Palermo residents win battle over Sheepscot Lake dam opening

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Sheepscot dam

by Carolyn Viens
Sheepscot Lake Assocation

The residents of Palermo have won a major battle in the opposition to LD922, the legislative bill mandating the opening of the Sheepscot Dam to alewives, and other migrating fishes which would have a negative impact on the health of the lake. Representative Jeffrey Pierce of the Maine House of Representatives, and sponsor of LD922, has agreed to withdraw the bill which is currently tabled in the Maine House upon request of Governor Paul LePage.

Following a meeting held with the governor, Mr. Pierce, Commissioner Chandler Woodcock, of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W), and Commissioner Keliher of the Maine Deparment of Marine Resources (DMR), it was determined that several expensive steps would need to be taken before such legislation should be considered. These steps include the addition of appropriate biosecurity systems deemed necessary to adequately protect the Palermo rearing station, the securing of funding from private sources to assist in installation of a system meeting the DIF&W criteria, and the determination of the appropriate timeframe to reopen the fish passage for sea run alewife once the necessary measures are in place at the Palermo rearing station. These steps would be extremely expensive and time consuming to complete, and as a result the legislation has been pulled and the removal of the fish gate will not be permitted.

This indefinite postponement is a direct result of the citizens of Palermo and the Sheepscot Lake Association showing their concern repeatedly during town meetings, as well as through communication with government representatives. It would not have been successful without the ongoing involvement of Senate President Michael Thibodeau, who continually gave support throughout this process.

Congratulations to all of you who took the time and made the effort for your voices to be heard through testifying, as well as the untold hours spent contacting legislators, writing letters and articles to the newspapers, and networking with people who could help the cause! It is a testament to the fact that our voices, collectively, were heard and that the government representatives listened! A special thank you for the Long Pond constituents who participated in both research, written articles, and testimony at the hearing, as well as everyone who invested their time and shared their voice, as well as those who listened, and cared. Sheepscot will continue to be the beautiful, pristine, and healthy lake shared by so many each year!

Vassalboro School board reviews unfinished 2018-19 budget

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

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members reviewed an unfinished 2018-19 budget and discussed it with budget committee members at two sequential meetings March 29. The preliminary $7.9 million budget at the beginning of the meetings would require an increase in local taxes of more than $495,000, which Town Manager Mary Sabins said would amount to somewhere around $1.30 for each $1,000 of valuation (about one and one-third mil).

However, that figure is already obsolete, according to AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) #92 Superintendent Eric Haley and Finance Director Paula Pooler. For example, they had projected a nine percent increase in insurance costs, and had learned earlier that day that the increase will be zero, cutting about $63,000 in projected expenditures.

Haley and Pooler emphasized the number of expensive unknowns in each annual school budget. For example, when a special education student who needs a full-time educational technician moves into or out of Vassalboro, budget needs can increase or decrease by thousands of dollars.

Tuition costs are also hard to predict. The state does not set its figures until late in the calendar year, and the cost varies among the different high schools Vassalboro students attend, with Waterville the least expensive and Erskine Academy the most. If the state figures are higher than expected, or if more Vassalboro eighth-graders choose Erskine, or if more high-school sophomores choose the vocational schools as an option, tuition will be underfunded.

Special education is one reason the 2018-19 budget is projected to increase, Haley said. Another is teachers’ and educational technicians’ salaries, which have been negotiated. He shared results of a survey showing that Vassalboro pays most of its teachers and educational technicians less than they would get in comparable jobs in nearby school systems like Fairfield, Oakland or Madison.

Budget committee and school board members have another joint meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, after the school board meeting at 6 p.m. that evening (a week earlier than usual because of April school vacation).

The budget committee will also meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 5, in the town office. That evening’s selectmen’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m., also in the town office.

In addition to the budget, school board and budget committee members briefly discussed consequences of dissolving AOS #92. Vassalboro Community School will have its own part-time superintendent; school board members intend to contract with Waterville and Winslow to get the same central office services they have been getting, delivered by many of the same people, with costs determined by the same formula that has divided AOS central office costs among Vassalboro, Waterville and Winslow.

While Haley and most school board members favor a three-year contract, several budget committee members and selectmen advised starting with a one-year contract. Haley said he plans to provide enough staff members, replacements and two new hires, to serve all three former AOS schools; but he needs a three-year commitment to justify staffing. He doubts Vassalboro would find less expensive services elsewhere; Pooler warned Vassalboro might end up with none.

School Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur agreed, saying no other agency “has been beating down my door” to offer a competing proposal.

School board member Susan Tuthill said a three-year contract would allow a year to adjust, not only to the new arrangement but also to a new superintendent and principal; the second year would allow evaluation; and if problems developed, the third year could be used to explore alternatives.

Selectman John Melrose has talked with people in two other towns where go-it-alone schools have moved to in-house services. Lauchlin Titus, chairman of the selectmen, compared the proposed contract for school services with Vassalboro’s alewife harvesting contract, which started as annual and when the arrangement proved satisfactory went to three and now five years.

Pooler and Vassalboro Community School Principal Dianna Gram said the comparison is inaccurate, because Vassalboro is not “jumping into the unknown”; the school has had nine years of satisfactory service from the AOS office.

Gram was accompanied at the School board and budget committee meetings by her successor, Dr. Megan Allen, who will become principal when Gram retires at the end of June.

China planners set to hear proposal on camp for teens

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by Mary Grow

The China Planning Board has scheduled an April 10 public hearing on a proposal to convert a former corporate retreat on Pond Hill Road to a leadership development camp for teenagers.

Pond Hill Road is between Route 3 and Three Mile Pond. The property has frontage on the pond as well as a tennis court, baseball field and half basketball court, owners Wesley and Susan Horton said.

The planing board’s initial review of the proposal, held March 27 with only three of the six board members present, drew nine neighbors with questions and concerns. Given the interest, board members willingly accepted several audience members’ recommendation they hold a public hearing.

The Hortons, who also run the Ironwood Maine facility, in Morrill, explained the Pond Hill Road camp is for young people, mostly between 16 and 18, who are recovering from problems like anxiety and depression, have been in treatment and are ready for a transition back to family life, college or another destination.

They plan to have no more than 10 residents at a time, with at least two staff people supervising at all times. The focus will be on life skills and character development – dealing with emotions, reconnecting with family members, finding purpose, establishing routines. Youngsters typically stay three months; the camp operates year-round.

Their clients do not have criminal records, and they are not ordered to the facility by a court or other agency. Referrals come mostly from parents, who are “part of the equation,” Wesley Horton said, and sometimes from school counselors.

“They’re good kids,” said Susan Horton, who is a psychotherapist specializing in adolescent development.

Wesley Horton added that the camp operates on a two-strike system: a second infraction of rules, like smoking, keeping an untidy room or arguing with staff about chores, means the youngster is out.

Neighbors had questions about traffic, interaction with neighborhood young people and the degree of supervision – the last raised by Anita Whittaker, considering the snow-sculpted penis she sees from her windows. The Hortons said the clients do not drive and are supervised at all times. The facility has a 10 p.m. curfew.

As the discussion drew to an end, neighbor Raymond Gosselin said the camp has been operating since the Hortons bought the property in October 2017, and asked why they are only now applying for a planning board permit.

Codes Officer Paul Mitnik said he was unaware of the Hortons’ use of the property until they asked him for an occupancy permit. He assumes they did not know they needed a change of use permit from the planning board.

The April 10 hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room.

See our related story: China public hearing planned on proposed teen camp

 

China board denies BioFuels’ request to reconsider

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by Mary Grow

At a March 22 meeting, the China Board of Appeals refused to reconsider its Feb. 15 refusal to hear two appeals of codes officer’s decisions filed by Bio Renewable Fuels (BRF).

The case began in August 2017, when Codes Officer Paul Mitnik notified BRF owner Ralph Howe that he needed a planning board permit to continue his Dirigo Road operation. In September 2017, Mitnik sent the company a notice of violation.

Howe appealed both documents. At the Feb. 15 hearing, board of appeals members unanimously rejected both appeals on procedural grounds, without going into the merits of the issue.

The rest of the board agreed with Chairman Spencer Aitel that the appeal of the August letter was not filed within the required 30 days, and that the appeal of the notice of violation incorrectly listed the property-owner as BFR, when in fact the company leases its land from Ralph Howe’s wife Linda.

Attorney Kristin Collins, of Preti Flaherty, in Augusta, disagreed with both reasons and objected to the board’s not giving the Howes a chance to rebut them. She therefore asked the board to reconsider its Feb. 15 decisions.

