East Village project team talks about traffic control

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by Mary Grow

The East Village Project Team, the group working to better manage traffic through East Vassalboro Village, met Dec. 9 to talk about the three-month traffic-calming experiment that ended Nov. 1, how to evaluate it and what else might be done.

The village extends along Route 32 from the China Lake outlet dam, with a boat landing that is heavily used despite limited parking, northward through a mostly-residential district. At its center is the four-way intersection with Bog Road, which runs west past the public library, and South Stanley Hill Road, which runs east around a sharp curve and past the Friends Meeting House.

The team is a response to residents’ complaints about fast traffic that raises safety issues for pedestrians and makes getting out of a driveway a challenge. Speed limits vary from 35 miles an hour on Bog Road to 20 miles an hour around the South Stanley Hill Road curve.

For three months, tall stanchions were set up on all the roads. Most were in sets of three, with a white one on each white line along the side of the road and a yellow one on the center line.

Brian Lajoie, from Vassalboro’s public works department, said a yellow stanchion was hit by a vehicle almost every day, generating many complaints from the drivers who hit them. He used up all spare yellow stanchions during the trial period.

White stanchions were hit less often. Only two needed to be replaced.

Team chairman Holly Weidner said she had talked with many people about their reactions to the stanchions. Almost all said they slowed down the first time they saw them, but not after they got used to them.

Team members have two ways to get data they hope will help them find out whether the stanchions noticeably slowed traffic. One is from small speed warning signs the state Department of Transportation (MDOT) has placed on speed limit signs on Route 32.

These signs notify motorists of their speed and record the speed. Team members have not yet requested data from MDOT. They discussed whether this year’s extensive road construction on Route 32, mostly farther north, had affected traffic patterns enough to make data not typical.

The second evaluation is to come from a survey of town residents and others who drive through East Vassalboro. Weidner shared a draft that asks questions of drivers – did you slow down? – and of residents – did you notice traffic was slower? Others offered suggestions; Weidner plans to prepare a final version.

In addition to fast traffic, parking, especially at the boat landing, is a concern that was briefly addressed by team members. Lajoie said during China Lake bass tournaments, fishers now park at the public works garage on Bog Road and are shuttled to the landing, a system that seems to be working well.

Crosswalks were mentioned as another way to slow traffic. Crosswalks require sidewalks; in 2016, Vassalboro voters refused to contribute $58,600 toward a proposed East Vassalboro sidewalk project. Weidner was open to renewed discussion at a future meeting.

The next East Village Project Team meeting will be scheduled after information from MDOT signs has been received and considered.

Vassalboro planners discuss three applications; store permit still “good”

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Planning board members discussed three applications on their Dec. 3 agenda: a permit extension for the East Vassalboro village store; a proposed Seaward Mills Road subdivision; and a Brann Road business.

In February 2023, board members approved a permit for Tim and Heather Dutton to reopen the former East Vassalboro Country Store. Since then, the permit has been extended once; now, Heather Dutton said, they need another extension, because of delays in finding contractors who have time to work with them.

Planning board member Paul Mitnik referred to an ordinance provision that says if a substantial start has been made, the permit remains valid without more extensions. A substantial start, he said, is defined as spending at least 30 percent of the total project cost.

Dutton is sure they have done that, buying equipment. Therefore, board members said, the permit is good. They wished the Duttons luck; Mitnik commented that many people are eager for the store to reopen.

Surveyor Adam Ellis, with landowner Jeremy Allen, presented an initial sketch plan for a seven-lot subdivision next to an existing subdivision (from 2001, Ellis said) on Seaward Mills Road, across from Kennebec Land Trust’s property.

The total area is about 15.5 acres, partly field and partly wooded, with no wetlands, Ellis said. Lot sizes will vary from 1.5 to 3 acres. A short interior road is planned.

Board members found that under Vassalboro’s revised subdivision ordinance, which they were using for the first time, submission of the sketch plan should have included notice to abutting landowners. Ellis had not known that requirement was his responsibility. The board therefore could not act Dec. 3.

Members debated whether the ordinance’s three-step application process – sketch plan, preliminary application and final application – requires three separate meetings. They decided if they approve a sketch plan at their January 2025 meeting, they can immediately begin review of the preliminary application, if Ellis has submitted it in time.

Codes officer Eric Currie gave Ellis a copy of the updated subdivision ordinance. Mitnik, calling it “cumbersome,” pointed out the four-page list of required information for the final application.

The third topic Dec. 3 was an application from R. L. Mercantile and Trading Post, at 334 Brann Road, to operate a retail store. Currie said he told the owner(s) to come to the planning board meeting to discuss the application; no representative was there.

