years, has stepped down. Tiffany Luczko was elected vice president, unopposed; treasurer is Erika Bennett and Secretary Rebecca Lamey. Returning directors are Bob Bryson, Bob Nadeau, Charlie Backenstose, Jennifer Lacombe, Pearley LaChance, Phil Innes, Roland Hallee, Russell Charleston, Susan Traylor. New directors elected were Dave Haskell, Kevin Luczko, and Lindsey Tweed.

One of the topics that drew considerable debate, as is the case annually, was the yearly drawdown. At their meeting in July, the board of directors recommended the third Sunday of the month, Sunday, September 19, which has been the drawdown date for the past several years. The date of September 26 was mentioned during discussion. The September 19 drawdown date was approved 46-42.

In the end, it was decided to conduct the drawdown differently this year because of the lake conditions.

A mini flush began later that day, on August 14. The lake is presently experiencing a severe algae bloom, with Secchi visibility of only 1.94 meters/6.4 feet, combined with high water levels due to all the rain. The lake level currently stands at 5.5 inches above the spillway. The mini flush will allow the removal of algae and phosphorus without significantly impacting water levels for recreational use.

One foot of boards were removed on both sides of the gates at the dam – they will be replaced in a week or when the water level reaches the spillway. If there is no rain, the lake normally loses about an inch a week due to evaporation, so the mini flush is a low-risk strategy. Last year the water was about even with the spillway at this point.

The normal annual flush will begin on Sunday, September 19, with three feet of boards removed on both sides. Typically, water levels at the dam have gone down 12 inches in the first week, eight inches in the second week, and four inches in the third week of the drawdown. Another change this year is that the boards will be replaced on October 3, in accordance with Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recommendations to limit the time that lake bottom sediments are de-watered. Per DEP, draining the top several feet in a lake reduces the total lake volume by a large amount and often exposes large areas of lake bottom. This exposes significant areas of fine sediment to drying and can expose previously stable sediments to heavy rain, wind, and wave action for months, releasing phosphorus into the lake. This could be the issue with increased sediments in the very shallow areas of the lake, which are perceived as lower water levels.

A final flush, when boards are removed to set the lake at winter water levels, will take place in late November. Russell Charleston, who this past year was responsible with monitoring the dam and the lake levels, was approved by the membership to monitor the situation and will choose the date, based on weather conditions, and will post it on Facebook.

Last year there were very high phosphorus readings 0.057 (compared to figures normally in the 0.018 to 0.025 range). This indicates that phosphorus was brought to the surface when the lake turned over (cooler water on the top of the lake sank and warmer water from the bottom rose). Most of the phosphorus in the lake is on the bottom of the lake. If that were to happen again this year, more phosphorus could be flushed from the lake.

In other business, another controversial issue was the proposal to limit association membership to shoreline property owners only. Current by-laws state that anyone with an interest in the lake may become an association member. Following much, sometimes heated, debate, the motion was rejected 36-52.

Following that vote, Reuthe announced he would be forming a committee to review the by-laws in their entirety.

The proposal to ask the town of Vassalboro to assume ownership of the dam, currently owned by the association was quickly tabled to next year, pending more research and communications with the town.

The membership also voted to contribute $1,500 to the China Region Lakes Alliance. During that discussion, it was decided Webber Pond Association should look into forming a LakeSmart program, as is the case on China Lake, where the program has been very successful. CRLA Executive Director Scott Pierz was present at the meeting, and provided an overview of how the program works.

Palermo VFD receives gift from women’s extension group

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Photo: Palermo VFD Facebook

On Thursday, July 15, 2021, at the July Palermo selectmen’s meeting, a check for $800 was presented to the Palermo Volunteer Fire Department Chief Roger Kormandt, by the Palermo Women’s Extension Group, to be used for much needed equipment/materials.

