CHINA: Tax bills mailed Aug. 31; first payment due Sept. 25

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by Mary Grow

Town office closed for Labor Day holiday

The China town office will be closed Saturday, Sept. 5, and Monday, Sept. 7, for the Labor Day holiday weekend. The office will be open from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, to make up for the first September Saturday being a holiday.

The transfer station will be open as usual Saturday, Sept. 5, and closed as usual Monday Sept. 7.

Three notices from the China selectmen’s Aug. 31 meeting:

  • Signed nomination papers for Nov. 3 local elections are due at the town office by 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, for candidates’ names to be on the local ballot. Town Manager Becky Hapgood said as of Aug. 31, no one was circulating papers for the District 4 Planning Board seat or for the positions of secretary and at-large member of the Budget Committee. Tom Mira­gliuolo is the planning board incumbent; the town website lists Trishea Story as the budget committee secretary and Jeffrey Furlong as the at-large member.
  • Tax bills were mailed out Aug. 31 or Sept. 1. The first half payment of 2020-21 taxes is due at the town office by the 2 p.m. close of business Friday, Sept. 25.
  • On Nov. 3, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the town office complex for local, state and national voting. The local ballot will have four questions: election of a moderator (at 6:55 a.m.); local elections for Board of Selectmen, Planning Board and Budget Committee; amendments to the Solid Waste Disposal Ordinance; and amendments to the Solid Waste Flow Control Ordinance.

Selectmen discussed the two sets of ordinance amendments at the Aug. 31 meeting. The main change, proposed by the Transfer Station Committee, would add appropriate provisions about the new RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system. Selectman Janet Preston pointed out that current hours are not as stated in the ordinance, and recommending not listing hours. Hapgood mentioned minor grammatical changes.

Hapgood and Preston discussed additional possible changes. Hapgood intends to suggest them to the Transfer Station Committee; if additional changes are proposed, voters will see them in 2021.

The current (2017) versions of the two ordinances are on the town website.

In other business Aug. 31, Hapgood and TIF (Tax Increment Financing Committee) member Tom Michaud told selectmen the contractor chosen to build the retaining wall between Causeway Street and China Lake needs to do test borings before designing the wall.

The estimated $8,000 cost is not in the project budget, they said. Their plan is to try to save the money elsewhere in the budget, perhaps by cutting back on work at the boat launch.

Hapgood said a meeting of the TIF Committee should be scheduled soon.

Selectmen reappointed Harold Charles to the Board of Assessment Review.

Hapgood announced two Firewood for Friends days at the China School Forest, Saturday, Sept. 5, and Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers who can bring and use chainsaws, bring and drive pick-up trucks and load cut-up wood into the trucks are invited. The firewood will be stored at the public works garage and distributed to residents in need over the winter.

On Codes Officer Bill Butler’s recommendation, selectmen approved a replacement holding tank at 1182 Lakeview Drive.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14.

China selectmen set tax rate at 14.9 mils for 2020-21

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by Mary Grow

At their Aug. 24 special meeting, China selectmen, in their capacity as assessors, set the 2020-21 tax rate at 14.9 mils, or $14.90 for each $1,000 of valuation.

Last year’s rate was 16.3 mils, or $16.30 for each $1,000 of valuation.

The lower rate will mean a lower tax bill for some property owners, but not for all. People who have made improvements can expect a higher valuation that could increase the tax. And at the Aug. 3 selectmen’s meeting, Kelly Grotton explained that some categories of property, especially land around lakes, will have higher valuations to meet state requirements.

Grotton is the assistant to assessor William Van Tuinen, who recommended the 14.9 rate as adequate to raise enough local tax money to meet China’s financial obligations this year. The town receives money from many other sources, including state funding, vehicle excise taxes and fees paid for town services.

Town Manager Becky Hapgood said tax bills should be mailed out the week after Labor Day, assuming preparations go smoothly. By town meeting vote, the first half payment is due at the town office by 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25.

