by Mary Grow Vassalboro School Board members began review of the 2023-24 school budget at a special meeting March 7, with information on four cost centers. The easiest category was ELL – English Language Learners. Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said there are no ELL students this school year and none expected next year; he and finance […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro planning board members have sent to the town select board the long-discussed ordinance amendment that has for convenience been referred to as a solar ordinance. After another two hours’ review at their March 7 meeting, planning board members decided they are satisfied with the draft they have worked on for months […]
by Mary Grow Members of China’s transfer station committee are going to reconsider their recommendation that the town buy a Polaris Ranger 500 utility vehicle for transfer station staff use. Since their March 7 action (see the March 9 issue of The Town Line, p. 3), they have new information and a new, higher price, […]
by Mary Grow China Broadband Committee (CBC) members will try again to get a grant to expand broadband service to China residents who are currently underserved or not served at all. They will again work in partnership with Direct Communications, the Idaho-based company that now owns UniTel, in Unity, with assistance from Mission Broadband, the […]
by Mary Grow China select board members spent most of their March 13 meeting on plans for the June 13 annual town business meeting. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood gave them a first draft of the town meeting warrant articles, which will be decided by written ballot. Most articles are the familiar ones: appropriations for the […]
by Mary Grow The China Board of Appeals met Friday afternoon, March 10, to hear an appeal of a building permit issued by codes enforcement officer Nicholas French. Board members upheld French’s decision. The permit was issued on Jan. 9, 2023, to Wayne Paul, Jr. It was appealed by Baiba Bangerskis (for whom her husband, […]
by Mary Grow With only four of eight members present (there used to be nine members, but chairman Brent Chesley said Trishea Story had resigned), China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee lacked a quorum for the March 8 meeting. Members decided since their decisions are advisory only, they could go ahead without a quorum. The […]
by Mary Grow Henry Sewall, part two Last week’s article on Henry Sewall (Oct. 24, 1752 – Sept. 4, 1845) omitted (or rather postponed) an important aspect of his life: he was a deeply religious man. James North, in his history of Augusta, summarized: “He was upright, conscientious, pious and rigidly orthodox in his religious […]
by Mary Grow China transfer station committee members voted at their March 7 meeting to recommend to the select board purchase of a utility vehicle for transfer station staff use. The vote was unanimous, with two transfer station staffers and road foreman Shawn Reed abstaining to avoid any appearance of self-interest (although Reed said he […]
by Mary Grow China select board members spent the first hour and a half of their two-hour March 6 special meeting talking about the Board of Appeals Ordinance that they, planning board members, board of appeals members and other residents have been discussing since early January. The result of their deliberations is a draft revised […]