CHINA: Local Actions Update for COVID-19

/0 Comments/in , /by

Update from Dennis L. Heath, CMM Town Manager
Posted 03/17/2020

This update provides actions approved for local implementation to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. While not all-inclusive, we are taking specific actions that will help our residents and town employees to be better prepared as the outbreak becomes more present. While we understand that not all our residents have access to the Internet, we encourage as many as can to consult the town website at https://china.govoffice.com/ for the latest updates on our local actions. Watch for a COVID-19 link that will take you directly to the information.

The following actions are effective immediately:

Town Meeting

Postponed to May 2, 2020 at 9 am
Postponed public budget hearings to Apr 26 and 29, 2020

Town Committees

Suspend Meetings indefinitely (few exceptions)

Transfer Station

Remains Open
No physical or close contact with employees
Free-for-Taking Building is closed until further notice
Not taking recyclables for two weeks.

Town Office

Remains Open
Maximum use of online services
Use drop-box for property tax payments
Prepare for appointment-only/call-in service (begin immediately)

Support to homebound

China for a Lifetime Committee (CFALC), in coordination with China Rescue, China Food Pantry, and the Town Office, is preparing to assist those that are incapable of leaving their homes or at greatest risk of infection

Town Office is attempting to acquire paper products and disinfecting supplies for distribution to those in greatest need; CFALC will be the arbiter/distributor

On the reverse of this information sheet is a useful chart you can use to help determine if you are showing the likely symptoms of the COVID-19 virus. Many may exhibit the symptoms of either the common cold or influenza (flu). If you have any concerns that you may be symptomatic, please stay home, keep cohabitants at home as well, and consult with a medical professional.

 

 

China Food Pantry to implement new procedures for safety

/0 Comments/in , /by

The China Food Pantry at 1320 Lakeview Drive in China. (photo by Eric Austin)

During this medical emergency, we at the China Community Food Pantry want to do our best to protect our customers as much as we can while still providing our services to you.

Aside from frequent hand washing, social isolation is the most effect method of containing the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses. We have decided that until the pandemic subsides on its own, we will limit the contact our customers have with one another and ourselves by providing premade boxes that we will deliver directly to your cars for both the weekly and the monthly programs.

When you arrive, please form a line on the shoulder of the road starting at the rock wall and extending back toward The Landing. It is important that you stay in your car to avoid contact with others. The line will move forward toward the front porch one car at a time.

When you reach the porch area, someone will come out to your car and ask if you are a China resident and whether you want your monthly box as well as your weekly box. The boxes will be brought out and placed in your car for you. We’re new to this so please, if you were not asked about the monthly box but are wanting one, let someone know. We want to ensure you have what you need.

We understand this is not as satisfactory as shopping for what you want, but this will only be a short-term change. We have every intention of going back to the way things have always been as soon as possible. Our goal right now is to protect you and help keep you healthy.

Thank you for your understanding.

Common Ground Round 15: Win a $10 Gift Certificate

/0 Comments/in /by

DEADLINE: Friday, April 10, 2020

Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Retail Therapy boutique, 11 KMD Plaza, Kennedy Memorial Dr., Waterville, next to the Dairy Queen!* Email your answer to townline@townline.org or through our Contact page with subject line “COMMON GROUND.”

Please include your name and address with your answer, so we can mail your prize if you are the winner!

You may also mail your answer to The Town Line, PO Box 89, South China, ME 04358. (To be eligible for the drawing, you must email or snail mail your answer to us.)

* Should there be more than one correct answer, a random drawing will be held to determine the winner.

Previous winner: Paige Richardson, of So. China.

Left to right, Chris O’Donnell (G. Callen, NCIS-Los Angeles); Mark Harmon (Jethro Leroy Gibbs, NCIS); Scott Bakula (Dwayne Pride, NCIS-New Orleans); all three are team leaders on the NCIS TV shows.