In other business Aug, 24, selectmen appointed board member Janet Preston as alternate representative to the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments General Assembly (Selectman Irene Belanger is China’s main representative). They appointed Brent Chesley a member of the Tax Increment Financing Committee.

Hapgood reminded the audience that nomination papers for local elective office are due back at the town office by 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, for candidates’ names to be on the Nov. 3 local ballot.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31.

Volunteers needed to help set up outdoor classrooms in the China Schools Forest

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photo: China School’s Forest Facebook

Anita Smith, Director of the China Schools Forest, has been preparing the grounds for outdoor learning experiences in time for the beginning to the 2020-21 to year. The China School Forest provides ample space for students to socially distance in a calm, safe atmosphere, while learning. Volunteers have been essential. They have cleared brush, raked gravel on trails, stained picnic tables and water sealed a bridge over a pond. As school is about to begin, we need volunteers to give it one last push to prepare for the kids’ arrival.

Volunteers will be need on Friday, August 28, from 5 – 7 p.m., and Saturday, August 29, from 9 – 11 a.m. Four or five strong people with ladders to tie tarps up in the trees will be needed. The tarps will help protect kids from sun or unexpected sprinkles.

Contact Anita Smith at 207-445-3056 to volunteer. For more information about the China Schools Forest, visit chinaschoolsforest.wixsite.com.

Future needs for volunteers:

Saturdays, September 5 and 12 at 9 a.m., to cut and load firewood to store for neighbors in need. Bring chainsaws, work gloves, and goggles. If you own a pick-up truck, please bring it.

China For A Lifetime also needs more volunteers. We help with projects such as the China Schools Forests and with individuals who may need a helping hand or two. We run errands, rake leaves, shovel snow, basic home repair, minor chores and welcome neighbors. Contact them at 207-200-3704 or at chinaforalifetime@gmail.com.

Area scouts receive recognition for patch design

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Scott Adams, left, head of the Bomazeen Old Timers, of China, presenting check to Zachary LeHay, of Troop #401, from Sidney. (contributed photo)

New design to celebrate 75 years of Camp Bomazeen

Patch is the design from Dalton Curtis that will be used by the Bomazeen Old Timers to fundraise for their efforts to provide ongoing support for Camp Bomazeen.

Scouts Dalton Curtis, of Skowhegan Troop #485, and Zachary LeHay, of Sidney Troop #401, both received $75 prizes from the Bomazeen Old Timers on August 12 during a special presentation at Camp Bomazeen. The Scouts had drawn the two winning patch designs during the camp’s 75th anniversary season celebration.

Initially, they were to receive $75 camperships to attend Camp Bomazeen but when the camp did not open due to Covid-19, Scott Adams, of China, head of the Bomazeen Old Timers, opted to present both Curtis and LeHay with their prize during the annual Kennebec Valley District Scout Leader Re­cog­nition Dinner/ Program Kick-Off.

Curtis had planned to work at Camp Bomazeen’s kitchen this summer and LeHay was planning to attend with his troop. Adams said the patches will be used to help raise money for the Bomazeen Old Timers, which is a group of camp alumni dedicated to help the camp.

Submitted by Chuck Mahaleris

Scott Adams, left, head of the Bomazeen Old Timers, of China, presenting check to Dalton Curtis, of Troop #485, from Skowhegan. (contributed photo)

CHINA: Town business meeting to be conducted by written ballot in 2021

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen have decided the 2021 annual town business meeting at which the budget is approved will be conducted by written ballot, not at an open meeting. They have not set a date; March and June 2021 were suggested at their Aug. 17 meeting.

Until 2020, the business meeting was an open meeting, held recently in the primary school gymnasium on a Saturday morning in late March or early April, with a quorum of 120 voters needed to start the meeting. Pandemic restrictions on large gatherings led to the cancellation of the April 2020 meeting. It was rescheduled as a written ballot on July 14, with approved expenditures retroactive to the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year.

Selectmen do not know what restrictions, if any, will be in effect next spring. They agreed they should be prepared; and if the past is a guide, a written-ballot election will bring more voter participation than an open meeting.

