China planners hold rescheduled meeting on solar farm

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by Mary Grow

On Nov. 14, China planning board members held their rescheduled public hearing on Novel Energy Systems’ proposed community solar farm on Parmenter Hill Road, the section locally known as Moe’s Mountain.

Attendees included nearby landowners who attended the Sept. 26 preliminary discussion and Novel representatives. Main issues were those already raised Sept. 26 – possible contamination, effects on property values and decommissioning at the end of the facility’s useful life (see the Oct. 5 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

In the interim, codes officer Zachary Gosselin had provided a copy of Novel’s information at the China town office for interested parties to read.

Novel permitting specialist Scott Tempel repeated information he offered Sept. 26, for example that there are no known cases of aluminum or other metals leaching from solar panels – or from widely-used aluminum siding, he added – into soil or groundwater. His assurances were again met with skepticism.

Novel plans soil testing to establish a baseline as part of project construction.

Abutter Jennifer Whitney asked if there would be battery storage on site. The answer was no; there is on some projects, but none is planned here, and adding it at a later date would require another planning board permit.

Tempel again said there will be erosion control measures in place during construction, and that maintenance of the facility will involve planting native grasses and plants that attract pollinators, with occasional mowing. No chemical herbicides will be used.

After the three-quarter hour hearing, board members indicated they will review Novel’s application again at their next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday evening, Nov. 28. A decision is possible if they find the application complete.

They briefly discussed another set of amendments to China’s Planning Board Ordinance, in preparation for a presentation to China select board members at that board’s Nov. 20 meeting.

CHINA: Two positions filled with write-ins

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by Mary Grow

Two positions on China boards have been filled, after Nov. 7 write-in votes were counted and winners informed.

Town Clerk Angela Nelson reported incumbent Michael Brown received six votes for the District 1 planning board seat, and incumbent Michael Sullivan received five votes for the District 3 budget committee seat. Both have accepted re-election.

The town website, china.govoffice.com, says there is still an opening for a planning board member from District 4, the southwestern quarter of the town.

Appointed boards that need additional members include the comprehensive plan implementation committee, the board of appeals (two open positions) and the board of assessment review (an alternate member). These board members are not appointed by districts.

Residents interested in serving on any of these boards or committee are invited to call the town office at 445-2014.

China TIF committee hears reports

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by Mary Grow

Members of China’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) committee met Oct. 30 to receive progress reports on town projects funded with TIF money.

Representatives from the China Lake Association, China Region Lakes Alliance, Four Seasons Club, Thurston Park committee and China Broadband committee reported on expenditures and plans. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood summarized town use of TIF money.

The Four Seasons Club uses TIF funds to rebuild recreational trails in China. Club president Tom Rumpf said the goal is trails so good they will need only routine maintenance in the future.

He told Hapgood the annual Ice Days fishing derby that the club coordinates is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024.

China Region Lakes Alliance executive director Scott Pierz and China Lake Association president Stephen Greene explained hold-ups in some of the work planned in the China Lake watershed to improve the lake’s water quality.

Earlier this fall, the lake association and the Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District received a federal Clean Water Act grant for about $100,000, to be spent in 2024 and 2025. Greene intends to use the TIF grant and other association money toward projects carried out under the grant.

Hapgood said once money is approved for a project, it carries forward if the planned work gets postponed.

Committee members decided to set Friday, Dec. 29, as the deadline for submitting applications for TIF funding for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The TIF committee advises select board members on how to allocate TIF funds each year, after committee members review proposals and recommend expenditures. The money comes from taxes Central Maine Power Company pays on its north-south line through China and its substation in South China.

The TIF program was created by the Maine legislature and is overseen by the state Department of Economic and Community Development. Participating municipalities develop local plans for using TIF funds, which local voters approve.

China’s 60-page “Second Amended TIF Program,” approved in 2021, is on the website china.govoffice.com, under the TIF Committee in the category Officials, Board & Committees.

