Cross Country Journey – Part 2 Stage Two: Defiance, Ohio, to Medora, North Dakota

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Alane and Steve in Defiance, Ohio.

by Steve Ball

[Read part 1 here: Cross Country Journey – Part 1 Stage One: From Belfast to Ohio]

We left Cleveland with new found enthusiasm. Allane and I had made it 1,000 miles and our friends and riding partners, John Williams and Nancy Beardsley, joined us for our journey continuing to Davenport, Iowa.

We headed out of Cleveland on our way to Defiance, Ohio, a fabulous name for a town full of nice and welcoming people. Heading into Defiance we had a forecast of rain showers. Donning wet weather gear, we plowed through light rain with determination. In Defiance we stopped at the Cabin Fever Coffee Shop, made all the more wonderful because of the people who stopped by our table and engaged with us. Sam and Eric from the local Team Defiance Bike Club spoke to us for a bit, giving us some history of their club. After we conversed for a while, Sam brought us Team Defiance Bike Club jerseys as a gift and tribute to our transcontinental ride. What nice and generous people!

We rode through on-again, off-again rain showers for the next few days. It was not enough to dampen our spirits. On Day 24 we arrived in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. There’s something about crossing state boundaries when you’re traveling on a bike. It doesn’t happen often and when it did I tried to make a point of getting off my bike, celebrating a bit, and taking a photo to memorialize it all. We were entering our sixth state on the journey.

We took a Down Day in Ft. Wayne. I found down days are important for all sorts of reasons. Primarily it allows the body to recover a bit from the grind of pedaling all day on the seat of a bike. Also important is the pure enjoyment of stopping to take in more of your surroundings, to act for a moment like a tourist, and get to know, a little more deeply, the people who work and live in our great country. Ft Wayne was the perfect place for a Down Day.

We began the day at the local tourism center, where two very enthusiastic locals recommended places and experiences not to be missed. We also enjoyed a visit by friends Beth and Kevin, from my days working in Vietnam. They drove up from Indianapolis to catch up and enjoy dinner with us. What a treat!

Our continuing journey took us through increasingly expansive farming country where corn and soy bean fields are everywhere. The countryside in this area is vast and flat. As far as you can see there are row after row of planted fields, from horizon to horizon. There were fewer and fewer houses and more and more fields. I have a whole new understanding of what the locals called “corporate farming”. The roads framed the one-mile by one-mile sections in very orderly north-south, east-west lines. Farmers didn’t necessarily talk about how many acres they farmed, they talked about how many sections they worked.

After Ft. Wayne we hugged the Wabash River and came into Peru, Indiana, the birthplace of Cole Porter and the Peru Amateur Youth Circus, a town with Big Top architecture and large indoor circus training facility lining Main Street. At the Farmers’ Market, we were gifted with fresh apples by a supportive orchard owner. We left Peru to travel through more soy bean and corn fields. At one restaurant in Rensselaer, Indiana, Allane asked if there was anything interesting she should see in the area. The waitress answered, “ No.” and added, “Just corn and more corn.”

We made it into Illinois on another rainy day. The rain poured on this day, but we were elated to make it into state #7. We had reservations at a small farm Bed & Breakfast in the town of Kempton, Illinois, population 231. When they say small town in the Midwest, they mean small town. The B&B was in the middle of one of the many 1×1 mile grids and was one our favorite places on the journey. The proprietors were genuine and exceptionally nice. We rested up and enjoyed a wonderful home cooked meal and comfortable evening.

The rain cleared, the heat began to rise, and the headwinds started. Without trees to break some of the force of 20 mph winds and with the thermometer getting close to 100 degrees, the pace slowed a bit. One tough day included a 43-mile stretch with absolutely nothing in the way of services, stores, or shade.

We knew the next big sight for us would be the grand and massive Mississippi River. We pulled into Davenport, Iowa, situated along the banks of the Mississippi, and felt elated with what we had accomplished. It was Day 32 and time for another Down Day.

After a farewell to our riding partners, we left Davenport heading north for Dubuque. We spent the next week riding back and forth across the Mississippi, or the “Great River,” as it’s referred to in these parts, from Iowa into Wisconsin and finally into Minnesota. We rode through LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Wabasha, Minnesota, and up to St. Cloud. Riding along the river was spectacular. There was a nice breeze and there seemed to always be a nice restaurant on the route when we needed one. We enjoyed the beautiful (and familiar!) scenery of blue skies, bright blue lakes and green fields and forests.

