Vassalboro News: Budget workers frustrated over state’s lack of action

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Budget Committee and School Board members trying to work on the 2017-18 school budget are frustrated by the state legislature’s annual inability to decide on state funding.

Additionally, some budget committee members are frustrated by school board members who, they say, made minimal budget reductions between the two groups’ joint meetings March 30 and April 11.

At the March 30 meeting, AOS (Alternative Educational Structure) Superintendent Eric Haley and Finance Director Paula Pooler talked about potential savings in teacher salaries, health insurance and high-school tuition. By April 11, they presented a revised budget that was $137,698 lower than the March 30 draft, with most of the savings in the three areas previously listed. However, under currently estimated state funding the revised budget would still require an increase in local property taxes approaching $388,000, which would raise the tax rate by close to one mil ($1 for each $1,000 of valuation).

Meeting without the school board on April 13, budget committee members advocated another $139,000 be taken from the school budget. They scheduled their next meeting for Tuesday evening, April 25, instead of the previously planned April 18, hoping to give school board members time to react (despite school vacation week).

Factors likely, but not guaranteed, to improve the financial situation include a more generous state subsidy for schools and, Town Manager Mary Sabins said, more state revenue sharing to the town than she currently projects and/or a larger than anticipated increase in property valuation when the assessor finishes his work.

Until at least some of these possibilities are realized, budget committee members made only tentative decisions on endorsing proposed municipal expenditures. In general, they accepted the proposals from Sabins and the board of selectmen, with the following exceptions:

  • Transfer Station Manager George Hamar asked for up to $20,000 for two new roll-off containers (about $7,500 apiece) and a snow-pusher attachment and chains for the backhoe he is acquiring from the Public Works Department. Selectmen approved both; budget committee members recommended $15,000 for the containers only.
  • After talking with Dan Mayotte, chief of Vassalboro’s First Responders, budget committee members on a 4-3 vote recommended $10,000 for the service instead of the $4,900 Sabins and selectmen recommended.
  • Selectmen endorsed the request for up to $35,000 to buy a new police vehicle in 2017-18. The budget committee recommended delaying the purchase.
  • Both boards advise voters to give $5,000 to the China Region Lakes Alliance (which requested $15,000), but selectmen plan to use money from taxes and the budget committee recommends appropriating it from the alewife fund (money from the sale of alewives caught at Webber Pond dam each spring).

Both boards agreed to recommend a $500 donation to Waterville Area Literacy Volunteers, the selectmen on a 2-1 vote. Selectmen have not had a chance to react to budget committee members’ recommendations on expenditures on which the two boards disagree. The next selectmen’s meeting is at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in the town office meeting room.

Vassalboro’s annual town meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, June 5. Budget committee members discussed postponing it to the end of June to get firm state figures on which to base local decisions; Sabins pointed out legal requirements surrounding the annual meeting and the school budget validation vote that made postponement too difficult to be seriously considered. Local elections will be held June 13 in conjunction with the state election day. Nomination papers for positions on the board of selectmen, school board and sanitary district board are available at the town office.

Ice Out on China Lake

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“A trip around China Lake Sunday evening, April 16, indicated large areas of floating ice in the middle and north end of the lake on the China side and in the Vassalboro basin.

Monday morning, with the lake flat calm, the sun was reflecting from the open water, a very pretty sight.

There was some ice in the coves in the Vassalboro basin and a little ice south of the narrows on the China side, but the lake was virtually clear of ice at that time.

It is the decision of the judge that ice out for 2017 occurred on China Lake on Monday, April 17.”

The judge’s decision is final.

For his accurate guess of April 17, Jason Fleming, of China, is this year’s winner of The Town Line’s ice out contest.

Easter egg hunt held by Winslow Baptist Church

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Zane Buker is searching for Easter eggs during the Eggstravagant Egg Hunt on April 15.
Photo by Tawni Lively, Central Maine Photography staff

The Winslow Baptist Church was the site of an Easter egg hunt for hundreds of children and their families during the Eggstravagant Egg Hunt on April 15. The annual tradition is held at the park and playground on Halifax and Dallaire streets, in Winslow. According to pastor Larry Lakey, “We really love this community and are happy to serve kids and their families in such a fun way!”

