Vassalboro transfer station committee reviews changes manager claims are overkill

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by Mary Grow

At a Nov. 13 meeting, Vassalboro transfer station task force members reviewed plans for changes at the transfer station that new station manager Adam Daoust thinks may be overkill.

Presently, users disposing of municipal solid waste (MSW) at the Lombard Dam Road facility have to back up to the waste hopper. Occasional accidents led to a select board decision last fall to work toward a new plan that would eliminate the need to drive backwards.

The proposed alternative is drive-through area. It would have a roof, to keep water out of the waste, and open ends, to prevent build-up of gases.

In January, Vassalboro select board members contracted with Senders science, engineering & construction, of Camden, to design the new building, after company head Jeff Senders visited the facility and met with task force members.

Senders presented three slightly different plans. In addition to the new building, part of the plan is having separate entrance and exit driveways instead of the present single driveway.

Task force members reviewed the plans and talked about costs, needed permits and approvals, accommodating commercial haulers as well as individual residents, traffic issues on Lombard Dam Road and disruptions of service during construction, among other issues.

Select board and task force member Chris French pointed out that voters have supported putting away money for the project for two years. Perhaps, he said, Vassalboro could contract to use China’s disposal facility during the change-over.

Daoust suggested taking down the tower that now rises above the facility; putting a cover over the MSW hopper and another over the separate bulky waste hopper; and leaving the traffic pattern as it is. He thinks the proposed changes would do little to improve traffic flow and might increase waiting time.

Town Manager Aaron Miller asked task force members to send their suggestions to Daoust, and Daoust to write up a response and his ideas.

Task force members tentatively scheduled their next meeting for 5:15 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 12, before that evening’s select board meeting.

Vassalboro school board listens to plans for school building upgrades

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

At their Nov. 12 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members heard and watched on screen a presentation from three representatives of their consultant on building upgrades, Energy Management Consultants (EMC), of Portland.

President Thomas Seekins and engineers Adam Hodgkins and Erik Rodstrom had created an on-line program that describes work they recommend be done at Vassalboro Community School. Projects include everything from complex technical rearrangements to replacing current incandescent lights with LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and fixing a small hole in the basement wall (after finding out what caused it).

The EMC representatives had three main reasons for their suggestions.

First, they pointed out that although VCS has been well maintained, much of it is now 32 years old, and the life-time of many components is 25 years or less.

Second, some of the original equipment is so out of date that replacement parts are hard to obtain and technicians are no longer trained to work with it.

And third, many of the suggested changes will save enough energy to reduce costs.

The EMC presentation included suggested priorities, based partly on need, like replacing things most likely to fail due to old age, and partly on advantages, including easier use, increased comfort and convenience and energy savings. School board members plan to propose their own priority list after they have had time to review the EMC report.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said 2025-26 budget deliberations will begin early in 2025, so decisions on projects for next year (if any) should be made promptly. Until the board approves a plan, no cost or savings estimates can be made.

In other business Nov. 12, board members discussed traffic problems as parents drop off and pick up students before and after classes. Consensus was that given the number of cars and the procedures needed to ensure student safety, school staff are doing a good job of managing the twice-daily congestion.

Board members approved several appointments, including Cheryl Coffin as half-time fifth-grade science and social studies teacher.

They accepted the resignation of school nurse Molly Carter. Pfeiffer said Carter has accepted another position that offers more hours. She plans to stay at VCS until the Christmas vacation; applicants for the position will be interviewed starting soon.

The superintendent reminded board members that VCS is a designated Red Cross emergency shelter. A dozen people have signed up to volunteer if the shelter has to be opened; more are welcome, and can sign up by contacting Town Manager Aaron Miller or Town Clerk Cathy Coyne at the Vassalboro town office.

The next Vassalboro school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the school.

Vassalboro select board ponders changing bank, town attorney

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by Mary Grow

The Nov. 13 Vassalboro select board meeting included two phone-ins, as board members debated whether to change the town’s bank and the town attorney.