Steve entering North Dakota.

We found our way into Fargo, North Dakota, on Day 45. Fargo is not the little, rural city you may think it is after watching the movie. It’s a bustling, active economic center that has quite a nice feel about it. The locals here have enjoyed some added notoriety and tourism as a result of big screen and TV show adaptations of Fargo, but everyone we talked to said it was really hilarious how inaccurate the media coverage of the city actually is. That said, Allane and I visited Fargo movie props and memorabilia.

North Dakota is really an interesting state. On our route we found it’s largely made up of small and very small towns with populations ranging between 112 to 800. On this route, except for Fargo, pop. 124,000, and Bismarck, pop. 73,000, towns were scarce and sparsely populated. We went through such places as Enderlin, Gackle, Napoleon, Hebron and Medora. None of these towns topped 800 people.

Steve, left, in Gackle, North Dakota, with Dean, a life-long resident, who also served as the historian, entrepreneur, and all-around good ambassador for the town.

The people we met were welcoming and generous. We tented in Gackle and met Dean, a life-long resident, who also served as the historian, entrepreneur, and all-around good ambassador for the town. He talked with us, gave us a bit of history and a souvenir from the Gackle’s 1979 Duck Hunting Capital celebration. I’m not quite sure what I can do with an empty beer can that announces the joyous event, but I sure wasn’t going to refuse the gift. We also met Nicole, second grade teacher and owner of the only bar/restaurant in town. The K-12 consolidated school graduated two students last year.

Starting in Fargo, people across the state asked if we planned to go to the Medora Musical. Medora, the most westerly town in North Dakota, is a beloved tourist trap. We were determined to stop and enjoy this unique event. Approaching the area, we experienced the incredible vistas of the North Dakota Badlands, an intricately eroded landscape of sparsely wooded canyons, bluffs, and buttes displaying layers of colors. Black veins of lignite coal, reddish bands of a rock called clinker, and a variety of creams and browns decorate the steep slopes. We also caught our first views of herds of buffalo and wild horses. After an early morning visit to the spectacular Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we finally had the Medora experience. Starting with a “Pitchfork Fondu” dinner of steak cooked on a pitchfork over a roaring fire and all the fixins’, we followed the crowds into a stadium and enjoyed a comic musical rendition of the history of the town. Many North Dakota families look forward to their annual summer pilgrimage to the celebration.

It was Day 53 and we were raring to go. North Dakota had been our 12th state along the journey and the next big adventure lay ahead in Montana. I had covered roughly 2,500 miles.

Winslow Community Cupboard Food Pantry seeks new donations

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Hannaford offers one way to lend support

Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry—which now serves more than 225 food-insecure families in Winslow, Waterville, and surrounding towns—is actively seeking new financial donations.

One easy, effective way to lend support is by purchasing a $2.50 reusable “Fight Hunger” Shopping Bag sold at the Hannaford supermarket, located at 190 JFK Plaza, in Waterville. The food pantry will receive $1 for every “Fight Hunger” Shopping Bag purchased at that location in October.

Those unable to purchase the Hannaford “Fight Hunger” Shopping Bag, or who wish to make a direct donation, may do so by mailing a check payable to “Winslow Community Cupboard” to: Winslow Community Cupboard, 12 Lithgow St., Winslow, ME 04901. Credit card or PayPal donations are also greatly appreciated at this link: https://winslowucc.org/winslow-community-cupboard/

“Winslow Community Cupboard” food pantry is a ministry of Winslow Congregational Church, 12 Lithgow Street, Winslow, which has served the local community since 1828.

For more information, please contact Winslow Community Cupboard at WinslowCupboard@Gmail.com.

Erskine Academy announces National Merit Scholarship students

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Aidan Larrabee, left, and Sarah Praul, right.

Erskine Academy has announced that Aidan Larrabee, son of Carrie and Jeremy Larrabee, of China, has been named a semifinalist in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Larrabee has an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a scholarship and the Merit Scholar title. National Merit Scholarship winners of 2022 will be announced beginning in April.

