by Mary Grow

Monica Stanton, operator of the Rage Room, in North Vassalboro, got instructions on filing a complete application for her business at the Oct. 7 Vassalboro Planning Board meeting.

Stanton has been running the Rage Room, where people come to express anger destructively but without harming others, since summer, without a town permit. Codes Officer Eric Currie had consulted the town attorney about enforcement action.

Board chairman Virgina Brackett explained to Stanton the steps she needs to take before the Nov. 4 board meeting, when her application will again be on the agenda.

First, Stanton needs to send notices to abutters in time to get back the “green cards” that confirm they have been received, so board members will know abutters are aware of the meeting at which the application is discussed.

Stanton said she did send notices, last week, but she did not have the required confirmation they’d been received. She and her companion, James Childs, said they will send them again.

The second requirement is a revised application expanding on the one Stanton previously filed, especially by adding a detailed site plan, drawn to scale. Brackett explained that the plan is a basis for written information about traffic patterns, parking, lighting, waste disposal, buffers, business hours and sundry other matters listed in town ordinances.

Purposes are to protect neighbors and the environment from any harmful effects the business might have, and to provide documentation for future town officials.

Stanton said the business, housed in a shipping container behind the former North Vassalboro school building, is open by appointment only, Wednesday through Sunday between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Stanton and Childs almost missed the chance to talk with the board. The meeting began a minute or so early, by the meeting room clock, and with only the Rage Room for business, had adjourned by the time the applicants came in five minutes after the starting time. Brackett promptly reconvened.

The next Vassalboro Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 4, in the town office meeting room. Vassalboro’s Nov. 4 voting, with local as well as state questions, will be at Vassalboro Community School.

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members and heads of town emergency services spent most of the Oct. 2 select board meeting in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) review of the town’s emergency readiness.

Before welcoming the local speakers, board members took one important action: they appointed Jenna Davies, from East Vassalboro, and Lauchlin Titus, from North Vassalboro, as members of the Vassalboro Sanitary District’s board of trustees.

The two join Raymond Breton, appointed last month (see the Sept. 25 issue of The Town Line, p. 2), on what is supposed to be a five-member board.

Local speakers for the SWOT discussion were Dan Mayotte, Vassalboro First Responders chief; Mark Brown, Vassalboro police chief; and Walker Thompson, Vassalboro fire chief. Delta Ambulance’s executive director Chris Mitchell added to Mayotte’s comments.

Select board member Chris French related the discussion to select board members’ consideration of reviving a capital expenditures committee. The committee would do long-range planning to meet town needs, including emergency services.

“I want to hear from our experts,” French said.

Thompson and Brown had near the beginning of their lists of strengths support from town government and community members. All three speakers cited good working relationships with other emergency service departments, in town and in neighboring towns.

All shared two main weaknesses: shortage of reliably available personnel and shortage of money.

Brown is the town’s only policeman. People from the county sheriff’s department and the state police work with him, but, he pointed out, those departments are understaffed and officers cover large territories, so their assistance is not always prompt.

His many years of law enforcement experience and the visibility of the police department are strengths, Brown believes. Vassalboro owns a well-identified police vehicle that Brown keeps where people see it.

Theoretically on duty 15 hours a week, he actually spends additional time, as his schedule permits, responding to emergencies, assisting other town officials and doing other police work.

Brown sees his limited hours as a major weakness. Residents who think the Criminal Justice Academy, housed in the former Oak Grove School, provides local law enforcement are mistaken, he said.

One of Brown’s responsibilities is working with students and staff at Vassalboro Community School. He and Vassalboro School Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said a school resource officer would be a valuable addition. French and others agreed.

Fire Chief Thompson’s view of fire department membership was mixed. The department has recently gained and trained new members, who join “for the right reasons,” the desire to serve their community. At the same time, experience is being lost as older members retire.

Members cannot always respond to an alarm; they are at work (perhaps out of town or in a job they cannot leave), have family responsibilities or are unavailable for other reasons. Thompson had figures showing a steady increase in calls, both in-town and for mutual aid, since 2022, with 2025’s total looking to exceed 2024’s. He had no explanation for the increase.

Yet another problem Thompson summarized as “Regulations forcing out volunteers,” by which he meant steadily increasing requirements for training, without pay.

Equipment is also both a plus and a minus, Thompson said. Right now, the department’s equipment is in good condition; but there are no financial plans to replace anything. Increasing costs for essentials — training, equipment, supplies, repairs – combined with decreased federal funding pose a future threat.

Thompson reminded the audience that community members, too, have responsibilities, like keeping smoke detectors working. Batteries should be replaced every six months, even if the detectors are not beeping reminders, he said.

Mayotte’s lists resembled the other departments’. The First Responders unit has 14 members, two licensed at the paramedic (highest) level; in his opinion, morale is good, cooperation within and outside town is good, equipment is good.

“I’m very proud of the members that we have,” Mayotte said.

But because members are volunteers with work, family and other responsibilities, not all emergency calls get answered. There is no guarantee volunteers will keep signing up; and as with the fire department, costs are rising, especially for training and for ambulance transport.

Mitchell, who has spoken twice recently to audiences that included some of those present Oct. 2 (see the Sept. 25 issue of The Town Line, p. 3), briefly re-explained Delta’s plan to use its resources, especially its paramedics, more efficiently.

Grants have helped several area emergency departments. Mayotte said Vassalboro First Responders and firefighters used part of a recent one to staff the North Vassalboro fire station 12 hours a week, temporarily, providing time to do paperwork and having at least one person for emergency response during that brief period.

Select board member French thanked everyone for their contributions. Town Manager Aaron Miller mentioned new Maine legislation, presented as LD 294, allowing municipalities to offer limited incentives to emergency services volunteers.

Vassalboro select board members will hold a special meeting, in executive session, Thursday evening, Oct. 9. Their next regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, beginning with public hearings on three Nov. 4 local ballot questions.