Windsor selectmen decide on a temporary fix to the town’s public works refueling needs

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by Sandra Isaac

During the November 26 meeting, Windsor selectmen decided the town will purchase a trailer and 100 gallon fuel tank with a pump, which will enable the public’s work department the ability to refuel the trucks after hours and during plowing season. This option allows the selectmen time to come up with a more permanent solution and factor in the costs to the next fiscal budget.

The need for an alternative fueling option comes after John Moody’s retirement announcement effective this December. Although the town has found another fuel source with Hussey’s Store, in Windsor, the public works department needed a refueling solution for after hours and during snow plowing. The trailer and tank will provide a good alternative until a more permanent solution can be found.

The trailer and fuel tank will be purchased for under $1,800. A pump assembly, lettering, decals, and a hazmat spill kit will all need to be purchased, but the selectmen agreed to keep the cost under $2,500.

The town was previously looking into a truck with a 100 gallon tank mounted on the back, but after further discussion, it was decided the trailer and tank would be a better option. Registration, inspections and maintenance of a truck played major factors in the decision making. A trailer with a tank can be parked or transported as necessary, and could still be used throughout the year.

Windsor Town Manager, Theresa Haskell, also asked for debit cards; one for each of the public works truck and one for the back hoe. The debit cards will allow the town to get discounts when using Hussey’s for fueling and will allow the public works department the ability to track each truck’s fuel consumption.

In other discussions, the topic of the RSU #12 solar farm proposal was reviewed, with Selectman Richard Gray Jr. and Selectman Andrew Ballantyne helping to clarify much of the information. According to an anonymous school board member, “the only action that the school board has made was to look into the project. When it comes to the information currently available, the school board members are as confused as the selectmen.”

“The RSU solar farm proposal had the price increasing yet the state load has decreased due to more efficient lighting, etc. Energy cost and demand cost are items that need to be considered. If there is not as much of a demand, you won’t get much money for the energy produced,” said Gray.

Selectmen are requesting to be present when an official report is presented to the RSU#12 school board. The selectmen have agreed to table this indefinitely or until more information can be provided.

In other news, the Veterans Memorial held another fundraiser, selling homemade pies in front of Hussey’s Store prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Twenty-seven people donated items to be sold at the pie sale, with $840 raised as a result of the sale, along with private donations, brought the total to $1,000.

China selectmen get updates from town departments

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen got updates on town departments at their Dec. 9 meeting and began making plans for 2020 and the new fiscal year that will begin in July.

Transfer Station Manager Tim Grotton and Public Works Department Manager Shawn Reed each reported a pending resignation: Ronald Marois is leaving the public works crew Dec. 13 for a job at Colby College, and Ed Brownell is retiring from the transfer station crew Dec. 21.

Grotton said the long-planned second compactor is in place, and Central Maine Power Company will soon finish providing three-phase power needed to run it. The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system should be ready in January, he said.

Town Manager Dennis Heath said concerns about privacy with the original RFID system, which linked identification tags to people’s names, led him to consult the Maine Municipal Association’s legal department. He learned that files with names and tag numbers would be public records; as a result, the system is changed and the tags are registered by number only.

There will no longer be any personal information connected to an RFID tag available for public inspection. A separate record that MMA attorneys said can be confidential will link tags to holders’ names.

Selectmen approved the final report on the transfer station survey done in September and October, compiled by the town manager and staff and recommended by the Transfer Station Committee. Heath said it will be on the Town of China website.

Reed said the public works department shared China’s new excavator with the transfer station to crush and compact metal for shipment. Grotton reported he was able to arrange free trucking and to earn a small amount of money, despite the almost nonexistent national market for recyclables.

The recent ice storms have demanded more of the public works department in both manpower and materials than snowstorms would have, Reed commented. Selectboard Chairman Ronald Breton asked if there is enough money for overtime pay in the 2019-2020 public works budget. Heath is confident there is.

Town Clerk Rebecca Hapgood reminded those present that annual reports from town departments and committees and other bodies, like the school department and Erskine Academy, the two libraries, the two lake associations, China Rescue and the three fire departments, are due by mid-January for the 2018-2019 town report.

The annual town business meeting will be held at China Middle School on Saturday, April 4, 2020.

Before that, a special election to choose someone to finish Jeffrey LaVerdiere’s term on the selectboard is scheduled for March 3, coinciding with the statewide primary election. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the former portable classroom behind the town office.

Breton said six residents had taken out nomination papers as of Dec. 9. Signed papers must be returned to the town office by 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3, for candidates’ names to be on the March 3 ballot.

