Vassalboro budget committee works on school, municipal budgets

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro budget committee members met the evenings of April 9 and 10, the first time for a presentation on the school budget and the second time for review of the municipal budget.

The April 9 meeting followed that evening’s school board meeting. [See accompanying story in this issue.] Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer had given budget committee members the amended proposed 2024-25 school budget beforehand.

Of the $9.5 million 2024-25 budget, more than $6 million will cover salaries and benefits.

Another $3 million pays fixed or obligated costs.

At the meeting, Pfeiffer shared a summary sheet showing that of the $9.5 million 2024-25 budget, more than $6 million will cover salaries and benefits. Another $3 million pays fixed or obligated costs like secondary tuition, supplies and maintenance and insurance.

Less than $400,000 fell into an “other costs” category that could be considered adjustable, like copy paper, printing, athletics and staff development.

An additional challenge, Pfeiffer said, is that the state school funding formula does not keep pace with rising costs. A lower proportion of state funding means a larger burden for local taxpayers.

Pfeiffer proposes two new expenditures next year: a second guidance counselor, and one new school bus, to resume the bus-a-year rotation that was temporarily abandoned when the department used federal Covid money to buy five buses in one year. State funds will reimburse the cost of the bus.

The guidance counselor is the only staff member hired with federal funds whose position will continue as part of the regular budget. Pfeiffer said most of the one-time money was spent on things like the buses and building renovations that did not create on-going expenses.

Budget committee members had questions about the school’s undesignated fund balance, about the relationship between Vassalboro’s property valuation and its state school funding and similar fiscal issues. They postponed a decision on their recommendations on the school budget.

The next night, they met with Town Manager Aaron Miller and the three select board members to review the municipal budget, following up on two March meetings (see the April 4 issue of The Town Line, p. 2). They again postponed recommendations.

Major topics at the two-and-a-half hour meeting included:

— Town employees, including select board members’ proposed pay increases. Budget committee members are mostly not in favor of the additional public works department member recommended by the select board. Miller said a new uncertainty is that transfer station manager George Hamar is leaving; his successor’s salary is to be determined.
— Town funding for recreation, a town program headed by a town employee, and the Vassalboro Public Library, a separate entity from the town. Comments on both were generally favorable, with references to expanded programs that benefited residents.
— Road paving and repaving and pending road and bridge projects.
— Allocation of money among the town’s undesignated surplus, reserve funds for specific uses and 2024-25 expenditures. Budget committee member William Browne said that saving too much for the future is unpopular with older residents.

By the time the meeting ended, committee chairman Peggy Schaffer estimated the committee was leaning toward disagreeing with the select board on three or four major items, including expanding the public works staff and buying a new loader.

Budget committee members planned to make recommendations at a Tuesday, April 16, meeting. Select board members are to prepare the warrant for the June 4 and June 11 town meeting at their Thursday, April 18, meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the town office.

Flynn announces legislative candidacy

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Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn, of Albion, has announced his candidacy to represent Winslow, Albion, Unity Plantation and Freedom in the Maine Legislature. He has been an Albion resident for 33 years. Upon graduating St. Joseph’s College, in Standish, he and his wife Kate have made Maine their home.

“I have been an entrepreneur, owned and operated Freedom General Store, in Waldo County, am a Licensed Maine Real Estate Agent, currently operate Freedom Coin Company, in Albion. I also serve as the Pastor of The Freedom Congregational Church in Freedom.”

Service to the community is a big part of his life. “I have coached baseball at every level of Fairfield PAL, was the Lawrence Jr. High seventh grade baseball coach, and assistant coach at Lawrence Sr. High School.

“I have served on the boards of The Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, St. John Church Finance Commission, served as a Eucharistic Minister, and am currently a selectman in the Town of Albion.”

He continues, “I decided to run for this office because I feel like our communities have lost their voice in Augusta. Every business has a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window. Families and small businesses are struggling to pay the light bill. Bureaucrats are pushing to replace families with government. I’ve had enough, and I didn’t want to sit on the sidelines saying, ‘someone should do something.’ I’m at a point in my life where I’m ready to be the “Someone,” so I’m asking for your support as I start this journey.”

