China selectmen decide to fill the controversial fire pond

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen voted at their June 11 meeting to fill in the fire pond they and town voters authorized last year to provide protection for Neck Road residents.

Voters appropriated $8,500 for the pond in November 2017. The money has been spent, mostly for a contractor to enlarge an existing pond on Tom Michaud’s land into a fire pond that is too steep-sided to be safe and so close to Neck Road that selectmen fear its crumbling walls could eat into the road shoulder.

Board members have been considering guard rails, at an estimated cost of $6,000. At the June 11 meeting Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux had an estimate of $3,500 to survey the area, including establishing the boundary with the neighbor’s property and share of the former, smaller pond, and to design a safer pond.

The manager estimated legal costs at around $2,500 so far, and suggested making a safe pond could cost another $20,000.

Selectman Neil Farrington moved to abandon the project and fill the hole, with L’Heureux and his successor, Dennis Heath, to get Michaud’s consent and a cost estimate and deal with any other legal or administrative issues.

The clay that was dug out to make the pond has been spread on one of Michaud’s fields and is not available for fill. Nonetheless, selectmen believe filling is the less expensive choice. The four board members present, Farrington, Irene Belanger, Donna Mills-Stevens and Chairman Robert MacFarland, voted unanimously to undo the pond.

Neither Michaud nor China Village Fire Chief Timothy Theriault was at the meeting. MacFarland said he had made clear to Theriault his concerns about and displeasure with the pond.

In other business, Farrington said Hussey Communications, of Winslow, will conduct the planned test of current broadband access next week. The plan is to put temporary equipment on two towers on either side of China Lake’s long basin and measure signal strength at various locations, especially along the shore.

Farrington invited people who would like to be included in the test to call the town office.

Belanger said managers of the new Fiberight trash facility in Hampden are inviting municipal officials for tours. Non-official residents are also welcome if space permits; anyone interested should call the town office. The next tour appears likely to be in early to mid-July.

After discussion with Highway Department Manager Gary Cummings and the outgoing and incoming town managers, selectmen accepted bids for winter sand, materials and equipment for summer road work and paving, choosing the low bidder in each category.

They authorized Cummings to buy a plate compactor, essential for installing culverts, instead of continuing to rent one, figuring the new machine will pay for itself in less than three years. The expected $3,592 cost will come from China’s equipment reserve fund.

Selectmen and Cummings also talked about replacing the town’s 2012 pickup truck, which Cummings said has 140,000 miles on it, and the 20-year-old loader. Selectmen asked for more information on both proposed purchases.

Frank Soares, Four Seasons Club President, recommended approval of a $41,000 bid for an ATV and snowmobile trail from Lakeview Drive near the town office and Four Seasons clubhouse to the Central Maine Power Company line that runs from south to north the length of China. Selectmen unanimously approved, with money to come from the TIF (Tax Increment Finance) Fund, as previously approved by voters.

According to the China website, the next selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 25.

China dedicates bicentennial monument

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Bicentennial Committee Chairman Neil Farrington explains the history of the town of China. (Photo by Eric Austin)

by Eric W. Austin

The obilisk that will stand near the China Town Office until the time capsule is opened on the first day of summer 2118.

On June 9, Neil Farrington, chairman of the China Bicentennial Committee, along with selectmen Bob MacFarland, Irene Belanger and new town manager Dennis Heath and his wife Mary, together with a small crowd of local citizens, formally dedicated the China Bicentennial Monument to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the Town of China.

Originally established as Jones Plantation in 1774, two years before the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the area was eventually incorporated as the China township in 1818. The name of Bloomville had initially been proposed but was dropped after citizens of nearby Bloomfield objected to the similarity in names. Japheth Washburn, a local representative to the Massachusetts’ legislature, chose China instead, taking the name from one of his favorite hymns. (The town of Bloomfield no longer exists. It has since been incorporated into other towns but lives on in the name of Bloomfield Elementary School, in Skowhegan.)

