Kennebec retired educators support classrooms

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The Kennebec Retired Educators Association (KREA) is awarding two $150 grants to two educators in Kennebec County for classroom use. The grants will supplement expenses for student-centered, inter-disciplinary projects and may be expended for materials used in the classroom, speakers’ fees, project development and related travel expenses, etc.

Grant criteria and applications have been disseminated to every principal in all elementary, middle, and high schools. The principals have made them available to the classroom teachers. Grant applications are to be submitted by October 30 to George Davis, committee chairperson. The winning applicants will be notified by December 1 and will receive the grant money at that time.

“Students remain our primary focus long after we leave our classrooms,” says George Davis of Skowhegan, chairperson of the Innovative Classroom Grant Committee and retired principal of Winslow High School.

KREA is comprised of retired educators from 60 schools in 31 cities and towns. In an effort to give back to the schools where they taught for many years, members of KREA also participate in the annual statewide “Day of Caring” volunteerism program that assists teachers every August in preparing for the opening day of school. Teachers in many Kennebec County schools have benefited from their assistance.

Further information may be obtained from George Davis at 207-612-2639.

Superintendent shares acronym meanings

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Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)

At the Sept. 17 Vassalboro School Board meeting, Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer shared a list of more than 200 educational bureaucracy acronyms he obtained at a recent conference.

Some have become familiar, like ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

Some seem confusing. HR might mean either House Resolution or Human Resources, and SFA stands for either student financial assistance or School Food Authority. FY is fiscal year; FFY is federal fiscal year; PFY is preceding fiscal year; SY is school year; there is no SFY for state fiscal year.

There are long acronyms, like AEFFA (Association of Educational Federal Finance Administrators), CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) and FPLPE (Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension). There are a minority of two-letter ones, including MC for Montana Compact and PS, which does not mean an addition to a letter or an email ­– it means postsecondary.

Easy to pronounce acronyms include GAPS, the Grant Administration and Payment System; HELP, the U. S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; LEARN, Literacy for All, Results for the Nation; and PLOP, present level of performance.

China TIF members seek additional volunteers to serve

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by Mary Grow

Five members of China’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Committee and Town Manager Dennis Heath shared information on several ongoing projects at the Sept. 23 committee meeting.

Chairman Frank Soares noted that although the committee has 10 people listed as members, at least two have resigned and others have been unable to attend a meeting in months. He plans to ask selectmen to delist the resigned and inactive members to make space for new people.

Any China resident interested in advising on spending up to half a million dollars a year is invited to contact Soares, Heath or the town office.

The half million is Heath’s estimate of sums spent and obligated for the current fiscal year, the bulk of it for the causeway project, the new bridge and future recreational improvements at the head of China Lake’s east basin. TIF money comes from taxes Central Maine Power Company pays on its north-south power line and its South China substation.

Committee members are waiting for detailed plans and state permits to continue the causeway project eastward from the new bridge. In 2017, China voters authorized spending up to $750,000 for the work; Heath doubts the approximately $150,000 left will be enough to finish it, and foresees asking for another appropriation.

Funds have been authorized to help the China Lake Association with projects to control run-off into China Lake. Construction subcommittee chairman Tom Michaud said Fire Road 35 is first on the list, with grant money and a donation from the Kennebec Water District supplementing TIF funds.

The committee’s revolving loan fund subcommittee and the full committee have recommended selectmen approve the first application for TIF revolving loan fund money to help a local business, from Buckshot Sports. Heath said selectmen are awaiting final documentation.

New and renewal applications for TIF funding are expected this fall. Heath said new state laws allow TIF money to support broadband service and all emergency services, not just fire departments.

Thurston Park Committee Chairman Jeannette Smith delivered her committee’s request for $22,700. Committee members intend to discuss the application at their late-October meeting, to be scheduled.

In the interim, they will hold an Oct. 14 (despite the holiday) workshop meeting to discuss requesting state and local approval to add funding categories and to reallocate funds among current categories.

Vassalboro Community School students in line for joint project with NASA

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Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members applauded when they heard at their Sept. 17 meeting that students at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) are in line for a joint project with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, commonly called NASA.

“Wicked awesome,” was Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer’s reaction.

Michelle Lake, instructional specialist for the now-dissolved Alternative Educational Structure (AOS) #92, and VCS science teacher Breanne Desmond reported that their application has been approved to try out for a Cubesat launch. A Cubesat is “a little tiny satellite” that carries experiments into earth orbit, Lake explained.

