Madison Legion Auxiliary donates backpacks to needy children

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Pictured, front row, from left to right, Cindy Savoy, Wanda Kranz, Ann Cody, Merrilyn Vieira, Pauline Bell, Nancy Drew and Betty Price. Back Row, Robin Turek, Amy Washburn, Irma Fluet, Nancy Misiaszek, Harriet Bryant, Shirley Emery and Diane Pinkham. (contributed photo)

submitted by Harriet Bryant

In observance of April as Children and Youth Month, members of the Tardiff-Belanger American Legion Auxiliary, Unit #39, Madison, donated backpacks filled with essential items such as clothes, pj’s, toothpaste, toothbrushes and other toiletries, hats, mittens, hygiene products for the older children and toys. Included this year are many socks from their “Drive-Thru Sock Hop” which was held back in February.

These items benefit the children who will enter the Department of Health and Human Services System. Most children enter with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. These backpacks provide them with items they can call their own in hopes that it makes the transition a little easier for them. This year, with the generous donations of items from the membership and the Auxiliary purchases, the Auxiliary donated over $800 worth of items which included 25 backpacks for this program.

To learn more about the American Legion Auxiliary’s mission or to volunteer, donate or join, visit www.ALAforveterans.org www.mainelegionpost39.org. Or contact Robin Turek, president – American Legion Auxiliary Tardiff-Belanger Unit #39, PO Box 325, Madison, ME 04950, or robinturek@gmail.com – 696-8289.

Controversy over China Police Department heats up

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The following is a reprint of a letter sent to the Morning Sentinel writer Greg Levinsky, from China Police Chief Craig Johnson, provided to The Town Line by Chief Johnson.

Dear Greg:

China town manager’s April 30 letter on China policing.

I find the matter discouraging and dispiriting. However, I do not want this issue to seem like or turn into a political matter. The China Police Department is currently allotted up to 26 hours of coverage a week. The China Police Department is a part-time agency. We have a total of five officers, each of which are certified by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy as full-time law enforcement officers and each one is a law enforcement veteran. Two of our officers are Advisors to the Chief (Chief Michael Tracy and Sgt. Jerry Haynes of the Oakland Police Department). Our law enforcement training is continuous and up to date. The understanding between the department and the town is that we will cover as many hours as possible each week up to 26 hours.

In January of 2021 I received an email from the town manager and learned that she was asked to look into the cost of 40 hours a week coverage from the sheriff’s department. I also learned the town already had an initial meeting with Sheriff Mason. Although, I was told that no final decision had been made, however, there were three options:

  1. Keep China Police Department as it is;
  2. Add a 40-hour chief and keep part-time hours;
  3. Disband and hire KSO for 40 hours a week.

After receiving this email I became concerned about hiring anymore officers to provide more coverage up to the allotted 26 hours. I didn’t and don’t feel it would be appropriate to hire more officers with the departments existence being in jeopardy. It wouldn’t be fair to the officers or the taxpayers, should we have to disband.

Chief Johnson’s response was:

I believe the Town of China, its residents and its police officers have quite a vested interest in the China Police Department. I have personally devoted a great deal of time and effort into updating equipment, updating the Standard Operating Procedures, establishing China P.D.’s own IMC reporting system and doing police work for China, all while representing the town. Also, I speak with people / residents all of the time whom are glad to see that China has its own police department. Additionally the C.P.D. 2021 / 2022 budget proposal provides up to 66 hours a week coverage.

This past week I received a letter dated April 30, 2021, from the town manager, which is attached.

give IT. get IT recognized as sole nonprofit certified electronics reuse and recycling service in New England

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Founded in 2002, in Searsport and Belfast, as the PCs for Maine computer access and literacy program and recently renamed ‘give IT. get IT.’, the organization has continued to provide businesses, nonprofits, and schools with sustainable electronics recycling practices as the only service of its kind in New England.

give IT. get IT. is certified to the R2 International Best Practices Standard, the highest industry standard for data security, environmental impact, compliance, and health safety in electronics reuse and recycling and has been recognized as the only third-party nonprofit program with this credential throughout New England. By removing e-waste, or electronic waste, from landfills and the environment, the company concentrates its efforts and recognizes the inherent value of reusable tech for community benefit via refurbishing computers for low-income families who need computers to achieve their educational and employment goals.