The check was made out to the Town of Palermo for the express use of the Palermo Volunteer Fire Department. As a gift, the $800 may be used only for this purpose. The check was presented to Chief Kormandt by Anne Kurek, vice president, Palermo Women’s Extension Group. Chief Kormandt then gave the check to Mary Andrews, town clerk, to keep for the fire department.

The Palermo Women’s Extension Group was pleased to present this gift to the Palermo Volunteer Fire Department. And are happy to know that it will benefit the Town of Palermo and its residents.

Also in attendance were selectboard members: Chairman Robert Kurek, Ilene McKenney, and Pam Swift, Deputy Fire Chief Josh Seikens, Sherry Kormandt, and Diane Bent, treasurer, Palermo Women’s Extension Group.

Vassalboro planners approve dam removal; extend permit for solar work

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by Mary Grow 

Vassalboro Planning Board members approved both items on their Aug. 3 agenda.

The major one was an application from landowner Linda Butterfield and the Maine Rivers organization to remove the Morneau Dam on Outlet Stream and replace the nearby Mineral Springs Road bridge. The project is the final step in opening Outlet Stream to fish passage from the Sebasticook River into China Lake, Maine Rivers spokesman Matthew Streeter said.

The plan calls for removing the dam, the powerhouse and surrounding concrete areas and walls and creating vegetated slopes to the stream, and replacing the present bridge with a longer and slightly higher one.

Streeter had permits and approvals from sundry federal and state agencies. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife noted that dam removal would reduce a pond that is habitat for wading birds, but concluded the overall benefits of the project outweighed the habitat loss, he said.

Streeter expects the work will take four or five weeks. With the planning board approval, he hopes it will be done this summer, during the construction season for in-water work that ends Sept. 30.

Mineral Springs Road will be closed for four or five days, he estimated. He expects residents of the two houses on the road will use an old back access way.

Streeter said he is Morneau Dam project manager. He will be supervised by Vassalboro resident Nate Gray, of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and Heidi Bunn, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

The second action Aug. 3 was approval of a double six months’ extension of the permit granted last September to Longroad Energy for a solar development at 2579 Riverside Drive (Route 201).

Kara Moody, who represented the company last year, explained that she does not know how long Central Maine Power Company will need to complete an interconnection study.

Once CMP is ready, construction can start. Moody said she will be back to appropriate town officials for a building permit and anything else needed.

Codes Officer Paul Mitnik, who is still willing to retire when someone can be found to replace him, suggested revisions to the site plan review application. Board members liked his approach.

The next Vassalboro Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 7. Mitnik has already proposed two agenda items, a pre-application review of Sunvest Solar’s proposed solar development on David and Jennifer Jones’ Webber Pond Road property and an application to replace a recreational vehicle at 107 McQuarrie Road, in the Webber Pond shoreland district.

CHINA: Money theme of selectmen’s meeting

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by Mary Grow 

Money was the theme for many of the topics at the China selectmen’s Aug. 2 meeting – quite a lot of money, much of it potentially outgoing.

The China Broadband Committee’s planned request for a bond issue of around $6 million is the biggest proposed expenditure. CBC members did not have all the information they hoped to present and were not upset when Selectboard Chairman Ronald Breton recommended postponing action to Aug. 16. (See CBC story in August 5, 2021, issue of The Town Line, page 3).

CBC member Neil Farrington briefly listed advantages of better broadband service to town residents, from students learning remotely to senior citizens using telemedicine, and to existing and future businesses.

CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor promised information to selectmen as soon as possible, to give them time to review it and, he hopes, on Aug. 16 ask voters to authorize the bond issue on Nov. 2.

On a second matter, resident Stephen Greene asked that as selectmen prepare to carry out the voter-authorized sale of a town-owned lot on Lakeview Drive, they keep him and Lindsey Harwath informed; and that they consider saving money by omitting a broker and selling directly to the People’s Park Harwath is organizing.

