by Mary Grow Important note: one of the properties described below is privately owned. Please respect the owners’ rights and privacy. The final place along the central Kennebec River that is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark is Fort Halifax, in Winslow. It was built in […]
by Mary Grow At their Jan. 21 meeting, Vassalboro selectmen discussed a seriously scaled-down marijuana ordinance that would allow only medical marijuana operations in town. Instead of the complex document discussed at their Jan. 7 meeting (see The Town Line, Jan. 14), they are considering a local ordinance based on the Town of Turner’s. One […]
by Mary Grow China and Vassalboro town managers shared good news with their respective selectboards at Jan. 19 (China) and Jan. 21 (Vassalboro) meetings: the trash recycling facility in Hampden appears ready to reopen this summer. A company called Delta Thermo Energy, Inc. (DTE) has agreed to buy the Fiberight facility to which China, Vassalboro […]
by Mary Grow Ronald Breton, Chairman of the China Selectboard, led board members through continued review of the draft 2021-22 budget at a special budget workshop Jan. 25. The meeting lasted almost three hours, and the review covered major town functions: administration, public safety, waste disposal and public works. Selectmen began by agreeing to continue […]
by Mary Grow At their Jan. 19 meeting, China selectmen began review of the proposed 2021-22 town budget and made five committee appointments. Town Manager Becky Hapgood summarized the town’s current financial position and she and selectmen discussed future expenditures. Board members deliberately made no decisions, postponing their recommendations until the end of the review. […]
by Mary Grow Augusta Part 3 The previous articles in this series on historic places talked about some early Augusta sites and buildings. Two more, besides the Cushnoc Archaeological site and Fort Western discussed last week, are on both the National Register of Historic Places and the list of National Historic Landmarks. They are the […]
by Mary Grow China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee members decided on Jan. 14 they are satisfied with their proposed amended wording to China’s TIF document. They began deciding what amounts of money to recommend voters appropriate for each of the various TIF projects. The Second Amendment (to the original 2015 TIF plan; the first […]
by Mary Grow At their Jan. 12 meeting, China Planning Board members worked on a proposed solar ordinance that will establish rules for evaluating future applications for solar developments. The board has approved three solar projects so far, on Route 32 North (Vassalboro Road), off Route 32 South (Windsor Road) and on Route 3 (Belfast […]
by Mary Grow Town Manager Becky Hapgood presented selectmen with the first budget she has prepared since assuming her new position in July 2020, at a special joint meeting with the Budget Committee on Jan. 11. The manager compiled figures presented by town department heads and the usual other groups, like town committees, insurance companies […]
by Mary Grow Augusta Part 2 As mentioned in the first article on historic places in Augusta (see The Town Line, Jan. 7), four are on the National Park Service’s Register of National Historic Landmarks (as is Fort Halifax, in Winslow). The Augusta sites, listed in historical order, are the Cushnoc Archaeological Site, Fort Western, […]