Entries by Mary Grow

China to continue using Waterville dispatch center

by Mary Grow At a short China selectmen’s meeting March 29, board members unanimously authorized two actions by Town Manager Becky Hapgood and discussed Selectman Janet Preston’s idea of a China farmers’ market. Hapgood is authorized to sign a contract to continue using the Waterville dispatch center to dispatch local fire departments and China Rescue, […]

VASSALBORO: Road complaints bring action by selectmen

by Mary Grow VASSALBORO – With roads unusually rough this spring, Vassalboro residents have complained, frequently and loudly. Vassalboro selectmen have listened, sympathized and come up with a solution: a municipal helicopter service, tentatively named the Vass Fly. The public works crew is surveying the town for a dozen or more helipad sites, probably including […]

Vassalboro selectmen meet

by Mary Grow Vassalboro selectmen meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 1, in person at Vassalboro Community School gymnasium. Major items on their agenda include: Continued discussion of renovations at the transfer station, and the impact, if any on the selectmen’s proposed 2021-22 budget; Review of bids for installing a new boiler at the North […]

Vassalboro planning board meets

by Mary Grow Vassalboro Planning Board members have four applications on the agenda for their Tuesday, April 6, meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. The meeting will be virtual; it will be available for simultaneous viewing on the website vcsvikings.org. The applications, in order, are: From Kelley Gooldrup, to combine lots 9 and 10 in the […]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Livestock

by Mary Grow Besides crops, the other major facet of agriculture is livestock. For early Kennebec Valley settlers, cattle, a term that includes milk-producers, meat-producers and draft animals, were especially important. North Fairfield settler Elihu Bowerman, whose account of his early life was excerpted in the Fairfield Historical Society’s bicentennial history (and quoted in the […]

China broadband committee not yet committed to Axiom; discussions amicable

by Mary Grow China Broadband Committee (CBC) members had an amicable March 18 zoom discussion with Mark Ouellette, president of Machias-based Axiom Technologies, their currently preferred choice for improved broadband service in China. Committee members reviewed proposals from Axiom and two other companies before deciding to talk first with Axiom. They made it clear that […]

Vassalboro school leaders give cautious, optimistic report

by Mary Grow At their March 16 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members heard cautious optimism from three administrators. All three expect a gradual return to something closer to normalcy before the end of the school year. For Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer, the state emphasis on vaccinating school staff is “a game-changer.” For Principal Megan Allen, the […]

Vassalboro budget committee focuses on transfer station, public works

by Mary Grow Meeting on March 18 right after that evening’s selectmen’s meeting, Vassalboro Budget Committee members focused on the transfer station and the public works department. A majority of the selectmen had just agreed on two transfer station priorities, replacing the aging compactor and upgrading the electrical system. Budget committee members talked about other […]

VASSALBORO: Advisor assures selectmen investments are in good shape

by Mary Grow Vassalboro selectmen heard a report on town finances and continued town meeting plans at their March 18 meeting. Investment advisor Matt Weaver, senior vice-president at First National Wealth Management’s Damariscotta branch, assured board members their investments are in good shape. The portfolio’s value continued to increase over the past year, he said, […]