Residents seeking more information about the proposed People’s Park or considering supporting the project are invited to contact Lindsey Harwath. She is currently collecting monetary pledges to help buy the land. She can be reached at harwlin@gmail.cm or at 207-314-4850.

Harwath and others are raising funds to buy the 39.3 acres for a recreation park. In response to Breton’s questions, Greene said donors would form a nonprofit organization that would be responsible for managing and maintaining the park, with no town obligation (unless town officials offered help). Under nonprofit ownership, the land would become tax-exempt.

Selectman Janet Preston, who has supported the park idea for months, pointed out selectmen could postpone action to give Harwath’s group more fund-raising time; they could always sell later.

Selectman Wayne Chadwick favored a prompt sale “while the market’s booming,” and did not approve of nonprofit ownership that would take the property off the tax rolls.

Town Manager Becky Hapgood read the warrant article voters approved at the June 8 town meeting directing selectmen to sell the land through a licensed real estate agent. She had requested expressions of interest from 11 residents in the real estate business; two replied, one proposing a seven percent commission and the other an eight percent commission.

Breton asked Hapgood to ask the town attorney for a legal interpretation of the warrant article and to ask a realtor for an estimated market price for the land. He then encouraged a motion to postpone action until the information was available. Board members approved postponement unanimously.

Selectmen renewed the town contract with Waste Management, Inc., operators of the Crossroads Landfill, in Norridgewock, for disposal of demolition debris and bulky waste, despite hefty fee increases.

The per ton fee will increase from $62.92 to $71 for the first year of a five-year contract, with four percent increases each of the following years.

Peter Lachapelle, listed on line as the company’s Public Sector Representative, joined the selectmen virtually and said the main reason for higher fees is “a huge capacity issue driving [disposal] rates through the roof,” especially in the Northeast. Landfills are closing, and no one wants a new one in his or her backyard, he said.

In addition, his business, like others, is raising wages to attract employees and paying higher prices for materials.

Asked twice by Breton, “Can’t you do better than that?” Lachapelle said “No.”

As a city councilor in his home town of Rochester, New Hampshire, he sympathized with the selectmen’s position, he said.

Selectmen were unaware of any alternative and unanimously approved the contract, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2022.

They also approved renewal of the roadside mowing contract with Frederick Drew’s Aggressive Cuts, LLC, of Hermon, for three years. Hapgood said the company will mow 47.29 miles of town (not state) roads, starting as soon as the weather permits. Rain flattens the grass so it can’t be mowed, she pointed out.

The vote on the mowing contract was the only non-unanimous decision of the evening. Blane Casey voted no, because he thought the board should have put the contract out for bid. Chadwick commended Drew’s company for the quality and price of the work in past years.

In other business at the Aug. 2 meeting, selectmen unanimously approved Hapgood’s recommended uses of some of the unspent funds from the fiscal year that ended June 30 to carry forward for pending expenditures or add to reserve funds. One of her recommendations is to buy more security cameras for town properties.

Assessing agent Kelly Grotton’s report, read by Hapgood, said selectmen should have the information they need to set the 2021-22 property tax rate at their Aug. 16 meeting. The preliminary indication is that for properties that have not changed in a year, land values will remain about the same and building values will increase noticeably.

As the meeting ended, Breton commended resident Scott Pierz for his service as president of the China Lake Association and the China Region Lakes Alliance. Pierz has resigned both positions because, he said, the CRLA has hired him as its new executive director, responsible for carrying out the programs he has helped create and oversee for years.

Greene is the new China Lake Association President.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) revises documents to present to selectmen

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by Mary Grow 

At their first in-person meeting Aug. 5, after months of zooming, China Broadband Committee (CBC) members spent almost three hours revising documents they intend to present at the Aug. 16 selectboard meeting.

The background papers and financial charts will accompany a request to selectmen to ask voters on Nov. 2 to approve a bond issue to pay for building new internet infrastructure throughout the town.

