China select board continues town meeting preparations

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by Mary Grow

CHINA, ME — China Select Board members continued town meeting preparations at their March 28 meeting, discussing at length three topics: asking voters to approve a moratorium on commercial solar development; the proposed 2022-23 municipal budget, with a focus on town employees’ pay; and 2022-23 expenditures of federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, which need voter approval.

At the annual town business meeting June 14, China voters will not act on a new ordinance to regulate commercial solar development, because planning board members have not finished writing it. (See related story here.)

Therefore, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said, she asked town attorney Amanda Meader about a moratorium on new solar projects, and Meader replied a moratorium would be a good way to protect town residents. The attorney was ready to draft the document if select board members approved the idea.

Three of them approved, outvoting the two who didn’t.

Wayne Chadwick objected immediately to “tying landowners’ hands for months because the planning board and the town didn’t do their job in a timely way.”

Blane Casey agreed. A landowner might lose his or her opportunity to lease property to a developer during the moratorium, he added.

From the audience, resident Brent Chesley said he thinks the draft ordinance really does need more work, for example, adding the requirement that a commercial solar developer provide money in advance to decommission and remove the installation at the end of its useful life.

He further reminded those present of resident Michael “Mickey” Wing’s testimony, during the March 22 public hearing on the draft ordinance, that the glass panels are considered hazardous waste until they’ve been sun-baked for 20 years. Wing, who runs the Waterville-based division of Casella Waste Systems, told the hearing audience that when a truck-load of panels got broken, the out-of-state supplier had to come and remove them, because the glass could not go to an in-state waste disposal facility.

Board chairman Ronald Breton agreed with Chadwick’s and Casey’s principle that people should be allowed to use their property as they wish, but he also agreed that Chesley had raised two issues needing attention to protect the town.

Breton, Jeanne Marquis and Janet Preston voted to have attorney Meader proceed with the moratorium draft. Casey and Chadwick voted no.

Hapgood expects that if the select board presents a moratorium to voters on June 14 and if voters approve it, it would apply only to commercial solar developments, not to panels for individual houses; and it would be effective for no more than 180 days from the March 28 action, unless the select board extended it.

Budget discussion briefly re-reviewed parts of proposed transfer station and public works expenditures, but the main argument, again resolved on a 3-2 vote, was over Breton’s proposal to add 1.5 percent to the previously-approved 3 percent wage increases for town employees.

Breton said the economy has changed since the early vote, and he has changed his position accordingly. He calculated if voters approve the additional pay, it would add $9,807 to the 2022-23 budget, not a major increase in an individual tax bill; and it would help employees pay higher living costs.

Casey started looking for other parts of the proposed budget that could be cut by a matching amount. Preston suggested using the $12,000 in the budget for select board members’ salaries; “none of us took this job for the pay,” she said. Hapgood expects increased revenues will cover the additional raises.

Casey and Chadwick again voted in the minority. Chadwick observed that taxpayers’ cost of living has gone up, too.

China has received $227,443.53 in ARPA money, Hapgood reported, and she expects a second payment in the same amount later in 2022. She presented a list of potential uses, some for the 2022-23 fiscal year and some for the following year.

After discussion, select board members approved recommending a total of $132,206 in expenditures for the June 14 ballot. The total might change, because Hapgood needs to confirm (or revise) at least one estimated cost.

Projects on the list as it stood at the end of the March 28 meeting are installing new generators at the town office and the old town house beside it; putting 911 numbers on every house; buying a digital sign to go in front of the South China fire station to provide town and fire department information; special payments to recognize employees who worked through the pandemic; a $5,000 fund for senior events; and a portable digital sign for speed control and for community announcements.

Hapgood said each expenditure would become a separate warrant article, so voters could approve or reject each one individually.

A new sign is proposed for only one of China’s three fire stations because only South China’s, on Route 32 South (Windsor Road), is on a state road, the manager explained.

The ARPA warrant articles were approved on a 4-1 vote with Casey dissenting.

Select board members briefly discussed other topics at the March 28 meeting.

