June 2021 Local election results for Vassalboro, China and Fairfield

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Town meeting photo from 2017. Photo courtesy of Dan L’Heureux

Vassalboro

by Mary Grow

In Vassalboro’s written-ballot elections June 8, Christopher French was elected to succeed John Melrose on the board of selectmen, with 128 votes; and Jolene Clark-Gamage was re-elected to the school board, with 134 votes. Neither had an opponent on the ballot.

Three referendum questions were approved. Town Clerk Cathy Coyne said the votes were as follows:

— To approve a new “Town of Vassalboro Marijuana Business Ordinance,” 123 votes in favor and 32 opposed.
–– To reaffirm the $8.3 million school budget approved the previous evening, 137 votes in favor and 18 opposed.
— To continue the school budget referendum for another three years, 93 votes in favor and 55 opposed.

The total number of votes cast was 156, Coyne reported.

China

by Mary Grow

China voters, acting by written ballot, approved all but one of the 26 articles presented at their June 8 annual town business meeting, Town Clerk Angela Nelson reported.

They thereby funded town departments and services and grants to other entities for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021; and gave selectmen authority to act on their behalf in various ways, including selling a 1982 grader and a 40-acre lot on the east side of Lakeview Drive opposite the Cottages at China Lake.

On a separate ballot, they approved the Regional School Unit #18 budget for 2021-22.

The defeated article would have appropriated $26,471 for FirstPark, the regional business park in Oakland. The vote was 135 in favor and 138 opposed, with five blank ballots.

The final warrant article, which was approved on a 198 to 65 vote, said that if any other article did not pass, “the amounts appropriated in FY 2020/2021 for the subject article shall be deemed adopted for FY 2021/2022.”

At the 2020 town meeting, voters appropriated $39,000 for FirstPark for 2020-21.

Fairfield

Unofficial returns from the town of Fairfield, according to town clerk Christine Keller included the following results:

For MSAD #49 school board: Joel Bouchard, 91; Danielle Boutin, 85; and Marlisa Golder, 73.

Also, questions on the MSAD #49 school budget referendum, the district nutrition program and the adult education program all passed.

In regard to the town annual budget referendum, all articles, 2 through 31, passed overwhelmingly, which included all outside agencies that petitioned for funding.

China board reappointments hit procedural snag; one denied

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen’s usually routine annual appointment (mostly reappointment) of town officials and board and committee members turned into a procedural tangle followed by a highly unusual refusal to reappoint a sitting board member.

The actions taken at the June 7 selectmen’s meeting are official July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.

Selectmen first made two new appointments: Paul Mitnik, of Vassalboro, as alternate codes enforcement officer and licensed plumbing inspector, when Jaime Hanson is unavailable; and Chris Diesch, of Palermo, as a member of the Transfer Station Committee.

Resident Brent Chesley recommended limiting Mitnik’s duties to inspections, not ordinance interpretation or permit issuance. Hapgood said Mitnik would do mostly inspections. If someone needed something relatively straightforward, like a permit for a new well because the old one went dry, Mitnik would act in Hanson’s absence.

Selectboard Chairman Ronald Breton asked Town Manager Becky Hapgood to read the names of others up for reappointment, including herself (to various positions), Hanson, Angela Nelson as Town Clerk, the animal control officer and her assistant, the three fire chiefs (elected by their departments) and board and committee members.

Breton told selectboard members that if they did not want someone to serve, they should not sign that person’s appointment paper.

After a motion was made to approve the entire list, Breton allowed Chesley to comment again. Chesley, referring to his own experience, said Board of Appeals member Virginia Davis, whose five-year term ends this year, in his opinion lacks “the ability to set aside conflict of interest and personal bias.”

Board members then approved the list unanimously, followed immediately by Selectman Janet Preston’s question: since the people were just appointed by vote, if fewer than three selectmen sign an appointment paper, doesn’t that action contradict the vote?

After a procedural discussion and several suggestions, board members rescinded their previous vote to reappoint everyone and went through the list by individuals and committees.

Breton, Blane Casey and Wayne Chadwick voted not to reappoint Davis to the Board of Appeals. Irene Belanger and Preston voted to reappoint her.