Temple Academy student recognized at State House

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State Senator Scott Cyrway, left, presented Kiara Carr, of Fairfield, with a Legislative Sentiment for her accomplishment of scoring 1,433 points during her basketball career at Temple Academy, in Waterville.
Contributed photo

On April 6, Senator Scott Cyrway (R-Kennebec) welcomed Kiara Carr, of Fairfield, and her family to the State House. During her visit, Kiara was presented with a Legislative Sentiment recognizing her achievement of scoring 1,433 points as a member of Temple Academy’s girls basketball team.

“During her junior year, Kiara joined an elite group of Maine student-athletes who have reached 1,000 cumulative points in their high school career,” said Sen. Cyrway. “Kiara was not done there. By the end of this past season, Kiara had reached 1,433 points! This is incredible.

“There is no doubt that Kiara is an extremely talented athlete. The amount of time and dedication that it would take one to reach such an accomplishment must be very great. And Kiara was able to reach this achievement, all while balancing the demands of her school work and other extra-curricular activities.

“I’m so proud to have such a talented student-athlete in my district. Congratulations to Kiara and best wishes as she makes her future plans!”

Local scout troop conducts food drive

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Local Scout Troop 479 collected over $480 in canned and dry food, and over $450 in cash donations over the Friday and Saturday before Easter.

 

Madison Bodine, right, reconnected with his former kindergarten teacher Ann Austin, during the food drive he helped spearhead for the China Food Pantry.

Boy Scout Troop #479, of China, did some good this past Good Friday and collected food and donations to support the local China Food Pantry.

Led by Scoutmaster Scott Adams, with committee member Priscilla Adams, Assistant Scoutmasters Matt and Madison Bodine, and scouts Nick Shelton, Tucker Leonard and Misha Littlefield, the team prepared ahead of time by creating a fundraising flyer and posting a notice for volunteers on the troop’s Facebook page. Then early Friday morning the good Samaritans set out on their mission of Easter love.

They worked tirelessly all day Friday and most of Saturday, collecting over $580 in food and $451 in cash donations!

“It was very rewarding to support the China community in this way,” said Madison Bodine, “and it was nice to reconnect with Mrs. Austin, my former kindergarten teacher.”

Ann Austin, who has run the food pantry for more than 25 years with her late husband, Lee, was blown away by the generosity.

“Such a pleasant surprise!” she said. “There’s a lot of need this time of year for something most of us take for granted. Madison and his scout troop have changed a lot of lives this Easter season!”

The China Community Food Pantry is located at 1320 Lakeview Drive in China Village, and is open Friday and Saturday, noon – 1 p.m. For more information, or to donate, please call 968-2421, or email Ann Austin at lee.ljaustin@gmail.com.

Week of April 13, 2017

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Week of April 13, 2017

Central Maine homeschoolers present Shakespearean play

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to catch the final showing of The Southern Maine Association of Shakespearean Homeschoolers (SMASH) production of The Comedy of Errors. After months of rehearsal (and surviving two blizzards!), and a previous weekend of public performances already under their belt, the cast hadn’t lost any of their enthusiasm for the material. Directed by Pastor Sam Richards, of Winthrop, it was truly amazing to see these kids, ages K-12, remember all their lines without a hitch! […]

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Give Us Your Best Shot! Week of April 13, 2017

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SIGN OF SPRING: Joan Chaffee, of Clinton, snapped these pussy willows in March.

 

IN A FOG: Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, photographed the church shrouded in fog.

 

FREQUENT VISITOR: Gene Kinnaly, of South China, was finally able to snap a photo of this barred owl that frequents his home.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Brook trout fishing is on the horizon

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Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee

The weather has warmed, the snow is melting and the streams are bustling with activity as the spring runoff is in full swing.

A party of six anglers landed these 22 brook trout on a trip to Nesowadnehunk Lake several years ago. Contributed photo

On a recent trip to Vermont, my wife and I saw many streams along the route swelling their banks and looking primed for brook trout fishing.

I have been on many a brook trout fishing trip, mostly to Nesowadnehunk Lake in northern Maine where the lake is exclusively brook trout – fly fishing only.

