China select board, budget committee, town employees hold long meeting

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by Mary Grow

China select board members, joined by some budget committee members and several town employees, held a long four-part meeting Monday evening, Feb. 24.

They started at the public works garage on Alder Park Road, where Director of Public Works Shawn Reed introduced them to the large trucks, all wearing their plow gear this time of year, that live there.

Reed explained each vehicle’s advantages and disadvantages as he requested a replacement truck in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The group then viewed a smaller truck in the old town garage in the town office complex before adjourning to the town office meeting room for the bulk of the select board meeting.

Reversing a split decision Feb. 10 (see the Feb. 13 issue of The Town Line, p. 3), select board members voted 4-1, with Blane Casey still opposed, to recommend buying a new plow truck next year, at a cost expected to be slightly under $300,000. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said about that amount is now in the truck reserve fund.

Reed recommends selling one of the old trucks after the new one arrives.

Select board members’ longest discussion was with Robert O’Connor and Jamie Pitney, of the China Broadband Committee, over the proposed agreement with Unitel for expanded broadband service in China (another topic discussed at the Feb. 10 meeting).

Unitel proposes a new main line running from its Albion office through China to Palermo, to connect with the five-town Waldo Broadband Corporation. A second phase of the project would expand service to parts of China currently underserved or unserved.
Board Chairman Wayne Chadwick repeated his refusal to approve a project that involves China investing money — $370,000 in TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds – without a firm guarantee that un- and underserved China residents will be served within a reasonable time.

Pitney and O’Connor provided as much information as they could. Because some of the project funding depends on a federal grant, they, too, expressed uncertainty, about whether the grant program would exist and whether Unitel would be awarded one.

The grant is called BEAD, which stands for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. Select board members voted unanimously to sign a letter supporting Unitel’s grant application. They took no action on the draft agreement with Unitel.

In a series of unanimous votes, select board members:

— Approved rules, procedures and membership fees for the planned community garden on the Lakeview Drive lot south of the town office. The document is on the town website, chinamaine.org, under two headings: Officials, Boards, & Committees, subheading China for a Lifetime Committee; and Community, at the bottom of the list.
— Authorized the Community Forest Committee to apply for a grant from the Portland-based Libra Foundation, for $4,093, for locally made trail signs for the forest behind the China schools.
— Revised the town’s building permit fee schedule, reducing one fee and increasing two others to better reflect the codes officer’s time.
— Appointed Jane Robertson budget committee secretary.

The third part of the select board meeting was a preliminary review of part of Hapgood’s draft 2025-26 municipal budget. The manager briefly summarized proposed changes in the first five (of 12) accounts.

Highlights:

— Board members agreed unanimously the administration account will not include a suggested $11,000 to create the position of part-time recreation director. Hapgood said $10,500 was approved in the 2023-24 budget, but the town was unable to hire anyone for the position.
— By another unanimous vote, board members agreed the boards and committee budget will not include stipends for themselves.
— They deleted from the public safety account a proposed increase in the hours Kennebec County sheriff’s deputies serve the town, from eight to 10 a week. Chadwick commended the officers for their work, but considered coverage adequate.
— In the proposed solid waste budget, Hapgood said hauling costs have been reduced, because “The fabulous transfer station people make sure the loads going out are full” and therefore less numerous.
Board members favor starting a reserve fund to replace the transfer station scales, though they did not decide on an initial amount.

Preliminary consideration of the rest of the budget was postponed at 8:10 p.m., 10 minutes past Chadwick’s unofficial deadline. Board members considered holding a budget workshop later in the week, but were unable to find an evening everyone would be available. Extra budget meetings in March are likely.

The evening’s fourth and final meeting was a separate one, as select board members reconvened as the board of assessors. They unanimously accepted two recommendations from the town assessor on abatement requests, denying one and approving the other.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, March 10.

Webber Pond dam main topic at select board meeting

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by Mary Grow

A main business item on the Feb. 20 Vassalboro select board agenda, a discussion of planned enlargement of the fishway at the Webber Pond dam, turned into a discussion of movement for people, not fish.

The 2009 fishway “has been so successful that it’s now undersized,” Maine Rivers Executive Director Landis Hudson summarized. Project Manager Matt Streeter explained a detailed plan to rebuild the fishway in the same place, but wider, deeper and longer.