Harlem, what is now South China and Weeks Mills, was incorporated into China township in 1822, two years after Maine became a state. The Gore, a narrow tract of land bordering Palermo, was incorporated in 1830.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Bob McFarland gets ready to place the time capsule in the base of the monument.

The Bicentennial Monument, a four-sided granite obelisk six feet in height, set on a two-foot concrete pedestal, is engraved with these location names and the dates of their incorporations. At the dedication, Farrington said: “It took 12 years for China to be complete, and it wasn’t an easy task. This monument is a testament to that history, and a symbol of the process it took for China to be whole.”

On the front-side of the monument is engraved: “A time capsule has been buried under this monument and is to be opened on the first day of summer 2118.”

Contained in the time capsule, Farrington explained, is a paper scroll six feet long, on which students from China Middle School have written about “what life is like today, and what it might be like a hundred years from now.”

The dedication was followed by a chicken barbeque and a “meet and greet” with China’s new town manager, Dennis Heath and his wife, Mary.

China causeway bridge work to create considerable disruption in the area

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Potential impacts on emergency services, local residents, commuters, visitors and people attending services and programs at China Baptist Church

by Mary Grow

Among items China selectmen discussed at their May 29 meeting was the planned replacement of the causeway bridge at the head of China Lake’s east basin, a project they expect will create considerable temporary disruption in the area.

The work is scheduled for late September through mid-November, TIF (Tax Increment Finance) Committee member Tom Michaud told selectmen. It will involve building a coffer dam to divert the stream flowing into China Lake, taking out the existing bridge and replacing it with a larger, higher one.

Michaud said permits still need to be obtained. Bids were scheduled to go out the week of May 29. When Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux reminded Michaud that selectmen needed to approve bid specifications, they decided that engineer Joe McLean from Wright-Pierce would email them to the manager to share with the board. Selectmen pointed out there is limited space for large trucks to maneuver near the bridge. The next day, L’Heureux emailed a list of potential impacts on emergency services, local residents, commuters, visitors and people attending services and programs at China Baptist Church. He proposed extensive notice focused on area residents, including public informational meetings, electronic signs and notices to as many affected parties as people can think of.

Board Chairman Robert MacFarland added that people with boats in China Lake needed to be notified that access to the boat landing east of the bridge is likely to be disrupted as the contractor starts stockpiling materials.

Michaud said Mark McCluskey of A. E. Hodsdon engineers is doing preliminary design work on the second phase of the project, involving sidewalks, fishing platforms and similar changes along the lake. MacFarland asked for a cost estimate for McCluskey’s work.

Another project selectmen found eligible for TIF funds is expanding broadband service in China. Peter Hussey from Hussey Communications, in Winslow, proposed a study to see how much of the shoreline of “the long skinny part” of China Lake is covered by existing towers.

Selectmen unanimously authorized spending up to $3,000 from TIF funds earmarked for preliminary work on potential TIF projects. Resident Wayne Chadwick reminded them “There’s a lot more to this town than the lake.”

In other business, selectmen appointed Carlaine Bovio as member of the Comprehensive Planning Committee.

They unanimously authorized L’Heureux to order a new forklift for the transfer station, to be paid for when the new fiscal year starts in July.

They planned to advertise for bids for a roof over the north (basement) entrance to the old town house, with MacFarland to draw up specifications, and for quotes for a an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant bathroom in the former portable classroom between the town house and town office, with L’Heureux to prepare specifications.

They postponed action on bids for equipment and materials for summer road work, waiting for samples from bidders who want to supply sand.

They also postponed further discussion of the already-much-discussed fire pond on Neck Road, because they lacked a cost estimate for new design work. Michaud said the excavated clay had been spread, at no cost to the town, and the field it had occupied was planted to corn.

According to the town website, the next selectmen’s meeting will be at 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 11, in the town office.

June 12 voting will be in the portable classroom, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All registered voters may vote on the Regional School Unit #18 budget and on the state referendum question on ranked-choice voting. Registered voters enrolled in a political party may vote in the party primary.

