IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of September 22, 2016

Katie Ouilette Wallsby Katie Ouilette

WALLS, you simply must tell our faithful readers about all you would talk about this week, if  you could talk.  I am amazed at all that has happened for you in just one week!

Well, WALLS, you know me well and know, for sure, that this great-grandma absolutely loves to have busy young-ones frolicking around.  Most of them were our great-granddaughter Reese’s age, but after he got his bare feet, her brother Owen Paine showed that he wanted to climb steps.  Grandma Linda and Grandpa “Tiger” Holt kept very busy being busy.  One young student whom I was so thrilled  to talk to sings, plays the violin, tap-dances, and even created a very unusual scrapbook. She will soon appear in a play in Waterville! Frankly. WALLS, her life reminded me of when I was very young and the same path was followed.  Oh, the birthday cake that Reese made was perfect.
Yes, WALLS, I know you are eager to tell about the Skowhegan Heritage Council’s hosting the 10th “Last Rose of Summer” Day.  This year, as usual, all the Heritage groups in Somerset County were invited.  Gail Kay, the chairman of Skowhegan Heritage Council was in charge of the council’s guest book and energetically told of the work that she and her husband painted the walls of the Dudley Corner School.  Yes, faithful readers, the Skowhegan Heritage Council has been diligent over these many years in restoring the Dudley Corner School, which not only schooled students, but the schoolhouse was, at one time, a meeting house for town meetings, was home to Boy Scout meetings and even has bragging rights to having Knights of Columbus meetings there.  Former Skowhegan Town Manager Pat Dickey encouraged fund raisers for the work done to the school’s exterior and for the erection of the present historic sign.

Yes, WALLS, it is time for you to tell of the piece-de-resistance to the LAST ROSE OF SUMMER DAY event held at the Margaret Chse Smith Library, on September 14.  Skowhegan’s Senator Margaret Chase Smith definitely did everything possible for her Skowhegan and Maine people.  Well, the red rose decorated the table….a single red rose was centerpiece.

There was also sheet music of  Piece I Leave With You  centered with the red rose, as, surely Senator Smith leaves us ‘peace’. Oh, yes, there were lots of red, white and blue plates filled with cookies and there was iced tea to drink, but the best of the best was music by Robert Choinier.  Senator Smith loved music and surely she was looking down from her “special fluffy cloud’”and smiling.  Yes, Senator Smith surely loved the variety of songs played by Robert and which echoed through the rooms of the senator’s former home and who called this magnificent house “home in Skowhegan.” Yes, David Richards, though working in his office for UMO, joined us, as did Angie, John and other members  of the senator’s team.  Oh, WALLS wonder if you know the red rose is our national flower and why?

Heather Johnson, executive director of Somerset Economic Development, stopped by en route from Jackman and said she remembers Senator Smith’s waving from her favorite porch chair to people driving past her house and her waving a “welcome” to those whom she loved so much.

Now, WALLS, the latest news you should bring to our faithful readers.  Fr. John Massie announced that Father Rasle will be highlighted at the Madison Historical Society’s Museum, on Old Point Avenue, in Madison, on Sunday afternoon.

Oakland News: Alumni hold annual banquet

The Oakland, Williams, Messalonskee Alumni Association, which started in 1920 as the Oakland Alumni Association, held their annual banquet on August 13 at the Waterville Elks hall with 150 alumni and guests in attendance.  Attendees ranged from Bernard Bulmer of the Williams High School class of 1940 to Amelia Gallagher who will graduate in the Messalonskee High School class of 2020. Elizabeth Larsen daughter, of Lee Ann Doran Larsen and Mark Larsen, received the Educational Aid Award for 2016. There were 12 alumni and guests from the Williams High class of 1946 celebrating their 70th reunion and 18 from the Class of 1966 celebrating their 50th reunion.  The Eagle Award was presented to Irene Roderick Belanger from the class of 1959.  This award is presented each year to someone who has shown outstanding service and commitment to their community. Irene served many years on the planning board in China and is presently on the selectboard as well as representing China on many local and state committees.  The 2017  banquet will be held on August 12 at the Elks Lodge.

Kennebec Historical Society’s annual meeting program: “Historic Bridges of Maine”

The story of Maine’s Historic Bridges is more faceted than you might think.  Why are bridges located where they are?  Who built them?  Why do they look the way they do?  Amanda Taylor, architectural historian, will provide a presentation based on the publication Historic Bridges of Maine: 350 Years of Bridge and Roadway Design.  She will discuss the unique ways in which Maine’s bridge builders overcame geography and environmental influences to provide travel throughout the state.  The talk also showcases several specific historic bridges in Maine and detail how their builders chose creative solutions to difficult crossings and how technology changed design and construction.