In conclusion, “I’m not interested in partisan politics, but I am interested in being a voice for the people. I’ll look forward to meeting you on the campaign trail over the next six months.”

China select board members sign warrant for the annual town meeting

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“Taxpayers in the Town of China are not gonna be happy this year.”
– Selectman Brent Chesley

by Mary Grow

At their April 8 meeting, China select board members signed the warrant for the June 11 annual town business meeting, at which voters act on the 2024-25 municipal budget (and other items), and heard a presentation on the 2024-25 school budget, which will be voted on separately the same day.

Board member Brent Chesley’s summary: “Taxpayers in the Town of China are not gonna be happy this year.”

Because the Kennebec County budget is not yet final, China taxpayers don’t yet know exactly how unhappy they will be. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood and several select board members planned to attend the April 9 Kennebec County budget meeting that will move toward determining whether a preliminary $238,000 increase will hold.

The municipal budget increase, if voters approve recommended spending, will be $374,495, according to Hapgood.

China is in Regional School Unit (RSU) #18, which also includes Belgrade, Oakland, Rome and Sidney. Superintendent Carl Gartley said the RSU budget will increase by $1,459,447.19, or 3.4 percent.

China’s share of the RSU #18 budget is in two parts, the EPS (Essential Programs and Services) component and additional local funds. The approved budget posted on the RSU #18 website shows the former up by $216,273 and the latter by 228,274 for a total increase of $444,547.

Gartley began his presentation with a comparison of RSU #18 with other central Maine school units. RSU #18 students consistently rank at the top of the list on national language and math tests, he said, and in the bottom half in per-pupil spending.

Select board schedules public hearing on warrant articles for May 6

China select board members have scheduled a public hearing on the articles to be voted on at the June 11 annual town business meeting for 5:45 p.m. Monday, May 6, in the town office meeting room.

Board member Janet Preston’s suggested the hearing be made more prominent – “an event,” she recommended – to attract more voters was modified to a proposal to serve light refreshments.

Because the June 11 town business meeting will be by written ballot, the May 6 hearing will be voters’ only chance to ask questions and get answers from board members and Hapgood about what they are voting on.

Board members acknowledged that some residents want to go back to the pre-Covid open town meetings. No one spoke in favor of doing so. Chairman Wayne Chadwick has repeatedly said that in his opinion, too few people attended the open meetings to fairly represent residents’ preferences.

In reply to select board members’ questions, Gartley explained several of the specific increases. RSU #18, he said, is not facing the “fiscal cliff” that some other school districts are with the end of federal covid funding: the unexpected money was mostly spent for lasting improvements, like re-siding China Middle School, not to hire personnel whose wages and benefits now become local responsibilities.

Select board member Brent Chesley asked about policies on controversial issues like critical race theory and gender. Gartley replied that the RSU board – whose two China members he praised – and he agreed on accepting state-required policies, but not looking for more.

“We don’t get into teaching political opinions,” the superintendent said. The philosophy is to teach students how to think, not what to think, and he believes most teachers adhere to it most of the time.

Gartley said while school expenditures have gone up, RSU #18’s state subsidy has been reduced by $500,000. Subsidies are calculated based on local valuations.

The issue of state changes increasing local taxes had come up earlier in the meeting, when Hapgood told board members most of the legal bill they approved paying was for integrating the 2021 state affordable housing law, still called LD 2003, into China’s Land Use Ordinance.

In other business April 8, select board members unanimously approved the request from Four Seasons Club President Thomas Rumpf to extend approval for ATVs to use about two miles on Bog and Peasant View Ridge roads for another year.

When Rumpf presented the proposal at a May 22, 2023, public hearing, he explained that the roads would substitute for the unusable Beaver or Bog Trail to create a loop trail between southeastern and northeastern China.

Rebuilding the Bog Trail to state standards might cost as much as $700,000, Rumpf said. Because there was so much storm damage to trails throughout Maine this winter, state funds are unlikely to be available this year.

Rumpf and Hapgood said using the roads had generated maybe half a dozen complaints in a year, about issues like late-night traffic and speeding. Rumpf said all complaints he knew of had been settled within a day.