The next step is for NASA to help assemble a team of engineers and other experts who will work with students to build the solar-powered satellite. It will be tested by going up with a weather balloon and if it works, will hitch a ride into space.

Related: Superintendent shares acronym meanings

The timetable is indefinite, starting this fall. The project is supposed to take two years. Desmond expects to start with sixth-graders; the curriculum team hasn’t decided whether the second year will continue with the same students in seventh grade or hand over to the new sixth-graders.

The question the students will try to answer is whether the frequency or location of lightning strikes is changed by global warming. Sub-questions include whether the northeastern United States can expect more frequent or severe lightning strikes; if that answer is yes, what negative (like more forest fires) and positive (like more nitrogen fixing to improve soils) consequences might occur; whether energy could be captured from the lightning; and whether, if lightning is more frequent, housing codes should be adapted.

The other good-news report Sept. 17 was that changes to the school meals program are leading more students to eat school-provided breakfast or lunch or both. In addition to potential improvements in nutrition, more use of the meals program means an increased federal subsidy.

A third issue discussed was whether to allow a Vassalboro school bus to transport eight VCS students attending Happy Days Childcare and Learning Center on Augusta Road (Route 201), in Winslow, an estimated 70 yards from the Vassalboro town line. The usual policy is that Vassalboro buses operate only inside the town.

However, Pfeiffer said he gave Happy Days conditional approval, if the childcare manager will let its yard be used as a school bus turn-around. Driver Clayton Rice called the plan “doable,” Pfeiffer said. School Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur said Happy Days employees’ vehicles are not in the way.

Board members approved the proposal without opposition, as long as the turnaround is plowed adequately and not blocked in any other way. Pfeiffer emphasized this action does not set a precedent for automatically allowing buses to cross the town boundary; anyone else wanting the same service needs to follow procedure, starting with a written application.

The next regular Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Oct. 15.

Unity College faculty earns $35,000 grant to monitor Lake Winnecook water quality using drones

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The grant acquired by Unity College to study the eutrophication of Lake Winnecook, also known as Unity Pond, funds two full-time student positions throughout the summer. (contributed photo)

There are a number of ways to monitor the changes in a lake’s quality of water, such as gathering and testing water samples, using a Secchi disk to measure visibility, and even satellite data gathered over the course of several years. However, when Dr. James Killarney, Assistant Professor of Environmental Chemistry, saw an opportunity to apply for a Maine Space Grant Consortium Faculty Seed Research Grant, he began thinking of new ways to study the eutrophication of Lake Winnecook, also known as Unity Pond. Eutrophication, which is usually caused by runoff from the land, is when the body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients due to an abundance of plant life and algae.

The Maine Space Grant Consortium is part of a network funded by NASA’s National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, also known as Space Grant.

“One of the NASA mission directorates was related to monitoring global environmental change with respect to water quality” said Dr. Killarney. “I had a conversation about the grant with Kevin Spigel, Professor of Geoscience, and because of some drone work he had recently started, he brought up we should do something with them. From there, the idea of using aerial imagery at a local scale to perform water quality analysis started to develop.”

Drs. Killarney and Spigel then reached out to Dr. Janis Balda, Professor of Sustainable Enterprise, to take the lead on the business development piece of the grant, and Dr. Kathleen Dunckel, Associate Professor of Forest Resources and Geographical Information Systems, who can overlay the images taken using GIS.

The grant also funds two full-time student positions throughout the summer. “Students get to go along for this ride,” said Dr. Killarney. “They’re going to see this process of science at a federally funded level, and they’re going to be able to decide if this is something they want to do with their life.”

“I want to congratulate Drs. Killarney, Spigel, Balda, and Dunckel on being awarded this grant,” said Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury. “Not only is it great to see our faculty engaged in research that will benefit the residents here in Unity, but this grant will also offer our students an invaluable experience conducting research with professionals. This is the embodiment of a Unity College education, getting hands-on experience in the field, and I can’t wait to see what comes out of this research.”

The Friends of Lake Winnecook also helped in funding the research, as they continue to work closely with the college to monitor the lake’s water quality.

“We’re really excited about it,” said Brian Levesque, the President of the Friends of Lake Winnecook. “It’s going to be huge in terms of monitoring and testing, and we think it’s going to be a huge step in the ongoing efforts to clean up the lake. Our end goal is to get Lake Winnecook off the impaired list of lakes in the state, and continue to work with Unity College and other agencies in a collaborative effort to do that.”