(Hudson and Streeter are familiar with Vassalboro: Maine Rivers headed the 2017-2022 China Lake Alewife Restoration Initiative [ARI] that opened Vassalboro’s Outlet Stream to alewife migration from the Kennebec River to China Lake.)

The work needs to be done between July 15 and Sept. 30, by federal regulation of work done in the water, Streeter said. It will require big machinery, which will be left on site overnights and weekends.

To make room for parked machinery, the plan includes closing the entrance to Dam Road from Webber Pond Road. Streeter described the planned 3.5-mile detour for residents on the southwest side of Webber Pond via Hannaford Hill and McQuarrie roads.

Three audience members objected strongly. Not to the bigger fishway; they said that’s a good idea.

But more traffic on McQuarrie Road is a bad and dangerous idea, they said. The road is narrow; they were especially concerned about a steep pitch where it’s impossible to see oncoming traffic.

They asked Streeter about alternatives, like moving the machinery nights and weekends or installing a temporary bridge to provide a new entrance to Dam Road.

Fire Chief Walker Thompson said he checked McQuarrie Road recently and thought emergency access would not be a problem.

Area resident and former select board member Barbara Redmond and present board member Chris French wondered about the town’s right to close private roads without residents’ permission. Board Chairman Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., asked if Maine Rivers could prepare a supplemental plan showing roads and elevations.

Streeter and Thompson offered to meet with affected residents. Redmond said if a meeting is scheduled, she will help publicize it.

In addition to the fishway, Streeter said discussions with the Webber Pond Association led to planned new dam gates, electrically operated, that will be easier to manage and will allow greater control of the pond’s outflow.

In other business Feb. 20, select board members settled one issue and decided another is not urgent.

— After another brief discussion, they voted unanimously to accept transfer station fee increases that Manager Adam Daoust proposed in December 2024, to take effect July 1, 2025.
— Town Manager Aaron Miller said the Secretary of State’s office will not be able to evaluate the suitability of the town office for state voting until fall. The issue is whether the space can be arranged to meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements.

Board members decided they can hold the June town meeting at Vassalboro Community School and June elections – which are local only ­– in the town office, as in past years, and worry about November’s voting place later.

The Feb. 20 select board agenda included the proposal to amend Vassalboro’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) document to allow TIF money to help pay for replacing Dunlap bridge on Mill Hill Road.

Voters rejected a Nov. 5, 2024, referendum question asking them to add environmental improvement projects to authorized uses of TIF money, by a vote of 1,200 in favor to 1,338 opposed.

Select board members have been considering a revised question for this spring’s open town meeting. French proposed submitting the November 2024 question again, believing when board members have an opportunity to explain it, voters will approve it.

Miller said he would consult with the town’s attorney.

The next regular Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 6.

Vassalboro select board, department heads hash over budget

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members and leaders of town departments and groups discussed the proposed 2025-26 budget for more than 90 minutes Feb. 20 before moving on to the rest of the select board agenda.

Town Manager Aaron Miller presented the third draft budget he prepared after a Feb. 12 workshop (see the Feb. 20 issue of The Town Line, p. 2). Some minor changes were in response to earlier discussions; some reflected updated information.

Public Works Director Brian Lajoie and board members talked about costs and timing for replacing town trucks. Lajoie described remaining work on the new storage building on the public works lot and plans to pave more of the lot.

Lajoie had included two dirt roads, Town Farm Road and Dow Road, in his proposed 2025-26 paving budget. Dirt roads need extra winter and spring maintenance, he explained.

Select board chairman Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., and member Chris French were not persuaded paving would save enough money to be worth doing.

Fire Chief Walker Thompson argued strongly for a $5,000 item in the $112,622 budget request, a stipend for assistant chief Bob Williams. Thompson listed the time Williams spends on administrative work, in addition to fire calls, and the miles he puts on his personal vehicle as reasons taxpayers should be asked to cover part of his expenses.

Michael Vashon added that Williams’ reviews of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grant applications had helped the department win a half-million dollars in grant funding.

When the state Department of Labor did a recent surprise inspection, the Vassalboro fire department got no demerits, Thompson said, partly because of Williams’ work. A continued good record could lead to future savings on insurance.

Recreation Director Karen Stankis asked select board members to clarify her job description. She shared information on the programs, not limited to sports, that she runs or oversees for residents of all ages, and suggested additional programs and facilities, like an ice rink and a playground for younger children.