Committee members scheduled their next meeting for Monday evening, Jan. 22, 2024.

China committee re-explains fees at transfer station

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by Mary Grow

At their Nov. 14 meeting, China transfer station committee members re-explained that facility users should expect to be charged for many items they donate to the free-for-the-taking building.

Not everything that someone donates is picked up by someone else, and rejects end up being thrown out. If the item can be disposed of without cost, like metal, glass that is crushed and used for road mix or clothing that goes to the separate donation box down the hill, there is no fee.

If getting rid of the item will end up costing taxpayers money, there is a fee.

Sometimes, as committee chairman Paul Lucas illustrated, the fee is reimbursed. Lucas remembers paying $2 to leave something and, when it was picked up before he left the premises, getting his money back.

He and Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood both suggested an alternative disposal method for things that seem too good to throw away: put them by the road with a “Free” sign and watch them go.

The other major topic Nov. 14 was the China-Palermo contract under which Palermo residents use China’s transfer station. Palermo select board member and transfer station committee member Robert Kurek said Palermo had just received notice of China’s intention to terminate the contract, effective Nov. 13, 2024.

Kurek expects Palermo officials will ask their town attorney for advice.

Committee members have discussed at length complains about some Palermo residents – “Always just a few,” Lucas commented – who evade rules and when challenged react rudely.

Transfer station stickers now available

New China transfer station stickers are now available at the China town office, for a $2 annual fee. They will be required for China residents to enter the transfer station beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said the stickers are “cling, not sticky,” so they won’t mess up the vehicle to which they are affixed. They show the vehicle’s license plate number, but not the name of the town, as a privacy protection.

In other business, station Manager Thomas Maraggio reported on pending equipment upgrades and on satisfactory relations with Albion, whose residents are now allowed to dispose of some items not covered by their curbside pick-up program.

Maraggio recommended increasing the budget for equipment maintenance next year.

Director of Public Services Shawn Reed added that his department needs money to fix the leaking roof of the sand shed.

Reed said he is waiting for recommendations from the state Department of Environmental Protection for dealing with PFAS-contaminated water at the transfer station (see the Oct. 19 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

Committee members scheduled their next meeting for 9 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 19. Lucas indicated he might not be there: after six or seven years on the committee, he is ready to resign and let someone else take his place.

Hapgood reminded him of the shortage of volunteers for town positions.

Construction Updates China Road Construction – Winslow Ongoing Work

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Eastwood Contractors will continue a $2.4 million stormwater contract on the China Road.

Work will continue in front of Cumberland Farms, tying into a large box culvert with a 48-inch storm drain that will proceed east on the China Road to the Cushman Road and continue down the Cushman Road.

Because of the depth and size of the pipe, work continues on this project. Contractors will occupy both eastbound lanes with two-way traffic maintained in the westbound lane.

Every effort will be made to minimize disruption to the affected businesses. This work is to eliminate a flooding problem that has existed in this area for a long time.

Waterville-Winslow Ticonic Bridge Construction Look Ahead

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Lane Closures:

The bridge will be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., from Sunday, November 19 -Thursday, November 23, for work requiring access to the entire bridge. During this time, all vehicles will be required to follow the posted detour route. Message boards will be used to warn drivers. Pedestrians should continue to utilize the posted detour route during these times.

Thursday, November 23, not a definite for closure 7 p.m. – 6 a.m. Announcement will be made as the date gets closer.

Drivers are encouraged to proceed cautiously, observe signage in the work zone, and obey reduced work zone speed limits.

URGENT SAFETY REMINDER:

It is unlawful and unsafe to traverse the river via the rail bridge. Pedestrians have been observed doing so and are reminded of the dangers of such activity. Pedestrians must utilize the Two Cent Bridge for foot traffic.

China election results (November 2023)

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The unofficial returns from the November 7, 2023, municipal election for the town of China are as follows:

For select board: Chadwick = 931, Marquis = 810.

