by Mary Grow China voters have a two-sided local ballot on Nov. 5, local elections on one side and five referendum questions on the other. For elections, there is one contest on the ballot: five men are running for three seats on the select board, incumbents Blane Casey and Brent Chesley, and Edwin Bailey, Tod […]
by Mary Grow The town – now city – of Augusta was created on Feb. 20, 1797, when the Massachusetts legislature, responding to a local petition, divided the town of Hallowell. The downriver third remained Hallowell. The upriver two-thirds became Harrington, renamed Augusta on June 9, 1797. Harrington lasted long enough for voters to hold […]
by Mary Grow The major topic at the Oct. 8 Vassalboro School board meeting was the difficulty of finding people to drive school buses. Transportation Director Ashley Pooler presented a written report titled Bus Driver Challenges, starting with the statement that Vassalboro is currently short two drivers. One person retired; another changed jobs to get […]
by Mary Grow China Transfer Station Committee members held a short and cheerful meeting the morning of Oct. 8. Transfer station manager Thomas Maraggio and committee member Rachel Anderson, who volunteers at the free for the taking building, both said things are going smoothly. The one major pending issue is the revised agreement between China […]
by Mary Grow (Read about the candidates’ opening statements here.) Three candidates for the state legislature and six candidates for China town offices spoke to an audience of more than three dozen at the Oct. 9 candidates’ forum at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library in China Village. Speakers were: — Five candidates for three […]
by Mary Grow Candidates’ opening statements, summarized, in the order given. Raegan LaRochelle, Augusta, Democratic candidate for state Senate District #15, is a Cony High School graduate with an MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree who works as an economic development consultant and owns a commercial cleaning business. She served on the Augusta City Council […]
by Mary Grow Hallowell & Supply Belcher The local responsibility for public education made it one of the first topics for voters in each newly-organized 18th and 19th century Maine town. Frequently, historians wrote, it was not easy for people in a low-cash economy to raise money to pay a teacher, provide instructional materials and […]
by Mary Grow China select board members approved a concept plan for the new storage vault they’ve discussed for three years, and will have an engineer’s plan prepared as soon as possible. Building committee chairman Sheldon Goodine presented the plan at the board’s Oct. 7 meeting, after he outlined it for the board on Sept. […]
by Mary Grow The four Vassalboro Planning Board members at the Oct. 1 meeting unanimously approved ReVision Energy’s plan for a community solar farm on Eileen Flanagan’s property, at 1026 Webber Pond Road. As first presented in November 2023, the plan required a waiver from boundary setback requirements. A revised plan, submitted at the planning […]
by Mary Grow Vassalboro select board members began their Oct. 3 meeting with a public hearing that drew nine residents to learn about three Nov. 5 local referendum questions. The first question asks residents to approve matching funds to be available if the town receives grants to help replace the Dunlap Bridge on Mill Hill […]