They unanimously approved two revised schedules of transfer station user fees, one for residents of China and Palermo and one for users from all other towns. The new fees are effective April 1. All changes are increases, some more consequential than others.

For example, the cost of getting rid of king-size and queen-size box springs and mattresses doubles, from $5 to $10 each. The cost of disposing of a four-foot straight uncoated fluorescent bulb goes only from 12 cents a foot to 50 cents for the bulb. Twin and full-size mattress and springs charges and eight-foot fluorescent charges remain unchanged, at $5 and $1, respectively.

Casey reported on the recent Kennebec Regional Development Authority meeting at which he represented China. KRDA runs FirstPark, the business park in Oakland supported by central Maine municipalities.

There were “a lot of angry towns” represented, Casey said, because FirstPark hasn’t produced the revenue or jobs its promoters promised. However, he said, the message sounded positive: three lots are slated to become a solar farm (not a major source of jobs, he added); two or three other lots have potentially-interested buyers; and there was discussion of the possibility of selling the whole park to a private developer.

Select board members unanimously gave Hapgood authorization to seek bids on two mobile homes the town has acquired for unpaid taxes. They are located in a mobile home park on Chadwick Way, off Dirigo Road.

The manager said discussion of implementing the new trash-bag fees for Palermo residents continues.

Board member Preston said members of the China Broadband Committee (CBC), on which she represents the select board, plan a discussion with representatives of Direct Communications at the Wednesday, April 6, CBC meeting, scheduled for 4 p.m. in the former portable classroom behind the China town office. Direct Communications is the new owner of Unitel, the communications company serving Unity.

China select board members scheduled a special meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 4, to finish work on the warrant for the June 14 town business meeting. Their next regular meetings should be at 6:30 p.m. April 11 and April 25.

China budget committee, town manager review non-final budget

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by Mary Grow

CHINA, ME — China Budget Committee members and Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood spent two hours March 24 reviewing a non-final draft of the 2022-23 municipal budget.

Committee members made no decisions, but they got many questions answered. China Select Board members were scheduled to work on the budget at their March 28 meeting, and the budget committee is scheduled to meet again at 6:30 pm. Thursday, March 31, in the town office meeting room.

The public works account is one of the largest, at more than $1.4 million. Hapgood cited two important unknowns, one global and one local.

The global issue is where petroleum prices will go between now and the June 30, 2023, the end of the upcoming fiscal year. If the per-ton price of paving is too high when the town seeks bids, Hapgood said she would consider postponing scheduled work for a year.

The local issue is vehicle maintenance and repair. China’s driver/mechanic, Josh Crommett, resigned and has not yet been replaced. If his replacement can continue to do maintenance in-house, instead of sending vehicles out for work, the town will save money.

The proposed transfer station budget is more than $625,000. Hapgood explained proposed staffing changes and building maintenance issues. She told committee members two pending issues, whether to abandon the present RFID (radio frequency identification) system and go back to stickers and whether to build a guardhouse at the entrance, remain undecided.

Several other accounts generated brief discussion.

Committee member Michael Sullivan asked whether the China Broadband Committee was likely to make enough progress to justify a proposed $1,000 appropriation, or “Is their job impossible?”

Committee Chairman Thomas Rumpf replied that the committee’s reaching out to potential broadband suppliers seemed useful. After voters in November 2021 rejected the committee’s proposal to borrow money for expanded broadband service, select board members voted unanimously to authorize the committee to continue working.

Elizabeth Curtis asked why the Thurston Park Committee needed an appropriation from taxpayers in addition to the recommended allotment of Tax Increment Financing money. Hapgood replied that TIF rules did not allow TIF money to cover some necessary expenditures, like repairing washed-out roads or cleaning up storm-damaged trees.

Looking at the request for $49,500 for cemetery care, up from $34,000 in the current year, Hapgood said the recommended increase is to cover a backlog of maintenance and to pay a summer intern who will catalog graves. The town is responsible for taking care of about two dozen of China’s 30 or more cemeteries.