Planning board: District 3/ Mather = 996, Alternate At Large/Tripodi = 978

Budget Committee: Chairman/Rumpf = 1,037, District 1/Maroon = 1,062.

All races were uncontested.

All write in positions will be determined later in the week.

The China election saw a turnout of 1,303 voters.

Maine delegation announces $38M in LIHEAP funding for Maine

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Susan Collins

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden announced that Maine has been awarded more than $38 million in funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP) in 2024.

Angus King

“Over 45,000 Maine households rely on LIHEAP to stay safe and warm during the winter,” said the Maine Delegation. “With home heating prices set to remain at near record levels in the coming months, it’s essential that this assistance continues to get to the families that need it most. Securing these resources has been a shared priority, and we remain committed to that mission so hard-working Maine families have one less thing to worry about as temperatures drop.”

Alongside $36 million in regular block grant appropriations, over $600,000 of the FY 2024 funding will come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that the delegation championed and that Senator Collins negotiated with 9 of her colleagues.

Last year, Senator Collins and Representative Golden successfully led efforts to secure a total of $6.1 billion for LIHEAP in FY 2023.

Nationwide, an estimated 6 million households receive assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP, including over 45,000 Maine households. LIHEAP is administered by states and accessed through local Community Action Agencies. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources.

VASSALBORO: Only two members present causes postponements

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by Mary Grow

With only two of three members present at their Nov. 2 meeting, Vassalboro select board members postponed action on several items; but they could not postpone the request to close the transfer station on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Because Veterans’ Day falls on a Saturday this year, state departments and agencies, municipalities and schools are mostly observing the holiday on Friday, Nov. 10. Vassalboro’s transfer station is not open on Fridays.

Station manager George Hamar, who is a veteran, asked for Saturday off. Select board members had two concerns: how to notify residents on short notice and how to reconcile the closing with the personnel handbook.

After almost 20 minutes’ discussion, chairman Chris French and Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., voted to close the transfer station on Saturday, Nov. 11, and in the future to adjust the personnel policy to accommodate such circumstances.

The transfer station will be open as usual from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12.

Continuing the experiments with ways to make select board meetings accessible to more residents, Michael Picher and David Trask recorded the Nov. 2 meeting, using Picher’s camera and Trask’s laptops that the two are willing to give to the town.

Town manager Aaron Miller listed additional equipment that would be needed if the Picher-Trask system replaced the one Laura Jones used for previous meetings. He plans to buy it with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Trask praised Jones’ work, and Jones said she is ready to hand over the job. French and Denico authorized Miller to spend up to $4,000 in ARPA funds.

A very much more expensive project, replacement of the Dunlap bridge over Seven Mile Stream, on Mill Hill Road, in southwestern Vassalboro, was discussed at length by officials, engineer and Vassalboro resident James Foster and audience members. Foster, a consultant to the state Department of Transportation (DOT), explained the problem and possible solutions.

Dunlap bridge is a town responsibility, Foster said. It consists of a large double culvert, which DOT inspectors found has deteriorated significantly.

Foster said a DOT posting committee will review the bridge report and, he expects, decide to post the bridge (limit the weight of vehicles using it), probably before the end of the year. The weight limit could be as high as 22 tons or as low as three tons, he said.

Meeting participants said there are three houses and a gravel pit beyond the bridge, before Mill Hill Road dead-ends. Foster said a posted bridge allows no exceptions; if a fuel truck, an ambulance or a fire truck is heavier than the weight limit, it cannot be driven across the bridge.

And, he added, the replacement project would need to include a temporary bridge, an additional expense. He gave no firm figures, but he and others cited other bridge projects in Vassalboro that cost up to $2.5 million.

Foster recommended board members appoint a committee to study options for a replacement, costs and possible funding sources.

Agenda items postponed were review of the personnel handbook; review of the recreation committee’s bylaws; and action on a proposal from Waterville officials to improve Vassalboro communications as they expand Waterville’s equipment on a Cook Hill radio tower.