In other business April 8, board members unanimously appointed Rachel Anderson a member of the Transfer Station Committee. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 16.

Speaking for Director of Public Services Shawn Reed, Hapgood said the high water level in China Lake is delaying putting in the docks at the boat landing by the causeway.

From the transfer station, Hapgood said the annual drug take-back day is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and a paper shredding machine will be available Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Items postponed to a future meeting included:

— A proposal from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office to share the antenna at the China town office, pending legal review.
— Discussion of buying a new public works truck, while awaiting a second price quote as requested by the budget committee. [See budget committee meeting story also in this issue.]

The next regular China select board meeting will be Monday evening, April 22.

China budget committee endorses select board proposal

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by Mary Grow

China Budget Committee members have endorsed the select board’s proposed 2024-25 budget, to be presented to voters at the June 11 annual town business meeting.

At their April 3 meeting, committee members also supported buying a new town truck, at a cost not to exceed $296,715, with a condition and a suggestion.

Twenty-one of the 32 articles on the June 11 warrant need, and have, budget committee recommendations. There were no dissenting votes; on some of the articles, a member abstained, for example to avoid a conflict of interest.

There was almost no discussion except over the truck purchase.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said Director of Public Services Shawn Reed recommends buying a Western Star truck from O’Connor Motors, in Augusta. The recommendation is for a wheeler, rather than a single-axle truck, because the wheeler is more versatile – two budget committee members agreed ­– and costs only $16,000 more.

The purchase price is to come from the equipment reserve and from the 2024-25 budget, if voters approve it on June 11. An older truck will be traded in or sold to make up for a small part of the expenditure.

Commenting on the truck body, the plow gear, the extended warranty, the delivery delay (December 2024 or later) and other factors, Hapgood observed, “It’s hard to believe it’s this hard to buy a vehicle.”

Budget committee members had no objection to the choice; but they made their endorsement conditional on the select board getting at least one more price quote, “just to see what the number might be,” as committee member Timothy Basham said.

Taryn Hotham suggested town officials try negotiating with O’Connor for a better price.

Protecting water quality in local lakes theme of Vassalboro planning board meeting

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by Mary Grow

Protecting water quality in Vassalboro lakes, especially Webber Pond, was the theme running through most of the discussion at the April 2 Vassalboro Planning Board meeting.

The issue was presented by representatives of the Conservation Commission and the Webber Pond Association; was the purpose of board member Paul Mitnik’s suggested amendments to the town’s Shoreland Zoning Ordinance; and was discussed during review of Ron Blaisdell’s application to replace a storm-destroyed shed on Norton Road, in the Webber Pond shoreland.

The only exception was a brief discussion with Raymond Breton about an application for a new business at 913 Main Street, in North Vassalboro. His small building has housed a series of commercial tenants.

Breton said he has filed six applications on behalf of potential business owners in the last few years. The agenda says the latest is Paula Stratton, doing business as Passion Photography Maine; Breton said the building would become a photography studio.

Board members tabled the application Breton filed at the March meeting because instead of repeating information for the seventh time, he answered most questions “N/A” (not applicable) – the simplest application he ever filed, he said indignantly, and the board tabled it.

Chairman Virginia Brackett explained that “N/A” is not an adequate response. Breton could have written “No change” instead, she suggested. The board again tabled the application.

Webber Pond Association (WPA) President John Reuthe, Conservation Commission spokesman Holly Weidner and others presented information about the need for a watershed management plan for Webber Pond and Three-Mile Pond.

Blaisdell’s application was to replace a shed on Christopher Kew’s lot that was destroyed by a fallen tree. He planned the replacement to be 64-square-feet, instead of the original 54-square-feet. Because the shed is less than 100 feet from Webber Pond’s high-water mark, board members said it cannot be expanded, but can be rebuilt the same size.

Such a non-conforming structure should also be moved farther from the water, if possible. Blaisdell convinced the board majority that because of the slope of the lot, moving the shed is not feasible.

Much of the hour-long discussion was about relocating the building and about requiring other changes, like replacing storm-toppled trees or installing run-off control measures. Board members decided for a replacement, they have no authority to add requirements.

Blaisdell’s application was approved 4-1. Mitnik dissented, because without seeing the property, he was not convinced the shed could not be rebuilt farther from the water.