 

New procedures at Vassalboro Food Pantry

/0 Comments/in , /by

Photo source: Vassalboro Food Station Pantry

The Vassalboro Food Pantry will remain open on Thursdays with the following changes to procedures:

  • Clients are to remain in their vehicles and line up between the cones in the parking lot. Premade boxes will be delivered to your car. You do not need to bring your boxes.
  • New applicants need to call the Pantry before Thursday to complete an application over the phone. The number to call is 207-873-7375. Please bring proof of residency on Thursday.
  • We will open at 11am and remain open until all clients have been served.
  • We are recommending that volunteers over the age 70, or those who are not feeling well, remain at home.

These procedures will remain in effect until further notice. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

COVID-19 Closures & Cancellations

/0 Comments/in , /by

If you have a temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact us at townline@townline.org.

ALBION

The Albion Public Library will be closed indefinitely beginning immediately. They will reopen as soon as conditions allow. WiFi access will remain available from the parking lot. Books may be returned using the box outside the library.

CENTRAL ME

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, the nation’s largest free, volunteer-based tax preparation and assistance service, has announced that it will suspend tax preparation services at all sites effective Monday, March 16, until further notice

CHINA LIBRARY

The Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, in China Village, is closed until further notice, due to coronavirus concerns. Planned public events are canceled. The WiFi is still on and can be accessed from outside the building. Books and magazines may be returned to the book return box beside the sidewalk. The website and the email address are on the notice on the front door, and email will be checked at intervals during the closure.

CHINA PLANNING BOARD

The China Planning Board meeting scheduled for March 24 is cancelled, Codes Officer Bill Butler announced, due to coronavirus concerns and recommendations from the Center for Disease Control.

“We will re-evaluate conditions prior to our next scheduled…meeting (April 13) and advise accordingly,” Butler wrote.

 

CHINA TIF COMMITTEE

The China Tax Increment Financing Committee (TIF) meeting scheduled for March 23 has been cancelled. In his notice to members and the press, Chairman Frank Soares said town officials have suspended all committee meetings except the Selectboard until further notice.

RESTAURANTS & STORES IN CHINA

  • China Dine-ah is closing completely for two weeks.
  • 32 General will offer takeout only beginning Thursday
  • Tobey’s will offer takeout only beginning immediately
  • Fieldstone Quickstop began takeout only last week
  • The “China Village” next to Fieldstone Quickstop is closed until further notice
  • MJEK Seafood and Grill will offer takeout only beginning later this week
  • Roddy’s Redemption is closing until further notice.
  • Back’s Dairy Bar temporarily closing until further notice.

CHINA TRANSFER STATION

Users of the Town of China Transfer Station — Recycling operations are suspended for 14 days (as of March 18), partially in response to the shutdown of the facility at Hampden, but also to protect residents from unintended contact with other recycled items during their sorting. This brief suspension should not create too much of a burden, but we appreciate your patience.

Trash disposal and demolition debris disposal are not interrupted. If a payment is necessary, attendants will do those transactions while the user remains in their vehicle.

PALERMO

Due to Covid-19, the Trustees of the Palermo Community Library decided on Sunday, March 15th, to close the Library for two weeks. My apologies for cross postings. Be well. –Sharon Nichols, Chair

SKOWHEGAN

The Skowhegan High School class of 1963 breakfast on Sat., March 21, has been canceled.

VASSALBORO

FUNDRAISER WITH ELVIS, for American Legion Post #5, rescheduled to Sun., April 26

VASSALBORO RESTAURANTS

  • Renarda’s Kitchen is doing takeout.

WASHINGTON

St. Denis Knights of Columbus Irish dinner scheduled for April 21 has been postponed. No date yet for rescheduling.

WATERVILLE

CANCELLED – Seed Library Launch! March 28, 2020. Waterville Public Library, 73 Elm St. Waterville, ME 04901

WINSLOW

The Winslow Public library is canceling all events this week and next.

 

If you have a temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact us at townline@townline.org.

Last updated 03/22/2020 at 4:41 p.m.

Kennebec Historical Society presents the Spool Mills of Western Maine

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

(Editor: We’re sorry, this event has been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak!)

In the late 18th century, patrons of James Clark’s cotton thread shop in Paisley, Scotland, first found that they could buy thread wound on wooden spools made by a local wood turner. The convenience caught on and the thread spool industry was born, first in Scotland and Finland, then in the United States. Initially Maine birch wood was shipped to cotton mills in New Jersey and Rhode Island, but it became more economical to turn the spools in Maine, eliminating heavy transportation costs.