Librarian Brian Stanley provided information on library costs and services to support a requested budget increase, from $71,000 this year to $74,000 next year. Town funding has never covered expenses, he pointed out; trustees fund-raise aggressively and seek grants.

Meanwhile, unavoidable costs like salaries and insurance rise annually. Stanley would like to be able to offer increased staff benefits, and to expand weekly library hours from 38 to 44.

Library services go well beyond lending books. Stanley’s lengthy list included providing free Wi-Fi access from the parking lot; connecting residents with help with state and federal paperwork; presenting community programs; and providing meeting space for local organizations, private groups and sometimes town boards and committees.

John Melrose, for the Vassalboro Historical Society, expanded on the request for town funding for a part-time curator. Select board member Michael Poulin was doubtful about it at the Feb. 12 workshop, pointing out that the town is responsible for maintaining the VHS headquarters building, but not for operations.

Melrose said if residents are to take advantage of the society’s offerings, they need to have resources digitized and to have more opportunities to visit and programs to attend, matters a curator would promote.

“You just can’t do ’em all with volunteers,” Melrose said.

Select board member Chris French recommended leaving the $10,000 increase (to $15,000) in the draft Historical Society budget line for discussion with the budget committee.

Including the estimated Kennebec County tax, the draft 2025-26 municipal budget now stands at a little under $4.05 million, an increase of almost $300,000 from the current year.

The annual school budget is separate from and larger than the municipal budget. The Vassalboro School Board has scheduled a budget workshop for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at the school.

Shoes major topic of China transfer station committee meeting

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by Mary Grow

Shoes were a major topic at the China Transfer Station Committee’s Feb. 11 meeting.

Committee member Rachel Anderson, one of the volunteers at the free for the taking building, explained that many people donate used shoes, and many of the shoes are wearable – if the right person with the right size feet comes along quickly.

Shoes not promptly claimed are apt to end up on the floor, separated and getting stepped on and grubby. A volunteer can sometimes reunite and clean up a few pairs; too many end up discarded.

Committee members proposed protective measures, like zip-tying pairs to keep them together. They suggested alternative places for donating used shoes, including Goodwill, in Waterville, and perhaps the Palermo Christian Church – they knew the church accepted donated clothing, but were not sure about shoes (see box).

More volunteers to keep the building organized would also help, they said. Transfer Station Manager Thomas Maraggio commended the Palermo resident who volunteers an hour every morning.

An inquiry to the Palermo Christian Church brought the reply that “our Exchange Shop does accept new or gently used shoes.”

The church is located at 322 Branch Mills Road, in Palermo. Its website is www.palermochristianchurch.org; telephone number is (207) 993-2636; email address is office@palermochristianchurch.org. The church also has a Facebook page.

Two broader issues discussed Feb. 11 were revisions to the draft transfer station mission statement and the preliminary 2025-26 budget.

The mission statement emphasizes recycling. Committee members talked again about the money saved on disposal costs, and sometimes earned when the price of recyclables is up, and about ways to promote and publicize these benefits to taxpayers.

(In a Jan. 23 email, Town Clerk Angela Nelson copied an invoice showing China was paid $1,741.68 for a shipment of cardboard. Accompanying comments from Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood added that China did not pay for the trucking, and 43,542 pounds, or almost 22 tons, had been taken out of the waste stream, for which the town pays trucking and disposal costs.)

Two suggestions in the draft statement are to develop alternative energy at, and for, the transfer station and to install automatic gates that would allow off-hours dumping.

Palermo representative Bob Kurek said alternative energy suggestions include solar power or an incinerator. Hapgood said a consultant had advised that the covered-over waste pile north of the station is not suitable for solar, although there might be other alternatives.

Off-hours access is forbidden by the state, so committee chairman J. Christopher Baumann deleted the proposal. Hapgood said the town office does not get a lot of complaints about operating hours.

The first draft 2025-26 transfer station budget shows a decrease, mostly because one employee who works there and in public works will be moved to the public works budget.

Committee members briefly discussed the transfer station scales. Director of Public Services Shawn Reed said load sensors and the steel support beams need replacement. Maraggio added that an inspector said the scales have been well maintained and should last another 15 to 20 years. The draft budget includes $12,000 for a scale reserve fund.

Maraggio’s list of 2025-26 projects includes creating a state-required impervious surface under the brush pile; doing additional paving; changing drainage around the recycling building; and replacing the recycling center roof.

The next China Transfer Station Committee meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 11.

