Windsor residents unhappy with rescue response time

/0 Comments/in , /by
by The Town Line staff

At their September 12, 2023, meeting, the Windsor Select Board heard from Douglas Hamm and Karalyne Rideout to speak of an incident that occurred on Saturday afternoon, September 9. Douglas was very upset that it took rescue units upwards of 45 minutes to arrive at his residence, responding to his wife having a serious medical event. He called 911, then called his mother-in-law, Karalyne. His mother-in-law arrived before rescue. Karalyne stated she called 911 for a second time and repeated the address. A state trooper arrived before Delta and began CPR with the first responders. They were both very upset with the response time and performance of rescue crews. Haskell said she will follow up on the incident.

Public Works Supervisor Keith Hall informed the board about the cost of obtaining safety signs with blinking LED lights to add extra safety for public works employees while working along the roadsides. The cost is estimated at $700. More discussion will take place. There was also a quick mention about future public works truck expenses and needs.

The monthly transfer station report for August was up from last year by $1,212.45, making the overall total of $8,623.25 for the year.

Richard and Jane Crecco came before the board to speak on their own behalf about a small community grant for a new replacement septic system they need, and would like the town to partake. The couple has done research and found a small community grant through the state of Maine that could reimburse the town, if the town pays for it up front. It wasn’t clear if the pay back was a full reimbursement. It looks like the town may not get the money at all if the grant ran out of funds before the work was completed. Following much discussion, not only at the board meeting, but through phone calls and letters between the small community grant program, lengthy discussions and meetings with Town Manager Theresa Haskell and talks with select board members, the board concluded this small community grant isn’t something they can partake at this time. There are many reasons this isn’t something the town is able to do currently.

In other business:

  • Selectman William Appel Jr. made a motion to sign an abatement tax warrant for Anthony N. and Katherine L. Trask in the amount of $2,860.85, with one supplemental tax warrant to Cynthia Trask, personal respresentative for Catherine M. Trask in the amount of $2,853.60, as per Assessor Vern Ziegler’s recommendation;
  • Road name changed from Bernier Lane to Landwork’’s Lane;
  • Haskell handed out a draft copy of the emplyee manual, indicating some changes and updates made on paid timeoff. A float holiday was discussed with no changes made.
  • Haskell asked the board if there were any changes to be made to the compensatory time off agreement time for the two public works employees. With the now approved employee manual, these two public works employees will need to sign up for the 2023-2024 year and then yearly in July thereafter.
  • Ray Bates presented Richard H. Gray Jr. with the Spirit of America Award for his many years of dedication to the town of Windsor. Gray served 15 years on the select board, 16 years on the budget committee, cemetery committe. Among many other things he continues to have unwavering dedication to the Boy Scouts of America.
  • Ray Bates read a letter from Clean Energy Connect, summarizing the construction that may happen, what it will entail and what it may look like, and sound like for surrounding communities.
  • Andrew Ballantayne spoke about his day spent in Bangor speaking with legislative bodies. He gave a presentation about underground high voltage D/C. He wants to separate the transmission line from Clean Enerey when he speaks, feeling it is important.

* * * * * *

At their September 26, 2023, meeting, the Windsor Select Board heard from Public Works Supervisor Keith Hall about the Coopers Mills Road culvert that was recently caved in, and will need to be looked at and possibly redone. Hall spoke with Maine-ly Paving and they said they would take care of it.

Town Manager Theresa Haskell said Central Maine Power Co. has been working on getting road entrance permits dealing with the proposed lines within the corridors. Hall has been meeting with them.

Arthur Strout has informed Haskell that the Windsor Fair is possibly working on an agreement to have the field area across from the fair and next to the newly-paved transfer station used by a company with big trucks and equipment for a lengthy period. Strout suggested the town put some gravel shoulders on that side of the newly-paved road and Hall said he is planning on that, and will also meet with the company to make sure they use a different entrance with heavy equipment.

