Conservation District seeks nomination for Board of Supervisors

Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District has one opening on its five-member Board of Supervisors. The volunteer board, which is responsible for guiding the District’s business affairs and operations in it’s mission to provide assistance to the community in conservation of land and water resources, is comprised of three elected and two appointed supervisors, who each serve overlapping three-year terms. This year we are seeking nominations for one elected position.

Anyone interested in 1) running for the office of supervisor, or 2) voting in the election must be a registered voter within the boundaries of the Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD). Candidates need have only an interest in conservation and a willingness, at a minimum, to participate in a monthly board meeting at the District office or online. To run for an elected position, a candidate must submit a nomination paper signed by 25 Knox or Lincoln county residents.

In addition, the SWCD Board welcomes Associate Supervisors, non-voting members appointed by the Board, who may have an interest in the general activities of the District or a specific area of interest or expertise to share.

Nomination forms may be obtained by contacting the District office. The completed election document must be received at the District office by 2:30 pm on October 24th, after which candidates will be posted on our website, https://www.knox-lincoln.org/board-of-supervisors. Completed Ballots must be received at the District office no later than 9 a.m on November 19, 2025, and will be counted at the board meeting tentatively scheduled for November 19, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.; public is welcome to attend.

To receive nomination papers or a ballot, or for more information, contact Election Superintendent, at 893 West Street (Route 90), in Rockport, 596-2040 or julie@knox-lincoln.org.

China appeals board postpones decision on lot size

China Town Officeby Mary Grow

China Board of Appeals members, for the second week in a row, postponed a decision on Timothy Theriault’s request for a variance from lot size requirements.

At their Oct. 2 meeting, board members found they needed more information on Theriault’s two lots on Lakeview Drive and the east shore of China Lake, before they could act on his request to redraw the dividing line between them (see the Oct. 9 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

When the board met again Oct. 9, surveyor Greg Carey, of Waterville, provided the requested information answering the Oct. 2 questions about previous lot lines and the location of buildings, wells, septic systems and other man-made features. He and Theriault presented a slightly revised plan for board approval.

Board members raised a new issue: how much of each lot is covered by impervious surfaces (buildings, paved roads), and would the proposed relocated lot lines make either lot fail to meet ordinance requirements?

The ordinance limits impervious surfaces in the shoreland zone to a maximum of 20 percent of the lot area. Several board members praised the requirement as important in protecting water quality.

Carey said he will have impervious areas measured and percentages calculated before the next board of appeals meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23.

Vassalboro board of appeals postpones action on road name

Vassalboro Town Officeby Mary Grow

Vassalboro Board of Appeals members, meeting Oct. 9, postponed action on an appeal of a road name until they have time to publicize the required public hearing. They scheduled the hearing for 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 23, in the town office meeting room.

Last spring, town codes officer Eric Currie approved the name White Ridge Road for a road running off Oak Grove Road. The road runs through the property of Silas Cain to Jeff White’s lot. Cain has appealed the name.

Board members consulted two Vassalboro ordinances, the Addressing Standards Ordinance, also called the E-911 Ordinance, and the Enforcement and Appeals Ordinance.

The first, adopted in 1996, says the Municipal Addressing Coordinator (who is the codes officer, Town Manager Aaron Miller said) shall approve all new road names. It also says every road that serves two or more addresses must be named, and both sides must be numbered at 50-foot intervals; and it sets standards for visible signs on developed properties.

“I didn’t think he had the right to put his name on my road,”
– Silas Cain

The Enforcement and Appeals Ordinance, adopted in 2009 and amended in 2010, applies to all ordinances “enforced or administered by the Code Enforcement Officer.” When the Board of Appeals receives an appeal, the ordinance says its first duty is to schedule a date to hear it.

Next, the board must notify the codes officer, who must mail notice of the hearing to the appellant, abutters and the town official whose decision is being appealed. The codes officer also needs to have the hearing publicized in an area newspaper.

Cain attended the Oct. 9 meeting, with his daughter, Lisa Munster, and paralegal John Frankenfield, from the Augusta firm of Mitchell and Davis. He explained that White has a right-of-way to his property across Cain’s property.

Last spring, Cain said, White told him the town planned to name the road. Cain considered asking that it be named in honor of his late wife.

He heard nothing more, however, until the White Ridge Road sign appeared. Discussion Oct. 9 indicated that White filled out the form requesting the name.

“I didn’t think he had the right to put his name on my road,” Cain said. Board members questioned whether town officials had contacted the right person.

They came up with several more questions. Frankenfield plans to answer some by Oct. 23; board members will ask Town Manager Miller to forward some to the town attorney.

At the beginning of the meeting, the first since Lauchlin Titus’s appointment created a quorum, board members elected John Reuthe chairman and Rebecca Lamey secretary.

VASSALBORO: Rage Room owners guided through permit application process

Vassalboro Town Officeby 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.

Vassalboro select board to hold four hearings

Vassalboro Town Officeby Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members now have four hearings on their Oct. 16 agenda.