At their March 12 meeting, the rest of the board encouraged Mitnik to draft proposed ordinance amendments to strengthen water quality protection. Mitnik distributed a document that focused on requiring trees be planted on shorefront lots in connection with most applications for building work.

The topic will be continued at future meetings. Board members do not intend to ask voters’ action at the June 3 annual town meeting.

Webber Pond Association (WPA) President John Reuthe, Conservation Commission spokesman Holly Weidner and others presented information (also shared with the select board; see the March 28 issue of The Town Line, p. 3) about the need for a watershed management plan for Webber Pond and Three-Mile Pond.

Weidner said including the planning board is part of creating a communications network to support a coordinated effort.

Brackett replied that the planning board’s job is to implement policies, not to make them. She suggested it is time to review and update Vassalboro’s entire comprehensive plan (named a strategic plan when it was adopted in 2006, she said, because state regulations then required a comprehensive plan to include zoning and Vassalboro’s plan has no zoning).

A watershed management plan would be a useful part of a comprehensive plan, Rebecca Lamey and Peggy Horner suggested.

Reuthe and others said about one-third of the over-abundant phosphorus in Webber Pond comes from Three-Mile Pond, one-third from the surrounding land and one-third from the sediment in the bottom of Webber Pond.

In other business April 2, Codes Officer Jason Lorrain said Tim Dutton applied for a six-month extension to his permit to re-open the former East Vassalboro corner store, as board members suggested last month. The extension was approved unanimously.

Lorrain expects representatives of Sidereal Farm Brewery, on Cross Hill Road, to attend the May 7 planning board meeting to talk about changes made since the business was approved more than four years ago.

China select board approves 32-article warrant at special meeting

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by Mary Grow

At a short special meeting April 1, China select board members approved the 32-article warrant for the June 11 annual town business meeting.

Budget committee members were scheduled to meet April 3 to make their recommendations on proposed expenditures. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood plans to have the official warrant ready for signing at the next regular select board meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, April 8.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood intends to propose dates for a public hearing at which she and board members will answer residents’ questions about the articles.

At that meeting, Hapgood intends to propose dates for a public hearing at which she and board members will answer residents’ questions about the articles.

The June 11 business meeting will be by written ballot. Polls will be in the former portable classroom behind the town office. The meeting moderator will be elected at 6:55 a.m., and polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Articles include proposed municipal expenditures for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2024; procedural issues, like setting the 2024-25 tax due dates and authorizing the select board to accept grants, negotiate contracts, buy equipment and conduct other town business; and approval or rejection of three ordinances.

Art. 29 asks if voters want to replace the 2008 Planning Board Ordinance with a new one. Art. 30 asks acceptance of Land Development Code amendments, needed to make China compliant with state law. Art. 31 asks acceptance of a new ordinance to regulate commercial solar development in town.

Copies of the ordinances are on the website, china.govoffice.com, under the Elections heading on the left side of the home page.

Select board votes to approve the articles were unanimous, except that one board member abstained on one article.

The municipal warrant does not include the 2024-25 school budget, which will be presented to voters separately.

Bill to protect veterans unanimously clears key legislative committee

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Veterans in Maine may soon have more financial security after a bill providing protection from fraudulent and predatory claims practices cleared a key legislative committee last week. The bill, LD 2259, was sponsored by Sen. Brad Farrin, R-Somerset, and provides increased protection for veterans who are applying for U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) benefits.

The predatory practices, which according to the VA are conducted by people or organizations whom they call “Claim Sharks,” include aggressive and misleading tactics aimed at veterans, their families, survivors and caregivers. These practices often result in hefty fees to “assist” or “consult” veterans and survivors with the filing of their VA benefits claims.

During an awareness campaign launched last year, the VA said unaccredited claim sharks have no formal training in the VA system and operate outside the law. The Federal Trade Commission estimated that such scammers cost veterans and their families about $292 million in losses in 2022.

Since the passage of the PACT Act in 2022, which was the largest benefit and health care expansion in the VA’s history and now covers veterans who were exposed to burn pits and toxic substances, activity by claim sharks and other scammers has only risen. The sudden spike led to the introduction of competing U.S. House and Senate bills that will reinstate fines and jail time, which were suspended during the pandemic to aid the VA to catch up on benefits claims. Both bills have very strong support.