While the bulk of the research will be conducted throughout the summer, work with this grant is already underway and will be included in portions of the curriculum for the upcoming Fall semester.

CHINA: Planners to hear medical marijuana application

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Location of proposed medical marijuana operation on Route 3 in China. (photo from Google maps streetview)

by Mary Grow

At their Sept. 24, 2019 meeting, China Planning Board members will continue discussion of Clifford Glinko’s application for a change of use for the South China building that formerly housed Mainely Trains and other businesses.

Glinko’s application says he intends to create two separate suites in the building. One will be for a medical marijuana facility, not open to the public, for “cultivation, manufacturing, and packaging for offsite delivery” of medical marijuana.” Planned hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The other suite will be for retail sale of “cannabis smoking accessories.” It will operate Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Planning Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the town office meeting room.

Related story: Planners again postpone action on marijuana facility application

CHINA: Planners again postpone action on marijuana facility application

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by Mary Grow

At their Sept. 10 meeting, China Planning Board members again postponed action on Clifford Glinko’s application to open a medical marijuana facility in the former Mainely Trains building on Route 3, in South China. Again, the main focus of an inconclusive discussion was the meaning and application of state law and who decides on meaning and application.

The board’s Aug. 27 discussion included references to legal opinions from town attorney Amanda Meader and Glinko’s attorney, Christopher McCabe. Board members thought Meader intended to write a revised opinion (see The Town Line, Sept. 12, 2019).

They proposed asking Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, through China Representative Timothy Theriault, to advise on whether the requirements for a setback between schools and recreational marijuana businesses also applied to medical marijuana. As Glinko pointed out, the two types of business are covered under two different sections of state law: Title 28-B, Adult Use Marijuana; and Title 22, Health and Welfare, Chapter 558-C, Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act.

As of Sept. 10, planning board members had nothing new from Meader and did not know whether anyone had approached the attorney general. Codes Officer William Butler had third-hand information that Meader thought she need not update her earlier opinion; Glinko believed she had been asked not to act until the attorney general replied.

Later in the week, Town Manager Dennis Heath reported that Theriault told him Frey had declined to give an opinion, recommending instead the town attorney or the Maine Municipal Association’s legal services.

The planning board discussion showed that since Aug. 27, emails had been exchanged among the two attorneys and Heath. Board members had not seen most of them.

Glinko, increasingly frustrated by the delays, reminded board members they are obliged to act within 35 days, but that statement sparked another brief debate: Glinko said within 35 days of submission of an application (his was received Aug. 13), Butler and board Chairman Tom Miragliuolo said within 35 days of the board voting the application complete, an action taken on Aug. 27. Butler’s and Miragliuolo’s position conforms to the China Land Use Ordinance.

Long-time board member Jim Wilkens insisted the board could not decide on the application without complete information and still be fair to both the applicant and the townspeople. After almost an hour’s discussion, board members unanimously tabled the application to their Sept. 24 meeting, expecting more clarity by then.

In other business, Miragliuolo shared with the rest of the board a summary of progress on drafting China’s revised comprehensive plan. Joel Greenwood, the consultant from Kennebec Valley Council of Governments assisting China’s Comprehensive Plan Committee, expects a first draft by December, ready for town voters’ action in the spring of 2020.

The next Comprehensive Planning Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday evening, Sept. 25. All meetings are open to the public, and new committee members are welcome.

Miragliuolo also shared copies of the five articles on the Nov. 5 local ballot that make up the “opt in” provisions required by state law if China is to allow medical marijuana establishments in town (see The Town Line, Sept. 12, p. 3, China Selectboard story).

Related story: Planners to hear medical marijuana application

China selectmen unanimously approve another portable classroom

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen unanimously approved buying another second-hand portable classroom, adding a comparatively small sum to the money they’d already spent at their Sept. 16 meeting.

Town Manager Dennis Heath said Regional School Unit (RSU) #18 Superintendent Carl Gartley offered to sell the 50-by-14-foot building to the town for $1, with the town to pay moving costs from Oakland. The manager recommended buying it and siting it on the town office lot to use as a police office; he intends to discuss the exact placement with Codes Enforcement Officer Bill Butler.

The building has a new roof and a heating system, he said. If it were near the portable classroom behind the town office, officers could use the just-installed toilet facilities there.