Board members had already planned and advertised three informational hearings on Nov. 4 local warrant articles. Voters are invited to learn about ballot questions asking them to approve or disapprove:

Proposed revisions to the town’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) document;
A request to use money from the town’s surplus account to pay the auditor’s bills; and
A proposal to increase select board membership from three people to five.

The fourth hearing is described on the town website, vassalboro.net, as an appeal of “the denial of issuance of a Cannabis Business Permit to Andrew Barnett for properties located at 67 Sherwood Lane and Old Meadows Rd. in Vassalboro.”

The select board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct, 16, in the town office meeting room. After the hearings, board members will hold a regular meeting; the agenda should be on the town website several days in advance.

China board of appeals postpones decision on permit denial

China Town Officeby Mary Grow

Four members of the China Board of Appeals met Oct. 2 and postponed a decision on Timothy Theriault’s request for a variance to allow a re-division of his two lots on Lakeview Drive.

Theriault wants to sell the two adjoining lots, one at 1210 Lakeview Drive and one on China Lake, separately, with lake access for the Lakeview Drive lot. Because of the location of buildings, wells and septic systems, lot boundaries need adjusting; and codes officer Nicholas French has found that the proposed adjustment violates town ordinances.

Theriault explained that he got required permits for buildings, wells and septic systems from three previous China codes officers, who approved what he did. French said he cannot approve the proposed new adjustment, because it takes too much land from the lot that now meets size requirements, creating a non-conforming lot.

Theriault therefore applied for a variance from ordinance requirements.

Board of Appeals members found the case complicated, with no clear answer in China’s ordinances. They decided they could not act without additional information, including larger maps of past and current boundaries, copies of deeds and a surveyor’s opinion on whether Theriault has alternatives.

Theriault said he could provide the requested documents promptly. The board will meet again at 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9.

Board members began the meeting by electing Brent Chesley as board chairman and re-electing Michael Gee (who was absent) as secretary.

Several abutters attended the meeting. Those who spoke were concerned mainly about rights-of-way; Chesley assured them no Board of Appeals decision would affect a right-of-way.

China select board spends whopping amount at recent meeting

China Town Officeby Mary Grow

China select board members spent a whopping amount of taxpayers’ money at their Oct. 6 meeting.

Most of the spending was near the beginning of the meeting, when they unanimously approved a warrant for miscellaneous goods and services (the “payables warrant” that’s on each biweekly agenda) in the amount of $1,419,494.85.

The two biggest items included were 2026 Kennebec County dues, $809,689, and the October payment to Regional School Unit #18, $499,109.40.

Later in the meeting, board members approved:

$2,700 for Wings Tree Service, of China, low bidder for work at the town ball fields;
$14,500 for Reardon Brothers Construction, of Albion, low bidder for work on Ridge Trail, in Thurston Park; and
$12,900 to buy the town office a new copier from Transco, with a monthly service contract $49 lower than the present monthly fee.

Drug Take Back Day canceled

The drug take-back day scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25, at the China transfer station has been canceled. Unneeded drugs can be taken to the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office in Augusta any time.

Board members discussed other work needed or desired at the ball fields with Recreation Committee chairman Martha Wentworth and member Edward Brownell. Brownell was tasked with pricing power washers to keep outsides of buildings clean; for this fall, two board members offered to lend theirs.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood shared a notice of the 30-day comment period on Delta Ambulance’s application to reduce its licensing level, so that it need not have a paramedic in every ambulance that goes on a call. Board members voted unanimously to send a comment to the effect that they are not pleased that China residents get less service as the annual fee Delta charges the town goes up; but they understand they have to live with it.

Hapgood presented one piece of good news: the Maine Municipal Association gave China’s 2024 town report a rating of Superior in its annual competition (not the first time the town and the office staff have been honored).

Julie Finley commended on 25 years of service

At their Oct. 6 meeting, China select board members unanimously approved and signed a certificate of appreciation and thanks commending deputy clerk Julie Finley for 25 years of service in the China town office.

The manager’s notices included:

Absentee voting for Nov. 4 (state referenda and local elections) began Oct. 6 and ends Thursday, Oct. 30. On Nov. 4, China polls with be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the portable building behind the town office on Lakeview Drive.
All town services will be closed on Monday, Oct. 13, for the federal Indigenous Peoples holiday, and on Thursday, Oct. 23, for staff training.
The Board of Appeals meets at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, to continue discussion of Timothy Theriault’s application for a variance at his Lakeview Drive property.
The next two select board meetings are scheduled for Monday evenings, Oct. 20 and Nov. 3.

Vassalboro select board, emergency groups discuss SWOT

Vassalboro Town Officeby 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.

Somerset County Commissioner vacates seat

Somerset County Commissioner Cyprien Johnson

On Wednesday, October 1, Somerset County Commissioner Cyprien Johnson announced he was stepping down as he no longer resided within the district. Following the recent closing on the sale of his home in Madison, Johnson has relocated to property his family owns in Skowhegan. County Charter and State statute require that a County Commissioner reside within the boundaries of the district they represent.