China codes officer alerts residents about change in insulation rules

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by Mary Grow

At the China Planning Board’s Feb. 11 meeting, Codes Enforcement Officer Nicholas French issued a warning to residents planning to build this spring: get your building permit before April 7, unless you want to pay a few thousand dollars more for insulation.

New state standards taking effect April 7 require more insulation than is currently required, French said. For permits issued before April 7, current standards remain in effect.

The second announcement at the Feb. 11 meeting was from District 1 representative Michael Brown, who said he is resigning from the board because he has too many other obligations (see the Feb. 13 issue of The Town Line, p. 1).

Upcoming changes to energy code

by Nick French
Town of China CEO/LPI

I want to draw everyone’s attention to the upcoming changes to the Energy Code that Maine will implement starting Monday, April 7. In this time of elevated costs of construction materials, labor, and housing in general, the state has elected to adopt a more stringent prescriptive path for insulation in wood-framed walls than is required by the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code.

The 2021 IECC itself only had one change in the prescriptive path for Energy Efficiency in Climate Zone 6, going from an R-49 in the ceiling up to an R-60. Maine will, as of April 7, require wood-framed walls to be insulated by one of 4 methods:

⁃ R-30 in the wall cavity between the studs (10” thick exterior wall)
⁃ R-20 cavity (6” wall) with R-10 continuous insulation (2” of foam board insulation)
⁃ R-13 cavity (4” wall) with R-15 continuous insulation (3” of foam board insulation)
⁃ R-20 continuous insulation (typically achieved through spray foam)

I want to be perfectly clear; this is state-wide. Many communities in the surrounding area fall below the 4,000 resident threshold to enforce these provisions, but builders are still required to comply with these rules unless they go with a performance-based outcome. For more information on that approach, head to: energycodes.gov/rescheck

This only applies to permits taken out starting April 7, and while I’m not looking forward to a sudden influx of permits, I urge everyone to get those applications in as soon as possible.

The select board is responsible for appointing Brown’s successor, who may live anywhere in town. Since voters amended China’s Planning Board Ordinance in June 2024, board members are appointed, not elected, and districts have been abolished.

The bulk of the Feb. 11 meeting was spent reviewing and approving board chairman Toni Wall’s recommended ordinance amendments that will delete references to timber harvesting, as requested by state Forest Service officials. In November 2024, voters approved another amendment transferring authority to regulate timber harvesting in shoreland, stream protection and resource protection districts to the state.

Wall intends to send the recommended deletions to the select board for approval and to hold a public hearing before changes are presented to voters at the June 10 annual town business meeting.

Board members briefly discussed future amendments, including revising the subdivision ordinance and adding provisions allowing cluster housing in China. Wall’s goal is to have wording ready to submit to voters in November.

The next regular China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Feb. 25.

VCS school board sees contrasting presentations on special programs

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro school board members began their Feb. 11 meeting with contrasting presentations on special programs offered for Vassalboro Community School (VCS) students.

First, they watched a slide show with video about Whispering Woods Stables, on Ingraham Mountain Road, off Route 3, in Augusta. A small group of VCS special education students attended weekly learning sessions with horses (and other animals) last fall.

Then they moved to Tech Systems Administrator David Trask’s room, to see the larger printers and other new gadgets that let students program miniature robot vehicles and shoot rockets all over the school grounds.

The Whispering Woods presentation, by owner Teresa Elvin and program director Carson Harvey, showed photos of the farm’s animals – seven horses, six miniature horses, goats, chickens, cats, a rabbit and a dog – and children interacting with them.

The program does not include riding, Elvin said. Students form relationships with their chosen horses by reading to them and leading them through obstacle courses and on hunts for educational objects.

Elvin summarized the program as “horse-powered reading, teaching skills in a non-traditional environment,” where students are less stressed.

Sessions mix relationship-building, horse care, classroom skills, physical activities, life skills and, the slide show says, “Most importantly, encourage fun and play for both the student and the horse.”

Elvin thanked special education technician Desarae Dearborn for arranging a field trip that led to last fall’s pilot program. She hopes to continue the connection with VCS.

Whispering Woods offers nine-week sessions in fall, spring and summer, for small groups of students in grades one through four. A session costs $3,000 or more, depending mostly on the composition of the student group.

Trask’s robotics and rocketry program also encourages fun and play, primarily for VCS students in grades three through eight, although there are offerings for younger students as well.

