Entries by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board reviews manager’s budget draft

by Mary Grow Vassalboro select board members held their first review of Town Manager Aaron Miller’s draft 2025-26 town budget at a Feb. 4 workshop meeting. They went through the document category by category and frequently line by line. This part of the budget includes neither the 2025-26 school budget, which will be larger than […]

China planners OK flood hazard development permit for landing

by Mary Grow At their Jan. 28 meeting, China Planning Board members approved a flood hazard development permit for the town’s planned rebuilding of Town Landing Road, in South China Village. When board members approved a conditional use permit for earth-moving at their Jan. 14 meeting, approval was conditioned on getting a flood hazard development […]

China select board hears manager’s initial budget draft

by Mary Grow All six China Budget Committee members and four of the five Select Board members watched Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood’s Feb. 3 on-screen presentation of the initial draft 2025-26 town budget. Each went home with a binder containing an inch of paper detailing past, present and proposed finances. The introductory page shows Hapgood’s […]

Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: China high schools – part 2

by Mary Grow Note: part of this article, like part of last week’s, was first written in September 2021. Yet another private high school in China, Erskine Academy, opened in September 1883 and is thriving today. The China bicentennial history gives a detailed account of its origins: it became a private academy because China voters […]

China select board OKs kayak, paddleboat rental station

by Mary Grow The three main issues at the Jan. 27 China select board meeting were town trucks; a proposed kayak and paddleboard rental station; and recreation programs. Board members postponed decision on a new truck for two weeks and, on a split vote, authorized the rental station. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood and Director of […]

Vassalboro transfer station members focus on wetlands

by Mary Grow Much of the Jan. 23 discussion among Vassalboro Transfer Station Task Force members focused on wetlands. Task Force members have talked for months about a rearrangement of the waste disposal facility on Lombard Dam Road. Their main goal is to increase safety by traffic changes. They would like to eliminate the need […]

Vassalboro trails committee discusses maintenance work

by Mary Grow Vassalboro Trails Committee members discussed maintenance work for 2025 at a Jan. 21 meeting. At chair John Melrose’s suggestion, they agreed by consensus to ask town voters for a $1,250 budget allocation for 2025-26, the same amount as in the current year. Melrose said this year’s funds are two-thirds spent, and the […]