Vassalboro selectmen agree to give sanitary district TIF funds

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro selectmen spent part of their May 31 meeting talking about money for the Vassalboro Sanitary District’s sewer extension to Winslow.

Three VSD board members attended the meeting to ask for money from Vassalboro’s TIF (Tax Increment Finance) fund. They wanted the entire amount on hand; after a public hearing on the request, selectmen voted unanimously to give them $91,628.92, leaving $20,000 in the TIF fund.

The TIF gets its money from taxes paid on the Summit natural gas pipeline that runs through town. Town Manager Mary Sabins said Summit pays about $100,000 a year, an amount that will gradually decrease as the pipeline depreciates.

So far selectmen have approved TIF funds for the sewer connection and for the Alewife Restoration Project.

They reminded VSD Chairman Ray Breton and Treasurer Rebecca Goodrich that TIF money has to be spent on the sewer expansion, as an economic development project, not on VSD’s day-to-day operations.

Breton and Sabins said the project also was awarded a $975,000 state Community Development Block Grant. Sabins said the grant requires two things from the town, which administers it:

• A public hearing, which selectmen scheduled for Thursday evening, June 28; and
• An advisory committee, primarily to answer questions from residents if there are any. Selectmen unanimously appointed Breton, Goodrich and their own board Chairman Lauchlin Titus.

VSD officials’ plan is to create a connection between the sewers in East and North Vassalboro and Winslow, so that Vassalboro’s sewage will go to the Waterville treatment plant and the town’s aging sand filter beds can be closed down. Total cost is estimated at more than $7 million, Breton said.

In other business, Codes Enforcement Officer Richard Dolby reported on numerous issues, especially properties that qualify as unlicensed junkyards. Most of the property-owners had at least started to clean up, some under threat of court dates, and several had made good progress, he said.

He reported on a failed septic system in a mobile home park. Selectmen unanimously approved a formal notice to the park’s owner.

They also approved Sabins’ proposed notices to a North Vassalboro resident who failed to pay back taxes to reclaim his duplex, and to his tenants, who do not need to move out but should plan to pay rent to a new owner. The property will be offered for sale, with bids due at the town office by 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 27.

Public Works Foreman Eugene Field talked with selectmen about paving, the sagging fence at the Three Mile Pond boat landing, a potentially expensive culvert replacement and chainsaws. Selectmen approved his seeking expert advice on the culvert and unanimously authorized replacing one of the chainsaws he bought after the 1998 ice storm.

The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, June 14.

Vassalboro tax rate raised at town meeting

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Selectman Rob Browne, left, presents the 2018 Spirit of America Award to Steve Polley for his volunteer efforts for the Town Recreation Department and his involvement with the local Scouts Troop, in addition to community projects and fundraisers. The award was presented at the annual town meeting on Monday, June 4, at the Vassalboro Community School. Steve’s wife Hillary and family were present as Steve accepted the award. (Contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

At Vassalboro’s annual town meeting June 4, voters raised their tax rate by 90 cents for each $1,000 of valuation – plus a fraction of a cent more – by siding consistently with the board of selectmen and school board over the more fiscally conservative budget committee and by giving the Family Violence Project more than either the selectmen or the budgeteers recommended.

As the meeting started, Town Manager Mary Sabins said if voters accepted all budget committee recommendations, the tax increase for 2018-19 would be about 31 cents per $1,000. If they accepted all competing recommendations, they would see a 90-cent per $1,000 increase.

On the articles with differing recommendations from two boards:

  • Voters approved $445,805 for town administration, rejecting the budget committee’s recommendation to save $500 by postponing new town office software (Art. 5).
  • They took $37,500 for the capital reserve fund from taxation instead of from the town’s surplus as the budget committee recommended, agreeing with selectmen it was prudent to maintain a healthy savings balance (Art. 7).
  • They approved a public works budget totaling $485,053, allowing $3,000 more for future fuel costs than the budget committee proposed (Art. 8).
  • They rejected the budget committee’s proposal to cut $50,000 from the school budget, specifically from administration at Vassalboro Community School, although the differing recommendations did generate the school budget discussion that Budget Committee members hoped for (Art. 48). When Moderator Richard Thompson reached Art. 34, a list of 11 social service and similar agencies asking for town funds, Holly Weidner urged funding the Family Violence Project at the $4,925 requested, instead of the $2,250 recommended by the selectmen and the budget committee.