Trask showed school board members some of the products of a T for Technology grant he received. Small cars moved among colored tiles on the floor; slightly larger vehicles tried to knock over 3D printed bowling pins; against the back wall, one of the bigger new 3D printers worked on a project.

The rocketry is practiced on the school grounds: groups of students shoot rockets they made, trying to land them inside a hula hoop lying on the grass some distance away. Trask’s slide show illustrated an occasional success.

The Feb. 11 board meeting was preceded by another discussion with engineers from Energy Management Consultants of Portland, about proposed renovations and updates to the VCS building. This discussion was based on board members’ priority recommendations (see the Jan. 23 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

During the business part of the meeting, Principal Ira Michaud reported that VCS enrollment had increased to 430 students. The school provided transportation to three area high schools for eighth-graders deciding where they want to attend school next year, he said.

Superintendent Alan Pfieffer added that high school tuition rates increased almost six percent for the 2025 calendar year. He and board members did not begin reviewing the 2025-26 school budget request; a budget workshop is scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 4, in the VCS library.

Pfeiffer thanked the Vassalboro public works crew for continued support and collaboration, especially during recent snowstorms.

The superintendent’s report included an update on the child care program at VCS, the Neighborhood Child Care Center, from Executive Director Jennifer Lizotte. She wrote that 47 students are enrolled, including eight from Vassalboro’s pre-kindergarten program. She referred to a “staffing crisis” that is making running the program difficult.

Lizotte thanked Michaud and Assistant Principal Tabitha Brewer for their cooperation as her program shares space in the school building.

School board members accepted the resignation of Special Education Director Tanya Thibeau, effective in June, with half-serious hesitation and sincere regret.

The next regular school board meeting, after the March 4 budget workshop, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, at the school.

Three Vassalboro select board members only residents to see second budget draft

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by Mary Grow

The three select board members were the only Vassalboro residents present as they went through the second draft of the proposed 2025-26 municipal budget at a Feb. 12 workshop meeting.

Town Manager Aaron Miller said one resident had emailed him general comments on what the person thinks should – and should not – be in the town’s budget.

Board members spent almost two and a half hours with Miller’s draft budget, revised after their previous meeting Feb. 6 (see the Feb. 13 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

Decisions were to continue the review at their next regular meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20; to invite Public Works Director Brian Lajoie, Transfer Station Manager Adam Daoust and Recreation Director Karen Stankis to come to talk about parts of their budget requests; and to invite Vassalboro Budget Committee members.

Board members intend to have a preliminary recommended draft for the budget committee early in March, allowing time for that group’s review and joint discussion before the warrant for the June town meeting is put in final form.

Town meeting voters make final budget decisions.

Among topics re-discussed Feb. 12 was the need to replace Dunlap bridge on Mill Hill Road. Miller said a state official told him the $200,000 grant awarded last summer could be rescinded under the Trump administration.

Board members considered funding alternatives. Miller will check on costs of taking out a bond for the project.

Board member Chris French said repeatedly that his priority for 2025-26 is a new backhoe at the transfer station, a purchase he said would benefit the whole town. He is therefore willing to cut or postpone other expenditures.

Miller said Vassalboro has a chance to buy a backhoe, paying over three years with no interest.

The Vassalboro Historical Society’s budget request includes $10,000 for a part-time curator, whose job would include digitizing appropriate parts of the society’s collection; advising on accessions and discards; and supervising volunteers.

Board member Michael Poulin objected that the town, as owner of the former school that is the society’s headquarters, is responsible only for building maintenance, not for operations.

These and other topics will undoubtedly be discussed again on Feb. 20. That evening’s select board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with the budget discussion at the top of the agenda.

Other Feb. 20 topics include a conversation with Matt Streeter, of Maine Rivers; continued discussion of proposed amendments to Vassalboro’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) program; transfer station fee changes; and whether voting should be conducted at the town office, Vassalboro Community School or some other place.

China select board discourages two residents asking for town expenditures

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by Mary Grow

At their Feb. 10 meeting, China select board members discouraged two residents recommending town expenditures.

Director of Public Services Shawn Reed, who made a second pitch for a new town truck, was rejected, on a split vote.

Board chairman Wayne Chadwick told Broadband Committee chairman Robert O’Connor and member Jamie Pitney he would oppose a broadband expansion proposal unless it met his criteria.