The meat of the brook trout, in my humble opinion, is the best tasting and sweetest of all the fish species, including salmon, probably because they are of the same family of Salmonidae. We have consumed many a brook trout by simply cooking them straight over a wood fired, outside fireplace, with no seasoning whatsoever.

The Eastern Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, varies in size depending on water temperature, productivity and food sources. Brook trout sizes will range from 7-1/2 to 17-1/2 inches in different lakes and streams. The stream brook trout is slower growing and usually much smaller than their lake relatives.

The brook trout is also known in other parts of its range as speckled trout, squaretail, mud trout and brook charr.

KI Jo-Mary Multiple Use Management Forest is a 175,000-acre, privately-owned, commercial forest located between Millinocket, Greenville and Brownville. Included within its boundaries are over 30 miles of the Appalachian Trail, the Gulf of Hagas Reserve, the Hermitage, the east and west branches of the Pleasant River, White Brook, more than 50 lakes and ponds and over 100 miles of brooks, streams, and rivers.

The brook trout has a dark green to brown color, with a distinctive marbled pattern of lighter shades across the flanks and back, and extending at least to the dorsal fin, and often to the tail. A distinctive sprinkling of red dots, surrounded by blue halos, occurs along the flanks. The belly and lower fins are reddish in color, the latter with white leading edges. Often the underparts, especially in the males, becomes very red or orange when the fish are spawning.

The brook trout’s range is varied but are increasingly becoming confined to higher elevations. Their southern range has been drastically reduced, with fish being restricted to higher-elevation, remote streams due to habitat loss and introductions of brown and rainbow trout.

They prefer clear water of high purity and a narrow pH range caused by environmental effects such as acid rain. Warm summer temperatures and low water flow rates are stressful on the brook trout populations, especially larger fish.

Brook trout have a diverse diet that includes larval, pupal, and adult forms of aquatic insects, and adult forms of terrestrial insects. The brook trout we catch at “The Hunk,” as the lake is known locally, had large amounts of crayfish in their stomachs.

Kassie Brunette, of Belgrade, displays a brook trout she caught last summer while fishing in the Jo-Mary Multiple Use Manage­ment Forest, in northern Maine.

Until the introduction of brown and rainbow trout, the brook trout attracted the most attention among anglers, especially fly-fishermen, from colonial times through the first 100 years of U.S. history. Following the decline in brook trout populations in the mid-19th century, anglers flocked to the Adirondacks in upstate New York and the Rangeley Lakes region in Maine to pursue the brook trout.

The world record brook trout was caught by Dr. W. J. Cook on the Nipigon River, in Ontario, in July 1915, at 31 inches. The weight couldn’t be confirmed because the badly decomposed fish weighed only 14.5 pounds after having been in the bush without refrigeration for 21 days.

Brook trout in North America became extirpated from many waterways due to land development, forest clear-cutting, and industrialization. Streams and creeks became polluted, dammed, or silted. The brown trout, not native to North America, has replaced the brook trout in many of its native waters.

Let’s just hope the many clean, pure waterways we still have in Maine remain that way to sustain the fate of the brook trout in a positive way. In some lakes where brook trout is supreme, we anglers always fear the possibility of other species being introduced illegally. We must remain vigilant.

Squaring off in Skowhegan

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Winslow youth wrestler Owen Vigue, 6, left, gets ready to compete with Madison youth wrestler Lacie Madore, at a recent tournament in Skowhegan.

Winslow youth wrestler Owen Vigue, 6, left, gets ready to compete with Madison youth wrestler Lacie Madore, at a recent tournament in Skowhegan.

Photo by Kevin Giguere, Central Maine Photography staff

Winners at Battle of Maine

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Huard’s Sport Karate team members, from left to right, Tyler Bard, of Fairfield, Tyler Martin, of Winslow, and Haeden Landry, of Vassalboro, all captured first place titles at the Battle of Maine Martial Arts Championships on March 25.

Huard’s Sport Karate team members, from left to right, Tyler Bard, of Fairfield, Tyler Martin, of Winslow, and Haeden Landry, of Vassalboro, all captured first place titles at  the Battle of Maine Martial Arts Championships on March 25.

Photo by Mark Huard