Entries by Mary Grow

Vassalboro sanitary district moves ahead with quorum present

by Mary Grow With three board members present, enough for a quorum of a five-member board, Vassalboro Sanitary District (VSD) trustees were able to make decisions at their Dec. 18 meeting. The audience included the town manager, two select board members and other local residents; Kirsten Hebert and Brad Sawyer from the Maine Rural Water […]

China select board discusses role of new committee

by Mary Grow China select board members spent almost half of their short Dec. 15 meeting discussing the role of the new committee they created on Dec. 1 (see the Dec. 4 issue of The Town Line, p. 2). Its name is now the China Emergency Services Assessment Committee (CESAC). Two weeks earlier, select board […]

Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: China town reports – 1861-1906 (Part 2)

by Mary Grow Care of Paupers The China reports between 1861 and 1906 that John Glowa donated and that started this subseries include more than the selectmen’s financial summaries described last week. There is also financial and other information from and about the town poor farm and other town boards. After the first article based […]

Vassalboro school board members hear about building renovations, and more; Superintendent to step down

by Mary Grow At their Dec. 9 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members heard a presentation from Vassalboro Community School’s two counselors and an update on building renovations from Tom Seekins, president of Portland-based Energy Management Consultants (EMC). Counselors Gina Davis and Jamie Routhier (also speaking for social worker Megan Simmons, who was unable to attend […]

Vassalboro select board discusses sanitary district

by Mary Grow Vassalboro select board members heard presentations on the sanitary district and on the budget process, and appointed a new sanitary district trustee, at their lengthy Dec. 11 meeting. Multiple other topics were discussed. Lauchlin Titus, chairman of the Vassalboro Sanitary District (VSD) Board of Trustees, was unable to hold a scheduled board […]

Planners continue talks on ordinance updates

by Mary Grow At a brief Dec. 9 meeting, China Planning Board members continued discussion of updating town ordinances, focusing on the Planning Board Ordinance and the Phosphorus Control Ordinance. Both are available on the town website, chinamaine.org. The main issue with the Planning Board Ordinance, which was last amended in 2024 and now has […]

Vassalboro trails committee reviews conditions of trails

by Mary Grow At their Dec. 10 meeting, Vassalboro Trails Committee members reviewed the condition of the town’s public trails – generally satisfactory – and talked about expansions and improvements, in cooperation with other entities. Chairman John Melrose had a short action list that included relocating some bridging materials from an improved trail to a […]

Vassalboro planners OK lone application

by Mary Grow Vassalboro Planning Board members unanimously approved the one application on their Dec. 9 agenda before turning their attention to updating the town’s junkyard ordinance. The application was from David Frankenfield, to build a house on an almost-three-acre lot by Webber Pond. The house will be 168-feet from the water, he said. Board […]

Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: China town reports – 1861 – 1906 (Part 1)

by Mary Grow A China resident bought a bundle of old China town reports, which have fallen into your writer’s hands for her – and your – information and entertainment. Thank you, John Glowa! The earliest of the 21 reports (plus two duplicates) is for the municipal year 1860-1861, which ran from mid-March 1860, to […]

China committee reviews transfer station operations

by Mary Grow China Transfer Station Committee members used their final 2025 meeting, held on Dec. 9, to review transfer station operations, facilities and plans, and to schedule a discussion of Pay-as-You-Throw (PAYT), also called pay-per-bag or pay-per-throw (PPB or PPT), at their first 2026 meeting. PAYT means that people who dispose of trash at […]