by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Planning Board members approved one application on their July 1 agenda and decided the second one needed no action.

They unanimously approved the planned replacement fishway at the Webber Pond dam, which has been discussed repeatedly at Vassalboro select board meetings.

Matt Streeter, of Maine Rivers, presented a detailed application, with plans prepared by Acadia Civil Works, of Leeds. He said preparatory work will start promptly and the project should be completed by the end of September, if not earlier.

The replacement fishway is needed, Streeter explained, because the 2009 one is too small to accommodate all the alewives that try to get into Webber Pond every spring. The new fishway will be 114 feet long by six feet wide and six feet deep.

The project already has its permits from the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The major local disruption will be closing Dam Road, approved by the select board at its June 26 meeting. Streeter said the Webber Pond boat launch area will not be significantly affected, except that construction vehicles may use some of its parking space.

The project will include repaving the bridge, making the dam gates easier to operate, adding a small “shed” on the dam and installing a dry hydrant for use by Vassalboro firefighters. Streeter intends to return to the planning board for approval of follow-up projects that are not included in the July 1 permit.

After the unanimous vote to approve the fishway, planning board member Paul Mitnik commented, “All the alewives are gonna be happy.” Streeter agreed.

The second application was from the Kennebec Water District (KWD), represented by Water Quality Manager Robbie Bickford and General Manager Roger Crouse. It is a follow-up to a permit board members approved in July 2024.

The 2024 permit allowed KWD to run a pipe under Route 32 from the water treatment plant on the west side of the road toward Outlet Stream. The pipe will be used to transport used filter-cleaning water from the plant to the stream. KWD officials wanted that part of the project done before Route 32 was repaved.

The 2025 application is to finish the job, by extending the pipe, building a concrete headwall and running an eight-foot-wide riprap channel to Outlet Stream. Bickford again assured board members the quantity and quality of the discharged water will not affect water quality, wildlife or downstream uses.

The project has ACE and DEP permits, he said. KWD officials plan to start work in August and be done by the end of September.

Board member Douglas Phillips expressed appreciation for the information. Board members voted unanimously that they did not need to issue another permit.

When board chairman Virginia Brackett remarked to Bickford and Crouse that board members would see them again for a planned solar project on their property, Crouse said it has been canceled.

In other business July 1, Phillips asked whether the Vassalboro Historical Society could plan an addition to a barn it owns on Main Street, in East Vassalboro, beside the Grange Hall. The barn is in the Outlet Stream shoreland zone.

Board members concluded an expansion “wouldn’t be unreasonable.”

They also discussed amendments to Vassalboro’s junkyard ordinance, and instances of town ordinances being ignored, matters that Codes Officer Eric Currie is looking into.

The next regular Vassalboro Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5.

The selectboard has voted to allow the closure of the Dam Rd., in Vassalboro, due to construction at the Webber Pond dam. The earliest date for bridge closure is Monday, July 15, according to Maine Rivers Project Manager Matt Streeter.

The following are key upcoming dates:

– Start of construction of Dam Road Extension at McQuarrie Road: Monday, June 30.
– Mobilization of equipment and materials to the dam/fishway location: Monday, July 7.
– Completion of construction of Dam Road Extension at McQuarrie Road: Monday, July 15.
– Earliest date for bridge closure: Monday, July 15.

The bridge closure will not continue beyond September 30. Every effort will be made to re-open it sooner. Any questions about the construction schedule may be directed to mstreeter212@gmail.com.

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members agreed at their June 26 meeting to propose, and seek residents’ opinions on, three changes to town government.

Board member Chris French recommends Vassalboro’s annual town meeting format be changed from the traditional open meeting (like the one held June 2, 2025) to a referendum vote. All questions would be on written ballots each voter would fill out individually and privately (like the June 10 municipal election).

French’s reason: at the open meeting, about 100 voters made decisions that will affect everyone in town for at least the coming year. The written ballot attracted three times as many voters, 299 (according to Town Clerk Cathy Coyne).

The change would require a second change: budget committee members could no longer be elected from the town meeting floor. French proposed a budget committee ordinance that would spell out a different procedure.

He would also like to see the select board expanded from three members to five, elected for staggered three-year terms.

His recommendation to put the changes to voters on a Nov. 4 ballot sparked a discussion of timing for preparation of questions and public hearings.

Select board members intend to resume discussion of a different form of town meeting, a larger select board and a new budget committee ordinance at their Thursday, July 17, meeting.

Their only August meeting is now scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 12 (changed from the usual Thursday to accommodate Town Manager Aaron Miller’s schedule). Their first September meeting is Sept. 4. They propose having Nov. 4 questions ready by then, for submission to the town clerk.

In other business June 26, in a series of unanimous votes, board members awarded bids:

— To remove trees in the Nelson Road and Farwell-Brown cemeteries, to Pro Tree Service of Vassalboro, lowest of three bidders.
— For new culverts, to Paris Farmers Union, lowest of three bidders and recommended by Public Works Director Brian Lajoie.
— For a new boiler for the town office, to Knowles Mechanical, of Vassalboro, lower of two comparable bidders (a third bidder offered a boiler they considered too small for Vassalboro’s needs).