China voters will have a written-ballot town business meeting on Tuesday, June 14, with polls in the portable building behind the town office open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. As the budget committee meeting ended, Hapgood asked for members’ opinions on an open meeting, as in pre-pandemic days, versus a written ballot.

The reply was consensus that each has a major advantage and a major disadvantage. At an open meeting, people can ask questions, get correct answers and debate pros and cons; but a small minority of voters attend. More voters participate in a written ballot; but many are uninformed or misinformed about the questions they vote on.

Albion, Palermo, Windsor, China talk merger (2022 April Fool’s story)

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by Mary Grow

By 2024, central Maine might have a new town named Alpawich, combining the present towns of Albion, Palermo, Windsor and China.

The new town would have an area of 179.41 square miles, Maine’s largest town by far. Its population will be less than Augusta’s or Waterville’s, however.

The impetus for combining the four towns came from Palermo, as a proposal to merge with China to form a town to be named Chipal. Palermo officials had two motives:

  • The two towns share the village of Branch Mills, the West Branch of the Sheepscot River that runs through the village and Branch Pond north of the village (although China has only a small piece of the west shore); by contract, Palermo residents use China’s transfer station; combination into a single town government would simplify life; and
  • China, coming well before Palermo in the alphabet, beats Palermo in all kinds of lists, from apple sales through grant applications to zoos (neither town has one).

Windsor selectmen then expressed interest. Windsor too shares the Sheepscot, and alphabetically is more disadvantaged than Palermo.

A tri-town Combo Committee formed in the fall considered the issue alphabetically and recommended talking with Albion town officials. When the response was positive, the proposed town became Albchipalwin.

Too long, the members of the now-quadri-town ComboComm said. They proposed, and all four towns’ select boards accepted, Alpawich.

“We don’t mind being on the end,” China’s town manager said. “After all, we’re the largest town, in both area and population. You’ve heard of the tail that wags the dog, right?”

A Palermo Select Board member replied, “Hey, no problem if China thinks they run the show. We’ve shared their transfer station for years without throwing garbage at each other.”

Rather than submit the proposed merger to town meetings on different dates, the ComboComm recommended a referendum vote on state primary election day, June 14, 2022. The ballot question in each town will ask voters to approve the concept of combining with the other three towns and to appropriate a soon-to-be-determined amount to let the ComboComm hire a merger consultant.

The members of the four select boards have agreed that a simple majority in each town will determine whether the town becomes part of Alpawich; and that a membership of two out of four will create the new town (with an appropriately adjusted name).

ComboComm members and the consultant will design the new local government, deciding how many select board members will run Alpawich; how departments will be combined; and how costs of new signs, stationery and similar essentials will be divided.

As the internet replaces in-person interaction, committee members envision a single, central municipal building. The site remains undetermined.

Alpawich Hall would have municipal offices in the center. The educational side wing would be the k-8 school, plus a public library, historical society quarters and a museum, if local organizations express interest in consolidating. So far, they have not.

The medical side wing would house a clinic, a pharmacy, a veterinarian and insurance offices. The rear wing would be home to Alpawich Public Works and the Alpawich Solid Waste Disposal Facility.

For now, the existing transfer stations in China and Windsor would serve Alpawich residents. Fire and rescue units would be left as they are, to avoid increasing response time.

Proponents cite many advantages of consolidation. Combined contracting – with town attorneys and auditors, for example — and purchasing should save money. Their combined road mileage should attract lower bids from paving companies.

Some members of each select board also anticipate a larger town having more clout with state regulators, like the Departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation, according to a source who wished to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak on the matter.

County commissioners in Kennebec and Waldo counties have no idea what to do if Alpawich becomes reality. Albion, China and Windsor are in Kennebec County; Palermo is in Waldo County.

“Mostly the county lines run with town lines, like through Branch Mills,” one Kennebec County commissioner said. “Don’t know’s I’ve heard of a town that was in two counties.”

School administrators see many potential complications in the proposed change. Albion is in School Administrative District #49, based in Fairfield; China is in Regional School Unit #18, based in Oakland; Palermo and Windsor are in Regional School Unit #12, based in Somerville.