Planning board members Jerry Nault and Carol Chavarie said they have approved the building code and have brought it to the select board. With much discussion it was suggested by the select board to bring this back to the planning board with the proposed revisions.

Haskell handed out the 12-month budget for 2022/2023. The actual budget ended at 90.52 percent out of the 100 percent, but will still need to be finalized with the audit.

Haskell received a letter indicating the town of Windsor is in compliance with the General Assistance Statutes and the Department of Health and Human Services General Assistance policy. The state recommended designating a fair hearing officer in the event an applicant requests a hearing. Haskell said China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood had agreed to be Windsor’s fair hearing officer, with Haskell becoming China’s fair hearing officer.

Selectman Andrew Ballantyne said local towns are writing a letter to the office of the public advocate in seeking assistance for receiving access to documents from the Maine Public Utilities Commission regarding the Aroostook Renewable Gateway’s proposed high-voltage transmission corridor that could impact about 41 towns, including Windsor. Ballantyne is asking to have the select board of Windsor to also join in and sign, along with Palermo, Unity, Albion and Thorndike, in requesting assistance in accessing the necessary information to protect the health, safety, wellbeing, welfare and livelihoods of residents. Select board members agreed unanimously.

China public hearing on solar garden canceled

/0 Comments/in , , /by
by Mary Grow

The China planning board’s public hearing on Novel Energy Systems’ proposed community solar garden on Parmenter Hill Road, scheduled for Oct. 10, was canceled due to lack of a board quorum. A new hearing date will be set and announced.

Real ID deadline is 2025

/1 Comment/in , , /by
The REAL ID deadline is now May 2025, yet the multiple extensions have caused confusion among the general public. When Maine residents were asked what they believe the deadline to be, the average answer given is on October 5, 2023.
If you still haven’t made the switch, you’re not alone: 76 percent of residents in Maine still haven’t gotten their new card, according to a poll from Upgraded Points.
Additionally, 18 percent report not even knowing what a REAL ID is and 30 percent say they don’t know how to get it. Thirty-eight percent do not plan to get one at all.

VASSALBORO: Town awarded 95K heat pump grant

/0 Comments/in , /by

Thanks to the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, Efficiency Maine, Eco Heat Maine and volunteers from the Vassalboro Conservation Commission, the Town of Vassalboro received about $95,000 worth of heat pump systems and service at the Town Office, North Vassalboro Fire Station and the Public Works Garage.

The Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future has awarded $34,745 in grants to the Town of Vassalboro. This project qualifies for $60,348 in Efficiency Maine grant money. The town was asked to contribute $3,693 toward this endeavor at the October 5 selectboard meeting.

The process began in June by joining the Community Resilience Partnership. As a result the town has shown commitment toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in energy efficiency.

Here are the improvements that will be done expected by the end of November:

North Vassalboro Fire Station – (2) 18k wall mounted heat pumps in the upstairs meeting room – $13,869.

Town Office – (2) 18k btu heat pumps in the meeting room; (1) 15k btu heat pump in the clerk’s office; (2) 7.5k btu heat pumps in the town manager and assessors’ offices; and (2) 5k btu heat pumps in the bookkeeper and CEO offices – $39,878.

Public Works Garage – (4) 32k btu heat pumps in the garage; and (1) 9.5k btu heat pump in the director’s office/meeting room – $44,038.

Vassalboro planners approve subdivision application; postpone other

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

At their Oct. 3 meeting, Vassalboro planning board members approved the subdivision application they postponed at their September meeting, and postponed a new application, for a small solar development, to November.

Darrell and Jessica Field presented requested additional information on their application to divide a lot in a subdivision on Katie Drive into two lots (see the Sept. 14 issue of The Town Line, pp. 2-3). Board members reviewed the 18 criteria for approval of a major subdivision, found the Fields’ project met them all and approved the application unanimously.

The solar project was presented by John Korkos, a project manager with ReVision Energy, on behalf of Ryan Bolduc, owner of apartment buildings including the former Volmer’s nursing home at 332 Main Street, between North and East Vassalboro villages.