Weidner presented statistics showing that domestic violence is a growing problem in Vassalboro. Budget committee member William Browne said the recommendations on that and some of the other agencies were based on flat funding. On a vote of 52 to 34, the higher figure was approved.

Budget committee member Peggy Shaffer and retiring member Elizabeth Reuthe asked for thoughts about long-term approaches to changing school funding, before rising education costs make Vassalboro unlivable.

Shaffer pointed out that school costs are increasing faster than state aid for education, creating an ever-larger local tax burden. Most expenditures are required by law or otherwise fixed, leaving the budget committee few options. She and others also faulted administrators in the now-dissolved AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) #92 for a confusing budget format and delays in getting figures to the budget committee.

Reuthe said that by allowing students their choice of high schools, Vassalboro offers a benefit, but an expensive one. Special education is another cost driver, she and school board member Jolene Gamage said: especially, as more babies are born to drug-addicted mothers, more youngsters will need special attention to succeed in school.

Except for the questions involving differing expenditure recommendations, voters approved the rest of the town meeting warrant with little or no discussion. For example, the proposed generator at Vassalboro Community School and the revised Building Permit Ordinance were approved without discussion.

Rick Denico Jr., Douglas Phillips and Richard Phippen were re-elected to the budget committee, Denico and Phillips for two years and Phippen for one year, to finish Eddie Scholz’s term after Scholz resigned. New budget committee members are Peter Allen, Barbara Redmond and Richard Suga. Voters also:

  • Recognized Steve Polley, winner of this year’s Spirit of America award for volunteerism;
  • Recognized Town Clerk Cathy Coyne for 20 years of service to Vassalboro;
  • Recognized retiring Vassalboro Community School Principal Dianna Gram for 24 years of service at the school; and
  • Heard short presentations from state Senate candidate John Glowa, House District 80 candidate Stephen Ball and District 80 incumbent Richard Bradstreet.

The annual town meeting continues at 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 12, in the town office meeting room, with polls open until 8 p.m. for voters to re-approve or reject the school budget approved June 4 and elect two local officials. John Melrose and Gamage are unopposed for re-election to the board of selectmen and the school board, respectively.

Vassalboro Appeals Board upholds permit to So. Stanley Rd. resident

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by Mary Grow

At a May 22 meeting, Vassalboro Board of Appeals members unanimously denied Jonathan Blumberg’s appeal of a March permit granted by Codes Officer Richard Dolby to Bernard Welch of South Stanley Hill Road.

On March 20, Dolby issued a permit to allow Welch to modify a previously-approved auxiliary building, described as a shed for processing vegetables, by adding a stairway to upstairs living quarters. Blumberg believed the permit was improperly granted, for a variety of reasons.

In a preliminary action when the appeal was first presented May 8, Blumberg challenged the adequacy of public notice. Board members John Reuthe, Leon Duff and Gary Coull voted unanimously that notice requirements were met for the May 22 meeting.

Blumberg again challenged the list of abutters who were notified, claiming it should have included residents across South Stanley Hill Road and across Outlet Stream. Welch’s lot with the building for which the permit was issued extends west to the stream; he owns a separate lot on the east side of the road.

Board members, guided by town attorney Kristin Collins, found that Welch’s second lot was not involved and that Outlet Stream is a barrier.

In other preliminary issues, board members rejected Blumberg’s claims that Collins and Reuthe were not impartial. Collins said she had nothing to do with granting the permit. Coull and Duff voted that Reuthe’s connection with Welch’s wife Jody through the Oak Grove Foundation did not constitute conflict of interest or bias.

Oak Grove Foundation spokeswoman Joann Austin said Jody Welch is on the foundation’s board and Reuthe is a candidate for membership who attended an April board meeting.