The RSU #18 superintendent is the least upset. “If there’s no more China, then there’s no more China in RSU #18,” he said. “They’re the geographic outlier. Talk about dogs and tails – they’re a detached tail.”

Assuming voter approval, the legislature would need to create the new town. Legislatively, since redistricting, China, Palermo and Windsor are in House District #62 and Albion is in District #63. The four towns are in four different state senate districts. “So if our reps pay attention to their voters, that’s four proponents in each house right from the get-go,” a committee member observed.

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IF YOU BELIEVED THIS STORY, YOU ARE AN APRIL FOOL!

Albion voters pass most of 57 articles: Reject marijuana licensing ordinance

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Albion town office. Photo source: Town of Albion Facebook page

by Steve Ball

ALBION, ME — On Saturday, March 19, in the Albion Fire and Rescue Building, the town government held its annual town meeting. There were 76 voting residents attending the meeting. Fifty-Seven Articles were decided. At the front of the meeting were the Selectmen; Brent Brockway, Board of Selectmen Chairman; Michael Gardner, 3-year term, and recently appointed Scott Cyrway, 2-year term. The moderator, Richard Thompson, called the meeting to order at ten o’clock.

Nearly all of the articles passed with little discussion or debate. The town’s budget was approved at $1,507,939.21, an increase of roughly $300, 000 from the previous year. Attendees voted in three members to the town’s planning board; Dennis McKeen, 5-year term, and Jana Atwood and Norman Lawrence as alternates to a one-year term. Also, attendees voted in four members to the budget committee; Sonia Nelson and Julie McKenzie were elected to three-year terms and Matthew Dow and William McKenzie III were elected as alternates for a one-year term.

The article concerning funding for town roads and bridges received much discussion. It was agreed by a majority to appropriate $100,000 from taxation, $280,000 from the Albion General Fund, and $50,000 from the State of Maine Local Road Assistance Program toward roads and bridges.

The one article voted down was to enact the Town of Albion Marijuana Establishments Licensing Ordinance. After discussion it was decided to use a written ballot for this article. This article received the most discussion during the annual meeting. The Albion Planning Board had spent several months drafting this ordinance to regulate the licensing of marijuana establishments within the town, but it was clear after discussion that there was a desire for more information. The article was voted down, 51 – against, and 20 – in favor.

Somerville dream of owning high speed fiber-optic broadband internet network coming true

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Submitted by Samantha Peaslee
Town Clerk/Registrar

SOMERVILLE, ME — The Town of Somerville will receive grant funding from the US National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA), an arm of the federal Department of Commerce, along with additional funding and support from the state’s ConnectMaine authority, to construct a municipally-owned broadband internet system able to connect to every home and business in town. The fiber-to-the-home internet system will be built and operated by Axiom Technologies, a Maine-based internet provider, under construction and franchise agreements to be signed with the town. No property tax revenue nor municipal debt will be needed to finance construction of the network. Once in operation, revenues from subscribers to the town’s system will be used to maintain and enhance the network in the future.

“I am thrilled that roughly a year from now Somerville will offer fast, reliable internet to anyone in town who wants it. For-profit internet providers have consistently indicated they had no interest in investing to provide modern competitive Internet service in small rural towns like Somerville, because denser communities are more profitable for them,” said Chris Johnson, Chairman of Somerville’s Select Board. “Here, with funding from NTIA and ConnectMaine, and expertise from Axiom Technologies, Somerville is building its own fiber network and will invest our share of ratepayer revenue back into future improvements.” The NTIA grant, to be administered by ConnectMaine, also awarded funds to roll out broadband to underserved areas in the neighboring towns of Washington and Jefferson.

Jim Grenier, the Chairman of the Somerville Broadband Committee, added, “This wonderful news is the result of the efforts by many town volunteers and supporters who have spent years seeking an affordable solution to the town’s lack of fast internet service. As well, the Island Institute has supported Somerville in getting this project off the ground and Axiom has been a capable and committed partner.”