In addition, Erskine Academy has announced that Sarah Praul, daughter of Erika and Darryl Praul, of China, has been named a Commended Student in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. Praul is among approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation who are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although Praul will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Commended students receive a Letter of Commendation from their school and the National Merit Scholarship Program in recognition of this honor.

Pack #603 holds Webelo Resident Camp

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Augusta Pack #603 Webelo Tristan Morton, right, explains what he learned at Webelo Resident Camp this summer to BSA Scout Jacob Blais, center, and Bear Cub Scout Lizzy Blais, left, as they construct an emergency shelter during Pack #603 Family Camping at Camp Nutter, in Acton. Collaboration, cooperation, and skill sharing are key elements of scouting. (contributed photo)

Parent Becky Blais photos progress as Troop #603, from left to right, BSA Scout Jacob Blais, and Bear Cub Scout Lizzy Blais, and Pack #603 Webelo Tristan Morton, gather leaves and other site debris to provide an insulated cover to their emergency shelter framework at Camp Nutter during Family Camping September 11-12. Scouts build friendships while adding skills as they work as a team. (contributed photo)

Cross Country Journey – Part 1 Stage One: From Belfast to Ohio

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Riding along the Erie Canal Trail.

This is the first of a three-part series on Steve Ball’s trek across American on a bicycle. Steve is from Windsor.

by Steve Ball

This is a story of a trip across the United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The idea of making the trip was crazy. Ride across the country on a bicycle. Are you nuts? I am one of those riders who peddles along our local roads, streets, and byways: Lake View Drive, Rte. 3, Rte. 32, Rte. 17… and the list goes on. It’s how I find my inner peace.

Steve starting out in Belfast.

Riding can be a lonely endeavor. Cycling without anyone or any device talking gives me time to think, to ponder on all sorts of happenings without interruption. The focus quickly becomes where I am and what’s around me. I also get to see the world at 12 mph, a pace that lets me take it in, to see the detail missing when traveling at 65 or even 25 mph. This for me is near bliss.

It was on one of my local rides around China Lake that the idea of riding across the country first popped into my mind. The idea of taking on the nearly 4,000 mile bike journey seemed almost too grand not to give it further thought.

After many miles and rides I convinced myself that I needed to take on this challenge. It would be a trip to remember and I’m certainly not getting any younger. It was after this clear realization that my rides took on a greater purpose: get myself ready for the ride of a lifetime.

Our plan was for me to ride my bike and Allane would travel along as my trusty and able assistant and partner. In the cycling world she would be my “SAG”; Support and Gear. Whew, was I glad for that. She drove our truck with clothes, camping gear and everything else we would need to make the journey. She was the best partner I could have asked for, always there and ever positive.

The ride started on May 10, 2021, in Belfast. I was joined for the beginning stages by three good friends: John Williams, Judd Thompson and local rider, John Benziger. All are either avid bike riders or outdoorsmen with a similar insatiable appetite for getting outside of the normal flow of life and interacting with nature. On Day One we rode from Belfast to our homes in Central Maine, 35.7 miles. We were off and biking.

It was a good start. No one got hurt, no flats, nice weather and the hills manageable.

We rode through Auburn, Bridgeton, and Fryeburg. Maine seemed even more beautiful than ever. I knew the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains of Vermont would present the perfect beginning for this transcontinental challenge. Our first big trial was coming up – climbing the Kancamagus Highway. On Day 4 we woke up in Center Conway, New Hampshire, and headed for the mountain. The day was clear and traffic was light, conditions seemed perfect. As it turned out, the thought of climbing the ‘Kank’ was more daunting than the actual ride. All members of the team made it! In retrospect, this would turn out to be a relatively small mountain at just under 3,000 feet, but conquering the ‘Kank’ on this day felt like quite a feat!

We rode on through the spectacular mountains of western New Hampshire into Norwich, Vermont. Norwich was a timely and wonderful stop after riding over a string of mountain passes that tested us. The views were spectacular. After Norwich we peddled through the quaint, picturesque towns of Quichee and Woodstock, Vermont. If you want to visit some of the best of New England culture and tradition, these towns are worth the trip. John and Judd had to turn back in Woodstock. Jobs awaited them.

John Benziger and I peddled on. Once we scaled the mountains that frame Killington and Pico Ski Resorts we were headed into New York.

