by Mary Grow The following article concludes (at least for now) the discussion of early agriculture in Vassalboro and moves eastward to Palermo. The focus in Vassalboro this week is on livestock. Readers will note this week’s article is even more discursive than usual, as your writer came across a variety of slightly-related topics that […]
by Mary Grow China Planning Board members continued work on updating town ordinances at their Jan. 27 meeting, having received advice and suggestions from Jeff Dennis of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) water quality bureau. Board chairman Toni Wall had from Dennis current standards by which to evaluate proposed phosphorus control measures in […]
by Mary Grow Rose Fortin, President of the Vassalboro Ministry Association Fuel Fund, is looking for Vassalboro residents who need help keeping their houses warm and for people who’d like to help them, by sending money or joining the fund’s volunteers. VMA Fuel Fund’s purpose is to fill gaps in government programs, Fortin explained. If […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro part one Until Jan. 30, 1792, Vassalboro, on the east side of the Kennebec River, included Sidney, on the west side. A partial summary of Sidney’s early agricultural history was the topic of last week’s article in this subseries; this week’s article will concentrate on the area that remained Vassalboro. Alma […]
by Mary Grow Guest speaker Louisa Barnhart had a ready answer Sunday afternoon, Jan. 18, when an audience member at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library asked her the favorite part of her Asian trip last November. “The camels in Mongolia,” she replied. The camels were two-humped Bactrian camels, and Barnhart got to ride one, […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro select board members began their Jan. 22 meeting with two presentations and a public hearing. Lauchlin Titus, chairman of the Vassalboro Sanitary District board of trustees, asked select board members to consider two articles for the June town meeting warrant, as proposed at the VSD board’s Jan. 14 meeting (see the […]
by Mary Grow In a 10-minute Jan. 27 meeting (postponed from the usual Monday evening due to snow), China select board members approved the usual bi-weekly bill payments and made three other decisions. By unanimous votes, the four members present: — Awarded the 2026 mowing contract to the low bidder, Blodgett Lawn Care and Property […]
by Mary Grow Sidney Last week’s article discussed the beginnings of European settlers’ agriculture in central Kennebec County, drawing heavily from Samuel L. Boardman’s chapter in Henry Kingsbury’s 1892 county history. (Your writer has discussed agriculture twice before, in the spring of 2021 (issues for March 11 through May 13) and in the fall of […]
by Mary Grow When they met Jan. 13, China Transfer Station Committee members accepted the select board’s Dec. 29, 2025, directive to stop considering a PAYT (pay-as-you-throw; also PPB, pay per bag, or PPT, pay per throw) policy for the town transfer station (see the Jan. 8 issue of The Town Line, p. 2). China […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro School Board members had mostly routine matters on their Jan. 13 meeting agenda: paying bills and checking the financial situation (normal, Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said), approving amended policies and getting updates on Energy Management Consultants’ improvements to the Vassalboro Community School building. The school’s website, vcsvikings.org, lists several hundred policies, under […]