Pricing for the service, which will offer a choice of different tiers of speeds, such as 25/25 and 100/100 Mbps, and can go up to 10 Gigabit per second for customers who need it, will be cost competitive with other broadband offers in Northern New England. Low-income residents will be eligible for additional monthly financial assistance through the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which lowers the cost of high-speed internet to those households.

Construction in Somerville is expected to begin later this year starting with the Central Office. Fiber network construction will begin once the Maine Public Utilities Commission required process to arrange for attaching new fiber cables to existing utility poles in town has been approved and the utilities have made poles ready for our attachment. Final installation and service should roll out to Somerville residents beginning in the spring of 2023. Customers who sign up in advance for internet service by putting down a small deposit will receive free installation to their premise.

The town will soon provide more information to residents on pricing as well as how to sign up for service and free installation.

Issue for March 24, 2022

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FOR YOUR HEALTH: Gym Or No Gym? Finding Your Ideal Exercise Routine

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The immersive JRNY digital fitness platform features hundreds of workouts.

(NAPSI)—They say old habits die hard, but for a lot of people the last two years have proven otherwise. The COVID-19 pandemic fueled a seismic shift in the way people view physical and mental health—and lately, many have had a chance to reflect on old habits and routines.

If you’re looking to improve your physical or mental health, there may be no better tool than exercise. It offers numerous benefits including lower blood pressure, improved bone health and reduced risk of diseases. Moving your body stimulates different parts of your brain to release feel-good chemicals including serotonin, endorphins and dopamine, leading to a cascade effect of better sleep, sharper thinking, reduced stress and enhanced mood.

With the mass adoption of hybrid work models that let you swap your morning commutes with a sweat session or moment of mindfulness, the reopening of gyms and fitness centers and spring right around the corner, now’s a good time to replace your old, tired routines.

Tom Holland, exercise physiologist and Bowflex fitness advisor, says it’s an exciting moment in fitness and a great time for people to begin thinking about what their exercise routine might look like, with so many options available including working out at home, outside or at the gym.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

• Take up a new at-home routine: At-home workouts are the new normal for many and can be just as effective as a workout done at a gym—not to mention easier to fit into a busy routine. Fitness apps such as the JRNY digital fitness platform (https://www.bowflex.com/jrny.html)—which offers a range of classes including strength, stretching, yoga and Pilates—can be great tools to take the guesswork out of trying a new exercise.

“At-home fitness equipment is better than ever before and you no longer need a gym membership to get in a great workout,” says Holland. “With new digital technologies such as wearables and connected machines, you can get the kind of customized, comprehensive fitness plans that were once reserved for professional athletes.”

Versatile home equipment such as the Bowflex VeloCore Bike 22” (https://www.bowflex.com/bikes/velocore/100914.html) are great for getting in a cardio session without the need to go to a gym. With the JRNY app on the VeloCore bike, you can tour new cities, participate in trainer-led rides or catch up on your favorite shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max and Disney+.

• Sweat the small stuff: Even small amounts of exercise can be beneficial. If you’re at a desk or sitting still most of the day, try standing up at frequent intervals throughout the day, going for walks or doing short workouts such as jumping jacks or squats. This can help counter the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, which is especially important in the work-from-home era.

• Get outside: There’s a strong link between time spent outdoors and physiological benefits, including reduced stress and mental fatigue and improved mood.

“Consider taking a daily walk or picking up an outdoor hobby to ensure you’re getting enough time outside,” suggests Holland. “Pets can be a great reason to get outside more frequently, so if you’ve ever thought about getting a dog, maybe now is the time!”

• Take up a family or group activity: Exercise doesn’t have to be a solo activity. In fact, it can be a great opportunity to spend some quality time with friends and family. Recreational sports such as pickleball are easy to learn and can be accessible fun for the whole family, no matter the age or ability level.

“Pickleball is a new activity I’ve discovered and one my whole family has been enjoying,” Holland adds. “If you’re thinking about giving it a try but are concerned about your fitness level, I recommend exercises like bodyweight squats, skaters and jumping jacks as a warm-up to get your body in pickleball-playing shape.”