The speaker, Amanda Taylor, is an architectural historian for Kleinfelder, an international engineering and architecture firm with an office in Augusta.  In recent years, she has documented historic resources related to the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge in Kittery, Masse Saw and Grist Mill in Vassalboro, and Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad Freight House in Belfast.  She has spent much of the last four years completing historic resource surveys throughout Maine.

The Kennebec Historical Society Annual Meeting Program is open to the public and will take place on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. at the Viles Arboretum, located at 153 Hospital Street in Augusta.  The public program will be preceded at 5 p.m. by a potluck supper and at 6 p.m. by the society’s annual business meeting.  Any members that wish to attend the potluck supper are invited to bring a dish to share.  Please note that the annual meeting program is not the society’s monthly program.

First place winners in Freeport

Abby Dudley

Huard’s Martial Arts student Abby Dudley, 10, of Winslow, captured first place in both forms and fighting at the Pine Tree State Karate Championships at the Freeport High School on September 10.

 

Mikayla Achor

Mikayla Achorn, 6, of Waterville, took first place in both forms and fighting at the same competition.

Photos by Angela Poulin, Central Maine Photography staff

Unity College students trek to newest U.S. national monument

Several dozen Unity College students and staff visited Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument on September 10, in advance of a Unity College talk later this week by Lucas St. Clair, the successful advocate for creation of the national monument.

The goal of Saturday’s outing was to get to know Maine’s newest destination and to scout recreational, curricular, and other opportunities afforded by the new designation. Members of Unity College Student Activities led 33 Unity College students – clad in hunters orange Katahdin Woods and Waters T-shirts – and other members of the Unity College community on hikes, a visit to the ranger station in Millinocket, and other local attractions as part of the trip.

Students and staff who trekked to Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument.                                                                 Contributed photo

Students and staff who trekked to Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument.
Contributed photo

“We had been following developments on the formation of the national monument quite closely,” Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury said. “When we heard this exciting news, we wanted to be among the first to bring our students there to check out the possibilities.”

Khoury called the monument designation “a powerful act of philanthropy, of private and public entities working together to share the awesome responsibility of stewarding our natural resources for future generations.”

On August 24, President Barack Obama signed an executive order under the Antiquities Act creating the 87,500-acre Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. The move capped a multi-year campaign that balanced values of conservation and industry in an area riven by the collapse of numerous paper mills.

Obama’s order praised the land as rich in culture, natural beauty, and “significant biodiversity,” designated the area a national monument, and directed the National Park Service to manage it for a diverse range of public use.

The monument encompasses the Katahdin region, already a popular destination for outdoor recreation and home to a wide diversity of wildlife, spectacular mountains (including Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak), important historical resources, and areas of great cultural significance. The monument contains opportunities for hiking, camping, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling; those uses are fully protected and enhanced under the president’s order.

“Not every place in the country has an environment where a new national monument is formed. Our students have a bird’s-eye view of it,” Unity College Associate Professor of Parks and Forest Resources Tom Mullin said. “This is really a perfect live example of conservation in action – a chance to see how preservation works, both at a policy level and on the ground, only two hours from campus.”

The field trip came in advance of a talk on the Unity campus this week by the person who spearheaded the drive to create the national monument.

Elliottsville Plantation Inc. President Lucas St. Clair, who led the successful campaign to have his family’s land declared a national monument, will speak at the Unity College Center for the Performing Arts, 42 Depot St., Unity, as part of the annual Maine Woods Forever roundtable, 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 16. The event – a partnership between Unity College and Maine Woods Forever – is free and open to the public and the media.

“America’s Environmental College continues to help convene conversations that matter deeply to the people of Maine,” Khoury said of St. Clair’s talk. “With academic programs ranging from Wildlife Biology to Adventure Therapy and Parks and Forest Resources, Unity students and faculty are in the perfect position to help evaluate and experience the economic, environmental, and social impact of a major initiative like the new national monument.”

“Because Maine is our classroom, I’m looking forward to talking with Mr. St. Clair about the educational opportunities that could accompany formation of the national monument,” Khoury said. “This is truly a significant development for anyone who loves Maine, appreciates our natural resources, and understands their importance to Maine’s economic and social health.”

“As an educator, I’m excited to hear more about the process that led to this historic decision,” Mullin said. “Our students will benefit greatly hearing from Lucas how a major national monument came to be, and how it will be implemented going forward.”

Local referendum and election of officials on November 8 ballot

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro voters will have two local referendum questions and one local election on a Nov. 8 ballot, in addition to state and national decisions.