Maine had the country’s largest supply of white birch, grown as a succession crop to massive forest fires. Oxford, Franklin, and Piscataquis counties led in the amount of birch available. Following the passage of tariffs on spool created overseas, the spool mill boom was on. Peter Stowell’s ancestors were early to the expansion of these mills as, almost accidentally, they grew the industry from a single mill in Dixfield to dominance in the industry. His presentation traces the history of this now vanished industry in Western Maine.

This month’s KHS speaker, Peter Stowell, grew up in Andover and Bethel. He was entranced early by the majesty of Oxford County’s mountains and rivers and began exploring its history and geography as a child. He is now focused on recovering cultural information long lost to present generations through assiduous research in Maine’s defunct newspapers, official state and federal directories and reports, and informed sources.

This KHS presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted). The presentation will be followed by some light refreshments and take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, at Hope Baptist Church, located at 726 Western Avenue, in Manchester.

China town manager presents plan on coronavirus

/0 Comments/in , /by

I am writing today to inform you of steps the Town of China is taking and preparing to take, in the event of a coronavirus outbreak in our community. While the likelihood of such an event is quite low, we have been advised by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to have plans in place and to communicate with the public, staff, students, and parents, steps they may take to prevent the spread of this and other illnesses.

What is Coronavirus?

Coronavirus is a respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and which has now been detected in 37 locations internationally, including the United States. The virus is named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes is named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”). The United States reported the first confirmed instance of person-to-person spread with this virus on January 30, 2020. (https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus.shtml)

What does the disease look like in humans?

Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 include fever and/or cough and difficulty breathing. Sore throat is also reported in some patients. If you have these symptoms and did not recently travel to China or did not have contact with someone with 2019 Novel Coronavirus, it is likely to be a cold or the flu.

What is the best way to prevent the spread of the disease?

If you are sick you should stay home, cover your coughs and sneezes, and wash your hands regularly. If you or your child, spouse or dependent has a fever, please keep them home until at least 24-hours after the fever has subsided without the use of fever-reducing medicines, such as acetaminophen. This standard is expected of staff, volunteers and committee and board members as well.

What can the town and schools do to help prevent the spread of this and other diseases?

Aside from educational memos such as this, and our work in the town and at school each day reminding visitors, residents, students, staff and volunteers of precautionary measures mentioned above, we are also determined to ensure that commonly touched surfaces throughout the schools, public spaces, and work areas (desktops, doorknobs, drinking fountains, etc.) are disinfected each day. We are also conferring monitoring guidance advisories from the Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the US CDC as well as state and local medical and emergency management professionals to determine other steps we may take to assist in stopping this disease before an outbreak occurs.

What if there is an outbreak in our community?

If there is a local outbreak, school administrators will provide direction for China Middle and Primary schools and Erskine Academy. Decisions will likely be coordinated through the Maine CDC and will be based upon the percentage of students who are sick, and the likelihood of the disease to spread.

The Town Office, Public Works and Transfer Station will continue to provide services but may implement necessary restrictions to prevent communal spread of the disease. We are already coordinating with the Maine Municipal League to prepare for potential actions related to the Annual Town Meeting. We are adding a link to our town website to make it easier for residents to stay informed of the status of the disease.

Please know that, as of this morning, the Maine CDC website reports that, “Maine has no confirmed cases for 2019-nCoV and no patients under investigation at this time. Maine CDC is working with U.S. CDC to monitor the situation, provide healthcare providers with the latest information, and stay up to date on any potential cases they may see. There are ongoing investigations to learn more. This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available.” For more information on the situation, visit U.S. CDC’s COVID-19 situation summary webpage.

The best we can do at this time is remind everyone to stay home if sick, cover up any coughs or sneezes, wash hands regularly, and contact your doctor with any concerns or questions. If you or your family members are sick, please stay at home and/or check with your medical providers for care. Those at greatest risk are the elderly and others with pre-existing medical conditions that have weakened their immune systems.

Town and School officials will provide updates as new information or guidance is offered. This notice was last updated March 9, 2020. Significant portions of this communication are taken directly from the Maine CDC and US CDC websites.