The other board and committee members were reappointed unanimously.

“We have too many committees,” Breton said at the end of the process.

But, Hapgood said and he echoed, “We appreciate everyone on them.”

China Broadband Committee members return to grant application

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by Mary Grow

At their June 3 meeting, China Broadband Committee (CBC) members returned to their application for a ConnectMe planning grant for expanded and improved broadband service. They also reviewed a more definite – but still with uncertainties – financial model for their project (see the June 3 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

The ConnectMe grant was filed May 27. State officials replied, not just to the CBC but to all applicants, with a request for more information on two topics, with a deadline of noon on Friday, June 4.

CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor put the application on the CBC’s document-sharing site so members could work on it and offered to call ConnectMe the morning of June 4 to clarify what was needed. A revised application was filed and acknowledged; committee members expect to hear before the end of June whether China will receive $7,500 (to be matched by $2,500 in town funds).

The first major planning issue is a survey of telephone poles, unserved houses and other factors that will affect the cost of building new broadband infrastructure. CBC members intend to have Hawkeye Connections, Inc., based in Poland, Maine, do the survey (and if the plan comes to fruition, the construction).

Consultant Mark Van Loan, of Bangor-based Mission Broadband, said he and Mark Ouellette, President of Axiom Technologies, of Machias, developed the revised financial model. Like prior ones, it is based on estimated construction costs.

If the construction costs are close to accurate, the model sees China borrowing $4.8 million for 20 years to build out the system. Assuming 35 percent of year-round residents and 40 percent of seasonal residents sign up initially, a program offering four levels of service could have a $55 monthly fee for the lowest tier.

The plan would additionally provide two levels of business service. Ouellette, whose company is the CBC’s choice for providing broadband, expects most small businesses would be able to sign up for the less expensive residential service.

The most expensive tier, at $200 a month, offers gig over gig (one gigabit upload, one gigabit download) for households with a lot of devices and/or users. Ouellette thinks the offering is underpriced.

“Most of the world – not Maine, the world – can’t get a gig,” he said.

If the model’s assumptions are close to accurate and the proposed fee schedule is adopted, broadband service would run a deficit for not more than the first three years. After that, it would return an annual profit to the town over the life of the bond. Once the bond was paid off, the town’s share of the revenue would be larger.

Ouellette is confident that when residents start using Axiom, their satisfaction will lead to more customers and increasing revenue. The model does not include grant money, which committee members think is a definite possibility beyond the planning stage.

The model builds in a 25 percent profit for Axiom – but, Ouellette said, the company will be taking all the risks of providing and maintaining broadband service, and a bad year with hurricanes and ice storms taking down lines and poles would be expensive.

CBC members accepted the model, by consensus, as their working document.

They scheduled their next meeting for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 10. By then they should know whether China town meeting voters approved the revised Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plan, which includes funding for some aspects of broadband service.

Committee urges people to take computer speed test

ConnectMe officials and China Broadband Committee members urge people using computers to take the speed test, to see how much service they have. Speed test results help define areas that do not have adequate broadband service by state or federal definitions. The web addresses for taking speed tests are https://www.mainebroadbandcoalition.org/ or https://www.mainebroadbandcoalition.org/speed-test-info.

The site provides instructions and offers a link to a map showing area test results. China has numerous red dots indicating limited service.

Free ME from Lung Cancer breathes life into community

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by Carla Gade

When was the last time you took a good deep breath? During the past year I think we all have learned to not take our health and breathing for granted. Yet, this is a goal that the Free ME from Lung Cancer foundation continually works toward. Since 2013, the health and welfare of lung cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and preventative measures has been the primary goal of the Maine non-profit based in Augusta. In fact, Free ME from Lung Cancer’s CEO, Debra Violette, a lung cancer survivor herself, steadfastly serves the organization, breathing life to reinvigorate its active mission, pandemic or not.

During the past year, Deb, was able to get FMFLC accredited by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. She also testified before the Health and Human Services Committee in support of LD 819 which is “An act to reduce lung cancer rates in Maine by requiring testing for and mitigation of radon in residential buildings by landlords.” Deb asked Senator Joe Baldacci to sponsor the bill and Representatives O’Connell, Roeder, and Stover are co-sponsors.