Aitel arrived at the conclusion that the appeal was filed late by counting days on a calendar. Collins referenced state Rules of Civil Procedure that say that the day of an action does not count as the first day, and if the final day of a time period is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the next day should be counted as the final day. By those rules, she said, the appeal was filed within 30 days. On the second point, Collins said BFR was the entity to which Mitnik’s documents were addressed, and since the company has a 99-year lease on the land it is the owner for relevant purposes. She added that nothing in town ordinances allows dismissal of an appeal because of an error on the form; in fact, she said, the town does not even require a form, as long as an appeal is in writing, nor does it require the property-owner to submit the appeal.

Board of Appeals members approved motions not to reconsider each previous action by identical 4-1-1 votes, with Robert Fischer, Lisa Kane, Anthony Pileggi and Dale Worster in the majority, Michael Gee opposed and Aitel abstaining.

Aitel told the Howes they may appeal the board’s decisions to Superior Court.

China voters approve all warrant items but one

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by Mary Grow

China voters approved all but one of the 43 articles in the warrant for their March 24 annual town business meeting.

Art. 41 was defeated on a written vote of 38 in favor to 48 opposed. The article asked authorization to spend $100 to buy the Branch Mills Union Church and up to another $80,000 from donations, grants and if applicable China’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) fund to maintain the historic building. The proposal came from Selectman and Bicentennial Coordinator Neil Farrington, who stressed the importance of preserving tangible pieces of China’s past. He also urged treating China’s four villages equally, pointing out that the town is financing causeway improvements near China Village and the one-room schoolhouse in Weeks Mills and has installed sidewalks in South China.

Hugh Krajewski, one of the church directors, said Branch Mills residents support preserving the church as a multi-purpose secular community center and consider tearing down the building “not a viable option.” The town would have a better chance of getting preservation grants than would the church directors, he said.

Click the picture above to download the China Town Report for 2018 in pdf format.

Budget committee member Wayne Chadwick said preservation should be done by the China Historical Society or another private entity, not by taxpayers. He pointed out that in the Palermo half of Branch Mills Village are a newer church and a Grange Hall that could serve as community centers.

Former Selectman Ronald Breton said the TIF Committee had not been consulted on the possible use of TIF money. He added that “a selectman” – he declined to say which one – told him repairs and maintenance would be likely to cost $200,000 rather than the $80,000 in the warrant article.

Another historic preservation proposal, the request for up to $20,000 to install water and a septic system at the Weeks Mills schoolhouse, also generated debate, but was approved, not unanimously, by a show of hands. Farrington said the work would make the building usable as a community center for Weeks Mills or, now that it has internet, as a virtual school.

Chadwick opposed this expenditure, too, questioning the need for local centers now that transportation is easy, citing the shortage of land for a septic system and for parking and asking whether the additions would fit the building’s historic character.

Farrington said parking could be at the church across the road and that a neighbor is willing to share part of his land. Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux added that the Weeks Mills Water Company has agreed to extend a line to the building, and that when it was a school it had running water and a “primitive waste system.”

The other request approved only after debate was for a new precrusher-compactor for demolition and debris at the transfer station (Art. 17). The equipment would cost more than $56,000; Chadwick and others questioned whether it was a good investment.

Members of the Transfer Station Committee, which endorsed the proposal, said the new equipment would be used mostly to crush bulky items like sofas and mattresses so that each load shipped out for landfilling would have more in it. Since the town pays by the load, increasing the tonnage in each load from about six to about 10 tons would save money.

The new compactor would also save wear and tear on the loader that transfer station staff now use as an improvised crusher, would save staff time and would be safer, Paul Lucas and Linda O’Connor said. It would be a back-up for busy days or if the main compactor had a problem. Since the current hopper dates from around 1990, Farrington called a back-up a good idea.

There was disagreement over how long it would take the equipment to pay for itself, with opponents claiming up to 17 years and supporters saying if quantities of debris continue to increase and hauling costs rise the payback could be five or six years.

Art. 17 also included a little more than $24,000 for a new forklift. Transfer Station Committee Chairman Frank Soares said the one now in use needs $3,000 worth of repairs and would still be of doubtful reliability.