Korkos explained that the requested project is a solar installation covering less than half an acre, intended to power the adjacent apartment building and others of Bolduc’s buildings. Power generated would go into the grid, but would not be sold; Bolduc intends what he generates only to earn credits for his properties.

Planning board members could not decide whether the project is a commercial solar development they need to approve, or the equivalent of a homeowner’s personal solar installation that does not need board action.

The power is going into the grid, which suggested commercial generation to some board members. But it is not to be sold, so, others argued, it is not used commercially.

Reference to definitions in the Vassalboro solar ordinance (Chapter 11 of the site review ordinance, added by voters in June 2023) and the moratorium ordinance (approved in November 2022 to give time to write and approve the solar ordinance) did not answer the question. Board members therefore voted unanimously to table the application until they get a legal opinion.

Board chairman Virginia Brackett told Korkos she would let him know as soon as possible whether he would be needed at the November board meeting.

Board members had no additional information on Ronald Weeks’ application, postponed in September; nor did they have an application for Kassandra Lopes’ relocation from one North Vassalboro building to the one next door, discussed in September.

Because the first Tuesday in November is Election Day, the next Vassalboro planning board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the town office meeting room.

VASSALBORO: Website management topic undecided, again

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members sat behind their new laptop computers at their Oct. 5 meeting, for a long discussion that partly focused on the themes of residents’ knowledge of and involvement in town government.

One topic, left undecided again, was selecting a company to manage the town’s website, including presenting select board and other committees’ meetings live to an on-line audience and recording them for future viewing.

At their Sept.7 meeting, board members hosted a presentation on the TownCloud municipal website plan. They then created a committee to investigate more possibilities. (See the Sept. 14 issue of The Town Line, p. 2.)

Laura Jones, reporting for the committee, said members discussed what Vassalboro residents want and need and weighed pros and cons of TownCloud, Michigan-based Revize (serving Winslow and Camden, among other Maine municipalities) and Kansas-based CivicPlus (serving Lewiston and Belfast).

After discussing the companies’ offerings and costs, board members again tabled the issue. On Sept. 7, they had postponed a decision to Dec. 14, not expecting the committee report so promptly.

A related question about future web-shared meetings and the current Facebook page that Jones maintains was whether to allow public comment. Board members considered reports from nearby towns of people, often non-residents, interjecting irrelevant, offensive and abusive comments during public on-line meetings.

Town Manager Aaron Miller said the town’s attorney advised against allowing the public to post to the town Facebook page because comments might be inappropriate and town staff would need to spend time monitoring the site.

Select board members voted not to allow public comment on the Vassalboro Facebook page. As alternatives, Miller and board members encouraged residents to come to select board meetings, where chair man Chris French welcomes audience participation, or to contact board members, Miller or the town office by email, telephone, letter or personal visit.

Town appoints new CEO

Vassalboro’s new codes enforcement officer, Jason Lorrain, of Boothbay, attended the Oct. 5 select board meeting, where town manager Aaron Miller introduced him to board and audience members.

Lorrain was Boothbay’s codes enforcement officer, building inspector and plumbing inspector for seven years. Miller said he would start work in Vassalboro on Oct. 10.

He succeeds Robert Geaghan, Jr., who, several months ago, announced his intention of resigning by the end of October.

Board members made no decisions about what Jones and audience members said are another 20 or more Facebook pages and Instagram accounts set up by other town boards and committees.

In other business Oct. 5, Miller reported Vassalboro received state grants of a little over $95,000 for heat pumps in the town office building, the town garage and the North Vassalboro fire station. (See the town website, www.vassalboro.net, for details.)

Select board members unanimously approved appropriating $3,693 in town matching money from federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds.

Miller expects the heat pumps to be installed in mid or late November. He said the town can apply again for heat pumps for the Riverside fire station and the transfer station.

