by Mary Grow

China selectmen made three decisions by vote, one by consensus and one by lack of objection at their Oct. 16 meeting.

They voted unanimously to appropriate up to $7,500 from their contingency fund to finish work on a new entrance to the basement of the old town house beside the town office. The final steps to make the entrance meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards include paving and a roof over the entrance.

Selectmen agreed earlier this year to rent the basement to The Town Line newspaper. Another decision was a 4-1 vote to appropriate up to $750 for China’s share of a shredding on-site program to be run Saturday, Oct. 28, from 8 a.m. to noon at the public works garage on Alder Park Road. Neighboring towns are contributing to the cost so their residents can also bring confidential documents to be safely destroyed. Jeffrey LaVerdiere voted against the appropriation, after asking why the town was paying for it and being told it was a service to residents.

The third vote, also unanimous, was to schedule the 2018 town business meeting for 9 a.m. Saturday, March 24, 2018. Board Chairman and Bicentennial Coordinator Neil Farrington asked for the decision so he can list the meeting in the planned bicentennial calendar.

The informal decision, in which retiring Selectman Joann Austin did not participate, was to accept Farrington’s suggestion to schedule a ceremony to recognize Austin’s many years of service on the board. Details will be forthcoming.

The even more informal decision was to ask Maine Municipal Association attorney Rebecca Seel to review town ordinances, looking for internal contradictions and other issues making enforcement difficult. Selectman Irene Belanger made the suggestion, after learning at an MMA meeting that some Maine judges find local ordinances hard to work with.

Selectman Ronald Breton said he accepted the idea as long as there was no charge. No selectman objected.

Belanger called attention to the Oct. 21 household hazardous waste collection day in Winslow. China residents should pre-register at the transfer station. Lists of eligible and ineligible materials are available at the transfer station and town office, on the town website and as an insert in The Town Line issue of Oct. 12, 2017.

She also reminded those present of the Monday, Oct. 23, presentation on the Regional School Unit (RSU) #18 bond issue that is on China’s Nov. 7 ballot. The presentation is at 6 p.m. at China Middle School. The annual Halloween trunk-or-treat celebration is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, at the town office, Belanger and former Selectman Robert MacFarland said.

Almost half the selectmen’s two-hour meeting was spent in another unsatisfactory discussion of the neighborhood dispute on Neck Road, where Parris and Catherine Varney continue to host parties in their barn despite neighbors’ contention that the Varneys need a permit. Selectmen told residents they do not intend to act until a Superior Court judge rules on an earlier aspect of the issue. The residents said the ruling is expected in November.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting will be Monday evening, Oct. 30. It is tentatively scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., an hour earlier than usual, if an insurance agent with whom LaVerdiere talked is available. LaVerdiere believes the town can save substantially on its health insurance without major impact on benefits by changing from the Maine Municipal Association plan in which employees are currently enrolled.

by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members started working on potential ordinance amendments at an Oct. 10 workshop meeting.

Retiring board Chairman James Wilkens brought copies of the first few pages of four other towns’ ordinance definitions, covering those beginning with the first two letters of the alphabet. Board members reviewed China’s parallel definitions.

They proposed no major changes. As the meeting wound down, they talked about adding new definitions, including “Airbnb,” “adult business” and “boathouse,” but made no decisions.

They also considered deleting one or two definitions, either because they might be obsolete or because they seemed irrelevant to China’s ordinance and to past and potential land use issues in town.

Codes Officer Paul Mitnik said he reviewed the entire definitions section in China’s land use ordinance and found fewer than half a dozen possible places to amend, mostly minor.

Any ordinance changes require voter approval. Planners have not decided when they will be ready to ask selectmen to schedule a vote if they do recommend amendments.

Board members plan to continue ordinance review at future meetings. Their next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Oct. 24.

by Mary Grow

China’s Transfer Station Committee presented a five-year plan for transfer station improvements to the board of selectmen at the Oct. 2 selectmen’s meeting.

Committee Chairman Frank Soares said the committee recommends one major expenditure to be proposed to voters at the March 2018 town business meeting, a request for about $32,000 for a new forklift. The forklift now in use is old – Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux said the town bought it used five or six years ago – and getting decrepit, Soares said. The committee recommends buying a new, larger one. For 2019, the committee plan suggests buying a second hopper to be used primarily to compact demolition debris and large items like mattresses and a new tractor to be shared with the Public Works Department for snowblowing, mowing and sweeping. Committee members further recommend an addition on the main transfer station building to create more recycling space.

Soares said the plan will be revised annually, so after the first year or two it should be considered tentative.

The Oct. 2 selectmen’s meeting included two public hearings. The first, on three local ballot questions, drew a small audience and a few questions; the second, on amendments to the maximum amounts allowed as general assistance, brought no comments.

The Nov. 7 local ballot questions ask voters to:

• Appropriate up to $8,500 from surplus to build a fire pond on Neck Road;
• Approve a requirement that non-profit organizations requesting town funds provide current financial statements for the selectmen and budget committee to review; and
• Authorize selectmen to rent out space on the town’s communications tower at the town office.

In response to questions about the fire pond, Codes Officer Paul Mitnik said it does not need approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection, and Selectman Neil Farrington said willing landowners are cooperating; the town is not using eminent domain.

The town’s tower might be competing with privately-owned towers in the area, but, Farrington said, usually location is a major consideration when companies seek to rent tower space; if the town’s provides coverage where they need coverage, it would be preferred, but not otherwise.

Selectmen have not discussed what to charge or other details, since they need voter approval to proceed.

Voters will also elect town officials on Nov. 7, selectmen and planning board and budget committee members. There are contests for three openings on the Board of Selectmen and for the District 1 Planning Board seat (northwestern quarter of town). Mitnik attended the Oct. 2 selectmen’s meeting to present three enforcement issues to the board. Selectmen accepted his recommendations on two, granting an extension of time to finish cleaning up a Route 32 North property and approving a consent agreement, with fine, concerning a garage foundation on Fire Road 4 that was put in without the required inspection. They postponed action on the third, on Dirigo Road, because it has been referred to the Board of Appeals.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Oct. 16.