/s/ Dennis L. Heath, CMM Town Manager

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Manage Your Blood Pressure And Protect Your Kidneys

/0 Comments/in /by

Getting your blood pressure checked regularly can go a long way toward protecting you from kidney disease.

Getting your blood pressure checked regularly can go a long way toward protecting you from kidney disease.

(NAPSI)—Did you know if you have high blood pressure you are at increased risk for chronic kidney disease?

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is the second leading cause of chronic kidney disease in the United States. About 1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure may have chronic kidney disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels. If your blood pressure gets too high, the blood vessels in your body—including those in your kidneys—may become damaged. This damage makes it harder for the kidneys to filter blood and remove wastes and extra water from the body. Kidney disease can get worse over time, and if not treated it can lead to kidney failure.

And while high blood pressure can lead to kidney disease, the reverse is also true: kidney disease can lead to high blood pressure. Simple tests can tell you whether you have high blood pressure or kidney disease. Ask your health care professional if you have been tested for high blood pressure and kidney disease.

Many people with kidney disease don’t know they have the disease until their kidneys begin to fail. Research suggests that fewer than 1 in 10 people who have kidney disease are aware they have the disease. This is because kidney disease often doesn’t have any symptoms early on.

The good news is that you can help protect your kidneys by managing high blood pressure with healthy lifestyle habits.

“Our research continues to uncover the complexities of the link between high blood pressure and kidney disease,” says Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “And what we are finding supports the message that you can help protect your kidneys by managing high blood pressure with healthy lifestyle habits.”

Adopting healthy lifestyle habits that help you manage your blood pressure will also help to keep your kidneys healthy. You can prevent or slow kidney disease progression by taking the following steps to lower your blood pressure:

  • Take medicines as prescribed. Blood pressure medicines often play a key role in lowering blood pressure.
  • Aim for a healthy weight. If you are overweight or have obesity, reducing your weight may lower high blood pressure.
  • Select healthier food and beverage options. Follow a healthy eating plan that focuses on heart-healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats that are low in sodium.
  • Stop smoking. Smoking damages blood vessels, increases your risk for high blood pressure, and worsens problems related to high blood pressure. For help quitting, call 1-800-QUITNOW or go to Smokefree.gov.
  • Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can have an adverse effect on your blood pressure and metabolism. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.
  • Manage stress and make physical activity part of your routine. Healthy stress-reducing activities and regular physical activity can lower blood pressure. Try to get at least 30 minutes or more of physical activity each day.

“You can manage your blood pressure and its complications through healthy lifestyle habits, which include exercise, following a healthy eating plan and taking blood pressure medication as prescribed by your doctor,” says Gary H. Gibbons, MD, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). “It’s important to know your numbers because controlling or lowering your blood pressure can prevent or delay serious complications like kidney disease and heart disease.”

For more information, visit the NIDDK website at www.niddk.nih.gov.

Local student named semifinalist in National Geographic’s GeoBee

/0 Comments/in , /by

Anderson Buck

The results are in! The National Geographic Society named Anderson Buck, an eighth grade student at Lawrence Junior High School, in Fairfield, as one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2020 National Geographic GeoBee State Competition. The contest will be held at the University of Maine in Farmington on Friday, March 27, 2020.

This is the second level of the National Geographic GeoBee competition, which is now in its 32nd year. To determine each school champion, GeoBee competitions were held in schools throughout the state with students in the fourth through eighth grades. This year, an estimated 2.4 million students competed in the GeoBee, with 8,661 students becoming school champions. School champions also took an online qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. Up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories were invited to compete in the State GeoBees.

State champions will receive a medal, $1,000 in cash, and other prizes, as well as a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Championship where they will compete for additional cash, awards and college scholarships. The second- and third-place State GeoBee winners will receive cash awards of $300 and $100, respectively.

The 2020 National Championship will take place May 18-21, 2020, at National Geographic headquarters. The National Champion will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, $1,000 in cash, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour ll. The second-place finisher will receive a $10,000 college scholarship and $1,000 in cash; the student finishing in third place will receive a $5,000 college scholarship and $1,000 in cash; and seven runners-up will each receive $1,000 in cash. Visit www.natgeobee.org for more information on the National Geographic GeoBee.