The manager reported on his discussion with a representative of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection on what more can be done to improve Eagle Park, located on the west bank of Outlet Stream between North and East Vassalboro.

The park already has trees planted, thanks to efforts by the town Conservation Commission. (See photographs on the front page of the June 29 issue of The Town Line.) Miller expects state funds to reimburse the town for the $3,200 worth of trees.

Select board signs letter of support for Webber Pond dam grant

Vassalboro select board members unanimously agreed at their Oct. 5 meeting to sign a letter of support for a grant application that, if successful, will provide federal funds for an improved fishway at the Webber Pond dam.

Resident Nate Gray, who works for the state Department of Marine Resources, said the Webber Pond dam is one of several projects included in a state grant application to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for $1.5 million. Chances of receiving the grant will increase if each local application provides evidence of municipal officials’ support and local matching money.

Vassalboro’s match of $50,000 could come from the income from the town’s alewife fishery, he suggested. The town contracts with an alewife harvester who traps and sells the small fish each spring – they’re used for lobster bait, and online sources list other uses – and shares the revenue with the town.

An improved fishway, plus the state-funded new culvert on Whitehouse Road, should double the number of alewives reaching Webber Pond and thus increase the harvest revenue, Gray said. He commended the state Department of Transportation for its help in opening culverts in various parts of Maine to improve access for migrating fish.

After considering three options, Gray said, the application is to fund a Denil fishway, like those already in place at the China Lake outlet dam and Ladd and Box Mills dams on Outlet Stream.

Gray said the deadline for the NOAA grant application is Oct. 16. He expects the grant recipients will be announced by mid-February 2024.

The manager asked select board members to consider how they want the park to look and be used, and to invite East Vassalboro resident and Conservation Commission member Holly Weidner to their Oct. 19 meeting for more discussion. Additional improvements might include a second path to the stream, picnic tables and a gazebo, though Miller also wants to leave open space.

Resident Thomas Richards informed board members of a water problem in North Vassalboro. On the east side of Main Street, he said, the ground is so saturated that the flagpole in front of the former school building is affected, and he has been told the next-door property-owner has trouble mowing his soggy lawn.

Richards does not know the cause of the problem. He wanted to make sure town officials were aware of it as they prepare to discuss Main Street repaving and related issues with state Department of Transportation officials.

French proposed a review and possible update of Vassalboro’s Marijuana Business Ordinance and TIF Ordinance. He added that the town’s transfer station committee might request a review of what he said is a 1988 transfer station ordinance.

Miller added amendments to the recreation committee bylaws and an addition to the town’s personnel policy to the list of documents board members should consider.

Resident Douglas Phillips reminded board members they had previously discussed using ARPA money to install a generator at the town office, so it could function during prolonged power outages. That topic, too, is slated for future discussion.

The next Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, in the town office meeting room.

CHINA: Community solar garden topic for China planners

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

The topic at the Sept. 26 China planning board meeting was the proposed community solar garden on the west side of the section of Parmenter Hill Road locally called Moe’s Mountain.

Minnesota-based Novel Energy Systems has begun the application process, planning to lease 13.73 acres of the southern part of Maurice Haskell, Jr.’s land and use 6.87 acres for a fence-enclosed array of about 2,300 solar panels. The lease is for 25 years, with a five-year extension possible.

Scott Tempel, permitting specialist for Novel Energy Systems, zoomed in for what was announced as a presentation but turned into a question-and answer session.

After Tempel’s initial description, four audience members, including abutting property-owners, had many questions, mostly about effects on nearby residents and the natural environment.

Tempel explained a community solar garden signs up area customers, residential and commercial, who are rewarded with a 10 percent discount on electricity bills. Who is allowed to join depends on state regulations; Minnesota allows anyone in the same or an abutting county, but he does not yet know Maine rules.

The proposed China project would generate 975 kilowatts, power enough to support from 50 to 75 subscribers, depending on usage, Tempel estimated. The plan calls for panels that would tilt to follow the sun, maximizing daily production time.