After the discussion of switching banks, with Jennifer Seekins, of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, they postponed a decision. Board member Chris French said he wanted more options to consider.

When board chairman Frederick “Rick” Denico asked why switch, the principal reason was that the town’s bank accounts are currently not fully insured. Bar Harbor offers complete FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) coverage.

The second telephone conversation was with Patrick Lyons, of the law firm Eaton Peabody. Board members voted unanimously to hire him as Vassalboro’s town attorney, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Lyons is based in Eaton Peabody’s Ellsworth office; he serves as an Ellsworth city councilor. His family camp is in Vassalboro, off Seven Mile Stream, so he is familiar with the town. He specializes in municipal law, which he likes for the variety of issues it offers, and he enjoys meeting municipal office staff around the state.

Lyons said he would come to Vassalboro when necessary, including for an introductory in-person meeting. He is comfortable with zoom meetings and telephone calls.

Other decisions the select board made in a lengthy Nov. 13 meeting included:

— Adding to the fee schedule for marijuana growing operations in Vassalboro, $250 annually for medical marijuana operations (which the state allows municipalities to regulate, but not to prohibit). Denico said other Maine municipalities charge from $250 to $1,000 a year; depending on how much of the codes officer’s time these operations require, the board might change Vassalboro’s fee.
— Approving a contract with Calderwood Engineering for design work on the Dunlap Bridge replacement on Mill Hill Road, now that voters have approved funding for the project. The first question on the Nov. 5 local ballot asked permission to spend up to $360,000 in existing funds for the project; 1,383 voters said yes, 1,169 were opposed.

Board members spoke favorably of continuing to hold town voting at Vassalboro Community School instead of at the town office. Town Clerk Cathy Coyne said the town office meeting room makes an awkward voting area, and after the Nov. 5 experiment at VCS, she “heard nothing but good things” about using the school gymnasium.

Denico said VCS has a form that groups can fill out asking to use a school space. He recommended the town start using it.

Three decisions were postponed.

— Board members opened two bids from people asking to be Vassalboro’s new alewife harvester. They intend to review references and make a decision at their Dec. 12 meeting.
— They need more information on acquiring a larger propane tank for the Riverside fire station, after a discussion of sizes, leasing versus buying and costs.
— Town Manager Aaron Miller wants time to make sure of the proper procedure to create a handicapped parking space at Hair Builders, at 653 Oak Grove Road, in North Vassalboro. He said the business requested one; state transportation officials said it was a town decision; he is in favor, but wants to do it right.

The next Vassalboro select board meeting is currently scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12.

China committee, manager continue talks on transfer station changes

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by Mary Grow

China Transfer Station Committee members and Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood continued discussion of pending changes at the China facility at a Nov. 12 meeting.

Station manager Thomas Maraggio said the new building to cover the sandpile available to China residents for winter driveway sanding is almost done. He plans to post informational signs on it.

One sign will direct people where to put “hot loads,” defined as “loads of solid waste that are on fire, smoldering, or are potentially flammable by spontaneous combustion.” Disposal of hot loads is illegal, “but we get ’em,” Maraggio said.

“Common sense is not all that common,” observed committee chairman Christopher Bauman, saying he was quoting Will Rogers.

E-cigarette cartridges are also unacceptable at the transfer station, Maraggio said. The state Department of Environmental Protection defines them as hazardous waste.

Hapgood said China has received a grant to pay for a new baler that will let the transfer station accept #1 plastic for recycling. It should be in operation early in 2025; there will be publicity.

Maraggio shared an updated five-year plan for the transfer station and an updated fee schedule. Committee members recommended by consensus the select board approve the fee schedule.

Hapgood said 2025 transfer station stickers will be available beginning Dec. 1 at China and Palermo town offices and at the transfer station with presentation of a valid vehicle registration in China or Palermo. The charge is $2. Transfer station users will have until the end of January 2025 to update their stickers.

The next transfer station committee meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the China town office.

China planners set hearings on two applications

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by Mary Grow

The three China planning board members at the Nov. 12 meeting scheduled Nov. 26 public hearings on both applications on their agenda.