We rode through Whitehall, along scenic Rte. 4. We were at Day 8 and felt good. I had my first flat tire coming into New York. This certainly wasn’t a big problem, but I hoped it wasn’t an omen of things to come. After patching my tube we continued on to Glens Falls, a small town on the Hudson River.

Until we got to Rochester our riding in New York was largely a journey along the Erie Canal Trail, a multi-use trail that runs from Albany to Buffalo. We entered to the Erie Canal Trail, in Amsterdam, New York, and would end up hugging the active waterway until we got to Brockport, New York. We met Lock Operators opening and closing the locks allowing barges, personal fishing boats, and kayaks (!) to travel up and down the Erie Canal. We saw local groups having rowing regattas and plenty of tourists and locals enjoying the pleasant, peaceful pace of life along this historic waterway. To be honest, I had no idea the Erie Canal was as active as it is today.

Steve outside Russo’s Grill, in Amsterdam, New York.

Amsterdam, New York, sitting on the Mohawk River, is an old mill town with a lot of personality. Families are out on their porches, children are playing, kicking balls, and riding bikes in the old style neighborhoods. Tucked away in a small working class Italian neighborhood was Russo’s Grill. The charm was palpable. We were greeted by Marie, our waitress who didn’t hold back in recommending specialties and telling us a bit about this post-WWII restaurant/pub. The food was out of this world. Marie was one of 16 children, all by the same mother and father! Wow! She was charming in a warm Italian way and packaged up our leftovers with the care of a mother wrapping her children’s lunch for school.

John Benziger had to return home to South China once we hit the campground in Lyons, New York, near Rochester. Allane and I were on our own.

We traveled from Lyons to Brockport and headed south toward Lake Erie. We were now on Day 16, having already spent just over a week in New York. I had no idea New York so long!

From Brockport I made it to Chaffee, arriving just seconds before the skies opened up with a fierce thunderstorm. We then headed west toward Pennsylvania. This took me along the southern border of Lake Erie through vineyards and orchards, miles and miles of grapes and apples. Once I could see Lake Erie I felt like I might possibly find my way out of New York. I rode 465 miles from the eastern end of New York to the western end, making up nearly 10 percent of the trip. Whew! I have a whole new respect for the Empire State.

From New York I rode through Erie, Pennsylvania to Conneaut, Ohio. We intended to spend the night in Conneaut and then ride on to Cleveland, but Mother Nature had other ideas. I pulled into the small resort town of Conneaut with mostly sunny skies. Allane and I rested up, I got my bike ready for the next day’s ride and we ate at a nice Italian restaurant. The weather started to turn and, just like in Maine, it can go bad quickly. The winds kicked up, rain came in and there was a serious storm churning the lake’s waters. By the time we awoke the winds were at 50 mph and the temperature was 47 degrees. It was pretty clear I wasn’t going to be able to ride my bike. The nice proprietor where we were staying suggested we stay another day and we readily agreed.

The day following the storm was beautiful. I enjoyed my ride to Cleveland. As it happened I rode into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame parking area and decided this was a good place to stop. Allane and I were looking forward to arriving in Cleveland since John Williams and his wife Nancy Beardsley were meeting us there to ride with us for a week. This was our 20th day on the road and I’d cycled over 1,000 miles.

[Read part 2 here: Cross Country Journey – Part 2 Stage Two: Defiance, Ohio, to Medora, North Dakota]

Transformation Project

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Palermo Christian Church (photo from the church’s Facebook page)

The Bible says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

The Palermo Christian Church believes in lives being transformed and thought it would be great to apply that to a transformation of the bulletin board at Palermo Post Office.

One of the Small Growth Groups at Palermo Christian Church recently spruced up the bulletin board. The frame was straightened, new doors with Plexiglas were installed, fresh coat of paint, turf carpeting was laid, and flowers added a special touch. Many nodded their head of approval for the improvements.

During one break Jeff Twitchell, donated a delicious apple pie. They thoroughly enjoyed and had an opportunity to share with three individuals while they were picking up their mail.

A big thank you to SD Childs Construction and Kempton Tobey & Son who provided gravel and loam.

Blessing of the Animals set for October 2-4

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Animal lovers from around Maine are invited to flock to have their animal companions blessed outdoors in celebration of Saint Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day (October 4). All pets are welcome to attend any of the Blessing of the Animals events. As prayers are offered, the pets will be gently sprinkled with holy water.