The Aug. 5 discussion covered making sure figures were current and consistent. One problem has been matching calendar-year bond repayment calculations with China’s fiscal year.

CBC members also revised wording, eliminating repetition and increasing clarity as they explain complicated issues. They ended up unanimously approving final documents, subject to future non-substantive grammatical and numerical changes if needed.

The documents include:

— The proposed Nov. 2 ballot question;
— A five-page document titled “China Community Broadband Project Information Summary and Recommendations”;
— Seven pages of figures on proposed borrowing and repayments; and
— Another five-page document titled “China Community Broadband Frequently Asked Questions.”

Committee Chairman Robert O’Connor asked town office staffers to put the documents on the town website. Information will also be available on the CBC website, chinabroadband.net.

The Aug. 16 selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., in person, in the portable building behind the town office. Technology willing, it will also be streamed live and recorded for future viewing.

Windsor selectmen make appointments; Sean Teekema named transfer station supervisor

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by The Town Line staff

At the July 6 meeting of the Windsor selectmen, Town Manager Theresa Haskell reported that June revenues were down from this time last year, with $620.41. However, the total amount for the year was up $12,043.44, for a total 2020/2021 year to date income of $71,007.86. Haskell noted that $65,000 was budgeted.

Cemetery Sexton Joyce Perry informed the board of a request to place a bench with four legs which is what Riverside Memorials provide. Selectman Richard Gray Jr. was concerned that any type of bench at the cemeteries could bring other benches in, like wooden or plastic. The board asked Perry to bring the issue back to the cemetery committee and go through the cemetery rules to get an opinion on benches. There are too many uncertainties regarding benches and the board of selectmen would like more clarity before making a decision.
In other business, selectmen approved MaineGeneral Medical Center’s request for a pop-up vaccine clinic in August, with a follow-up clinic for the second shot in September.

Selectmen also approved a request from Dwight Tibbetts, on behalf of the Downeast Brass Quintet, to hold a free public concert upstairs in the town hall sometime in August for a fundraiser for the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association featuring the life and music of Glen Campbell, who passed away from the disease.

The selectmen also made a number of committee appointments:

Theresa Haskell, Richard H., Gray Jr., and Thomas Reed were appointed to the cemetery committee, Robert Holt and Laurie Thomas were both appointed to the board of appeals, Scott Farwell to the planning board, Heather Wilson and Bonnie Squiers both as a Windsor Educational Foundation and Reed Fund member.

The town manager reported that COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to government meetings and led many public bodies to shift to a remote/online model to keep business moving as usual. They were permitted to so pursuant to temporary pandemic-related permission authorized by the state legislature and the governor. If the town is looking to continue this model they have to develop a policy. The board of selectmen indicated they are not interested in creating a policy at this time.

Selectmen also approved a qualified catering organization application for catered functions from The Roaming Catering Company, for a wedding on July 31, held at the Windsor Fairgrounds with approximately 350 people in attendance.

The final action of the evening was the board of selectmen elected Ray Bates as the new chairman of the board of selectmen.
At their July 20 meeting, selectmen heard that the trees on Hunts Meadow Road and Greeley Road have been cut, and the big tree on Choate Road that was uprooted has been removed.

Town Manager Theresa Haskell announced to the board that Sean Teekema, who had been serving as interim transfer station supervisor, has been named the new supervisor as of July 20.

Shawn Mills was present to discuss the status of the requirements for continued building of his tiny house. There was much discussion because this is something new for the town. No decisions were made.

Also, an anonymous letter was read regarding flying the American flag at half mast. The town does not give the authority to fly a flag at half mast and in no way was it meant to take away from the observance of it. The selectmen voted unanimously, 3-0 (Richard Gray Jr. and Ronald Brann were absent), to accept as written Title 4, United States Code Chapter 1 of flying the flag at half-mast.