The power generated will go into the grid. The connection with Central Maine Power Company’s line will be mostly underground; there will be five utility poles at the beginning of the access road, Tempel said.

He expects most of the power generated will stay in Maine, he told one audience member, but he cannot guarantee that CMP will not send a single electron out of state.

The application will include a maintenance plan. Tempel explained the site will be planted with native grasses and plants attractive to pollinators, and mowed minimally. He told board member Michael Brown, a farmer by profession, that sheep could be allowed to graze inside the fence, as in Minnesota, but not goats, because goats would eat the wiring and climb on the panels.

By state law, the application will include an approved decommissioning plan. Tempel said Novel has submitted one to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and is awaiting a response. He told Brown decommissioning includes removing everything, including underground wires.

Audience members were concerned about contamination, especially metals, affecting soil and groundwater. Tempel said there is little chance of the solar panels spreading invasive elements. There are not yet studies of long-term – 25-year or more – impacts.

One woman asked about electromagnetic effects. Tempel said the issue, if there is one, is not electromagnetics, but voltage; and because solar arrays are well-grounded, the usual effect is to reduce any stray voltage in the area. He offered to look up studies.

Audience members seemed skeptical of his reassurances, sometimes shaking their heads in apparent disbelief. When he said a solar farm seldom affects adjoining property values and if it does, it might enhance them, there were disbelieving snickers. Planning board co-chairman Wall asked Tempel to provide studies.

Wall said she and codes officer Zachary Gosselin will have a complete copy of the application available for review at the China town office as soon as possible. The office, at 571 Lakeview Drive, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed on Wednesdays), and the first and last Saturday of each month from 8 to 11 a.m.

Wall said the next opportunity for questions will be at the board’s public hearing on Novel’s application. It is currently scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 10, probably in the China town office meeting room (if not, in the nearby portable building where the board met Sept. 26).

After the hearing, Wall said, the board will review the application for completeness and conformity with town requirements for a commercial development. China does not have an ordinance specifically for solar developments.

If the board approves the application, there is a 30-day window during which an appeal may be made to the China board of appeals.

Tempel said Novel currently plans to start construction in the spring of 2025 and finish by that fall. The active construction work usually takes from six to eight weeks, but the timetable depends on weather and availability of materials and supplies.

Palermo resident proposes intervener status in LS Power issue

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Jonathan Strieff

The Palermo Town Council met Thursday, September 21, to finalize the necessary preparations for the special town meeting scheduled for the following day to vote on a proposed transmission line moratorium ordinance. The special meeting was called in response to public concern regarding the LS Power transmission line currently planned to connect the King Pine Wind, in Aroostook County, with regional power substation in Windsor. The board also met with a member of the study committee formed to gather more information about the project from the Public Utilities Commission and from spokespeople for LS Power.

The meeting began with council chairman Ilene McKenny, and council members Bob Kurek and Pam Swift, conferring with the town clerk about the required logistics to have in place ahead of Friday’s meeting. Based on interest expressed on the town’s Facebook page, the council anticipated the meeting could draw up to 80-100 residents and so prepared to host the meeting outside of the town office building.

After verifying the town’s voter list and voting cards were ready to be used, council members reviewed the proper procedural steps for the vote to take place; recitation of the pledge of allegiance, election of a meeting moderator by the council using a secret written ballot, reading of the proposed ordinance, followed by the formal vote. The council paid such careful attention to procedural details to avoid risking the vote being invalidated in a hypothetical legal challenge from LS Power. More than 60 residents turned out for the special town meeting and voted unanimously against the potential power line.

Next, resident Brooke DeLorme provided the council with updates from her ongoing work for the towns study committee on the transmission line project. Since the previous council meeting, DeLorme spoke at length with Harry Lanphear at the PUC and Jason Nivons from LS Power. After voicing frustration with limited documents made available to the public, DeLorme proposed that representatives from Palermo, Windsor, Unity, Albion, and Thorndike act together in applying for “intervener status” in the legal case granting LS Power the right to proceed with the project.

