by Mary Grow Another Kennebec Valley surveyor who worked for the Kennebec/Plymouth Proprietors/Company was Dr. John McKechnie (1730 or 1732 – April 14, 1782). Ernest Marriner, in his Kennebec Yesterdays, called McKechnie “one of those men of varied talents who meant so much to many pioneer communities” – “an educated physician, a civil engineer, a […]
by Mary Grow China select board members whipped through two short agendas in less than 10 minutes at their July 14 meetings. Meeting first as the town’s board of assessors, they unanimously approved a tax abatement for $2.34. Re-meeting as the board of selectmen, they approved two payroll warrants for town employees, totaling just under […]
by Mary Grow At the July 8 China Transfer Station Committee meeting, Palermo representative Bob Kurek shared a mission statement for Palermo’s new Solid Waste Committee – one he had Artificial Intelligence (AI) write. The unedited result is very comprehensive, incorporating public education and outreach, waste reduction and recycling, waste-to-energy plans, pay-per-bag (PPB) or pay-per-throw […]
by Mary Grow China Planning Board members approved the only application on their July 8 agenda, partly because several board members considered it already approved six years ago. The application was from Justin Rolfe, of Fairfield, to use half of the building at 360 Route 3 to dispense medical cannabis, as a licensed caregiver. The […]
by Mary Grow As promised, the next articles in this series will introduce some of the important surveyors in the central Kennebec Valley as Massachusetts proprietors sold lots – mostly pieces of land they had never seen – to settlers, and other people began lumbering, trapping and farming without the formality of buying a lot. […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro Planning Board members approved one application on their July 1 agenda and decided the second one needed no action. They unanimously approved the planned replacement fishway at the Webber Pond dam, which has been discussed repeatedly at Vassalboro select board meetings. Matt Streeter, of Maine Rivers, presented a detailed application, with […]
by Mary Grow At their June 30 meeting, China select board members got information on the China Food Pantry, the Golden Agers and the China Village volunteer fire department. They appointed municipal officials and board and committee members for the fiscal year that began July 1. The only contentious issue was a proposed no-parking ordinance […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro select board members agreed at their June 26 meeting to propose, and seek residents’ opinions on, three changes to town government. Board member Chris French recommends Vassalboro’s annual town meeting format be changed from the traditional open meeting (like the one held June 2, 2025) to a referendum vote. All questions […]
by Mary Grow At their June 24 meeting, China Planning Board members unanimously accepted the first draft of a proposed new ordinance titled “High Impact Electric Transmission Lines and Corridor Ordinance.” Board Chairman Toni Wall will forward the document to Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood. Wall expects the next steps will be review by the town’s […]
by Mary Grow Last academic year, a Vassalboro Community School graduate named Judson Smith was a freshman at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone. Smith is glad he was able to attend the specialized residential high school (see the Jan. 9, 2025, issue of The Town Line, p. 2, for an interview […]