With the preliminary issues out of the way, Blumberg presented arguments against the permit, starting with Welch’s violation of Vassalboro’s subdivision ordinance in 2015 and 2016. The town ordinance prohibits issuing a permit to someone in violation of any ordinance or who has done something requiring a permit without getting the permit.

He also questioned the validity of the curb cut permit issued by the state Department of Transportation; questioned the type or types of business in which Welch engages, whether farming, a bed-and-breakfast or something else, and whether a site review permit should have been required for a new commercial operation; and claimed the septic system approved with the building was too close to a wetland.

Board members found Welch’s earlier violation had been resolved before the March 2018 permit was issued. They emphatically rejected Blumberg’s interpretation of the town ordinance as meaning that someone who acted without a required permit was thereby forever barred from getting any other town permit.

They ruled that they had no jurisdiction to review the curb cut approved by the state.

They found that the septic system permit had been properly issued, based on information Dolby supplied from state shoreland maps and his report of an inspection by state officials and local soils scientist Jack Lord.

They ruled that the modification to the building did not require a site review permit. Collins read from the town ordinance that site review requirements do not apply to residences, home occupations or agricultural occupations.

Having unanimously rejected Blumberg’s arguments, board members voted unanimously to deny his appeal.

Blumberg asked that his objections to several board actions be recorded. Collins stated Blumberg’s right to ask for a reconsideration or to appeal the board’s decision to Superior Court. The board’s decision is final as of May 22, she said, but board members will need to reconvene at a date to be determined to sign a formal notice of decision in a public meeting.

Ranked choice voting explained, along with summary of people’s veto of RCV

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On June 12, voters will cast ballots in a statewide Special Referendum Election and Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap is reminding all Maine voters of an informational resource that can help them make an informed decision at the polls: the 2018 Maine Citizen’s Guide to the Referendum Election at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/pdf/guide618.pdf .

The Citizen’s Guide is intended to provide as much information as possible so that voters have a convenient resource to educate themselves before casting their ballot. The Department of the Secretary of State, in collaboration with the attorney general, prepared the guide as an unbiased and non-partisan review of the People’s Veto question that voters will consider at the polls this June.

Question 1 asks: “Do you want to reject the parts of a new law that would delay the use of ranked-choice voting in the election of candidates for any state or federal office until 2022, and then retain the method only if the constitution is amended by December 1, 2021, to allow ranked-choice voting for candidates in state elections?

In the guide, voters can read the full text of the People’s Veto legislation, along with an analysis of its intent and content. Voters can also learn the impact of a yes or no vote. Election law also allows for citizen advocacy statements to be published supporting or opposing questions, which provides voters with those viewpoints to consider; one public comment was filed in support of this question and no public comments were filed in opposition.

Voters can request absentee ballots online at http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl via the Secretary of State’s website. Absentee ballots can also be requested in person, by phone or by mail from the voter’s municipal clerk. For more information http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/munic.html.

The final rules governing the tabulation of ranked-choice voting ballots are now available on the Maine Department of the Secretary of State website, along with an animated video  (see above) that shows how the tabulation will work. On June 12, 2018, this method of voting will be used for the first time ever in a statewide election as voters cast their ballots in the primary election.

The Ranked-Choice Voting Resources page offers several informational resources for voters who are seeking to educate themselves about ranked-choice voting, including:

  • the final version of the rules that will govern tabulation of the votes;
  • an animation explaining how the ranked-choice ballot can be marked and the tabulation;
  • sample ballots for the four ranked-choice voting races;
  • sample marked ballots with explanations of how such markings will be tabulated;
  • frequently asked questions (FAQ);
  • a printable .pdf “RCV Fact Sheet” for voters to review and share with others;
  • an implementation plan showing the Department’s progress and preparation; and a timeline showing how the State of Maine came to use this voting method.

Public Comment Period is Now Open On Wording of November Referendum Question.