Intervener status would offer affected land owners, “a seat at the negotiating table” where the final decisions about the transmission line route will be made. Intervener status also grants access to over 100 private documents between the PUC and LS Power, include the power purchase agreement and transmission agreement, neither of which have yet been finalized. The council also voted to send notification postcards to more than 60 residents with property along the proposed route who were never contacted by LS Power.

A rally is scheduled for Saturday, October 14, at 11 a.m., at Capitol Park, in Augusta, across the street from the State House.

VASSALBORO: HVAC main topic for school

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

A main discussion topic at the Vassalboro school board’s Sept. 19 meeting was HVAC – heating, ventilation and cooling – with the emphasis on cooling.

Vassalboro Community School (VCS) was uncomfortably warm during the September hot spell. Assistant principal Tabitha Brewer said teachers in the top-floor classrooms were invited to move their classes to cooler spaces elsewhere in the building.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer pointed out that when the VCS building was built in 1992, cooling “was not even on the architect’s radar.” Now, he and Director of Maintenance and Grounds Shelley Phillips are seeking input as they consider three main options: ceiling fans, heat pumps or a whole new HVAC system.

Ceiling fans would be the quickest and least costly option, as a temporary fix. Phillips brought photos of what she labeled “newer style commercial ceiling fans:” three blades “styled more like a wind turbine,” variable speed, with a 20- to 25-year life expectancy.

Winslow High School has them, she said, and staff find them effective and not disruptively noisy. They cost around $500 each; if fans were ordered this fall, they could probably be installed over Christmas vacation.

VCS has a heat pump to cool the office area for administrators who work in the summer, Pfeiffer said. Phillips has doubts about relying on heat pumps to cool so large and complex a building as VCS, which she said has 77,000 square feet of interior space.

There would have to be many of them, at $5,000 to $6,000 apiece, she said. Although state energy efficiency funds contribute to the initial cost, the pumps would need replacing every eight to 12 years without, as far as she knows, state aid.

A third option would be to hire an energy management consultant to review the current system, talk with staff and make recommendations for the building, probably including lighting as well as HVAC. This choice would be expensive and would take time.

From the audience, Chris French, chairman of the Vassalboro select board, suggested there might be state energy efficiency grants to help with the cost.

Resident John Melrose (who was instrumental in signing up Vassalboro for a solar farm project that has reduced electricity bills for the town and the school, Pfeiffer remembered) recommended assessing building energy use as background information for a consultant. A consultant might well come up with ideas locals had not considered, he added.

School board members intend to continue the discussion at future meetings. Board member Zachary Smith is leaning toward installing ceiling fans as a temporary solution.

“I just want the teachers to hear that we hear them, and we have a plan,” he said.

In other business Sept 19, VCS Principal Ira Michaud reported the school year had begun well. Pfeiffer, speaking for finance director Paula Pooler, said the budget is in good shape so far.

French asked if there was interest in exploring joining an organic waste diversion program. Pfeiffer suggested French and Phillips talk about it; Phillips said she has heard they’re expensive.

Board members discussed beginning to plan for the June 2024 promotion ceremony, remembering more elaborate pre-Covid recognitions of departing eighth-graders.

The next Vassalboro school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Vassalboro Community School.

Vassalboro select board discusses changes in town operations

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

At their Sept. 21 meeting, Vassalboro select board members debated at length three changes in town operations they hope will benefit residents.

One they approved: changed town office hours, effective at the beginning of the next calendar year for a 90-day trial (see box).

Updating town office electronics and adding electronic meeting information and perhaps electronic participation will take longer, and will cost money.

Updating the transfer station will take still longer and cost even more.