Saint Francis of Assisi was known for his love of all of God’s creatures. The Blessing of the Animals remembers Francis’ love by invoking God’s blessing on the animals and thanking God for letting us share the earth. Here are the confirmed events in chronological order (new events will be added as scheduled at www.portlanddiocese.org/Blessing-of-Animals-2021):

Monday, October 4

Grotto of St. John the Baptist Church, 26 Monument Street, Winslow, at 6 p.m.

CHINA: Land parcel sale back to square one

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by Mary Grow

As of Sept. 27, China selectmen’s effort to sell a 39-acre piece of land on Lakeview Drive is back where it was before they agreed on a buyer at their Aug. 30 meeting.

On Aug. 30, China realtor Lucas Adams told selectmen they had two bids, $10,000 from the local People’s Park group headed by Lindsey Harwath and $80,000 from former China residents Austin “Gerry” and Lynda Ogden. Selectmen authorized Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood to negotiate with the Ogdens. At their Sept. 13 meeting Hapgood said the Ogdens bought the property for $83,000.

At the Sept. 27 meeting, Adams said he had not known China subdivision approvals expire if work is not underway within five years. The land, therefore, is no longer legally a subdivision, and the Ogdens have withdrawn their $83,000 offer.

Adams revised his valuation of the lot from $80,000 upward to $55,000 upward. There are currently three bids, he said: the People’s Park has again bid $10,000, the Ogdens have bid $40,000 and resident Troy Bulmer has bid $40,000.

Adams told Selectman Janet Preston that Bulmer does not want to see the land developed. Lindsey Harwath, President of the People’s Park group, said she had talked with him.

After half an hour’s discussion, selectmen voted unanimously to authorize Adams, with whom they have a six-month contract, to market the property at $59,000, with bids due by their next meeting, which will be at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 12 (rescheduled due to the Oct. 11 Indigenous People’s Day holiday); and meanwhile to negotiate for higher bids from the three current bidders.

Adams said he would keep Hapgood informed.

Audience comments on the issue included a prepared statement by resident Marie Michaud urging selectmen to leave the land undeveloped to protect its varied wildlife and avoid more run-off into China Lake. In addition to potential run-off from developed areas, a stream on the lot “flows directly into China Lake,” she said.

Michaud reminded selectmen that in two town visioning sessions held as part of the process of updating the town’s comprehensive plan, residents had indicated a preference for preserving green spaces, open land and farmland. Selectmen are “currently not following what your constituents said they want,” she said.

Harwath, Stephen Greene and Brent Chesley had questions about Adams’ research and marketing.

Adams told Chesley the property had been listed online, and he had received telephone inquiries. He agreed with Chesley’s comment that no sign was posted on the ground until late in the process.

Adams said wetlands lower the property’s sale value. He and Selectman Wayne Chadwick discussed whether it has a septic system easement for the condominiums on the west side of Lakeview Drive, or whether all such easements are on an abutting lot.

In other business at the Sept. 27 selectmen’s meeting, board members chose, conditionally, a supplier for heat pumps for town buildings and agreed with Regional School Unit (RSU) #18 on a bus parking area on the town office grounds.

At their Sept. 13 meeting, selectmen looked at five bids for heat pumps for the transfer station and the town office. They postponed a decision while Hapgood confirmed which venders are “Efficiency Maine commercial qualified partners” eligible for rebates (if state funds are available).

Hapgood said all but one bidder is so qualified. Selectmen therefore awarded the bid to the lowest qualified bidder, Rod’s HPAC Installs, of Windsor, for $14,520. The decision is contingent on Selectman Blane Casey’s being satisfied with the proposed scope of work that he will review and compare with at least one other bidder’s.

RSU #18 Transportation Director Lennie Goff explained that the RSU needs room to park from three to occasionally five buses. Hapgood said she and Goff had considered school and town properties and agreed on an area off the back entranceway to the town office complex, between the buildings and Alder Park Road.

RSU #18 will create and maintain a gravel parking lot and provide electrical service to it, and will take care of snow removal at the same time as school grounds are cleared. Goff and Hapgood both will look into any possible insurance needs.