From the audience, Budget Committee member Wayne Chadwick reminded selectmen they would need to pay for a concrete pad, electricity and probably other costs.

Robert MacFarland, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said he had seen the building and believes, “with a little bit of cleaning up,” it would be useful for an office and storage. MacFarland estimated the total cost of moving and adapting the building at less than $10,000.

In the past, China bought two extra portable classrooms, the one behind the town office used mainly for voting and committee meetings and one selectmen passed on to the South China Library. That one is now on a slab on Jones Road.

The unusually high expenditure warrant selectmen approved at the beginning of the Sept. 16 meeting totaled more than $1 million. Heath said it included the Kennebec County tax and the monthly school budget.

Also on the warrant was a $52,440.54 payment to Central Maine Power Company to install three-phase power at the transfer station, a long-awaited improvement that will allow installation of the new pre-crusher. Money is to come from the transfer station capital expense fund and the selectmen’s contingency fund. Selectman Ronald Breton congratulated Heath on negotiating CMP’s original price down by more than $16,000.

Selectmen did not accept a revised schedule for town office fees Heath said office staff recommended. After a 15-minute discussion, they voted unanimously to leave fees as they are with two exceptions: changes in fees for notary services and use of the office FAX.

After the meeting, Heath recommended that he delay posting the fee schedule until selectmen review it again at their Sept. 30 meeting.

Neil Farrington, one of China’s representatives on the RSU #18 board of directors, came to the selectmen’s meeting with a proposal to use the South China Legion Hall for community events sponsored by the China for a Lifetime Committee, and stayed to answer school-related questions.

There are two main reasons for school budget increases, he said. One is employee salaries and benefits that go up annually by contract. The other is social, the growing need for special education services. This year RSU #18 has hired an additional social worker and a drug counselor, he said.

In other business:

  • Board members unanimously appointed Nancy Beadling a member of the China for a Lifetime Committee.
  • They again tabled action on Mike Rackcliffe’s application for a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) revolving loan because they had not received requested information from the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, which assists with China’s loan program (see The Town Line, Sept. 12, p. 3).
  • China Lake Association spokesman Tom Michaud said the association had contracted with Chadwick’s firm, W. D. Chadwick Construction, of South China, for erosion control work on Fire Roads 13, 27 and 35, with Fire Road 35 to be done this fall if possible.
  • Michaud reported that lakefront property owners who had LakeSmart erosion control barriers installed this summer had contributed $2,500 to the program (see The Town Line, Aug. 8, p. 2 and Aug. 29, p. 2, for examples of LakeSmart award recipients).

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30.

Work continues at China school

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Construction at China Middle School as of September 2019. (photo by Roland Hallee)

Construction continues on the addition to the China Middle School. The work is being performed by Blane Casey, of Augusta, and although they have come across some structural issues it is expected the work will still come in within the budget that was planned, according to Carl Gartley, Superintendent of Schools for RSU #18, of which the China schools are a member. The total cost of the expansion project will be between $1.5 and $1.6 million.

The project includes adding locker rooms, redoing the stage and music class area, adding practice rooms for music classes, adding storage for cafeteria tables, redoing the gym floor and upgrading the HVAC system, repairing the roof and other fire code improvements to meet compliance of new laws.

Winslow receives $36,572 to assist fire department

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photo from Winslow Fire Facebook page

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced recently $33.6 million in direct assistance grants to 166 fire departments nationwide through the agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Additional phases will soon be announced.

The Winslow Fire Department will receive $36,572 from FEMA for an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG). This grant will be used for Advanced Emergency Medical Technician training.

The announcement includes Assistance to Firefighters Grants to the following fire departments in Maine:

Winslow, ME – Federal share of $36,572 for Emergency Medical Technician – Advanced – training. Brewer and Gorham also received grants.

The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations. Since 2001, AFG has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

This grant is funded through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Eligible applicants include local fire departments, fire districts, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, tribal fire departments and State Fire Training Academies. The grant applications are submitted from each agency directly to FEMA, where the applications are reviewed and scored by fire service personnel from throughout the nation.

FEMA obligates funding for this project directly to the recipient agencies. It is the recipient agency’s responsibility to manage their grant award within federal guidelines with technical assistance and monitoring provided by FEMA Fire Program Specialists.

Additional information about FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters grant program(s) may be found at https://www.fema.gov/firegrants.