The referenda ask if voters will approve amendments to the town’s shoreland zoning ordinance and will appropriate up to $58,600 from surplus toward a $293,000 project to build sidewalks in East Vassalboro, with a federal grant covering the bulk of the cost. If the audience at the Sept. 8 public hearings on the two questions was representative of the town, the second question will be the more controversial.

The election is for Vassalboro’s representative on the Kennebec Water District, for three years. Gary Coull currently holds the position. Nomination papers are available at the town office; signed papers must be returned to the town clerk by Monday, Sept. 26, for candidates’ names to appear on the ballot.

Copies of the proposed shoreland zoning ordinance amendments are available on the Vassalboro website. Major changes involve rules for enlarging shorefront camps and houses that are too close to the water to meet current requirements.

Vassalboro now limits expansion to 15 percent of the existing structure, defined by floor area or volume. The proposed ordinance would allow up to 30 percent expansion, defined by floor area only. Depending on and varying with the distance between the building and the water, there are other size and height restrictions conforming to state standards.

At a Sept. 8 public hearing, Codes Officer Richard Dolby and planning board members emphasized that the changes, most of which copy recent changes in state guidelines, would make it easier for many waterfront property owners to enlarge their homes or camps.

“The [planning] board has gone a long way to utilize the allowances that the state thinks are reasonable,” Dolby said.

Veteran board member Douglas Phillips called the proposed ordinance “far less restrictive” than the current one and “a welcome change for people who have shoreland property.”

If voters reject the changes on Nov. 8, the current ordinance will remain as it is.

A second public hearing, on the request for funds for East Vassalboro sidewalks, found the audience of about 30 people divided into three groups. Some people want the sidewalks; some cannot see where they would fit in the built-up area; a few object to spending town money on a project that would benefit only a small section of Vassalboro.

To the last group, sidewalk proponent Holly Weidner replied that more than 2,500 vehicles go through East Vassalboro daily, bringing people from all parts of town and outside to the boat landing, library, Grange Hall and other public buildings. Sidewalks would make the area safer not only for residents but for drivers and cyclists.

Patrick Adams, manager of bicycle and pedestrian programs for the state Department of Transportation, emphasized repeatedly that no decisions have been made about finding space for a sidewalk. His role, he said, is to balance needs of motorists, pedestrians and cyclists to maximize safety for everyone.

The state will rebuild Route 32 in the next few years (the original 2018 date might be pushed back to 2019) and will add five-foot shoulders on each side, creating a wider vehicle pathway that will encourage drivers to go faster, he said.

Residents said drivers already routinely ignore the 25-mile-an-hour limit, leading to a discussion of enforcing speed limits as a complementary or alternative way to increase safety. Enforcement, too, costs money; it is not a permanent solution and would be paid for entirely by the town, Weidner said.

Because houses are close to Main Street on both sides, people were concerned that a sidewalk would come almost to homeowners’ front doors, would eliminate parking space for their vehicles in their driveways and would limit parking at the post office (if the sidewalk were on the east side of the street).

Adams said if Vassalboro voters approve the sidewalk project on Nov. 8, the first expenditures will be for planning. Only then will engineers decide which side of Main Street can better accommodate a sidewalk and how to adjust it to existing conditions. He believes most of the work can be done within the existing road right-of-way.

Vassalboro will participate in design work, and if the result is not satisfactory, “the town” could opt out of the project and the remaining expenditures, Adams said. He declined to define “the town,” saying that deciding if the selectmen, voters or some other body should approve or reject the design was a local decision.

A new issue in the sidewalk debate is maintenance. Vassalboro has not maintained existing sidewalks in North Vassalboro, which long-time local residents concluded date from the 1960s. However, earlier in the day Adams told selectmen the town would be required to plow and sand and as necessary repair East Vassalboro sidewalks.

He explained that because federal money will help with the project and because the federal government is becoming fussier about maintaining projects, the state will also become stricter.

Because selectmen just learned of the maintenance requirement, they had not discussed potential methods or costs, Selectman Lauchlin Titus said. Board members plan to collect information in time to provide estimates before the Nov. 8 decision. According to a fact sheet prepared for the hearing, Vassalboro received a Federal Transportation Enhancement grant in 2013 for safety improvements in East Vassalboro, including sidewalks. The current plan calls for sidewalks on Main Street from the boat landing to the Grange Hall and on Bog Road to the library. (ep)

Federal funds require a 20 percent match from Vassalboro. By piggybacking on the state’s Route 32 reconstruction, the state will pay for the shoulders that would otherwise have been part of the sidewalk costs. Titus said the Vassalboro Budget Committee endorsed the $58,600 appropriation on a 7 to 3 vote at an Aug. 25 meeting. The project has also divided the selectmen; Titus and board Chairman Philip Haines support it, Robert Browne thinks it is a costly non-solution to traffic problems in East Vassalboro.