Selectmen to hold special meeting

China selectmen will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, primarily to set the 2020-21 tax rate. Town Manager Becky Hapgood said their decision should make it possible to mail tax bills early in September. By town meeting vote, the first half payment of 2020-21 taxes is due at the town office by the 2 p.m. closing time Friday, Sept. 25.

A proposal to set a March meeting date was deleted from the decision after Town Manager Becky Hapgood said that preparations for a written ballot require more advance time than preparations for an open meeting. Because of the need to have ballots available well before election day, she estimated selectmen might need to have the entire budget in final form as much as 75 days before the scheduled vote.

Last spring, she reminded them, they were working on the budget into February in anticipation of an early-April meeting.

Hapgood also suggested if the town vote were combined with the school budget vote, which has in normal years been in June, the town would save money. She plans to prepare a timeline to guide board members as they find an appropriate date.

In other business Aug. 17:

  • Hapgood outlined plans to use a $31,360 Covid-19 grant for a variety of purposes, including additional signs and weekly mailings to keep residents informed, touchless hand-sanitizer dispensers and refills for town buildings and personal protective equipment.
  • She described plans to share a counter clerk with the Town of Windsor, with the person working a 40-hour week, half in one town office and half in the other. There would be no additional cost to China, she said, and the new employee would benefit by getting experience faster than by working half-time.
  • Looking at two issues related to codes enforcement, board members unanimously endorsed Codes Officer Bill Butler’s recommendation to approve a holding tank on Fire Road 20, and asked Hapgood to ask Butler to review penalties for codes violations to see if fines should be increased.

After the Aug. 24 special selectmen’s meeting to set the 2021 tax rate, the next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Aug. 31.

Many take out nomination papers

As of Aug. 17, the following China residents were circulating nomination papers for local elective office.

  • For three seats on the board of selectmen, incumbents Ronald Breton and Janet Preston, plus Blane Casey, Brent A. Chesley, Milton F. Dudley, Peter Foote and Jeanne Marquis. The other incumbent whose term ends in 2020 is Donna Mills-Stevens.
  • For the at-large position on the planning board, Brent A. Chesley, Megan Marquis and incumbent James C. Wilkens; for the District 2 seat, incumbent Toni Wall; and no one for the District 4 seat now held by chairman Thomas Miragliuolo.
  • For the at-large seat and the secretary’s position on the budget committee, no one is circulating papers. Incumbents Thomas A. Rumpf and Timothy Basham are seeking nominations for re-election in District 2 and District 4, respectively.

Signed nomination papers must be returned to the town office by the 2 p.m. closing time Friday, Sept. 4, for candidates’ names to appear on the Nov. 3 local ballot.

A quiet summer afternoon at an outdoor concert

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Enjoying a warm, sunny August afternoon, about 30 people attended a concert at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, in China Village, on August 16. (photo by Carla Gade)

by Mary Grow

A concert presented by Bill Berlinghoff at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, in China Village, on August 16. (photo by Carla Gade)

Over two dozen area residents listened appreciatively to folksinger Bill Berlinghoff as the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, in China Village, held its first public event since March.

Berlinghoff sang and played guitar and banjo on the library’s south lawn. His repertoire includes songs composed and/or made famous by such Maine people as Jud Strunk, Dave Mallett (Mallett’s The Garden Song, also known as Inch by Inch, had audience members singing along) and Gordon Bok, as well as several songs by Berlinghoff.

Berlinghoff’s songs are listed on his website, www.billberlinghoff.com, for people who would like to hear some of them and read the lyrics.

Another well-received number was Jan Harmon’s The Lobster License Plate Song,”composed in 1988 to recognize Maine’s addition of a red lobster to its license plates. The song is copyrighted, so it can’t be reproduced here; again, interested readers can find it on the web by looking up the title.

Carla Gade and Miranda Perkins, the new librarians at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, are planning other public events this fall as long as the weather allows continued outdoor gatherings. Watch for notices on the library’s signboard, in this newspaper and elsewhere.