They decided the first hearing, at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 26, in the town office meeting room, will be on the application to add a records storage vault to the town office building (see The Town Line, Oct. 31, p. 3, and Nov. 14, p. 3).

The second hearing, which they expect will be longer, is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. Its topic will be proposed improvements to Town Landing Road, which leads to the South China boat landing.

The only question about the new plan for the vault was about its location in relation to China Lake. Codes officer Nicholas French explained that the town office is outside the shoreland zone, which has extra restrictions.

The office is within the larger area covered by China’s Phosphorus Control Ordinance. This ordinance applies in the watersheds of China Lake and Three Mile Pond. The permit application says the vault project does not exceed allowable phosphorus export.

Joining virtually in discussion of Town Landing Road were several members of the Neighborhood Association, South China Village residents who live near the boat landing. Their main concerns at this stage were receiving information before the Nov. 26 hearing, and ensuring the hearing is well publicized.

A large paper drawing of the landing plan was on the town office meeting room wall. French said he needs a smaller version to copy for the website and other publicity; he hoped to have one in a few days.

Board chairman Toni Wall assured residents that property-owners abutting the landing will be notified and the hearing will be broadcast for virtual viewing.

Several members of the group indicated they intend to present objections to and questions about the work. Wall said she hopes someone involved in planning it will be at the Nov. 26 hearing with explanations.

As the planning board meeting began, Wall was re-elected board chairman. Select board members reappointed her to the board on Nov. 4.

Also on the Nov. 12 agenda was discussion of amending China’s subdivision ordinance and adding a site review ordinance. Both were postponed.

CMP reps: No new power line planned through China

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by Mary Grow

In response to China voters’ Nov. 5 approval of a moratorium on new power transmission lines through town, three representatives of Central Maine Power Company (CMP) attended the Nov. 18 select board meeting to ask about local concerns.

Katie Yates, program manager, community relations, emphasized that as of now, the company does not plan to run any new power lines through China. The discussion was entirely preliminary, in case CMP does develop a plan.

Select board member Jeanne Marquis, who helped collect signatures to put the moratorium on the local ballot, listed concerns she heard. They include negative effects on farming; disrupting “legacy properties” that a family has owned for generations; blocking scenic views; reducing adjacent and nearby property values; and using herbicides in the China Lake watershed.

Residents have “a lot of fear about their property” and want to be treated fairly, she summarized.

Yates and her companions offered two reassurances. First, they said, if CMP were to run another line through China, it would be in an existing corridor. And second, CMP uses minimal herbicides, usually in spot applications.

The company does not routinely notify abutters before using herbicides, Yates said. New select board member Thomas Rumpf agreed: he owns land abutting a CMP corridor and has never been notified, he said.

However, he added, he believes the company has been doing more cutting and relying less on chemicals in recent years. When he identified himself as president of the Four Seasons Club, the CMP group thanked him for providing trails that help them get to their lines.

Also at the meeting was China resident James Hsiang, for the China for a Lifetime Committee. He proposed creating a China community garden and offered a more detailed plan if select board members were interested. They were, and Hsiang is scheduled to return at either the Dec. 16 or the Dec. 30 meeting.

Hsiang said as proponents gauged local interest, they collected 280 signatures, and a dozen people volunteered to help. The planned site is the town-owned Lakeview Drive lot south of the town office.

In updates on the storage vault to be added to the town office building, select board member Blane Casey said he has been helping prepare contracts for each aspect of the work. His plan is to have requests for bids out immediately; bids due back early in December; and decisions at the Dec. 16 select board meeting.

Planning Board chairman Toni Wall said from the audience the board has scheduled a public hearing on the vault application for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26.

The Nov. 18 select board meeting was the first for newly-elected members Edwin Bailey and Rumpf. The five members elected Wayne Chadwick board chairman and Jeanne Marquis board secretary.