Early last year, the FMFLC board decided that funding raised would stay here in Maine. Support was provided to area hospital by providing funding to help with their COVED-19 relief funds. Five hundred care bags for lung cancer patients were issued, they helped a single Mom get a radon air system installed and provided a grant to help high risk uninsured and underinsured patients get access to an early lung cancer screening. With funds in 2019 Free ME from Lung Cancer partnered with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s lung cancer research program. The two-year research grant program is currently recruiting for its next grantee.

So, what are you going to do to keep yourself and those you love refreshed during these continuing challenging times? How about a weekend on the coast? Getting a new gas grill for your small gatherings? Planning a bear hunt for the fall or a Caribbean vacation now that things are beginning to open up. Visiting a local eatery to support local businesses is great and obtaining money saving gift certificates on quality products and services is always a win. Let FMFLC help.

Free ME from Lung Cancer’s online auction gives you a chance to bid on these and many great items thanks to generous donors and sponsors. Enjoy bidding on many great items while contributing to fundraising efforts. Giving to non-profits, including FMFLC, has been significantly down during the Coronavirus pandemic. Your participation will help save lives. The auction is scheduled for will take place from June 11 through 20, 2021. To participate, please register at http://airauctioneer.com/fmflc-2021.

The auction is one of the foundation’s two annual fundraisers. The Save Your Breath 5K Run, Walk, Walk-Run will take place on November 6, 2021 at the Kennebec Valley YMCA. A virtual 5-K is also available. Cash prizes and an award ceremony will follow immediately after at the Bateau Brewery. To register for this event, please visit http://freemefromlungcancer.org.

To learn more about Free ME from Lung Cancer please visit our website (above) and sign up for our newsletter. You can connect on social media @freemefromlungcancer. The opportunity to volunteer as a Board member or assistant is always open and a vital way to serve. To Life!

Carla Gade serves as the Social Media Director for Free Me from Lung Cancer as well as librarian, in China Village.

China planners finish draft of solar placement ordinance

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by Mary Grow

With only three members present for their May 25 meeting, China Planning Board members finished their draft of an ordinance to govern placement of solar arrays, subject to review by the absent members.

They returned to definitions of terms in the sample ordinance with which they have been working, changing some and deleting those they consider unnecessary. They agreed definitions specific to solar power should be part of the Solar Energy Systems Ordinance, not added to the definitions section of China’s Land Use Ordinance.

At their next meeting they intend to return to discussion of a shoreline stabilization ordinance. They hope to have both documents ready to submit to voters in November.

They also need to update China’s shoreland ordinance to meet state requirements.

The draft Solar Energy Systems Ordinance and the state Department of Environmental Protection’s DEP Department Order #07-2021, about the shoreland ordinance, are on the town website, www.china.govoffice. com, under the Planning Board, which is under “Officials, Boards & Committees.”

Codes Officer Jaime Hanson said he issued 24 building permits in May, a busy month. He also shared information on dangerous buildings, the topic he discussed with selectmen the previous evening (see The Town Line, May 27, p. 3).

The next regular China Planning Board meeting would fall on June 8, election day, when the town office will be closed and the former portable classroom used for voting. Because of the need to continue work on proposed ordinances, Co-Chairman Toni Wall recommended trying to reschedule the meeting a week earlier, rather than later.

China broadband committee members review models of potential offerings, prices

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members reviewed models for potential broadband offerings and prices for customers at their May 26 meeting and asked for more definite information, if possible, to share with residents.

They also worked on an application for a Phase II planning grant from ConnectMe to help them get the information.

And they talked briefly about Spectrum Community Solutions, the company currently providing internet service to an estimated 70 percent of China households.

The CBC plan requires enough income from broadband users to repay a proposed bond that would fund costs of new internet infrastructure; to pay for ongoing internet service; and to provide a profit for the company that provides the service. Committee members do not want to suggest an increase in local taxes to support the project.

The currently proposed service provider is Machias-based Axiom Technologies. Company President Mark Ouellette participated in the May 26 discussion, as he has in previous meetings.

Consultants Mark Van Loan and John Dougherty, of Mission Broadband, had developed models showing what levels of service could be offered at what prices to make enough money to cover expected costs.