Typical tactics used by such predators often include offering a consultation from their own network of doctors while promising an expedited examination and guaranteeing an increased disability rating or percentage increase to their benefits. Claim sharks then apply hefty fees for their assistance or demand a high percentage of the veteran’s earned benefits.

The VA says veterans are never required to pay for benefits they earned. They launched a website to help veterans prevent fraud and how to report it and seek help if it occurs. They also have an online tool to aid veterans who are searching for accredited Veterans Services Organizations (VSOs) to help with various services.

“My bill will provide an extra wall of security for our veterans, further protecting them from predatory and deceptive practices that target their hard-earned monetary benefits. Veterans should never have to use their benefits to pay for these predatory practices; and I thank the Veterans of Foreign Wars for bringing this to my attention,” said Farrin. “Veterans did their duty for our country and deserve the greatest protections possible. It is our duty as a country and as a state to provide them with that security and provide as much information about VSOs as possible.”

The bill now moves to the Senate and House chambers for final passage.

China road committee prepares list of roads to be repaved

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by Mary Grow

China road committee members met March 26 and prepared a preliminary list of roads to be repaved in 2024, money permitting. The proposed work, according to committee member and China deputy clerk Jennifer Chamberlain, totals 5.27 miles.

The three longest stretches are 1.3 miles on Deer Hill Rd., from South Road to Lane Road; the 0.89-mile-long Kidder Road, between Route 32 (Windsor Road) and Weeks Mills Road; and 0.79 miles on Dirigo Road, approximately from McClellan Road to Tobey Road.

The rest of the list includes Achorn Lane, Morrill Drive, Shuman Road, West Tobey Road, Mayflower Lane, Pond Hill Road, Smith Road, Bradford Lane, Chadwick Hill Drive, Golfers Xing and Horseback Road.

Director of Public Services Shawn Reed said some of the short, dead-end roads are in such poor condition that they are difficult to plow.

Committee members discussed trying to reclaim some of the worst areas, a process that involves digging up the road and redoing it. Reed was doubtful; not many companies do the work, he said, and it is expensive.

Reed has no firm figure yet on 2024 paving mix prices. The prices will determine how many miles China can afford to do this year.

Committee members discussed paving options – where, if anywhere, less expensive chip-seal can be used, and what depth of material will be needed on different roads.

They did not disagree with Reed’s proposal to resume the crack sealing program for older paved roads, to prolong the life of the paving. He recommended inspecting roads last paved in 2021 and deciding which most need the treatment.

Reed explained to committee members that the speed limit signs the public works crew has been removing were posted by local order, before the present town manager took the position. However, he said, speed limits are set by the state Department of Transportation (MDOT), not by local officials.

Legislation is pending that might change the state’s procedure, Reed said.

Road committee members set no date for an inspection tour or next meeting.

China planners endorse proposed ordinance changes

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by Mary Grow

At their March 26 meeting, China planning board members unanimously endorsed three proposed ordinance changes that select board members are considering presenting to voters at the June 11 annual town business meeting.

They are:

— A new Planning Board Ordinance;
— Amendments to chapters 2, 3 and 11 of China’s Land Development Code; and
— A new Chapter 8 for the Land Development Code, titled “Solar Energy Systems Ordinance.”

Planning board and select board members have worked on versions of an ordinance to regulate commercial solar development in China for years. As of March 28, the latest draft is available for review on the town website, china.govoffice.com, under the Elections tab on the left side of the home page.

Besides the addition of Chapter 8, the other amendments to the Land Development Code are intended to implement the new state law promoting affordable housing by allowing higher housing density. The proposed revised ordinance is on the website twice, under Elections and under the planning board, which is under the title Officials, Boards and Committees on the right side of the home page.

The changes are comprehensive, adjusting several sections of the ordinance to encourage more residential units. They include addition of a South China Development District along Route 3 and Route 32 south as far as Weeks Mills Road.

An explanation at the beginning of the draft reminds readers that China’s 2020 comprehensive plan recommended such a district, “for additional housing and development.”