Water level on China Lake not yet achieved

by Mary Grow

China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood received two inquiries from residents about the China Lake water level, which they said was unusually low. In response, she queried Vassalboro town manager Aaron Miller and Kennebec Water District Water Quality Manager Robbie Bickford in a Nov. 16 email.

In his Nov. 18 reply, Bickford said the current level at the outlet dam in East Vassalboro is 26 inches below the spillway. The goal of the annual fall drawdown is to bring the level down to 30 inches below the spillway.

Bickford said the goal had not been achieved “in the past couple years.” Vassalboro dam managers intend to achieve it this year, he said.

In other business:

— Board members unanimously authorized taking another $450 from the fire department reserve account to pay for the South China Volunteer Fire Department’s air compressor. They had previously authorized using up to $9,000; the total cost was $9,450, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said.
— Hapgood and board members thanked former board member Brent Chesley for his service. Board members unanimously appointed him to the road committee, the budget committee and the appeals board.
— Board members approved an amended fee schedule at the transfer station, and an amended agreement with Albion, whose residents may dispose of specific things in China.
— They reapproved five municipal policies, two unchanged and the other three, Hapgood said, with non-substantive changes, like updating the title of the town website.

Hapgood reported China has been awarded a Cybersecurity grant, in the amount of $139.52. It is intended to provide a review of China’s cybersecurity, with a report and alerts, and training webinars for Hapgood.

Hapgood’s name is on the ballot for election to the Municipal Review Committee (MRC), the group representing towns that used the former Hampden trash facility. She explained she was talked into being listed due to a shortage of candidates; she is willing to serve if elected. Board members voted for her.

China municipal services will be closed Nov. 28 and 29 for the Thanksgiving holiday. The next regular select board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2.

Outgoing select board member cited for service

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Janet Preston

The Nov. 4 China select board meeting began with a short presentation recognizing retiring member Janet Preston.

To applause from the audience and board members, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood gave Preston a certificate in appreciation of her service to the town, and later a bouquet of flowers.

Fellow board members thanked Preston. “We didn’t always agree, but it’s been a pleasure,” Blane Casey said, and chairman Wayne Chadwick concurred.

Preston, who was first elected in 2020, said it has been “an honor to serve the people of China,” and an interesting experience. But, she said, she looks forward to having more time with her grandchildren.

China committee continues long-discussed records storage vault addition

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by Mary Grow

The long-discussed storage vault for municipal records was the main topic at the Nov. 4 China Select Board meeting, following up on the Oct. 30 China Municipal Building Committee meeting.

Building committee chairman Sheldon Goodine and members Scott Pierz and Edwin Bailey attended the select board meeting to re-discuss the revised plan for the vault and the Dec. 31 deadline for committing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Goodine said he expects engineer Keith Whitaker, of B. R. Smith Associates, to deliver an engineered plan Nov. 6. He intends to share it with the state fire marshal, whose approval is needed, and with select board members.

ARPA is supposed to fund the vault; Goodine’s cost estimate is $187,655. The understanding as of Nov. 4 was that contracts need to be signed by Dec. 31 – merely intending to use the money will not meet ARPA requirements.

Goodine’s plan calls for the town to hire an overseer – clerk of the works was one suggested title – and to contract out the various types of work, from site preparation (perhaps to be done by the public works crew) and cement work to roofing.

Majority opinion seemed to be that work should not begin this late in the fall; contracts signed before Dec. 31 should be for work to begin next spring. Select board member and builder Blane Casey said since covid, it is common for work to be contracted well in advance.

The revised plan needs approval from the planning board. Select board members decided they can begin seeking contractors before the planning board acts.

After half an hour’s discussion, board members voted unanimously to start soliciting bids and finalize the permitting process as soon as they have Whitaker’s plan.

In other business Nov. 4, board members unanimously:

— Reappointed planning board members Toni Wall and Dwaine Drummond;
— After reviewing Delta Ambulance’s financial statement for calendar and fiscal year 2023, voted not to pay the 2024 fee in advance, but to pay the minimum required amounts through the year; and
— Accepted the only quote for a new fence for Lakeshore Cemetery, $6,756 from Triple P Fence, of Augusta, a company Hapgood said has done other work in town.