In other business, selectmen unanimously approved continuing the usual procedure of allowing owners of properties foreclosed upon for unpaid taxes an additional 60 days to pay all taxes due and reclaim the properties. Heath said the town foreclosed on four properties for which taxes are unpaid for 2017, 2018 and the current year. The properties now belong to the town; if the owners cannot reclaim them by the end of the 60-day extension, they will be put up for auction.

Selectmen reviewed the audit report for the fiscal year that ended June 30 and the financial report for the current year to date and expressed satisfaction with the town’s financial condition. Heath shared a schedule of January 2020 budget committee and selectboard meetings to prepare the 2020-2021 budget.

Tom Michaud, speaking for the Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Committee, presented a report showing that work on two fire roads had significantly reduced run-off into China Lake, thereby reducing the amount of phosphorus going into the lake to feed algae blooms. TIF funds helped pay for the improvements.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Dec. 23.

Vassalboro planning board meeting rescheduled to December 10

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by Mary Grow

The Vassalboro Planning Board meeting scheduled for Dec. 3 has been postponed to Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. in the town office meeting room. The major agenda item for Dec. 3 was continued review of the proposed Sidereal Brewery on Cross Hill Road.

China planners to consider three commercial projects

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members have three commercial projects near South China Village and Route 3 to consider at their Tuesday, Dec. 10 meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room and is open to the public.

Codes Officer Bill Butler expects a preliminary presentation by Sunrise Investments LLC on plans for two solar arrays, one on Route 3 adjacent to Dan Ouellette’s loam mining operation and the other in Mike Willette’s pit off Arnold Road.

Also, Jamie Nichols is scheduled to present plans for a self-storage facility on Vassalboro Road, on vacant land just north of the existing car wash.

If time permits, board members will begin consideration of a local marijuana ordinance and application form.

Since the Nov. 5 local elections, the Planning Board members are Randall Downer, Tom Miragliuolo, Natale Tripodi,Toni Wall and James Wilkens. The District 3 seat (southeastern China) is vacant.

China selectmen reach firefighters’ stipend decision – for this year

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China Village Volunteer Fire Department.(Internet photo)

by Mary Grow

China selectmen made a decision at their Nov. 25 meeting that they think settles the controversy over stipends for volunteer firefighters – at least for this year.

On a 3-0-1 vote, with Donna Mill-Stevens abstaining, board members approved Chairman Ronald Breton’s motion that China’s three fire chiefs (Timothy Theriault, China Village; Richard Morse, South China; and William Van Wickler, Weeks Mills) be invited to pick up their $10,000 stipend checks at the town office as soon as convenient, without signing the memorandum of understanding (MOU, as it’s come to be known during months of debate) that would have spelled out accounting requirements.

Breton’s motion had two other components, which he called “conditions” when he first made it and later an “understanding” appropriate people in each department are responsible for compliance with all state and federal laws and with itemizing expenditures from the stipend money.

Breton prefaced his motion with a summary of earlier discussions and disagreements that he emphasized was his personal view, not the board’s. He said selectmen support the firefighters’ stipends; the conditions in his motion are intended to recognize the board’s duty to oversee expenditures of taxpayers’ money.

After the vote, resident Scott Pierz asked what would happen with next year’s budget. Breton replied that it is too early to begin discussing it.

China Rescue also receives $10,000 for stipends for its members. Town Manager Dennis Heath explained that because Rescue bills are paid through the town, the organization is not involved in the MOU issue.

[See also: Proclamation for David Herard Day in China]

The other important question settled Nov. 25 was when to hold a special election to fill the fifth seat on the Selectboard, vacated Oct. 15 when Jeffrey LaVerdiere resigned during the disagreement over firefighters’ stipends.

Board members voted unanimously to hold the special election Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in conjunction with the state-wide presidential primary. Nomination papers for the Selectboard seat are now available at the town office.

In other business Nov. 25:

  • Selectmen unanimously approved two recommendations from the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Committee, appropriating $15,000 from current-year funds to the Broadband Committee for a survey of broadband service in China and recommending 2020 town business meeting voters appropriate $57,500 to the China Lake Association for the LakeSmart program.
  • Heath reported that results of the Sept. 6 to Oct. 15 transfer station survey are in a draft report to be reviewed by the Transfer Station Committee at its Nov. 26 meeting and presented to selectmen at their next meeting.
  • Referring to privacy concerns raised at the Nov.13 informational meeting on the new RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system at China’s transfer station (see The Town Line, Nov. 13, p. 3), Heath said he believes a United States Supreme Court decision on cellphones as locators could be used to argue that records showing when an individual visited the facility are not public records.

Board member Wayne Chadwick asked whether he would be barred from the transfer station if he left the RFID placard in his other vehicle. Heath said he thought not; transfer station staff should be able to look up his name and find his placard number.