LEGAL NOTICES for Thursday, March 24, 2022

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STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted. The first publication date of this notice MARCH 17, 2022 If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide. See 18-C M.R.S.A. §3-80.

2022-075 – Estate of JEFFREY L. MARSHALL, late of Fairfield, ME deceased. Sandra J. Marshall, PO Box 182, Shawmut, ME 04975 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-077 – Estate of CAREY L. ROBERTS, late of Madison, Me deceased. Terry Martin Roberts, 13903 Felix Will Road, Riverview, FL 33579 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-078 – Estate of LINDA R. THOMAS, late of Madison, ME deceased. Aaron Thomas, 31 Spruce Street, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-080 – Estate of KEITH THEODORE STANLEY, late of Anson, Me deceased. Lisa Lester, 5600 59th St., N., St. Petersburg, FL 33709 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-085 – Estate of JOSEPH E. ASSELIN, late of Rockwood, Me deceased. Joseph E. Asselin, Jr., PO Box 336, Rockwood, Me 04478 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-087 – Estate of ROBERT ALLAN CHASSE, late of Bingham, Me deceased. William Joseph Chasse, 2250 24th Street, #326, San Francisco, CA 94017 appointed Personal Repre­sentative.

2022-088 – Estate of MARK N. WILLIAMS, late of Solon, Me deceased. Heather M. Henderson, 57 Tenney Hill Road, Casco, ME 04015 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-089 – Estate of HOPE E. GREEN, late of Embden, Me deceased. Tom J. Green III, 2275 Crescent Moon Drive, Redding, CA 96001 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-092 – Estate of TIMOTHY A. GREENLEAF, late of Madison, Me deceased. Jeffrey Greenleaf, 13 Longwood Avenue, Augusta, Me 04330 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-094 – Estate of JO-ANN M. PLOSZAJ, late of Ripley, Me. Deceased. Kimberly J. Hoehn, 235 Boston Post Road, Waterford, CT 06385 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-098 – Estate of DOROTHY ELIZABETH WORCESTER, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Anita Marie Crews, PO Box 385, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-100 – Estate of RONALD G. LAVASSEUR, late of Embden, Me deceased. Ellen Lavasseur, 192 Kennebec River Road, Embden Me 04958 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-101 – Estate of RODNEY C. BOUTWELL, late of Palmyra, Me deceased. Rodney E. Green, 2825 Euston Road, Winter Park, FL 32789 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-102 – Estate of BARBARA P. PETLEY, late of Athens, Me deceased. Terry A. Petley, PO Box 139, Anson, Me 04911 appointed Personal Representative.

2022-103 – Estate of SCOTT MILLER, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Sally Hall, 17 Ryan Lane, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Repre­sentative.

2022-104 – Estate of STEPHEN BASSETT, late of Harmony, Me deceased. Edward Bassett, 402 Lowell Street, Andover, MA 01810 appointed Personal Repre­sentative.
2022-105 – Estate of RYAN ALAIN McCAFFERTY, late of St. Albans, Me deceased. Shari L. McCafferty, PO Box St. Albans, Me 04971 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on MARCH 17, 2022 & MARCH 24, 2022.

Dated March 14, 2022
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(3/24)

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: The book business owners should read

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

Here is a book all business owners should read:

Leaders Eat Last: Why some teams pull together, and others don’t.
By Simon Sinek
Copyright 2014 Portfolio/Penguin Random House L.L.C.
Price: $18.00 Paperback
Pages: 350 pages with index
A time for leaders

Leaders create culture and culture; the right culture, is what makes great companies and organizations. Leaders lead by example. Leaders allow the key word there being allow their teams to be great.

No matter the size of your organization from three people to 3,000 people, culture is always important. Culture is what makes a great company in the end. And that must come from the top.

The simple example of a company president walking down the hall of his company and bending down to pick up a piece of paper off the floor is powerful. Much more powerful than all the talks about keeping the place clean.