Completion of the state project will be followed by five-year moratorium on any additional construction, including town projects.

The two public hearings were followed by a short Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting at which the board approved the ballot questions for Nov. 8. Board Chairman Philip Haines thanked planning board members for their work on the shoreland ordinance.

The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting will be Thursday evening, Sept. 22.

Local students graduate from Bates College

The following students graduated from Bates College at the school’s 150th commencement ceremony on May 29.

Shaun Carroll, son of Mr. and Mrs. Shaun N. Carroll, of Clinton, graduated after majoring in history at Bates. He is a 2012 graduate of Lawrence High School, in Fairfield.

Lindsey Prelgovisk, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Prelgovisk, of Oakland, graduated after majoring in art and visual culture at Bates. She is a 2012 graduate of Messalonskee High School, in Oakland.

Nicolas Margitza, son of Joyce A. Galea, of Winslow, graduated after majoring in philosophy at Bates. He is a 2012 graduate of Waterville Senior High School.

Bates College graduated 462 students from 32 states and 43 countries. Cumulatively, the Class of 2016 performed 17,500 hours of community service, exemplifying Bates’ commitment to community learning and civic action.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, often called “one of the most courageous persons the civil rights movement ever produced,” delivered the address at Bates’ 150th commencement ceremony on May 29. In his speech, recounting his first meeting with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis said that the great civil rights leader “inspired me to stand up, to speak up and speak out.” Lewis told the graduates, “You must find a way to get in the way and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. You have a moral obligation, a mission and a mandate, when you leave here, to go out and seek justice for all.”

China candidates announced

by Mary Grow

As of Sept. 12, China Town Clerk Rebecca Hapgood reported there was at least one potential candidate for every position on China’s Nov. 8 local election ballot, with possible contests for at least two positions. For three seats on the board of selectmen, seven people are circulating nomination petitions: Albert Althenn, Wayne Chadwick, James Dow, Raymond Robert and incumbents Joann Austin, Neil Farrington and Robert MacFarland. Chadwick had already returned his signed papers, Hapgood said. There are two people seeking signatures to run for the at-large planning board position, Ralph Howe and incumbent Frank Soares.

Also seeking re-election, without opposition so far, are District 2 planning board member Toni Wall; District 4 planning board member Thomas Miragliuolo; District 2 budget committee member Thomas Rumpf; and District 4 budget committee member Timothy Basham. Linda Howe is circulating papers for the position of budget committee secretary (now held by Althenn) and Valerie Baker for the at-large budget committee seat (now held by Jonathan Vogel).

Dawn Castner seeks nomination to the Regional School Unit #18 board of directors, succeeding Robert Bennett, who has declined to serve again.

For candidates’ names to appear on the Nov. 8 local ballot, signed papers must be returned to the town office by 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24.

Committee-related issues top selectmen’s agenda

by Mary Grow

China selectmen spent most of their Sept. 6 meeting on two committee-related topics, advice on transfer station affairs from the transfer station committee and a broader discussion of overlapping membership between the board of selectmen and town committees.

The latter topic generated heated argument between board Chairman Robert MacFarland and

Selectmen Joann Austin and Irene Belanger. MacFarland took the position that a selectman who serves on a committee should not vote in committee on monetary issues that will be presented to selectmen for their vote. Austin and Belanger saw no problem, as long as no personal benefit was involved.

The Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Committee, on which Austin and Belanger serve, has already recommended that selectmen endorse a $50,000 grant for China Four Seasons Club trail repairs and is likely to recommend future expenditures. Final decisions on TIF spending are made by China voters; the $50,000 request is among a long list that might appear on a November 8 local ballot (see below).

MacFarland said having two selectmen already on record biases the selectboard vote, a situation he considers unethical.

Ronald Breton sided with MacFarland, saying that as a matter of principle he believes selectmen should not serve on committees that report to the selectboard. Breton is a member of no town committee; he does serve on the Regional School Unit #18 subcommittee reviewing the district funding formula, a subcommittee that reports to the RSU #18 board.
Neil Farrington could see both sides of the question. However, he pointed out, the selectmen appoint the town committees, so the time to object to committee nominees was in June when appointments were renewed for the new fiscal year.