Reed repeated points he made two weeks earlier about the age of town plow trucks and the difficulty of keeping roads clear when a truck is out of service, as happens almost every storm (see the Jan. 30 issue of The Town Line, p. 3). He expects truck prices will continue to increase, perhaps in part because of the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel.

Asked about the $297,676 price he had two weeks ago from O’Connor Motors, in Augusta, Reed said he was not sure it was still good; nor could he guarantee that signing a purchase agreement would hold a price.

Reed and Chadwick discussed types of undercoating that might extend truck life. Frequent washings help, Reed said; one more bay on the town garage would provide an indoor space, so his crew would not have to work outdoors, wearing creepers to avoid falling as the washwater froze on the driveway.

After a 15-minute discussion, board members voted not to buy a new town truck in 2025. Only Edwin Bailey and Jeanne Marquis were in favor; Chadwick, Blane Casey and Thomas Rumpf voted no.

O’Connor had sent board members a proposed contract with Unitel, the Albion-based Direct Communications subsidiary with which China’s Broadband Committee has been working. The town committee’s goal is to expand and improve broadband service in China, starting with unserved and underserved areas.

The plan O’Connor explained involves China contributing $370,000 in already-approved TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds toward expansion. Pitney said the estimated total cost is around $2 million.

The project has two parts: a new main line running from Albion through China to connect with Palermo, a member of the five-town group that also works with Unitel; plus expansion of service to un- and underserved parts of China.

This project depends on a successful grant application. O’Connor urged select board members to send a letter supporting the grant. Without grant funding, Pitney said, only the main line would be built.

Chadwick considers the main line a benefit to Unitel, not China, and if China pays, he wants to be sure China benefits. Unless he is guaranteed the project will include expanded service in China, he will vote against it, he said. Marquis voiced a similar concern.

No action was taken.

In other business, board members unanimously accepted the lowest of three bids to replace a heater in the town garage, $4,813.99 from M. A. Haskell Fuel Company, of Palermo.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood summarized changes in speed limits in the Weeks Mills Village area that were recently approved by the state Department of Transportation.

The manager reported the following items from town departments:

— A reminder that all proposed questions for the June 10 town business meeting need to be reviewed by select board members in March, to meet the April 11 deadline for a final meeting warrant. March select board meetings are scheduled for the evenings of Monday, March 10, and Monday, March 24.
— Notice that the transfer station is now accepting number 1 plastic for recycling.

Schedules of events for China Ice Days, Feb. 14 through Feb. 16, are on the China Four Seasons Club website and in the recently mailed Feb. 7 issue of China Connected. Hapgood and board members briefly considered potential effects of the snowstorm forecast for Sunday, Feb. 16.

All town services will be closed Monday, Feb. 17, for the Presidents’ Day holiday, Hapgood said.

Select board members did not discuss the draft 2025-26 budget at their Feb. 2 meeting, deciding 8 p.m. was time to adjourn. They plan to start their Feb. 24 meeting at 5:30 p.m., half an hour earlier than usual, to leave more time for budget review.

EVENTS: Palermo planning board postpones meeting

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The Palermo Planning Board meeting, schedule for Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the Palermo Town Office, at 6 pm., the purpose to conduct official review of plans for the proposed Pine Hill subdivision on Hostile Valley Road, Tax Map R11, Lot 27C, has been postponed.

Vassalboro planners approve new 7-lot subdivision on Seaward Mills Road

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Planning Board members unanimously approved a new seven-lot subdivision on Seaward Mills Road at their Feb. 4 meeting.

Surveyor Adam Ellis presented a final plan for the Hidden Acres subdivision, on land owned by Jeremy Allen. Board members had discussed preliminary plans at their Dec. 3, 2024, and Jan. 7, 2025, meetings (see the Jan. 16 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

They found the application complete, with one exception: Vassalboro’s subdivision ordinance requires an E911 address for each proposed house in the subdivision.

Impossible, codes officer Eric Currie said. He cannot assign an E911 address until the driveway and house have been precisely located by GPS (Global Positioning System).

Board members waived the requirement.

Reviewing the subdivision plan against a long list of ordinance criteria, they found it meets requirements, with two minor changes that Ellis made on the spot and added to the town’s and the county Registry of Deeds’ copies of the plan.

Allen said he intends to build the dead-end interior road, probably in phases, sell the lots and be done. Things like road maintenance, a road association or a homeowners’ association will be up to the new landowners.

The next Vassalboro Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 4, in the town office meeting room.