Leaders look out for their people. In fact, author Simon Sinek says that we need to treat employees like our children and look out for them the same way we would our children.

A few years back, in the ‘80s, when Milton Friedman’s economics declared that companies only goal was to make money for the shareholders. Yikes! Look where that got us.

The big heroes at that time were Jack Welch and Al Chainsaw Dunlap whose answer to every problem was to cut heads. And whenever they did that, Wall Street cheered!

As an aside the children and now grandchildren of these headless victims watched this happen. It affected them first hand. No wonder they come to us today with a deep built-in distrust of corporations.

Consider where we are today, now when these ensuing generations are wary of joining companies, They don’t trust companies. They witnessed first hand that lauded leaders like Mr. Welch bragged about laying off ten percent of his management staff every year. What are they supposed to think?

No longer is this style treatment working, nor will it work in the future. The new trend of leader eats last. This means she takes care of here people first…and then they will take care of her.

As an example of the new kind of leader, the kind who is succeeding today, the author relates the story of Bob Chapman and his company Barry-Wehmiller. Bob Chapman is known for buying distressed companies and making them better. When one of these companies ran into trouble, Bob did not want to lay off people, which went against everything that he had been taught. He felt that if his family ran into financial difficulties, he would not send a couple of his kids away. And the same thing applied to his company.

Instead of laying off people he talked to his people, and they found ways to cooperate with one another to make sure everyone took care of everyone else.

This is just one example of how leaders eat last. How they are finding ways to take care of their people which in turn will take care of the company.

Okay, I can hear some of you humming Kumbaya in disgust. Sorry you feel that way, for your own sake. You had better read this book and get religion, or you are going to be one of those companies that goes out of business for lack of a work force. It will certainly help you be a great leader of a growing company.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Old time remedies continued

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by Debbie Walker

This week I want to thank Tom for sending me another remedy for getting rid of warts. It went something like this: “Take two pennies (one for each hand) and go to a place out of doors such as a field. Take a penny and rub it on the warts of the opposite hand and then throw it over that shoulder (left hand rubbed, throw over that shoulder.” Tom says after a couple of weeks, the warts turned black and fell off, never to return. Me, I just like the results without the fancy reason.

I have a friend whose mother taught him something a little different. If you get cut and it doesn’t want to quit bleeding, you pour black pepper in it. I did see that work. Don’t forget if you have question you might want to talk to your nurse, or maybe your pharmacist.

Banish Headaches:

Strong coffee may lesson the severity of a sick headache (sometimes called a migraine).

Soaking the hands in very in very hot water will ease pain in the head.

The distinctive fragrance of fresh green apples is very useful for relieving the pain of a migraine headache.

Coughs, Congestion and Sore Throats:

Chew honeycomb every day to relieve breathing tract problems. It will make you immune to allergy producing germs; honeycomb is most effective when it when it comes from bees in local hives.

Ease a sore throat and stop sinus drainage with one teaspoon vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle once an hour until cured.

Toast thinly sliced bread and then spread butter on both sides. Cover with scalded milk and spoon feed it to those suffering with a fever or the aches of flu.

I have a few things completely off topic that I would like to share with you while you are still in your winter months:

Outsmart Common Winter Stains:

Erase hot chocolate spills with salt: Simply blot the stain with water, cover with salt, then buff with a damp sponge dipped in laundry detergent.

Lift candle wax with this hot and cold trick: To easily get rid of wax stains, first rub the spots with an ice cube (this hardens the wax) scrape off with a butter knife. Then place folded paper towels on the area and press with a warm (not hot) dry iron to remelt and absorb any excess wax and voila!

Eliminate lotion marks with dishwashing liquid: greasy lotion is great for dry skin, but it leaves stains on your clothes! To remove them stir 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent ( it breaks down and lifts grease) into three teaspoons of water and pour onto stain, Pat liquid into the stain with a clean toothbrush then let sit for two minutes before rinsing with cool water,

I’m just curious what you will be doing with your time this week. Take time to relax whenever you can. It’s important. Contact me at DebbieWalker@yahoo.com.