The new Planning Board Ordinance is available under Elections on the town website.

In other business March 26, planning board members unanimously approved Chris Harris’s four-lot subdivision on the south side of Route 3 not far east of South China Village, after finding that it meets all criteria in the town subdivision ordinance.

Harris presented his initial application at the board’s Oct. 24, 2023, meeting, where board chairman Toni Wall summarized the process of applying for a subdivision.

The March 26 meeting began with public hearings on the Land Development Code changes, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and on Harris’s subdivision, scheduled for 7 p.m. The anticipated interest in the ordinance amendments did not appear; no one attended the hearing.

Wall therefore moved directly to Harris’s hearing, which likewise brought no comments. When an abutter to Harris’s land arrived at 7 p.m., Wall invited comments, and received no objections to the subdivision plan.

The next regular China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. Codes Officer Nicholas French said as of March 26, he had no applications pending.

China board of appeals grants site size variance for apartments

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by Mary Grow

The China Board of Appeals has granted Carrol White’s application for a variance from lot size requirements to allow him to seek planning board approval to convert the former Silver Lake Grange Hall in China Village to apartments.

The action still needs two more steps: under China’s Appeals Ordinance (Chapter 9 of the Land Development Code), the board must meet again within 14 days to approve the written decision. Once finally approved, the variance must be recorded at the Kennebec County Registry of Deeds within 90 days.

White presented an application for the conversion to the China Planning Board at its Jan. 23 meeting, and a more complete application at the Feb. 13 meeting. On Feb. 13, board members voted that White’s project meets all ordinance criteria except for lot size; the Main Street lot is too small for the planned four-unit apartment building.

White therefore applied for the variance from the lot size requirement. He explained that he had obtained variances in the 1990s, but for various reasons, none was properly recorded and accepted (see articles on p. 3 of the Feb. 1 and Feb. 22 issues of The Town Line).

White wants a current, valid variance so that, when the planning board grants a permit for the conversion, he can sell the property to Daniel Coleman.

Coleman, who lives farther south on Main Street, said he has experience as a landlord. He intends to create four two-bedroom apartments in the 4,600-square-foot building, two on the ground floor and two on the second floor.

He said he likes China Village, appreciates the need for housing in Maine and plans to seek tenants who will contribute to the area.

Ronald Morrell, who lives farther north on Main Street and owns the empty lot across from the Grange Hall, supported the project. He hopes Coleman will preserve the historic appearance of the building, which dates from 1908.

Linda Morrell asked about parking. White said it will be behind the building.

White and Coleman said they have not yet done final plans for either the interior or the septic system. An architect has sketched a four-apartment plan, and test pits have been dug out back where the septic system will go.

Board of Appeals members had to rule on four criteria for granting a variance. The first, and most discussed, was that the property “cannot yield a reasonable return” without a variance.

White said the former Grange Hall has been for sale for years and no one has even asked to inspect it, though it could legally be a single-family home or an appropriate business. Several people commented that people wanting a 4,600-square-foot house would probably want more spacious grounds.

Appeals board member Robert Fischer dissented on the vote on that criterion. It was approved 4-1-1, with newly re-elected board chairman Spencer Aitel abstaining, as he always does unless his vote is needed to break a tie.

The other criteria, approved by 5-0-1 votes, are:

— The need for the variance is due to the property’s “unique circumstances,” not to “the general conditions in the neighborhood”;
— Granting the variance will not “alter the essential character of the locality”; and
— The need for a variance is not “the result of action taken by the applicant or a prior owner.”

Aitel commented that the final criterion always gives him pause, because obviously many years ago a prior owner did something that did not meet 2024 regulations.

The Grange Hall fails to meet another contemporary requirement: it is seven feet from the north line of the property, instead of the required minimum 10 feet. Codes Officer Nicholas French said the building is “grandfathered” for this requirement, comparing it to buildings around China Lake closer to the water than would be allowed for a new building. Aitel added that such buildings can be modified as long as changes do not increase the non-conformity.

After Aitel was re-elected board chairman, member Michael Gee volunteered to be secretary and was promptly chosen.

Board members did not schedule their next meeting.