In response to a suggestion that the Maine Municipal Association be consulted, Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux said he did seek MMA advice after MacFarland requested the agenda item. MMA Director of Legal Services Susan Pilgrim replied that as long as the committees and the selectboard act in advisory capacities and voters make final decisions, there is no conflict or problem. MacFarland’s motion to prohibit selectmen from voting on monetary issues in town committees subordinate to the selectboard was then defeated with only MacFarland and Breton in favor.

MacFarland presented another, unrelated idea at the Aug. 22 selectmen’s meeting: to exempt local haulers bringing in household waste from the transfer station fee charged other commercial haulers. The suggestion was referred to the transfer station committee, which recommended against it with only Belanger opposed.

Belanger has long argued that since householders who use the haulers already support the transfer station with their taxes, charging the haulers a fee is double taxation. She said the other transfer station committee members had no specific reason for their refusal to support the change; they saw no reason to implement it.

After a discussion of ways to increase recycling among residents who use commercial haulers, MacFarland suggested scheduling a workshop with transfer station committee members and Palermo representatives (because beginning in January Palermo residents will use China’s transfer station). No action is likely until after the Nov. 8 local elections.

Transfer station committee member Linda O’Connor asked selectmen to act on a recommended change in the days the transfer station is open. Currently, the facility is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; so whenever it is closed for a

Monday holiday, residents have to wait from Saturday to Wednesday to dispose of trash.
However, there was disagreement over whether the recommended days were Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday or Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Selectmen postponed action until they get a definite answer from the committee, which was scheduled to meet Tuesday morning, Sept. 13.

In response to an earlier query from the selectmen, L’Heureux said Codes Officer Paul Mitnik said relocating and enlarging the free-for-the-taking building, aka the swap shop building, at the transfer station would not exceed allowable phosphorus run-off.

The manager announced two other trash-related issues, the annual household hazardous waste disposal day in Winslow Saturday, Oct. 15, and a drug take-back day at the China transfer station Saturday, Oct. 22. Selectmen unanimously authorized participation in the Winslow event, with a cap of $2,000 to cover charges for China waste. Pre-registration is required; more information will be available on the town web site. L’Heureux added potential Nov. 8 ballot questions to the list he presented Aug. 22 (see the Aug. 25 issue of The Town Line, p. 7). Possible issues include:

• A recommendation for – tentatively – up to $3,800 from TIF funds for a townwide needs assessment, focused on senior citizens, as a follow-up to the recently completed demographic survey.
• Conveying the former portable classroom the town just bought from RSU 18 to the South China Library Association, if the association wants it, probably at the town’s cost.
• Appropriating $100,000 from surplus to the capital reserve account.
Again, discussion was postponed.

The Sept. 6 selectmen’s meeting was preceded by an unattended public hearing on amendments to the appendices to the town’s General Assistance Ordinance. During the meeting, selectmen unanimously approved the changes.
The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Sept. 19.

Vassalboro’s Charlotte Eastman presented with Boston Post Cane

by Jan Clowes, Vassalboro Historical Society President

On Sunday, September 11, the Vassalboro Historical Society resurrected the tradition of presenting the Boston Post Cane to the oldest resident of town. A cane created by Ray Breton and engraved with Vassalboro – Oldest Resident 2016 was presented to 98-year-old Charlotte Eastman, identifying her as Vassalboro’s oldest resident. Mrs. Eastman also received a certificate and a bouquet of flowers.

Vassalboro history did not record the name of the last recipient. The cane disappeared for years until an antique dealer in California purchased it and called to see if someone at the historical society would be interested in it. Betty Taylor purchased the cane from him for $500. Although the actual Boston Post Cane will reside at the museum, a display will be created showing Mrs. Eastman as the virtual owner.

Vassalboro Historical Society

From left to right, Jan Clowes, Vassalboro Historical Society president, and Charlotte Eastman, recipient of Vassalboro’s Boston Post Cane. Photo by George Eastman

Mrs. Eastman moved to Vassalboro shortly after marriage to Albert in 1950. She quickly became an active member of the community. She has been involved in town with the Riverside Study Club, Church Women United, Girl Scouts, and the Vassalboro Food Pantry. These are just a few of her connections. She enjoys camping (and went this summer), has served as church organist, played in the Hallowell Community Band, and is a shorthand pen pal.

Mr. and Mrs. Eastman raised three daughters in Vassalboro: Marie, Martha and Margaret. The family worked, worshipped and played here.

In 1998, Mrs. Eastman took on the role of caregiver, when Mr. Eastman was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She also became active in the Alzheimer’s Association. He passed away in 2003, and Mrs. Eastman entered a new chapter in her life, staying active, traveling, and continuing her service to the local community.