They were still dealing with the problems that have plagued earlier predictive efforts: until experts survey the town to see how many new poles and how many miles of cable are needed, construction costs are estimates; and until Axiom finds out how many customers want their service – the “take rate” – income is an estimate.

The goal is a maximum monthly charge of $50 for the lowest tier of service. That low a price is achievable in Van Loan and Dougherty’s models, assuming a high enough take rate.

The models propose a 15 percent discount for seasonal residents. One version would offer four service levels, the top – and most expensive — one named the Tod Tier in honor of committee member and self-described geek Tod Detre. Detre doubts many other residents would need the Tod Tier.

CBC members made no decision on a plan. They agreed they need to have one before they begin making presentations to enlist residents to sign up.

The ConnectMe grant application was due by midnight May 27. Ouellette, who had assisted another town with the same application, offered advice; Selectboard Chairman Ronald Breton and Town Manager Becky Hapgood called in their approval; and committee members planned to finish the grant during the day May 27.

They succeeded. CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor reported that an application for $7,500, to be supplemented by a $2,500 local match (from contingency funds, Hapgood suggested during the meeting), was emailed to ConnectMe before the deadline.

If ConnectMe awards a grant to China, the money will be used to pay Hawkeye Connections, Inc., fiber optic specialists based in Poland, Maine, to do an engineering review of “roads, premises, and telephone poles” that will define construction costs more accurately and improve cost estimates.

On the third topic, O’Connor told the rest of the committee he had received a communication from Spectrum, the most recent of several sent as CBC discussions proceed. Spectrum was one of three applicants to provide enhanced broadband service. After reviewing all three proposals early in 2021, CBC members chose to negotiate with Axiom.

O’Connor’s belief is that Spectrum officials are willing to submit proposals to match each improvement Axiom offers; but, he pointed out, they have not taken any action. He and Detre are among those saying that Spectrum cannot meet Axiom’s service level with its existing equipment.

The meeting ended with consensus that Van Loan, in consultation with Ouellette, would continue to work toward a more definite model, and that the committee would meet again at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, June 3.

Dirigo Lodge delivers food to area food pantries

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Members of Dirigo Lodge #104, from left to right, Lenny Goodine, present Lodge master, Jason DeMerchant, lodge member, Sheldon Goodine, past Lodge master and lodge member, Don Pratt, trustee of the Maine Mason Charitable Foundation and lodge member. (photo by Ron Maxwell)

by Ron Maxwell

Caring for your neighbor is a tradition that is alive and well here in central Maine. I was fortunate enough to see our local Masons in action this week at the Dirigo Lodge #104. Lodge #104 was founded in 1860 and its first lodge master was James Parnell Jones. This lodge has continued since, and celebrated its 160th anniversary last year. I spent some time talking with the men behind the scenes and here’s the story.

Member Sheldon Goodine (and a former lodge master) says he asked about doing something for the needs in our area at a recent lodge meeting. The group discussed and adjourned, but the seeds were planted.

Jason DeMerchant (their newest member, and grandson of Sheldon Goodine) went to work the next day at a distribution center and started the ball rolling by asking his superiors if they wanted to take part. Their work is to supply local shops (think Hannaford and the like) with the product they put on their shelves. When the supplies come to the distribution center they are in a large quantity which is broken up and then sent in smaller amounts to the local shops. The excess is good product which sometimes does not get to the shelves of any shop, and it was a pallet of this excess that was donated to the Masons’ efforts.

The Masons have a charitable foundation, the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation, which works to maximize the efficiency of donations. The Chairman of Disbursement and lodge member Don Pratt, joined the process by coordinating with food banks in Windsor, Palermo and China to distribute this donation to as many in need as possible.

Fast forward to the day of handing over the donations to the local food banks!