Town Manager Aaron Miller has been interested in upgrading electronic systems since he took office in January. A recurring theme is making it possible to broadcast select board’s – and probably other boards’ and committees’ – meetings so residents can watch from their homes. (See the report on the TownCloud presentation at the board’s Sept. 7 meeting in the Sept. 14 issue of The Town Line, p. 2.)

Making it possible for residents to participate remotely has been part of the discussion. By Sept. 21, newspaper reports of people harassing board meetings in other area towns led to expressions of doubt about that aspect.

Board members and Miller want to make sure all town committees obey state open meeting laws. However, they also want to avoid confusing residents with incomplete information. For example, they debated, inconclusively, whether draft meeting minutes, which might be subject to correction, should be made public, or whether to publicize only approved minutes.

Resident Laura Jones, a technical expert who brought a large screen to the Sept. 21 meeting and displayed relevant documents on it, will record a demonstration from Town Hall Streams for board members to review before their Oct. 5 meeting. The Town of China is among Maine municipalities using this service to broadcast and record meetings.

On a related issue, select board chairman Chris French said a needed upgrade of the Vassalboro town office telephone system will require upgrading “the whole IT [information technology] system.” He suggested Miller be authorized to ask for price quotes for the job.

The proposed changes at the transfer station are aimed at providing a drive-through building. Two lanes of traffic could go through, with drivers emptying trash into hoppers on each side; and there might be outside lanes allowing access from both sides of each hopper.

Changes in office hours

Vassalboro select board members voted unanimously to change town office hours, effective at the beginning of January 2024. Their goals were to accommodate people who want time to do business before they go to work, as well as those who stop in on the way home; and to give town office staff a four-day work week.

The new hours will be as follows:

  • Mondays: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Tuesdays early opening: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Wednesdays: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Thursdays late closing: 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Fridays through Sundays closed.

The total hours the office is open to the public will increase from 38.5 to 39, Town Manager Aaron Miller said. There will be no effect on Monday holiday closings. Staff will continue to work another 15 minutes after closing as they do now.

These hours will remain in effect for a 90-day trial, during the first quarter of 2024, select board members said.

The plan is similar to one prepared some years ago and rejected as too expensive – during the Sept. 21 discussion, Douglas Phillips, who is on the Transfer Station Taskforce, referred to it as “the million-dollar plan.” Lesser changes have been made since, implementing some of the recommendations.

Miller is envisioning a 60-by-80-foot building, perhaps a large Quonset hut, on a concrete pad. After discussion, board members decided the first step is to issue an RFP (Request for Proposals) inviting engineering firms to provide a cost for an engineering study of building needs and traffic design. Proposals will be due the afternoon of Nov. 16, before that evening’s board meeting.

The project is expected to include a new entrance from Lombard Dam Road, another issue that has been discussed at intervals for years.

Board members envision a two- or three-year project. Funding sources include the town’s transfer station reserve account, federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money, perhaps local TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money and, Phillips suggested, grant money once the town has a plan in place.

TIF funding is currently unavailable because Vassalboro’s 2014 TIF development program has a short list of TIF-eligible projects, not including the transfer station. French said the local TIF ordinance needs to be updated.

French would also like board members to consider changing transfer station hours to give employees two consecutive weekdays off. Currently, the station is open from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Board member Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., said those hours were approved in 1980, while his father was on the select board.

In other business Sept. 21:

  • Board members held a public hearing on state changes in general assistance funds, with, as usual, no public comments. Miller told board member Michael Poulin Vassalboro overspent its general assistance budget two years ago and underspent last year; this year, voters at the June town meeting approved $3,000 (which state funds supplement) and so far only a little over $300 has been spent.
  • Board members unanimously authorized Miller to spend $8,487 (from $10,000 budgeted) to buy a new Canon copier for the town office, with a five-year maintenance contract. It will be the office’s first color copier, Miller commented.
  • They appointed Scott Wentworth to the Cemetery Committee. Wentworth explained that he is familiar with cemetery maintenance issues through his genealogical research and work in cemeteries in Winslow.

The next Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Oct. 5.