 

 

 

Blueberry cobbler fundraiser in Branch Mills

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The Branch Mills Grange, in Palermo, will hold a Drive-up Blueberry Cobbler Fundraiser on Sunday, August 23, between 1 and 3 p.m. Each serving of cobbler is $5, and comes with tickets for three separate raffles: 1) a $25 gift certificate for Pagett Farm Store, 2) a Blueberry Basket, and, 3) a mystery prize. Pre-orders for cobbler can be placed starting Sunday, August 16, through 5 pm on Saturday, August 22, by calling Grange member, Amy at (207)-649-6336. The Grange is located on Branch Mills Rd., at the Palermo/China line. Come satisfy your sweet-tooth, support a worthy organization, and test your luck with the raffles.

The Grange thanks Latham Blueberry Farm, in Searsport, for generously donating the blueberries for the cobbler, and also thanks MAJEK Seafood for graciously contributing to-go containers for its transport.

China selectmen unanimously award Phase 2 Causeway project to McGee Construction

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by Mary Grow

After the China selectmen’s Aug. 10 special meeting, Town Manager Becky Hapgood reported the four members attending voted unanimously to accept McGee Construction’s bid to complete Phase II of the causeway project for $581,805.

They further voted to transfer $70,000 from China’s undesignated fund balance (surplus) to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) account for the project, Hapgood said. The money will be repaid to the surplus account after taxes from Central Maine Power Company replenish the TIF fund.

Phase II of the causeway project will provide erosion barriers and a walkway along the shore at the head of China Lake’s east basin. Work will extend from the west side of the new causeway bridge to the boat landing.

School year 2020: Difficult choices for parents

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by Jeanne Marquis

This month, parents are making a difficult decision: how to educate their children in the era of Covid-19. Do they opt to send their kids to public schools? If so, do they choose in-person or remote learning, or possibly a hybrid of the two? Do they choose a smaller private school if they have funds. Or, do they homeschool their children themselves, choosing from a variety of online programs available? The answers are personal and the reasons why the families select which method of education they choose is as varied as each individual family.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) published a Framework for Returning to Classroom Instruction which includes the six requirements for protecting health and safety:

  1. Daily symptom self-check for students and staff before coming to school.
  2. Physical distancing.
  3. Masks.
  4. Proper hand hygiene.
  5. Personal protective equipment.
  6. An isolation plan if staff or student becomes ill.

Public schools in the area have been planning since July to follow the guidelines and have surveyed area families on their intentions and preferences between in-person or remote learning. Every step of the day has to be thought through carefully by the administrators and staff to keep in compliance with the DOE framework.

The buses, according to the RSU #18 website, will have assigned seating, fewer passengers and frequent cleanings. Parents will be asked to drive students if possible to free up the bus seats for social distancing.

Facilities at the schools will be adapted to help students and staff practice illness prevention. Drinking fountains will be replaced at some schools with bottle refill stations and students will be allowed to bring individual water bottles. Where possible, waste baskets will be replaced with touchless versions to keep clean hands sanitary after washing.

Even lunch time at school will be adapted by the nutrition workers adding appropriate protocol. Additional time will be allowed for hand washing prior to meals. Single-serve packets will be provided instead of sharing condiments. More room will be added for seating and serving lines will be socially distanced.

For specific changes at your students’ schools, check the school websites frequently:

https://www.msad49.org/
Albion, Benton, Fairfield, Clinton Lawrence High School and Junior High.

https://rsu18.org/
Atwood Primary, China Primary and Middle Schools, Belgrade Central, James H. Bean Messalonskee Middle and High School, Williams Elementary.

https://www.svrsu.org/o/whes
Chelsea Elementary,Sheepscot Valley, Palermo Consolidated School, Somerville Elementary, Whitefield Elementary, Windsor Elementary.

https://www.vcsvikings.org/
Vassalboro Community School.

For those families who have chosen to homeschool, Homeschoolers of Maine at homeschoolersofmaine.org is an excellent resource to get you started. According to their website, a letter of your intention to homeschool is due to your superintendent of schools by September 1, 2020. This organization provides information on record keeping and assessment of your students progress.