Food items collected by Dirigo Lodge #104, prior to their distribution to China, Windsor and Palermo food pantries. (photo by Ron Maxwell)

I arrived early to speak with the lodge members before the food bank representatives arrived. In addition to Sheldon Goodine and Jason DeMerchant, who were present to help load the food bank vans, were the current Lodge Master, Lenny Goodine (son of Sheldon, and uncle of Jason) and Don Pratt. I chatted with all four members about the day and the process that made it possible and got a tour of the lodge. All four made quick work of the mountains of donations in an assembly line process that streamed loads out of the lodge and into the waiting van of the volunteer from China. There were protein bars and breakfast cereal, toiletries and bandages, taco sauce and barbecue sauce, ready to heat meals and side dishes, organic candy and fruit snack. (If you read that last sentence out loud you can get a feel of what it was like to watch the four men bring load after load out of the lodge!) In no time, the donations were whisked off to the respective food banks. I left after the China load, and as I swung out of the parking lot, the four members were hard at work filling the truck for Windsor. From idea to source, coordination to distribution, the well-tended machine ran, powered by the dedication of lodge members. What was a question became a well-timed donation from members of a community to the community at large.

This process is not unique to the Masons – I have also seen it in our schools and our places of worship as members turn out to assist the community that surrounds them. This is the spirit that inspired me to settle here many years ago. When you have a cynical moment or a discouraging day, think about these efforts and try getting involved with one of the causes that give back. Taking your mind off yourself and thinking/doing for others is the backbone of our community. We should all spend some time caring for our neighbors.

2021 Listing of Memorial Day Services

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Memorial Day Services

ALBION

No parade. Memorial service, 9 a.m., in front of Albion Christian Church at the monument.

CHINA VILLAGE

Memorial service, 10 a.m., on the top of the hill in the cemetery. Return to China Baptist Church for another memorial service, following the cemetery service.

MADISON

No Memorial Day parade. Tardiff-Belanger American Legion Post #39 observances as follows:

9 a.m., at Starks Town Office.

9:30 a.m., Anson Town Office, followed by scattering of flowers off the bridge.

10 a.m., Madison Library.

10:30 a.m., at the U.S./Canada Monument at Forest Hills Cemetery.

11 a.m., East Madison, Joseph Quirion Monument.

SOUTH CHINA

The South China American Legion Boynton-Webber Post #179 will conduct a short flower-placing ceremony at the Windsor Veterans Memorial on Rte. 32 in front of the Windsor Christian Fellowship Church at 9 a.m.

A second ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. in South China at the Veterans Memorial Park at the intersection of Old Windsor Road and Village Street.

There will be no parade this year.

WINDSOR

Memorial ceremony, 9 a.m.

China selectmen act on bids

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by Mary Grow

At their May 24 meeting, China selectmen acted on bids for summer work and got updated information on buildings that might meet the state definition of a dangerous building. They need more information on the buildings before possible action.

Bids were requested for three categories: road paving, materials for the Public Works Department and mowing. Mowing was subdivided into town property (like the town office lawn), cemeteries and ballfields.

Road paving attracted seven bidders, whose bids Town Manager Becky Hapgood summarized by number of tons of paving mix, per-ton price, chip seal (which turned out to be irrelevant) and total bid. Board members awarded the 2021-22 paving contract to Pike Industries, at a price of $67.47 per ton, after discussion among themselves, Hapgood and Public Works Manager Shawn Reed, who joined the meeting virtually.

Board Chairman Ronald Breton dissented, not because he objected to Pike, but because he wanted the bid awarded based on total price rather than per-ton price. Pike’s $67.47 was the lowest per-ton price by almost a dollar.

The total cost will depend on various factors, Reed explained, like the condition of the road being paved; rougher sections might need more shim – leveling material under the top coat – than first planned. Pike’s total price falls within the 2021-22 road budget, and Reed will make sure work does not exceed available funds.

Reed said Pike had last year’s contract and he is pleased with the work.

The road committee recommended against using chip seal this year, he said, and no additional chip seal is planned. Chip seal, he explained, is a liquid emulsion topped with very small stone chips and rolled. The method was used on about a mile of South Road last year; results are satisfactory so far, but road committee members want to see how it holds up for another year.

Two companies bid to supply gravel and other materials. Selectmen rejected both bids and authorized Reed to negotiate as needed, the same tactic they chose for the current year.

No mowing bids were received by the deadline; two came in the morning of May 24. The lower bidder did not bid on cemeteries, which Hapgood said are more labor-intensive than the other two categories.