Lakeshore Cemetery, on the east shore of China Lake south of the town office, is one of China’s oldest. Hapgood commented on features that make fencing challenging.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Nov. 18.

CHINA: FEMA to reimburse China for 2023 storm damage

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by Mary Grow

Federal and state emergency management funds will reimburse the Town of China to cover partial clean-up costs after the Dec. 17-21, 2023, storm that left roads and roadsides littered with fallen trees and other debris.

China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood shared an Oct. 28 letter from the Maine Emergency Management Agency saying payment of $46,292.54 had been approved, and a check would be sent “within the next few weeks.”

The town’s share of this part of the clean-up is $5,143.61, 10 percent. The federal government is paying 75 percent and the state 15 percent.

The work is described as removing 214.5 cubic yards of “vegetative debris” the storm left in and along roads and rights of way and transporting it to a disposal site.

Vassalboro planners approve two applications, postpone another

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro planning board members had three projects on their Nov. 12 agenda. They spent as much time discussing how each fitted into town ordinances as on the merits.

They ended up disappointing one applicant, Vassalboro’s Public Works Department, represented by Brian Lajoie. Revision Energy did not expect a decision, so representative Annalise Kukor was satisfied. Sidereal Farm Brewery’s application for extended Sunday hours was approved.

“Look at that, we got one thing done tonight,” board chairman Virginia Brackett said.

The public works plan, discussed at select board meetings, is to add a pole barn for equipment storage on the Bog Road lot with the town garage and salt shed. Lajoie said it will be 50-by-100-feet, on sonotubes sunk into gravel. He hoped to have the groundwork done in the next couple weeks, with construction to start in March 2025.

An early question was whether the new building would be too close to a wetland. Lajoie said a state Department of Environmental Protection staffer had inspected and approved.

At the Nov. 12 meeting, planning board member Paul Mitnik questioned the need for board review. After a quarter-hour’s discussion of what types of buildings the ordinance covers, whether the term “expansion” is applicable and other ordinance issues, a consensus was reached: planning board review is required.

The review would be of a site review application. Public works had filed only a building permit application. Since planning board members had no application on which to act, the next question was whether any work could start immediately.

After more discussion board members decided until they acted, new codes officer Eric Currie could not issue a building permit, and without a building permit, work could not start.

Brackett postponed a decision to the Dec. 6 board meeting. Lajoie said unless the weather cooperated, groundwork will be put off until spring and the building contractor rescheduled.

Kukor was confirming information in a preliminary application for a 530-kilowatt solar installation on Kennebec Water District’s land on Route 32, just north of East Vassalboro village. The project is not commercial, she said; KWD will use all the power produced.

Board members had questions, but no objections. Kukor intends to submit a full application at the board’s January 2025 meeting.

At their June 4 meeting, planning board members approved an expansion plan for Sidereal Farm Brewery, at 37 Sidereal Way, off Cross Hill Road. At the Nov. 12 meeting, owner James D’Angelo and staff members asked to open the dining room at 9 a.m., instead of noon, on Sundays. The 8 p.m. Sunday closing time, and all other hours approved June 4, would remain the same.

After again consulting ordinance provisions, board members decided the request was for a minor change. The procedure was for the codes officer to write an approval and send it to the applicant and the planning board for board approval.

Rather than postponing the request, board members urged Currie, “Write it!” While D’Angelo summarized progress on other aspects of the expansion, Currie wrote a brief note authorizing the new hours. Board members approved it.

Sidereal staff said the 9 a.m. Sunday breakfasts will probably start Nov. 24, not Nov. 17.

In the only other business, board member Douglas Phillips asked Currie about activity at Ron’s Auto Parts, on Route 32. Currie had been to the business, preparing for reissuance of the annual junkyard permit, and been told the derelict-vehicle stockpile was being reduced. He said he would follow up.

The next regular Vassalboro planning board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Dec. 3.