PAGES IN TIME: Dock days on China Lake

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by Elizabeth Byrd Wood

Our dock on China Lake is a place for morning coffee and an afternoon beer, rambling conversations and quiet meditation, paperbacks and loon watching, and in the summer months, we spend much of our time there.

For years we had an all-wooden dock, composed of two sections with supports in the middle and at the end. It was a dead ringer for the photos of kids jumping off a dock in the tourism ad “Maine: The way life should be.” In late June an intrepid soul or souls would brave the cold water and put the dock in. The same would happen in reverse in late September. Every so often when too many people crowded on the dock, one of the supports would give out, and the dock would gently slide into the water, spilling shrieking family members into the lake.

In the early morning, when I take my coffee down to the dock, the lake is tranquil and smooth—“like a mill pond” we often say. I sit on the end of the dock and dangle my feet in the water, welcoming the warmth of the dog as he leans against me. Mornings belong to the fishermen, who set their lines and troll slowly close to the shore. As they pass by, we nod to one another, but don’t speak.

Our family passes many lazy afternoons on the dock, surrounded by books, towels, sunscreen, folding chairs, water bottles, and dog toys. Distractions abound: shimmery, blue and green dragonflies, the sudden appearance of a loon, an eagle perched on a dead branch in the towering pines along the shore, the great blue heron balancing on the sunfish moored nearby. The breeze across the water brings a whiff of gasoline from a passing motorboat and the earthy smell of manure from the dairy farm across the lake. The shouts and whoops from the nearby raft signal that a young cousin has gotten up on water skis for the first time.

The dog pesters someone – anyone – to throw a frayed tennis ball into the lake. The ball safely fetched, the dog runs back down the dock and shakes, ready for the next toss. The dock is soon wet and slippery, except for the dry islands where someone is sitting.

At some point, it is time for a swim. Getting into China Lake requires a little preparation, at least for the grown-ups. Not so for kids. Kids just take off and run the length of the dock and plop into the water like little frogs. “Don’t run on the wet dock,” we call out. But they never listen.

But for the rest of us, sun-warmed from an afternoon on the dock, the thought of jumping into the cold water requires planning and occasionally some discussion. Is the sun going behind the cloud? Better wait until it comes back out. Are those thunderheads forming across the lake? Better get your swim in before the storm.

My sister likes to dive into the lake. She stands for a minute at the edge of the dock, and makes a clean, shallow dive into the lake. Others take a more gradual approach and use the wooden ladder to ease into the water. When my sister and I were little, our dad would stand on the ladder and pretend to let us push him into the lake. After we pushed and pushed, our father would fall back with a roar and a mighty splash.

I prefer to wade in. I venture out a few steps, the soles of my feet protesting against the sharp and slippery rocks underfoot. As the cold water creeps up my bathing suit, I lift my arms high and linger a moment. The smart remarks from family members sitting on the dock begin. “Why do you torture yourself!” “Just get in, for crying out loud.” “You make me cold just watching you.” “But this is the way I’ve always done it,” I protest. Others, usually visitors from warmer climates, test the water and exclaim, “No way am I getting in that cold lake.”

Although we have upgraded to a new, sturdier dock, our afternoons on the lake have not changed much over the years. In family movies from the 1930s, the dads might be wearing a one-piece, wool swim suit, but they still bob delighted toddlers in the water. Young cousins take turns diving off the end of the dock and show off their crawl strokes. My mother, as a teenager, suns herself and flashes a self-conscious grin at the camera.

The sun sets late in the summer, and many nights we enjoy a glorious sunset as we linger over dinner on the back porch. As the sun sinks on the western shore, it casts a shining trail of gold directly across the water. I often imagine that I could step right off the dock and run across the lake on that glimmering path. Once the sun disappears behind the trees, the rich colors of the sunset begin to emerge–mauves, purples, pinks, and corals—which slowly change into a deep blue black. Darkness soon envelops the dock, hiding it from view until early the next morning—and my cup of coffee, with the dog, on the dock.