Board member Irene Belanger said Department of Environmental Protection staff are watching China’s RFID system, “because it’s the first one in the state.” The system is funded mostly by a DEP grant.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting date is Monday, Dec. 9.

DEP denies Windsor’s initial request to install a diesel fuel tank

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by Sandy Isaac

At the November 12 selectmen’s meeting, Town Manager Theresa Haskell reported that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has denied Windsor’s request to have a diesel tank installed on town property, specifically at the public works department. The need for a new diesel fuel tank stems from John Moody’s retirement announcement, effective this December. The town used Moody’s Fuel on Route 17, which included refueling after hours or during snowstorms. The DEP said the town will now have to apply for a variance, fill out a 25-plus page application, and go through the fire marshal’s office again for approval.

Haskell and Selectmen Ronald Brann had a formal meeting with representatives from the DEP, which, according to Brann, became quite heated at times. During the meeting, Brann inquired about alternatives to the diesel tank plans, including a 500-gallon fuel “cube.” A fuel cube can be placed on site and used as necessary, but still have the ability to be drained and moved. The DEP said this type of system was meant to be used at construction sites or on a temporary basis and would not be appropriate for the town’s needs.

Brann then suggested a trailer or a tank on the back of a pick-up truck. The DEP responded that although it was legal, it would not be secure. Therefore, the DEP recommended a full 1,000-gallon tank install with an electric leak warning system included in the installation plans.

The denial from the DEP is the result of one primary issue: all of the town owned properties that can house a 1,000-gallon fuel tank are located on an aquifer. An aquifer is a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater. Following the meeting with the DEP, Brann contacted the fire marshal’s office for clarification.

After much discussion, the selectmen decided to look into acquiring a truck with a 100-gallon tank to get through plowing season. This choice would also allow the public works department to utilize the portable tank for off-site work throughout the rest of the year.

Haskell called in Chief Arthur Stout from the Windsor Fire Department into the meeting and asked about the departments plans for refueling. The fire department is currently using fuel cards for filling up. The selectmen indicated that they would like to enter into a conversation with the fire department about ideas and possibly collaborating to resolve the fueling situation. Arthur said he will bring up the topic at the next fire department meeting. Haskell is hoping to get some ideas in motion prior to planning the next town budget.

The next item that presented much discussion was Charter (formerly Spectrum, and before that, Time Warner) Cable Company franchise agreement. The town of Windsor and Charter have a 10-year agreement which allows the cable company to do business within the town limits. In exchange, Charter pays the town a yearly fee. Although the contract is not up for another year and a half, Charter is pressing for Windsor to sign the newly-revised agreement. However, the revisions contain 15 additional pages and, in Selectmen William Apple Jr’s words, “it is not a mutual agreement and leaves us [Windsor] completely culpable.”

For example, revised agreement wording suggests Windsor would be liable for paying for work of laying cable underground or under roadways, to reimbursing Charter an equal amount of money if a utility company is reimbursed for work. Additional wording suggests, if another company were to solicit Windsor, the town must notify Charter and grant them the right to charge the same fees, thus illuminating the competition.

Haskell was asked to find out what would happen if the agreement was not signed. Haskell indicated that most Charter’s responses were repetitive and scripted, but she would reach out to them for an answer.

Haskell stated she would contact Vassalboro and China’s town managers to see if they have similar agreements with Charter. The contract with Charter will be tabled until a later date.

On a positive note, Haskell reported budgeting a six percent increase for Windsor’s employee health benefits for 2019-2020. However, the benefits only increased by three percent.

Finally, the selectmen unanimously approved changing their meeting from December 24 to December 23 at 6 p.m., and allowing the town office to close at 12:30 p.m., on the December 24, and at 5 p.m., on December 31.

The next regularly scheduled selectmen’s meeting is set for November 26.

Rome voters reject CMP Corridor

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On the evening of November 19, the town of Rome held an informational session and special town meeting focused on the CMP corridor. The 60-minute discussion included a panel of speakers from both sides of the corridor debate – Avangrid VP of Business Development Thorn Dickinson; Nicholas Bennett of Natural Resources Council of Maine; and Say NO to NECEC Rome resident advocates, Monica and Steve McCarthy.

Following the informational session, Rome residents voted 27-2 (with one neutral) for the town to take a position of opposition on the deeply unpopular CMP corridor.

Rome joins towns of Greenville, Jackman, Moose River, Dennistown, and Eustis – a series of towns not located along the proposed corridor route who have taken an opposition stance on the corridor. Now, 25 towns have either rescinded support or oppose the corridor and Rome residents made it clear they have grave concerns about NECEC’s potential for massive destruction to Maine’s environment, wildlife habitat, wetlands, waterways, and that this project will not reduce global CO2 emissions.