Despite higher prices, a majority of the selectboard voted to award the contract to Danforth Lawncare, which has done China’s mowing for many years. Hapgood and the board majority doubted Danforth would do the cemeteries only, without the rest of the work.

Selectman Blane Casey dissented on the vote because of Danforth’s higher prices, which total over $32,000. Hapgood said the expenditure is “more than we anticipated,” but “we’ll be okay” with fitting it into the 2021-22 budget.

Codes Officer Jaime Hanson joined the May 24 meeting virtually to describe five buildings in town that appear to be abandoned, or nearly abandoned.

If selectmen so decide, they can seek a judge’s order to have a building declared dangerous and demolished within days, Hanson said. They can then bill the property-owner for the demolition and if necessary go to court to recover costs.

Hanson considers none of the buildings habitable in its present condition, and said as far as he knows none is permanently occupied, although he has talked with a person at one and seen a vehicle at a second. Only one of the five seems in imminent danger of collapse, he said.

Hapgood intends to get more information and consult town attorney Amanda Meader. Breton is concerned about possible town liability should someone be injured because selectmen did not deal with the problems.

Selectmen voted unanimously to support Hapgood’s suggestion that a Story Trails program be part of this summer’s China Community Days celebration. (See box below with this story.)

Two other agenda items were postponed to future meetings: how to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money and how to adjust transfer station fees for special items – electronics, propane tanks, tires, carpets and other things listed at the transfer station and on the town website, www.chinaoffice.org.

Hapgood said China is slated to get about $429,000 in ARPA funds through the state. Rules for using the money are being developed, she said; she expects them to include allowed and forbidden uses, deadlines and paperwork requirements. Resident Jamie Pitney added, virtually, that towns are encouraged to ask for local people’s ideas.

Breton wants to review the transfer station fees, which he said have not been changed in a decade. Higher fees help hold down property taxes, he pointed out. He has also asked for advice from the Transfer Station Committee.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 7. The annual town business meeting will be held by written ballot in the portable classroom behind the town office Tuesday, June 8, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Story Trails of Maine

Information sent to China town officials describes “Story Trails of Maine” as an opportunity to boost tourism, bring traffic to local businesses, promote local history and create “a memorable experience for participants.”

Participants, in groups of two to four, use a mobile app to follow clues to explore a local area. A typical tour takes about an hour and covers up to two miles, with four to six stops, the brochure says. The tour is “self-paced” and people can take breaks to eat and shop locally.

Hapgood said two volunteers are working on a local Story Trails plan. Selectman Janet Preston volunteered to join them. Others interested should contact the town office.

China business meeting ballot shortened to ease voting

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Available on town of China website, under “Elections.”

by Mary Grow

For the second year in a row, China’s annual town business meeting will be entirely by written ballot, with voters able to choose an absentee ballot or a Tuesday, June 8, trip to the polls.

To shorten voting time, town officials have condensed the ballot into 26 articles, most dealing with 2021-22 appropriations and town policy.

The 2021-22 school budget is not on the local ballot. Regional School Unit #18 voters approved it at a May 20 open meeting, and on June 8 China voters (and voters in Belgrade, Oakland, Rome and Sidney) will affirm or reject it by written ballot.

China polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 8, in the portable classroom behind the town office. Absentee ballots may be obtained from the town office by mail, telephone or email through Thursday, June 3. They must be returned before the polls close on June 8.

A copy of the town meeting warrant and multiple related documents are on the town’s website, china.govoffice.com. To read them, click on “Elections” in the left-hand column.

Four of the 26 articles have generated discussion over the last several months.

Art. 8 asks voters to appropriate $16,530 for animal control, $34,000 for police expenses and $40,060 for emergency services dispatching. The $34,000 is intended to pay for 10 hours a week for special Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office patrols in China, replacing the present police department.

Information on the reasoning behind the proposed change is on the website. See also the letters from Police Chief Craig Johnson and former Selectman Robert MacFarland and the article by Town Manager Becky Hapgood in the May 13 issue of The Town Line, p. 11.