Cemetery committee chairman Savannah Clark and member Jane Aiudi joined board members and Miller in discussing three other issues (see the June 26 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

After inspecting the East Vassalboro cemetery, Miller agreed the erosion problem there needs attention. He and Public Works Director Brian Lajoie are considering remedies.

Select board and cemetery committee members think a survey of trees in Vassalboro cemeteries and a plan or schedule for removing those threatening damage would be useful. Miller plans to draft a request for proposals from qualified foresters.

The manager had checked town records trying unsuccessfully to find out how many members the cemetery committee is supposed to have. It currently has six; several people preferred an uneven number.

Select board members intend to appoint/re-appoint town committee members at their July 17 meeting. Miller again referred to the application process described on the town website, Vassalboro.net.

Returning to the previously-discussed topic of a town recreation director, Miller repeated his preference for a “hybrid” position: someone hired for 30 hours a week who would oversee youth sports and would fill in at the town office as needed.

The town office position would involve cross-training, so that the new person could take over when regular staff were on sick leave, vacation or merely lunch breaks. One of Miller’s main goals is to let the bookkeeper do her time-consuming job without interruption.

French wanted consideration of contracting out routine jobs – payroll was specifically mentioned – to save staff time without adding a person. Miller agreed to try to get costs.

The manager suggested another option that would be a partial solution: close the office for a daily lunch break, as some other Maine towns do.

On another topic from previous meetings, Matt Streeter from Maine Rivers updated board members on plans to enlarge the Webber Pond fishway (see the June 12 issue of The Town Line, p. 3). He said all McQuarrie Road residents have signed agreements accepting use of their road as an alternative route while Dam Road is closed during construction.

Select board members unanimously approved closing Dam Road. Streeter said the contractor planned to start preparations June 30; work is scheduled to start in earnest July 14 and must end by Sept. 30 – earlier, he hopes.

Board members returned to the much-discussed town personnel policy long enough to vote unanimously to send it to the town’s attorney for review.

Miller led another pre-year-end review of town finances and promised more information at the July 17 meeting, after the 2024-25 books have closed.

After the long delay in getting past audit reports to guide planning for 2025-26 – a problem Miller said is not unique to Vassalboro – the manager reported he expects final information from 2023 and 2024 in July, and the audit for the 2024-25 fiscal year to start soon. Select board chairman Frederick “Rick” Denico urged Miller to follow up with the auditors.

The July 17 select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room.

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Conservation Com­mission members spent most of their June 11 meeting discussing the two parks they supervise, Monument Park, in East Vassalboro at the China Lake outlet, and Eagle Park, on Route 32, north of East Vassalboro.

For Monument Park, they agreed on committee member Steve Jones’ earlier suggestion of adding a buffer along the water, with low plantings that would hold back runoff but not block the view.

Chairman Holly Weidner said planting the buffer might qualify for a grant from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund. The organization provides up to $4,000 for projects that promote volunteerism and protect the environment, she said.

The next round of applications is due in September, with funds awarded in December for work in 2026. Jones and Matt Pitcher volunteered to prepare a grant application.

Commission members praise public works crew for work at Eagle Park.

Commission members further agreed to add three trees along a small stream in the park, using money remaining in the current year’s budget. Jones, owner of Fieldstone Gardens, in Vassalboro, offered to provide the labor and equipment to plant the trees.

Weidner accepted with pleasure, saying to Jones, “When you plant trees, they don’t die.”

Weidner reported that Kennebec Water District has informally offered to help with run-off control on its side of the stream.

Commission members praised Vassalboro Public Works Director Brian Lajoie and the public works crew for their additions at Eagle Park. Crew members built a pavilion and installed three picnic tables from Maine Adirondack Chairs, in Vassalboro, one handicapped accessible; and improved the lawn and the parking area.

Other additions include a second fishing pier and a granite bench – the bench under a tree for shade, Weidner noted. She and Jones favor adding more trees.

Minor projects remain, like installing appropriate handicapped signs. Commission members intend to have an outhouse built to use the septic tank already on the property. Jones offered to talk with Lajoie about plans and costs.

In other business, Weidner reported that the China Region Lakes Alliance has hired Riley Field as head of the 2025 Courtesy Boat Inspection program, intended to keep invasive plants out of area lakes. Vassalboro will have inspectors at three boat landings, on China Lake, Three Mile Pond and Webber Pond. Town meeting voters approved $10,000 for this project.

Weidner said Paul Mitnik has resigned from the commission; it now has five members, instead of the authorized seven. Vassalboro residents interested in serving are invited to contact the town office.

On Weidner’s recommendation, commission members took a summer recess, scheduling their next regular meeting for Wednesday evening, Sept. 10.