The question was raised as to when flags displayed on veterans’ graves should be removed. All American Legions should follow the practice of removing flags as soon as possible after Memorial Day. However, since the town of Windsor is the one who puts the flags on the graves and not the legion, the selectmen decided that since the town owns the flags they should be kept out longer, per Title 30-A §2901.

In other business, selectmen unanimously approved an abatement request in the amount of $51.20 to Kevin Tillson for a business that closed in 2019.

The next board of selectmen meeting was scheduled for August 3.

China Lake annual meeting reflects on association mission

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David Preston, right, Secretary for the China Lake Association, presents a recognition award to Scott Pierz for his seven years of dedicated service to the China Lake Association. (photo by Elaine Philbrook)

by Jeanne Marquis

The 2021 Annual Meeting of the China Lake Association (CLA) was a reflection on how vital their mission is to restore and protect the quality of China Lake. The many speakers and quality of the information shared at this meeting demonstrated the important collaborations CLA has forged with the numerous related environmental organizations and governmental departments.

Scott Pierz, China Lake Association president opened the 2021 meeting with recognition of the passing of Director Emeritus Irma Simon. Her advocacy for the environment earned her the nickname “Mother Nature” by her high school science students. Simon was among the founding members of the China Lake Association and appointed to the Board of Directors a few years later where she served for more than 30 years.

The keynote speaker Jennifer Jespersen founded Ecological Instincts, an environmental consulting firm located in Manchester, Maine. The Kennebec County Soils and Water Conservation District awarded Ecological Instincts the contract to conduct the 2020-21 China Lake Watershed Survey. In addition to her firm’s work with China Lake, Jespersen also manages grant-funded watershed restoration projects on Varnum Pond in Temple, Abrams Pond in Eastbrook and Georges Pond in Franklin.

Jepersen began by outlining the history of studies that have been conducted about the water quality of China Lake and where the current Watershed Survey fits into this body of collected data. The Watershed Survey documented areas of potential soil erosion in the 26 square miles in the Towns of China, Vassalboro and Albion which drain into China Lake. She explained how this information will be used to identify strategies to continue to improve China Lake’s water quality over the next ten years.

Jepersen explains, “Lakes are a reflection of the watershed — the more we change the quality of the runoff, the more we change the quality of the lake.”

Keynote speaker Jespersen previewed another study that measured the naturally occurring release of phosphorus from the sediment at the bottom of the basins of the lake. China Lake has two basins, east and west. The results from this internal loading research will be out in September 2021.

Matt Streeter of Maine Rivers, a guest speaker, presented an update of the Alewife Restoration Initiative for 2021. This initiative began more than six years ago and has restored the run of an estimated 950,000 alewives to help restore the natural ecosystem as it existed prior to the building of the dams. The fish, except for a few lucky ones, will not be able to make it all the way to China Lake until work is completed at the Outlet Dam, which is underway this year. The dam will be replaced by a Denil fishway that will allow the fish to pass through while maintaining the water of the lake. The reason why the restoration of this fish population is so important is that the young alewives will ingest the phosphorus and take it with them when they migrate out to the ocean. Alewife restoration is another vital step in maintaining water quality.

Another guest speaker, Robbie Bickford, Water Quality Director of the Kennebec Water District (KWD), presented a report on last year’s water quality in China Lake. He told the attendees of the annual meeting 2020 was the first year in the last five years that there was not a marked improvement in the water quality of China Lake. He attributed this to an early ice out in the spring and near drought conditions at the start of the summer among other factors. The lack of improvement shows how critical it is to diligently continue our water quality efforts.

Updates were presented at the annual meeting about other China Lake initiatives from China LakeSmart, Gravel Road Rehabilitation Program, Invasive Plant Patrol Program China Lake Loon Count and the Youth Conservation Corps. To find out how to get involved with the China Lake Association or any of the China Lake initiatives go to chinalakeassociation.org for information.