“At Sappi, sustainability encompasses the three elements of social, environmental and economic responsibility. However, sustainability is not about philanthropy or saving the planet at any cost, it’s about making responsible decisions in the context of running a profitable business,” articulates give IT. get IT. Board Chair and former Sappi Paper IT Service Center Manager Marty Duggan. “give IT. get IT. helps organizations be sustainable. Companies’ e-waste supports people in the community, helps the planet with responsible reuse and recycling, and reduces disposal costs with donations of reusable equipment.”

The improper handling of e-waste can lead to environmental pollution and injurious human health effects, with some scrap components containing chemicals such as lead, barium, and mercury. Considering the environmental impact of the issue, these chemicals have the potential to contribute to site disposal degradation and can leach into permeable surfaces such as lawns and porous asphalt. By employing recycling practices within the organization’s procedures, give IT. get IT. has processed 6.6 million pounds of electronics and diverted 1.7 million pounds of electronic refuse toward community betterment, refurbishing technology for general and educational uses.

Town manager explains proposed police budget for 2021-22

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China town manager Rebecca Hapgood. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

by Rebecca J. Hapgood
Town Manager
Town of China, Maine

The Select Board in conjunction with the town manager spent many meetings over three months reviewing the options for police services for China. All meetings were open to the public. The prior town manager proposed in the prior fiscal year to grow the part-time police force to a full-time department with one 40-hour a week officer and several part-time officers filling the 26 hour a week part-time role.

“We are not defunding the police. There is no ill will and no dislike or distrust of our police. Our officers are an asset to our community when they are available.”
– Rebecca Hapgood, China Town Manager

Both the Select Board and the current town manager reviewed this option as presented in January of 2021 by China Police Chief Johnson. We also asked Chief Johnson for a budget for only a 40-hour a week position. Additionally, we spoke with the Kennebec Sheriff’s Office (KSO) to explore costs on contracting for one full-time 40-hour a week deputy who would work the hours and days we wanted above what is already provided in our county taxes.

The original presentation to the Select Board included this option, because it was less than the cost presented by Chief Johnson. After additional information was presented by KSO like the costs the town would assume to “buy out” an officer from another department to fill this role, I opted to change course. I researched the option of providing police services by KSO at an hourly cost.

Currently, our police budget provides 26 hours of coverage from our three part-time officers. Each of these officers have other full-time employment and only work for China after their regular jobs. Often, there are matters for which we would like coverage during the day. From July 2020 to April 2021, the three officers have worked a combined average of 22.81 hours each month not including the last two weeks which totaled 3.13 hours of service out of the 52 budgeted hours of service.

We are not defunding the police. There is no ill will and no dislike or distrust of our police. Our officers are an asset to our community when they are available. Our goal is to provide the community with the coverage it demands.

The Select Board thoughtfully and meticulously considered the options while keeping your tax dollars in mind. If the budget is passed on June 8 as proposed, we would defer the China Police for a year which would allow us to restart the program in the future, if the proposed option does not meet our needs. The proposed police option for $34,000 provides up to 10 hours of coverage from KSO officers. Prior police budgets amounts were $39,795 for the 2019-2020 fiscal year and $40,561 in the current fiscal year. If you have any further questions, please ask. Our website www.china.govoffice.com has the sample ballot and other information under the Elections tab.

Adrian Hoyt KVCC student of the year

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Adrian Hoyt

Adrian Hoyt, of Benton, has been chosen as the 2021 Students of the Year at Kennebec Valley Com­munity College, in Fairfield.

A recording of the presentation will be available on the MCCS YouTube channel.

Seven students statewide were selected at their respective college for their academic success and their campus and community involvement. In addition to being named Student of the Year, each student received a John and Jana Lapoint Leadership Award in the amount of $1,000. The Lapoints both served as trustees of the Maine Community College System. After John’s death in 1995, Jana Lapoint helped establish the fund for the annual awards.

“Our students are well educated and have demonstrated in many ways their commitment to their college, their communities and their families,” Lapoint said.

