Entries by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Community School students in line for joint project with NASA

by Mary Grow Vassalboro School Board members applauded when they heard at their Sept. 17 meeting that students at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) are in line for a joint project with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, commonly called NASA. “Wicked awesome,” was Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer’s reaction. Michelle Lake, instructional specialist for the now-dissolved Alternative […]

CHINA: Planners to hear medical marijuana application

  by Mary Grow At their Sept. 24, 2019 meeting, China Planning Board members will continue discussion of Clifford Glinko’s application for a change of use for the South China building that formerly housed Mainely Trains and other businesses. Glinko’s application says he intends to create two separate suites in the building. One will be […]

China selectmen unanimously approve another portable classroom

by Mary Grow China selectmen unanimously approved buying another second-hand portable classroom, adding a comparatively small sum to the money they’d already spent at their Sept. 16 meeting. Town Manager Dennis Heath said Regional School Unit (RSU) #18 Superintendent Carl Gartley offered to sell the 50-by-14-foot building to the town for $1, with the town […]

Vassalboro selectmen hear Growth Council representatives

by Mary Grow Vassalboro selectmen hosted representatives of the Central Maine Growth Council (CMGC) at their Sept. 5 meeting to hear about potential advantages of CMGC help with town projects. Senior Economic Development Specialist Garvan Donegan, accompanied by Development Coordinator Elaine Theriault-Currier, explained that CMGC is a Waterville-based public-private regional economic development organization funded by […]

New playground opens at Vassalboro Community School

by Mary Grow The pre-kindergarten (preK) students at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) now have their own playground sized for four-year-olds, thanks to the Southern Kennebec Regional Development Corporation’s Head Start program. The new playground, funded entirely by Head Start and designed with input from Vassalboro’s preK staff, is close enough to the older students’ area […]

China Comprehensive Planning Committee continues work on revised plan

by Mary Grow Three members of China’s Comprehensive Plan Committee continued work on a revised plan for 2020 at an Aug. 28 meeting, focusing on housing and historic resources. Kennebec Valley Council of Governments staffer Joel Greenwood presented a map showing the proposed development district along Route 3 recommended at the group’s July meeting before […]

China local ballot shows one contest, four vacancies

by Mary Grow China’s Nov. 5 local election ballot will show one contest and four vacancies. Incumbent Irene Belanger, Wayne Chadwick and Todd N. Tolhurst are candidates for two seats on the Board of Selectmen. Incumbent Robert MacFarland is not seeking another term. There are no candidates on the ballot for any of three planning […]

Legal questions arise from revised medical marijuana application

by Mary Grow Three China Planning Board members spent an hour and a half Aug. 27 discussing Clifford Glinko’s revised application for a medical marijuana operation in the commercial building on Route 3 in South China that housed Mainely Trains and other businesses in the past. The focus was on preliminary legal questions and the […]