The China Lake Association welcomed in a newly elected president, Stephen Greene and expressed a deep gratitude to Scott Pierz for his seven years of service as president. Under Pierz’ guidance, the China Lake Association developed close relationships with stakeholders and advocated successfully for the funding for effective programs to improve the water quality, educate landowners and visitors.

David Preston said, “Besides being a great organizational leader, one of Scott’s strongest contributions has been his sharp-eyed monitoring of day-to-day issues. If there is a project affecting the lake, or a problem with water levels, you name it and Scott is on it. He persists in standing up for fair enforcement of environmental codes with expertise and conviction of what is right. Like Dr. Seuss’ Lorax who spoke for the trees, Scott speaks for the lake!”

Brownies and Broadband draws small audience: but lively discussion

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by Mary Grow

The China Broadband Committee’s (CBC) second public informational session, held July 29 and publicized as Brownies and Broadband, drew a small audience and a lively discussion, just like the first one (see The Town Line, July 15, p. 3).

There were indeed brownies, and other desserts, and CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor brought samples of different internet signal carriers, old-fashioned wire that uses electricity to transmit and fiberoptic cable that, he explained, uses light instead.

O’Connor’s presentation covered the main CBC messages. The committee plan, if voters approve it, will provide expanded, faster, more reliable and future-proof service. The infrastructure will be owned by the town and operated and maintained by Axiom Technologies (or a successor company) under contract with the town. Costs will be paid by subscribers, not by town taxpayers.

The first questions came from Eric Austin, who was concerned about the relationship of internet with cable television, telephone and other services. O’Connor and John Dougherty, vice-president of consultants Mission Broadband, replied that internet subscribers could use Axiom’s “pipe” (Dougherty’s term) to connect to other services, but if they are content with their current arrangements, they would not need to.

Austin said in that case, there could be competing internet providers as well. Axiom President Mark Ouellette said in theory, yes; in practice, the customer base in China is not large enough to attract other companies.

Axiom, based in Machias, is establishing operations in other small Maine communities. Earlier in July Searsport voters, at a special town meeting, approved contracting with Axiom. Ouellette listed other customers and potential customers, including Somerville, Washington, Georgetown, Southport and Monhegan Island.

Former Waterville resident Bradford Sherwood, who now lives in South China, asked about China’s connection to the global network. Dougherty said the CBC plan includes constructing a small building near the middle of town where local fiberoptic cables will converge; from there, China’s internet will connect to the rest of the world, probably via southern Maine.

Richard Morse, also from South China, questioned whether residents will save money with a different internet system, and objected strongly to a town-owned system.

Governments are usually considerably less competent than private companies, Morse said. No one disagreed; but Dougherty pointed out that China officials would not run the company, but would contract with Axiom (or a similar company) to use private expertise.

The draft contract between Axiom and the town includes a clause allowing town officials to end the contract, at three-year intervals, if they are not satisfied.

Dougherty and Ouellette assured audience members that every telephone pole in China, on public and private roads, will have fiberoptic cable, so that nearby householders can connect if they choose. Ouellette added that his company has experience with wireless internet as well as fiberoptic, and will work with individual homeowners as needed.

Sherwood asked if underground lines were being considered. No, Dougherty replied – burying utility lines in Maine is expensive, especially with so much granite.

The Brownies and Broadband meeting was followed by an hour-long CBC meeting at which members discussed their planned Aug. 2 presentation to China selectmen.

By the next day, they had postponed the presentation, instead inviting selectmen to the next committee meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 5.

They further scheduled a special committee meeting for 4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 2, to try to finish cost estimates for selectmen to review. At that meeting, information was still lacking, and they had learned selectmen cannot join them Aug. 5.

O’Connor and committee member Neil Farrington spoke briefly at the Aug. 2 selectboard meeting and promised more information as soon as possible. They hope to have it collected and organized by their Aug. 5 meeting and to speak at the Aug. 16 selectmen’s meeting.

CBC information is available on the committee website, chinabroadband.net.