Miller shared a letter from Vassalboro school superintendent Alan Pfeiffer thanking officials for allowing police chief Mark Brown to be at Vassalboro Community School for the beginning and end of school hours the week after the Lewiston shooting.

The next regular Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16.

China select board to continue looking at South China boat landing

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by Mary Grow

After another 70 minutes’ discussion of the South China boat landing at their Nov. 6 meeting, China select board members again kicked the issue down the road (see The Town Line, May 25, p. 3; Aug. 3, p. 3; Oct 26, p. 2). This time, they added a road map.

On a 4-1 vote, with Janet Preston dissenting, board members approved a motion saying they, in cooperation with the China Lake Association, will continue investigating the town landing and will maintain it as a public boat launch, with improvements; if parking along the road contributes to erosion, they will ban parking; and they will adopt an advisory size limit on boats to be launched there.

The main issue with the landing is erosion into China Lake from Town Landing Road that leads to the lake. The road is gravel, the town-owned strip of land is not very wide and there has been inadequate ditching and other run-off diversion for many years.

Discussions have covered the value of a minimizing run-off into China Lake, which is a major contributor to area recreation and to China’s economy; neighbors’ concerns about traffic; the lack of room to park on the town property and of convenient other parking spaces; maintaining lake access for residents who do not own lakefront property and have used the South China landing for years; and providing access to a water source for volunteer firefighters and to the warden service for ice rescues.

Preston started the Nov. 6 discussion by presenting a summary of reasons to limit the landing to carry-in only, meaning people could launch only kayaks and canoes and vehicle traffic would be lessened.

Board chairman Wayne Chadwick and members Brent Chesley and Blane Casey disagreed with Preston, citing reasons to continue to keep the landing open to motorboats. Jeanne Marquis sided with Preston.

Chadwick invited audience members, present in person or virtually, to join the discussion, and several did.

The two sides disagreed over how large the boats are that currently use the South China landing and how congested China Lake’s other two landings are (that is, how much people currently using the South China landing would be inconvenienced by longer drives and longer waits).

There was agreement that run-off controls are needed, bolstered by opinions from two engineers. Town manager Rebecca Hapgood said the town had paid for a boundary survey of the town property, but the engineers had not cost taxpayers money.

There was also agreement that the landing should continue to be unpublicized. Opinion leaned toward paving the road, with appropriate slopes and diversions to prevent water from shooting down the pavement into the lake. A paved road would need less maintenance, several people said.

Select board members and China Lake Association representatives praised the past cooperation between the two groups and expressed willingness to continue to work together. After the vote, Hapgood said she will help organize their cooperation.

The Nov. 6 meeting began with two executive sessions with town attorney Amanda Meader. After the first one, select board members voted unanimously to direct her to draft a notice to Palermo town officials of China’s intention to end the two towns’ agreement letting Palermo residents use China’s transfer station (see The Town Line, Aug. 17, p. 3; Sept. 21, p. 3; and Oct. 26, p. 2).

After the second executive session, board members voted unanimously to reduce the fine for land use ordinance violations by Farmingdale construction company BHS, Inc., from $5,000 to $500.

In other business Nov. 6:

  • Emergency management committee chairman Ronald Morrell and emergency management director Stephen Nichols presented copies of a 47-page emergency management plan the committee has worked on for years. They requested a discussion after board members have reviewed it.
  • Board members unanimously approved three equipment requests for the public works department and the transfer station, authorizing $2,114 for plow equipment, $11,930 for a new waste oil burner and $12,895 for a new demo (demolition debris) can (50-yard metal container). Hapgood said money will come from the respective capital reserve accounts.

Because the meeting ran longer than usual, two agenda items were postponed, a report from Delta Ambulance and Chadwick’s recommended discussion of town-owned Bradley Island in China Lake’s west basin.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Nov. 20, probably at 6 p.m.