by Mary Grow “I’m saying goodbye to China,” Paul Mitnik said toward the end of our June 25 conversation in his office in the town office. After four years as codes enforcement officer, licensed plumbing inspector and building inspector, Mitnik is moving on, sooner than he intended, with a mixture of regret and pleasure. Regret […]
by Mary Grow Money was the top issue at the China Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee’s July 1 meeting, but guardrails generated the most heated discussion. The metal guardrails run along the shore at the head of China Lake, on both sides of the new causeway bridge and for a considerable distance east. Several TIF […]
by Mary Grow China selectmen hope they settled three issues, at least temporarily, at their July 8 meeting, while kicking a fourth question down the road for the third time. The dispute with the town’s three volunteer fire departments over payment of stipends has been going on since the fall of 2018. After a discussion […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro School Board members puzzled over lunch program finances at their June 18 meeting, after Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer recommended they reallocate $30,000 to start covering the program’s debt even though it doesn’t owe any money to anybody. Pfeiffer explained that the “debt,” about $130,000, is on the books because the program spends […]
by Mary Grow China selectmen made several decisions at their June 24 meeting, the last in the current fiscal year, but postponed action on the two longest-discussed questions, whether to buy an excavator and whether to eliminate Saturday town office hours. At their June 10 meeting, Board members re-reviewed bids for equipment for summer road […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro Planning Board members quickly and unanimously approved both shoreland zoning applications on their June 6 agenda. Mary Rider has approval to rearrange and enlarge the deck on her family camp on Tilton Lane, on the east shore of Webber Pond. Builder Ray Breton, representing the applicant, said the planned increase in […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro selectmen had only one formal public hearing on their June 13 agenda, but two issues drew extensive comment from residents in the audience. The hearing was on disbursement of Tax Increment Finance (TIF) funds, specifically a $120,000 request from the Vassalboro Sanitary District (VSD) to help with continued work on its […]
by Mary Grow China Planning Board members expected to discuss a proposed new medical marijuana business at their June 11 meeting. But applicant Clifford Glinko was absent, so there was no discussion. Instead, Board members scheduled a July 9 public hearing on Glinko’s application to open a medical marijuana facility with a storefront at 360 […]
by Mary Grow CHINA China voters rejected both spending requests on their June 11 local ballot. They re-approved the school budget initially approved at the April 6 town business meeting and voted to continue the school budget validation referendum for another three years. Town Clerk Rebecca Hapgood reported the results, as follows: The request to […]
by Mary Grow Guided by veteran moderator Richard Thompson, 81 registered voters, according to Town Clerk Cathy Coyne, took less than two hours to approve the first 63 articles of their June 3 and June 11 town meeting warrant as presented. The meeting is now in recess until 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 11, when polls […]