Johnson, who has a long history of local public service as a member of Select Boards in Skowhegan and Madison in addition to a decade as a County Commissioner, said that the October 2st meeting was his last. He was reelected to a third term as commissioner in November of 2024.

According to Somerset’s Charter, “when a vacancy occurs in a commissioner’s office by death, resignation, permanent incapacity or forfeiture of office, the Board of Commissioners shall call for a caucus of the municipal officers of that district to appoint a person eligible to fill the vacancy. A notice of said caucus shall be sent to all applicable municipal officers. Forfeiture of office occurs when a commissioner is no longer eligible;”

Notice of the vacancy has been sent via email to the towns within District 2 which include Anson, Madison, Mercer, New Portland, Smithfield, Starks, Highland Plantation, Lexington, Concord and Townships within Central or Northwest Somerset UT. The notice asks municipal leaders to consider and submit candidates to fill the vacancy to the County Administrators office.

Once candidates have been identified, the Commissioners will call for a caucus of municipal officers within District 2 to meet at the County Courthouse and elect the replacement Commissioner to serve through December 31, 2026. In November 2026, a special election will be held to fill the remaining two years of Johnson’s term.

Transformational new laws to protect residents of mobile home communities take effect

Last week, four new laws sponsored by Senate Democrats to preserve some of the strongest remaining affordable housing options in Maine took effect. These transformational laws, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Mills earlier this year, aim to help residents of mobile home communities purchase the parks they live in via a right of first refusal, tax incentives and a new method of funding the Mobile Home Park Preservation and Assistance Fund.

These laws come as Maine has seen a growing trend of out-of-state private equity firms attempting to buy up mobile home communities. Often, these corporate firms raise lot rents on residents and neglect maintenance.

“Over the past year, the Housing and Economic Development Committee has taken a hard look at how to build more housing in Maine and, just as importantly, how to protect the affordable housing we still have,” said Sen. Chip Curry, Senate Chairman of the Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee. “These new laws give residents a fighting chance to stay in their homes and safeguard their communities. They push back on business models that put profits over people, and they show what it looks like when we legislate with urgency, compassion, and impact.”

LD 1145, “An Act to Protect Residents Living in Mobile Home Parks,” introduced by Sen. Tim Nangle, D-Windham, creates a right of first refusal for resident cooperatives to match a third-party offer to purchase the park they live in, providing them with the ability to control their future housing costs while ensuring that sellers receive the full market value of their property.

“Mobile home communities are not commodities. They are neighborhoods where families, veterans and seniors have built their lives,” said Sen. Nangle. “Maine can’t solve our housing crisis if we don’t also protect the affordable homes we already have. This law ensures that when these communities go up for sale, residents have the chance to step up and protect their homes, their dignity and their way of life.”

LD 1016, “An Act to Establish the Manufactured Housing Community and Mobile Home Park Preservation and Assistance Fund,” introduced by Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, creates a per-lot transfer fee on the purchase of mobile home parks, which applies only to purchasing entities with a net worth of more than $50 million, preserving the ability of local for-profit, non-profit and resident co-ops to buy and sell parks as they have for decades. Revenues from the transfer fee paid by equity firms and other high-end investor entities go toward a permanent Mobile Home Park Preservation and Assistance Fund to support residents at risk of displacement.

LD 554, “An Act to Encourage Resident-owned Communities and Preserve Affordable Housing Through Tax Deductions,” also introduced by Sen. Reny, creates a tax deduction to incentivize the sale or transfer of housing developments, manufactured housing communities, or apartment complexes to resident-owned communities, cooperative affordable housing corporations, or municipal housing authorities. This law allows for an income tax exemption of up to $750,000 on capital gains from these transfers.

“All Maine people deserve the opportunity to be secure in their housing,” said Sen. Reny. “This year, we’ve been working hard to preserve one of Maine’s last forms of naturally affordable housing: mobile home and manufactured home communities. My bills, LD 554 and LD 1016, help give residents the leg up they need when trying to purchase the land under their homes and invest in the future security of their community. I’m glad to see these tools become available to Maine residents.”

LD 1768, “An Act to Protect Residents of Mobile Home Parks by Amending the Real Estate Transfer Tax,” introduced by Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, eliminates the real estate transfer tax on sales of mobile home parks when the buyers are the residents themselves.

“This year, my colleagues and I worked hard to maintain and preserve the affordability of mobile home parks,” said Sen. Bailey. “Whether it’s residents of Atlantic Village, Blue Haven or Old Orchard Village, I continue to hear from folks who worry about the sales of their parks or steep increases in their rents. Over the summer, I have been attending meetings in these communities. I also can’t forget a mother who recently wrote to me. She works full-time while raising her two sons, and her family budget is already stretched thin. She is doing all she can. Having experienced something similar, I know these laws matter. I also know that we have more work to do.”

As non-emergency legislation, these new laws took effect on September 24, 2025, 90 days after the First Special Session of the 132nd Legislature adjourned.

LD 1145, the right of first refusal law, was initially proposed as emergency legislation that would take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature, but House Republicans blocked the bill from receiving the necessary two-thirds vote.