Another new proposal that voters approved was to spend up to $22,000 to update China’s comprehensive plan, with the understanding most of the money would be used to hire a consultant. Residents interested in serving on a committee to oversee the project are invited to contact the town office.

The business meeting began with election of Richard Thompson as moderator for, he said, about the 13th year. Voters heard brief presentations from state Senate candidates John Glowa, of China, and Matthew Pouliot, of Augusta; state House candidates Dawn Castner and incumbent Timothy Theriault, both of China; and gubernatorial candidate Mary Mayhew, of China.

During a scheduled break in business, Selectman Irene Belanger asked for audience appreciation of China’s firefighters, rescue unit members and police officers and announced Spirit of America awards for volunteerism to one individual and one group.

She recognized L’Heureux’s retirement after 22 -1/2 years as China’s town manager and said he deserves the Spirit of America award for all the extra time he has put in. The audience gave him standing applause. The other Spirit of America recipients were those overseeing and organizing programs in the China school forest behind China Primary School: Tim Basham, Elaine Philbrook and Robin Tobey, all of China, and Claire Heffernan, school health coordinator for Regional School Unit (RSU) #18.

Vassalboro department heads submit requests to budget committee

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

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Transfer Station George Hamar would like a new “can,” a 40-cubic-yard bin to hold rubbish.

Police Chief Mark Brown wants to replace his cruiser with almost 90,000 miles on it while it has trade-in value and before it starts “nickel and diming the town” for repairs.

Fire Chief Eric Rowe wants a metal roof on the Riverside Fire Station, and he’d like town voters to allocate $3,300 to hire annual hose and ladder testing done, instead of asking volunteer firefighters to spend six or seven week-nights on the tedious but vital jobs.

Rescue Director Dan Mayotte thinks his volunteers deserve a $5 reimbursement for each call to help cover fuel costs. In 2017, he said, rescue responded to 342 calls, 52 more than in 2016; there are six volunteers on the roster and two more people completing training who, he hopes, will join.

Public Works Director Eugene Field recommends replacing one of his trucks, using arguments similar to Chief Brown’s about trade-in value and future repair costs. He’d also like a new generator and a power washer at the town garage.

Town Manager Mary Sabins says if Vassalboro Community School is to become the town’s emergency shelter, a big generator will be needed there, too. Even if the town could get a federal emergency grant to cover some of the cost, a local match would be required.

These wish list items, how much road repaving should and can be done annually, and similar municipal expenditure issues took up the budget committee’s March 20 meeting. No recommendations were made, because the committee, the selectmen and Sabins still need to see the proposed 2018-19 school budget to get a complete view of future needs.

The March 13 decision to dissolve Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) #92 and let Vassalboro hire its own part-time superintendent and contract for other central office services is expected to save money in the administration section of the school budget next year. However, administration is a small part of the whole budget.

The schedule distributed at the March 20 meeting calls for the budget committee to review the proposed school budget at a 7 p.m. meeting Thursday, March 29, at Vassalboro Community School (following a special school board meeting to discuss the budget, according to Sabins). Future budget committee meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at the school for continued school budget discussion and Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m. at the town office to make recommendations on the town meeting warrant (the list of items voters will be asked to accept, amend or reject).

Selectmen have scheduled a special meeting for 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, for their annual review of Sabins’ job performance. The meeting will be entirely in executive session (not open to the public), as state law allows.

The next regular selectmen’s meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, to review the warrant and Thursday, May 3, to sign it so it can go to the printer the next day.

Vassalboro voters will make final spending decisions at the annual town meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 4, at Vassalboro Community School. Local elections and any other written-ballot measured will be decided Tuesday, June 12, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the town office.

During discussion of paving work March 20, Selectman Lauchlin Titus said the state’s planned rebuilding of Route 32 through East and North Vassalboro has been postponed to the 2020 construction season, so that the Vassalboro Sanitary District can get its new lines laid along the road before the road is widened and repaved. The sewer work connecting Vassalboro to Winslow is scheduled for 2019, he said.

CHINA: No progress on Neck Road Fire Pond

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Neck Road fire pond.

by Mary Grow

China selectmen had a short meeting with no major decisions March 19, their last before voters act on their proposed budget for 2018-19 and related items at the March 24 town business meeting.

Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux reported no progress on the fire pond on Neck Road because landowner Tom Michaud is out of state. At their earlier March meeting, board members approved a draft memorandum of agreement for Michaud’s review. Board members voted unanimously March 19 to spend no more money on the pond until they have a satisfactory plan in place.

On another ongoing issue, they directed the manager to ask the state Department of Transportation to conduct a speed study on the causeway at the head of China Lake’s east basin, where the town plans to spend Tax Increment Finance funds to replace the existing bridge and enhance recreational use of the area.

Board Chairman Robert MacFarland said the legal speed limit is 45 miles an hour, in spite of a 25 mile an hour sign on one end of Causeway Street (which runs from Main Street in China Village to Lakeview Drive). Resident Paul Lucas suggested selectmen invite non-resident taxpayers to a meeting in the summer to give them information on where their tax money goes, let them ask questions and help them feel part of the community. Selectmen liked the idea; discussion will be continued at a future meeting.

The annual town business meeting begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 24 (if there is a quorum of 120 registered voters) at China Primary School, off Lakeview Drive behind China Middle School.

Copies of the 2016-17 town report, which includes the 43-article warrant for the meeting, are available at the town office and on the town web site. The warrant is also available on website at townline.org/china-town-warrant-2018/.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting will fall on Monday, April 2.

Alewife restoration project to receive grant award

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Kennebec River (source Maine Rivers)

Maine Rivers, as part of the Alewife Restoration Initiative, has been awarded $200,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundations’ (NFWF) New England Forests and Rivers grant program. The New England Forests and Rivers Fund strives to restore and sustain healthy forests and rivers that provide habitat for diverse native birds populations, as well as freshwater and diadromous fish populations. Since its founding in 1984, NFWF has supported more than 16,000 projects that protect and restore our nation’s fish and wildlife species and the habitats they need to thrive.

The goal of the Alewife Restoration Initiative is to remove impediments or install fish passages at the barriers that prevent native alewives from accessing China Lake’s spawning habitat. The project will improve the connectivity between China Lake, the Sebasticook River and the ocean, and is expected to restore an annual run of between 800,000 and 950,000 adult alewives. The restoration of the Vassalboro’s nearby Webber Pond alewife run already provides revenue to the town of Vassalboro, in 2017 this totaled more than $18,000. The China Lake run is expected to be at least twice the size of the Webber pond alewife run.

For more information about the Alewife Restoration Initiative: Landis Hudson, landis@mainerivers.org phone: 207-847-9277.

CHINA: Central Church to open in May in old Fairpoint building

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Central Church (previously known as Kennebec Community Church) will be opening its doors on May 6, in the old Fairpoint Building, on Rte. 3, in South China.

The church is all about three things. Loving Jesus, loving others, and helping others love Jesus. The services are fun to go to. Most people, when they think of a church service, think of a lot of old songs played on an organ and a lecture from someone exceptionally boring.

Hannah Gow, creative director at the church, says, “Our services are alive. You come in and listen and sing along with our band worshiping our Lord and Savior.”

And then the congregation get to hear from their dynamic speaker and lead pastor Dan Coleman. “I promise, he’s funny and not boring to listen to,” said Gow. “He’s very clear and says what needs to be said. We don’t shy away from the truth here but we make sure how we communicate is easy to understand.”

They are not a church only reserved for a Sunday morning experience. “We love our community,” explained Gow, “and are constantly putting on events to show the community we are there for them. Some of these events include a free soccer camp, an Easter Egg Hunt event, a halloween Trunk or Treat event, and more!”

The Easter Egg Hunt event in China will take place on Saturday, March 24.

“I have never felt so connected to my community until I came and got plugged into this church,” said Gow. “It’s as if the church becomes a hub for the community. A safe place for people to connect but more importantly grow in their faith.”

And that’s what they want to bring to China. Something that is alive and a place that the community can come together.

China planners hear application on camp for teens

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members are scheduled to review one application at their March 27 meeting.

Wesley and Susan Horton have applied to use a building at 24 Pond Hill Road, at the north end of Three Mile Pond, as a leadership development camp for teenagers. The building was formerly a company retreat, according to the planning board agenda; the property is partly in shoreland and resource protection districts.

After discussion of the Hortons’ application board members intend to return to consideration of potential amendments to local ordinances.

The Planning Board meets at 6:30 p.m. March 27, in the town office meeting room.