Anderson is the son of Sharon Hood and Daniel Buck.

How would you fare as a National Geographic GeoBee contestant? At the school GeoBees this year, students had to answer questions like these:

  1. Which state is located west of Lake Huron—Minnesota or Vermont?
  2. Known for the tree nuts resembling deer eyes, which Midwestern state is called the Buckeye State—California or Ohio?
  3. A savanna elephant’s daily amount of dung contains more than 3,000 seeds. Savanna elephants can be found in Namibia and Mozambique on what continent?
  4. Volcanic activity under Yellowstone National Park creates great spouts of heated water that erupt out of the ground. These water eruptions are called what—geysers or cyclones?
  5. Which country does not border the Atlantic Ocean—Moldova, Angola, or Ireland?
  6. The ancient Babylonians of Mesopotamia developed an early example of what basic counting machine that is still in use today—abacus or sundial?
  7. Host of the 1984 Winter Olympics, Sarajevo is the most populous city in which European country that was once a part of Yugoslavia?
  8. Once the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, Tacoma is a major port and industrial city in which northwestern state?
  9. Government designated preserves have helped protect giant tortoises in the Seychelles, a country made up of over one hundred islands located north of Madagascar in what ocean?
  10. The Matterhorn is an iconic peak in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and what other country?

Answers: 1. Minnesota; 2. Ohio; 3. Africa; 4. Geysers; 5. Moldova; 6. abacus; 7. Bosnia and Herzegovina; 8. Washington; 9. Indian Ocean; 10. Italy.

SOLON & BEYOND: Notes from town meeting

/0 Comments/in /by
Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, dear friends. Don’t worry be happy!

Town meeting in Solon has come and gone and I must apologize that I didn’t attend it this year. But thanks to Elaine Aloes and Sherry Rogers for helping me get some of the main facts that took place at the meeting.

Over 75 people attended the meeting and Peter Mills, from Cornville, was the moderator. Article 3 thru 16 passed as recommended, Article 17 passed with the amendment to only allow the existing medical marijuana business in Solon to expand to having an adult use (recreational) retail store.

Articles 18 to 24 were passed over (not taking a vote on at this time). Article 25 passed and a committee will be formed to draft the ordinances. Article 26 was passed over (not taking a vote on at this time). Article 27 was passed over (not taking a vote on at this time). Articles 28 to 34 passed as recommend.

Under Elections: 109 total votes were cast. Selectman, three-year term, Sarah Davis, 84 votes; William Coldwell 9 (write in); Selectman, one-year term Wayne (Chip) Johnson, 91 votes, and Tammy Goodrich 12 votes (write in). Road Commissioner, Gary Bishop, 101 votes. School Board Director, Laura Layman, 96 votes.

The annual town meeting started at 1:30 p.m., and adjourned at 3:40 p.m.

Lief and I attended a birthday celebration for my son Peter Rogers, on Saturday night, at Sherry and Peters home, on the River Road, in Solon. All of their children and grandchildren were present and it was a pleasure to see all of them. There was lots of good food and fellowship and love .

I have another birthday party to tell you about, but I’m running out of time so will save it until another time, (there are a few more facts I don’t want to get wrong.)

And so I’m going to give Percy’s memoir now: It’s entitled, The Wind’s Not Always At Your Back; The wind’s not always at our back, the sky’s not always blue. Sometimes we crave the things we lack and don’t know what to do. Sometimes life’s an uphill ride with mountains we must climb. At times the river’s deep and wide and crossing takes some time. No one said that life is easy – There are no guarantees, So trust the Lord continually on calm or stormy seas. The challenges we face today prepare us for tomorrow, For faith takes our fears away and peace replaces sorrow. (words by Clay Harrison.)

Here is another encouraging one entitled Don’t Give Up! “You may be tempted to, but but don’t give up; when you’ve lost the desire to try, and you’ve misplaced your hopeful dreams, dare to believe again in the impossible; Catch a ray of sunshine, and hold on tightly; The One who holds your hand… will never let you go.”

Hope you have a wonderful week!