Hapgood said the area will have minimal impact on the office buildings. She and Goff agreed that the buses will be moved temporarily to the school grounds if the town needs extra parking, for example during an election.

Selectmen unanimously accepted the agreement.

They also approved exploring options and getting cost estimates to repair the dry hydrant on Routes 202 and 9 at the head of China Lake, between the blinker at the Route 137 intersection and the Circle K gas station and convenience store.

Hapgood said the new hydrant installed at the causeway froze over the winter, leading firefighters to ask about repairing the old one. No one knows whether it is plugged or whether a pipe is broken.

The manager said costs would be paid from the volunteer fire departments’ reserve fund.

In other business, selectmen appointed a list of ballot clerks for the Nov. 2 election and appointed Terry Demerchant secretary for the Municipal Building Committee.

They authorized Hapgood to sign American Rescue Plan Act funding documents. She is still accepting suggestions for ways to spend ARPA money.

CHINA: Follow-up on land sale story from last week

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The property in question, from Google Streetview.

Lucas Adams, head of Adams Realty in China, has provided additional information to supplement the story on the People’s Park group in the Sept. 23 issue of The Town Line.

China selectmen agreed at their Aug. 30 meeting to sell about 39 acres of town-owned land on the east side of Lakeview Drive to Austin “Gerry” and Lynda Ogden. The Ogdens bid $80,000, and after negotiations with Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood agreed to $83,000.

The only other bid was from the People’s Park, a group headed by Lindsey Harwath hoping to acquire the land for a public park. Their offer was $10,000.

Adams confirmed Harwath’s report that she and the Ogdens met at his office on Sept. 15 and the Ogdens offered to sell the back (eastern) part of the property to the People’s Park group for $110,000.

The Ogdens also offered to put in a road and an electric power connection to the eastern area, at an estimated cost of $30,000, and to follow through at their expense if the cost estimate turned out to be low, Adams said.

And, he said, the Ogdens were willing to wait until next spring for payment, to give the People’s Park group time to collect donations.

His conclusion is that with those conditions, the $110,000 price is “a very fair offer.”

The Ogdens’ initial plan was to keep two of the lots designated in the former Candlewood subdivision, on the north side of the proposed, but unbuilt, access road. They later decided to keep a third lot, Adams said.

They offered to the People’s Park group two lots on the south side of the access road and all the property east of the former Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington railroad track that is now a recreational trail.

Adams said he had not “discouraged” anyone else from buying the land from the town. He had talked with one person who decided not to buy, he said. He told China selectmen on Aug. 30 that he had received only the two offers; he surmised interest was low because much of the parcel is wet.

Adams said Ogden has not been associated with Adams Realty since the 1980s.

“Gerry’s an investor,” who owns property all over the State of Maine, Adams said.

History of Candlewood Camps property

The about 39 acres the Town of China has just sold was part of the Candlewood Camps property owned for years by Lucas Adams’ grandparents, Albert and Muriel Adams.

After the Adamses retired, Wachusetts Properties acquired and subdivided the land. At the Sept. 8, 2015, planning board meeting, then Codes Officer Paul Mitnik reported that he thought the subdivision permit had expired, until he found a modification approved in June 2015 that extended its life.

China’s Subdivision Ordinance says that a subdivision plan approved by the planning board becomes “null and void” if “substantial construction” has not started within five years. When a plan expires, the planning board is to have a notice placed in the state Registry of Deeds,

When Wachusett Properties failed to sell subdivision lots, they offered the land to the Town of China. Voters accepted the gift at the polls on Nov. 8, 2016. That fall, town officials considered using the property for a new China Village fire station or holding it for later resale.

In March 2017, voters amended China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program to add the Lakeview Drive lot to areas eligible for TIF-funded development projects.

In November 2018 they approved $5,000 from the TIF account for “concept drawings” for an emergency services building and community center on the lot. The emergency services section was intended to include a new China Village fire station; space for a police office and vehicle; and perhaps room for one of Delta Ambulance’s vehicles (since China Rescue cannot provide transport).

In June 2019, however, voters refused to take $25,000 from unexpended fund balance (also called surplus) to develop engineering plans and cost estimates for the building. The vote, as recorded in the June 13, 2019, issue of The Town Line, was not even close: 72 “yes” votes to 332 “no” votes.