PHOTO: Four generations

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Four generations posed for this photo recently. Center, mother Kassie Bisson, of Belgrade, holding daughter Brinley Bisson. Left, great-grandmother, Joan Hallee, of Waterville, and right, grandmother Angela Hallee, of Winslow. (contributed photo)

KVCC president departing in May 2021

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Dr. Richard Hopper

Dr. Richard Hopper, president of Kennebec Valley Community College since 2013, has announced his decision to leave the College at the end of May after eight years of service to Maine and the mid-Maine region. He has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in Ukraine.

“These eight years leading KVCC have been an immense privilege,” Hopper stated. “The institutional development and transformation by our leadership team, faculty, staff, students, and community has exceeded anything we could have imagined. My overwhelming response to all that has been accomplished at the college is a deep sense of appreciation. I am most grateful to have led the delicate transition of KVCC to pandemic operations. In spite of the social distancing and remote learning – or perhaps because of it – our community somehow feels ever more tightly knit and caring.”

KVCC Vice President of Student Affairs, Enrollment, and Public Relations Karen Normandin will serve as interim president for the 2021-22 academic year. A search for the next KVCC president will be undertaken early next year.

“From the outset of his tenure, Dr. Hopper worked tirelessly to learn, improve, and advance the College,” said Maine Community College System Board of Trustees Chair William Cassidy. “Over the last eight years, Rick brought great energy and creativity to his position. His many accomplishments include overseeing the construction and opening of the new KVCC Harold Alfond Campus in Hinckley, increasing student enrollment, implementing data-driven decision making, and increasing the College’s fundraising. He was also a System leader in advancing student support strategies and services at both of his College’s campuses,” added Mr. Cassidy.

Maine Community College System President David Daigler also praised Dr. Hopper. “Rick was frequently a leader in identifying and designing strategic and accountability initiatives. He always sought data-driven analyses to ensure that important decisions were informed, and significant investments were prudent. And, like all of our presidents this past year, he kept a steady hand during the many challenges of the pandemic.”

“Perhaps most importantly though, Rick was ready to participate thoughtfully in issues of access, support, and opportunity. He cared deeply about those striving to improve their lives through a community college education. We all wish Rick well in his next role as a Fulbright Fellow and in all future endeavors,” President Daigler added.

Normandin, who will begin her duties on June 1, has worked at KVCC for more than 30 years, and has deep ties to the students, faculty, staff and larger community. She has twice received the President’s Award for her leadership, and was a John T. Gorman Fellow in 2019.

New Dimension FCU announces scholarship program winners

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Jack Begin, left, accepted his scholarship certificate presented on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. Alyssa Bourque went to the Silver Street location to get her scholarship certificate on Monday, May 3, 2021. (contributed photos)

New Dimensions FCU awarded a Cony High School student and a Lawrence High School student each with a $2,500 scholarship for their first year in college.

Each year, New Dimensions FCU awards scholarships to deserving high school seniors that demonstrate strong character, community involvement, and academic success.

This year we received many applications from students; therefore, making it a difficult task to determine which of the students would walk away with a scholarship. After much deliberation, the New Dimensions Scholarship Committee selected two students who stood out so profoundly because of their dedication and perseverance during the pandemic while maintaining academic success and forward-moving achievements. New Dimensions has announced that Jack Begin, from Cony High School, in Augusta, and Alyssa Bourque, from Lawrence High School, in Fairfield, have been selected as the 2021 New Dimensions Federal Credit Union College $2,500 Scholarship winners.

Jack Begin tells us that he is to report to the United States Naval Academy on June 30, 2021, where he begins his first year in his engineering degree. Alyssa Bourque will be attending the University of Vermont, where she will study biomedical engineering.

Ryan Poulin, chief executive officer, states, “At New Dimensions, we understand the power of education, and we promote the financial success and aspirations of our younger generations. We encourage all students who graduate high school and plan on attending school in the fall to participate in our scholarship program. Making this one of the many ways we contribute to the communities we serve.”

For more information, contact NDFCU at (800) 326-6190 or visit www.newdimensionsfcu.com.

Waterville Farmers Market open

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The Waterville Farmers Market is open at the Head of Falls, off Front St., every Thursday, from 2 – 6 p.m.

EVENTS: Skowhegan class of 1963 to meet

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The Skowhegan High School class of 1963 will be gathering for a breakfast buffet on Saturday, June 19, 2021, at 9:30 a.m., at 234 Hilton Hill, MountainsView, Cornville. FMI call 858-0946.