Nomination papers available Nov. 25 for vacant China selectboard seat

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Nomination papers to fill the vacant selectboard seat in China, that was created with the resignation of selectman Jeff LaVerdiere, will be available on Monday, November 25, 2019, at the China Town Office. According to Town Manager Dennis Heath, “the selectboard will decide at their meeting that evening if the special election will be March 3, 2020, or an earlier date.” By making the nomination papers available on Monday, “we accommodate either scenario,” Heath added.

The selectboard seat became vacant when LaVerdiere abruptly walked out of a selectboard meeting on October 15, and announced his resignation (The Town Line, October 24, 2019). His formal resignation was accepted by the board by a 3-1 margin, with retiring board chairman Bob MacFarland the only desenting vote (The Town Line, October 31, 2019).

Vassalboro residents seek ways to reduce speed on Rte. 32

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by Mary Grow

Half a dozen North Vassalboro residents attended the Nov. 14 Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting to ask what can be done to reduce speeding on Route 32 (Main Street) near the North Vassalboro post office.

The speed limit there is 35 miles an hour, they said, though a short distance north it drops to 25 miles an hour. Motorists pay little attention to either, or to the local children and elderly pedestrians who might be trying to cross the street. There are no marked crosswalks.

Selectmen asked Town Manager Mary Sabins to see what information is available or can be developed about vehicles’ speeds on the street. They plan to ask the state Department of Transportation (MDOT) to consider lowering the limit.

Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus warned the concerned residents that MDOT bases its speed limits on average actual speeds and might propose adjusting the limit up instead of down.

Returning to the topic of a new, or possibly additional, compactor at the transfer station (see The Town Line, Nov. 7), board members discussed ways to approach the expenditure. Sabins has been in touch with two engineering firms about establishing needs and cost estimates.

Titus’s suggestion that they set a ceiling price not to exceed $100,000 and see how far it will go toward all they want done became a motion that was approved unanimously.

Sabins updated board members on an ongoing disagreement over a Riverside Drive junkyard that is not in compliance with town regulations. Former Codes Officer Richard Dolby and present Codes Officer Paul Mitnik have both tried to resolve the problem, she said; they have made progress, but less than hoped.

She reported no one has expressed interest in becoming a member of the Vassalboro Board of Appeals. She and selectmen still hope volunteers will come forward.

The manager distributed a tentative schedule for selectmen’s, budget committee and school board meetings from January 2020 through the Monday, June 1, annual town meeting and the Tuesday, June 9, municipal election. Nomination papers for local elective office will be available Monday, March 2, and due back at the town office Friday morning, April 10.

The next Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, instead of the usual Thursday evening, to avoid the Thanksgiving holiday.

CHINA: Breton elected new selectboard chairman

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by Mary Grow

The temporarily four-member China selectboard elected a new chairman to succeed Robert MacFarland, who retired as of the Nov. 5 elections, but otherwise spent their Nov. 12 meeting getting reports and information rather than making decisions.

Town Clerk Becky Hapgood assisted the board because Town Manager Dennis Heath was out of town for a family emergency. Hapgood conducted a written-ballot election for board chairman.

When the first result was a 2-2 tie between Irene Belanger and Ronald Breton, Hapgood distributed ballots again. Breton was elected on a 3-1 vote. Belanger was re-elected board secretary.

Breton said Heath is exploring options for filling the fifth seat on the board, left empty when Jeffrey LaVerdiere resigned at the Oct. 15 meeting (see The Town Line, Oct. 24).

Breton and new board member Wayne Chadwick shared two concerns. Both want the fifth board member elected as soon as possible, so that, Chadwick said, they would not go into budget season with an even number of votes. But neither wanted the next board member elected by a bare quorum of voters, and both feared a special election might not generate a large turn-out.

The next scheduled state-wide election with which a local vote might be coupled is the Tuesday, March 3, political primary newly created by the legislature.

Some of the information presented Nov. 12:

  • TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Committee member Tom Michaud reported that improvements are completed on two fire roads, with the work partly funded from China’s TIF program.
  • Hapgood said the new traffic pattern for the Nov. 5 election appeared to have been successful; officials intend to use it again in November 2020, when a heavy voter turn-out is expected, and, she said, perhaps for future Halloween trunk ‘r treat events at the town office.
  • Speaking for public works head Shawn Reed, who was on the road as China got its first minor snowfall of the season, Hapgood said the sandbox at the transfer station is ready for residents who need small amounts of sand for walkways and driveways. The maximum to be taken per visit is two five-gallon buckets.

The selectmen’s meeting ended with a moment of silence in memory of China Rescue Unit Chief David Herard. The next regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25.