Art. 15 requests a $26,471 appropriation for FirstPark, the Oakland business park in which China and other area municipalities invested 20 years ago. Because revenue from the park has lagged behind projections and supporting municipalities have not seen profits, the park has been controversial in recent years.

The park’s bond is now paid off, but according to Hapgood, member municipalities’ obligations do not end until next year. China selectmen are likely to discuss ending the contract in 2022.

Art. 16 asks voters to approve an amended Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program and to appropriate $256,000 from TIF revenue to be spent in the 2021-22 fiscal year for purposes designated in the document.

China’s Tax Increment Financing Committee discussed the changes at great length before submitting them to selectmen, who approved them for forwarding to voters. Major additions allow TIF money to be used for broadband service (with limitations); to assist the China Lake Association and China Region Lakes Alliance with projects that improve lake water quality; and to assist with the Alewife Restoration Initiative (ARI) that brings alewives into China Lake by removing or modifying dams on Outlet Stream in Vassalboro.

The amended TIF document is on the website.

Art. 25 asks voters whether they want to sell about 40 acres of town-owned land on the east side of Lakeview Drive, opposite the Cottages at China Lake (formerly Candlewood). Selectman Janet Preston has consistently opposed selling the property. She presented arguments for keeping it as Adams Memorial Park in a commentary in the May 20 issue of The Town Line, p. 11.

Most of the articles ask voters to approve the 2021-22 municipal budget and policies for town officials. Art. 11, the most expensive article, asks $1,423,692 for the public works department, of which more than $600,000 will be spent repaving town roads.

Art. 4 combines requests for $589,427 for town administration (salaries and related), $214,600 for administration other (supplies, town office utilities and related) and $25,000 for accrued compensation (the fund to pay for unused time off if someone resigns or retires).

Art. 10 requests $623,005 to run the transfer station next year, and permission to use fees paid in the current year for unusually large amounts of demolition debris to offset costs of disposing of that debris.

Requests for $146,605 for assessing costs and $30,000 for legal expenses are combined in Art. 7. Art. 9 asks for $151, 547 for fire and rescue services; it does not include the previously-controversial firefighters’ “stipends,” which are instead in the $107,500 requested in Art. 12 for community support organizations.

The annual request for money to let selectmen cover unforeseen expenditures has been increased from $55,000 to $123,680 (Art. 14). Town Manager Hapgood explained that the increase is intended to cover “unbudgeted changes in employee benefits resulting from life events or new hires” and unemployment claims, if any. The $123,680 comes from surplus and reserve accounts, not from taxes. Unspent money will lapse back into the accounts at the end of the fiscal year.

Requested policies include permission for selectmen to sell tax-acquired properties (Art. 20) and specifically to sell the 1982 John Deere grader (Art. 24); to accept and use grants and gifts (Art. 21); and to make multi-year contracts (Art, 32).

In the event that voters refuse to approve one or more spending articles, Art. 26 provides that officials can continue to spend money for the rejected purpose at the current year’s funding level.

June 8 is business meeting

China’s June 8 meeting is the town business meeting, not the annual town meeting. By state law, the annual town meeting is when voters elect local officials. China’s local elections are held in November – the 2021 election day is Nov. 2.

For many years, China’s elections and voting on the annual budget were held together at the March town meeting. Selectmen noticed that more voters turned out for November written-ballot voting on state and national issues (and an occasional local referendum) than for the in-person spring meeting. To get more voters’ input, they moved the local election, and thus the town meeting, to November.

According to the town website, the following officials’ terms will end in November 2021:

  • On the Selectboard (two-year terms): Irene Belanger and Wayne Chadwick.
  • On the Planning Board (two-year terms): Randall Downer, in District One; and Natale Tripodi, alternate elected from anywhere in town. The District Three position is currently vacant; if there were an incumbent, his or her term would end in November 2021.
  • On the Budget Committee (two-year terms): Robert Batteese, Chairman; Kevin Maroon, District One; and Dana Buswell, District Three.
  • Representative on the Regional School Unit 18 Board of Directors (two-year term): Neil Farrington.

CORRECTION: In the description above of the Nov. 2 local elections in the May 27 issue of The Town Line, the length of selectboard terms was incorrectly stated. Selectmen are elected for two-year terms, not for three years. It was a reporting error.