Demacratic Sample ballot

To vote, fill in the oval. To rank your candidate choices, fill in the oval; In the first column for your first choice candidate; in the second column, for your second choice candidate, and so on. Continue until you have ranked as many or as few candidates as you like. FILL IN NO MORE THAN ONE OVAL FOR EACH CANDIDATE OR COLUMN. To rank a write-in candidate, write the person’s name in the write-in space and fill in the oval for the ranking of your choice.

Republican sample ballot

RSU #18 2018 budget hearing scheduled

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Messalonskee Middle School (photo source RSU 18 Messenger)

Regional School Union #18 district budget meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 29, at 6 p.m., in the cafeteria at Messalonskee Middle School, in Oakland.

Julia candidate for Senate District #15 seat

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Kellie Julia

Last year at this time Kellie Julia never thought she would be running for the State Senate Seat in our district, she was deeply mourning the death of her son who passed away in February 2017. But now a year later she is working hard to hopefully win the June 12 primary vote for the Democratic party and then on to the general election in November. Kellie has always been a hardworker, a survivor and strives to be a role model for her daughter and other young people.

Kellie has never been involved with politics before and when asked why she thinks that she would be a good representative of the people of Oakland, China, Sidney, Vassalboro and Augusta, her answer is, “Because I believe the people in our communities need someone who will really listen to them and be their voice in Augusta. I will work hard to make a difference and a much needed change for all of us.”

Kellie’s background is in education and behavioral health. She worked for Child Development Services and in local schools for the past 15 years. Kellie feels that there are funds available within the state’s budget that could be better appropriated to education, mental health services and for senior needs so that her constituents’ taxes do not need to be raised even more than they already have been to fund them. Kellie feels that in the past few years it seems like money just keeps getting taken away from programs that are important to our families in Maine, and she is ready to fight to get those back.

Kellie and her husband Dawson have owned a few small businesses over the years. Their current business is East Coast CBDs, in Unity, and she knows how hard it is to keep a small business operating. She plans on drafting bills that will help small businesses flourish in Maine and hopefully lead to more young people deciding to settle down here. In a state whose median age is 48 she feels we need to start being proactive with ideas to keep our young adults from wanting to leave our beautiful state due to lack of being able to make a sustainable living.

Kellie feels that green energy resources are not only important for the conservation and health of our environment in Maine but are also a way to lower our everyday bills. She is committed to helping all of the residents of our state who would like opportunities to have access to these resources and also tax breaks and incentives for those that utilize them.

Kellie has lived in Maine her entire life. She is proud of her Franco-American heritage. (Her maiden name was Allain.) She resides in China with her husband, daughter Kyli and several furry family members. Please find her information on her webpage and on Facebook at Kellie Julia for State Senate District #15.

Vassalboro board of appeals gives farm stand go ahead

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source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Board of Appeals members unanimously granted Parker Denico the variance from shoreland requirements that should let him open a farm stand in North Vassalboro.

Raymond Breton’s lot on which Denico has permission to put the stand does not extend far enough east from Outlet Stream to let Denico set the temporary building the required 100 feet from the water. He estimates it will be about 50 feet from the stream. He therefore needed a variance from the setback requirement.

Codes Officer Richard Dolby told the three board of appeals members at the May 15 meeting they are required by the town’s Shoreland Zoning Ordinance to find that failure to grant the variance would create an undue hardship. There are four criteria by which “undue hardship” is measured, he said:

  • The “land in question cannot yield a reasonable return” without a variance.
  • The variance is needed “due to the unique circumstances of the property and not to the general conditions in the neighborhood.”
  • Granting the variance “will not alter the essential character of the locality.”
  • The “hardship is not the result of action taken by the applicant or a prior owner.” The ordinance gives the board of appeals the right to impose conditions on any variance granted. Board members added two conditions:
  • The only building allowed will be the planned seasonal farm stand, to operate between June 1 and Oct. 31.
  • The variance will be reviewed after one year.

Dolby was not sure that a temporary, reviewable variance would be accepted by state regulators who oversee variances granted by local boards.

Denico’s next step is to return to the planning board to get his shoreland permit. Since the next regular planning board meeting is not until June 5, a special meeting might be scheduled late in May.