Selectmen therefore asked at the June 8, 2021, town meeting for authorization to sell the land, with proceeds “to be put into an assigned fund to reduce the mil rate in the fiscal year following the sale.” Town meeting voters approved.

China Broadband Committee had a busy September

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members had a busy late September schedule, holding a committee meeting Sept. 23; participating in a public informational session by zoom Sept. 26 (see related story); attending the selectmen’s Sept. 27 public hearing on the Nov. 2 warrant article asking for funding for expanded broadband in China; and later discussing their proposed informational flyer with selectmen.

Selectmen did not approve printing and mailing the Sept. 27 version of the flyer with town funds.

CBC members therefore confirmed the committee meeting they had tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30. They intend to redraft the flyer.

Ronald Breton, chairman of the selectboard, said if they work fast, he will call a special selectmen’s meeting to consider a new version, rather than delaying distribution until after the Oct. 12 selectboard meeting.

On Nov. 2, China voters will be asked to authorize – but not require – selectmen to obtain a $5.8 million bond, to be supplemented by grants, to build broadband infrastructure throughout the town.

The Sept. 23 CBC meeting was devoted to plans to publicize the Nov. 2 vote. CBC members reviewed a two-sided legal-sized flyer that presented information supporting the broadband expansion and specifically urged a “yes” vote on the ballot question.

Selectman Wayne Chadwick, from the audience, expressed his personal opinion that the committee should not use town funds to influence voters.

CBC members pointed out that on the ballot, voters will see recommendations from the selectboard and the budget committee (both oppose the question, the selectboard by 3-2 and the budget committee by 4-1), but no recommendation from the CBC, which supports the question.

[See all our stories about the broadband project here.]

By Sept. 27, they had revised the flyer to eliminate exhortations to approve the bond issue. Selectmen nonetheless objected that it was one-sidedly in favor of the bond issue – “all pro and no con,” as Chadwick put it.

Breton remembered an earlier meeting when he had urged CBC members to promote their project with funds selectmen appropriated for the committee. “You got your money, go out and sell it,” he quoted himself, from memory.

More recently, however, Breton asked Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood to consult town attorney Amanda Meader about the situation. Hapgood reported that Meader said a flyer that was “persuasive” rather than “informational” did not benefit voters and should not be funded by the town.

Breton therefore joined his fellow board members in suggesting the flyer provide additional factual information, for example on costs, that they thought would be helpful to voters.

The result was a vote to ask CBC members to prepare a revised flyer with more information and less persuasion, and to seek approval to have it printed and distributed with town funds. Breton, Chadwick, Blane Casey and Irene Belanger voted in favor; Janet Preston, who is the selectboard’s ex-officio representative on the committee, abstained.

Preston explained that she thinks the improved broadband service is a benefit to the town and supports the bond issue, but she also understands the objections to the Sept. 27 version of the flyer.

Public hearing well attended

The half-hour public hearing on the Nov. 2 bond issue that preceded the Sept. 27 selectmen’s meeting was one of the best attended in recent memory, with audience members participating from the meeting room and over the town’s Live Stream.

Audience members’ questions about the China Broadband Committee’s (CBC) plans if the $5.8 million bond issue is approved were answered by Ronald Breton, chairman of the selectmen; Mark Ouellette, President of Axiom Technologies, attending his second China meeting in two days; and CBC members.

Ouellette and CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor explained some of the technical issues about connecting directly from the world-wide web via a southern Maine point and a China central office to each subscriber’s house.

Because of the direct connection, Ouellette said, each subscriber will get the speed of downloaded and uploaded information paid for, every hour of every day all year, without the variability characteristic of current services.

The proposed bond issue is for 25 years.

Residents satisfied with their current service may keep it. O’Connor said currently about 70 percent of China residents have cable service; another about 25 percent have DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) service; and the remaining about five percent have no internet access.

Selectman and ex-officio CBC member Janet Preston said Regional School Unit #18 had provided a map showing where students had no access, providing locations for some of the unserved areas.

Ouellette said employees of Hawkeye Fiber Optics (also called Hawkeye Connections) have finished the survey of existing utility poles in China and are scheduled to report immediately. Survey results will provide a more accurate estimate of the cost of building the proposed new network.

CBC member Tod Detre asked for and received permission to post the results on the committee’s website, chinabroadband.net.

Video of the hearing can be viewed here.