A Brann Road resident attended to present neighborhood concerns, mostly about increased traffic on a narrow, residential road with a 35-mile-an-hour speed limit. Board members had other concerns and questions.

The application was tabled to the board’s Jan. 7, 2025, meeting.

China select board hears proposal for street radio installations

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by Mary Grow

China select board members’ main topic at their Dec. 2 meeting was a proposal by Tom Kroh, Regional Director, Site Acquisition and Deployment, for Ubicquia, Inc., based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His company would like to contract with the town to attach street radios to town streetlights, to improve residents’ telephone and internet service.

Attaching the Ericsson street radios, Kroh explained in an on-line presentation, would provide residents with better cellular service; would bring the town a small amount of income; and would have no negative effects.

The street radios are small devices, 16 inches by nine inches by three inches high, that sit on top of streetlights, almost invisible from the ground. Ubicquia would be entirely responsible for installing them and signing up communications companies; the companies, not the town, would handle any maintenance issues. Ubicquia currently deals with AT&T, T-Mobile and U. S. Cellular, Kroh said, but not with Verizon.

Ubicquia would reimburse Central Maine Power Co. for electricity used. It would pay China $30 a month for each streetlight with a radio on top. The town’s contract would allow Ubicquia access to all streetlights, but, Kroh said, select board members could approve or disapprove use of specific ones.

Contracts are normally for five years, renewable, but Kroh said a three-year contract would be possible.

Holiday hours

The December holiday schedule for China town departments is as follows, according to Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood:

— Tuesday, Dec. 24, all town departments close at noon.
— Wednesday, Dec. 25, and Thursday, Dec. 26, all town departments closed.
— Friday, Dec. 27, and Saturday, Dec. 28, all town departments open as usual.
— Tuesday, Dec. 31, all town departments close at 2 p.m.
— Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, all town departments closed.

Kroh summarized: China would be making money off its existing streetlights and improving telephone and internet connectivity for residents, at no cost to the town.

What, board member Edwin Bailey asked, does Ubicquia get out of it? Kroh replied that Ubicquia sells use of the street radios to the carriers.

He listed other Maine towns in which his company has installed street radios or is negotiating installations. In Rumford, he said, there are reports of better coverage, fewer dropped calls and faster download and upload times.

Kroh will send a draft contract to Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood. Select board members intend to do more research, review the contract and have the town attorney review it before they make a decision.

Once a contract is signed, Kroh said, pre-installation procedures normally take from four to six months, installation another two or three weeks.

In other business Dec. 2, board member Blane Casey reported requests for bids had gone out for different pieces of the work of building the new records storage vault. He and Hapgood said some bids have already been received. Bid deadlines are staggered, up to Dec. 10.

Board members continued the review of town policies they began in November. Hapgood presented seven more policies, six with no or minor changes and a new one recommended by the Maine Municipal Association. Board members approved all seven unanimously.

Hapgood shared reports from other town departments, including:

— A reminder that dogs need to be licensed before the end of the year;
— A reminder that 2025 transfer station stickers are now available at the town office and at the transfer station;
— A report that the skating rink has been relocated from the school grounds to the lot south of the town office, north of the intersection of Alder Park Road with Lakeview Drive; and
— A report that the new building at the transfer station to house the sandpile for China residents needing winter sand is finished.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16.

China planners hear residents’ concerns to South China boat landing upgrades

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by Mary Grow

The China Planning Board’s Nov. 26 meeting included public hearings on two applications. The first, on the long-discussed document storage vault to be attached to the southeast end of the town office building, was short, and was followed by approval later in the meeting.

The second hearing, on the town’s application to move more than 100 cubic yards of fill on Town Landing Road, the access to the South China boat landing, lasted over an hour. More than a dozen people spoke, some on line and some in the meeting room.

Board members postponed action to their Tuesday, Dec. 10, meeting, deciding they needed time to consider the information and opinions presented.

A third application, for a new retail store on Route 3, in South China, in the South China Development District, was found to be complete. Board members scheduled a public hearing on that application for 6:30 p.m., Dec. 10

At the hearing on the town office storage vault, Municipal Building Committee chairman Sheldon Goodine briefly re-explained the plan, and committee member Scott Pierz emphasized the need.

The vault will be attached to the south side of the building, near the east end. The two men assured planning board members it should provide enough more storage space for several decades. It will be fireproof, and will have temperature and humidity controls to protect documents that the state requires a municipality to keep forever.

Board members unanimously approved the permit.

The boat landing application asks for an earth-moving permit for the purpose of erosion control on Town Landing Road. Former select board member Brent Chesley recommended planning board members authorize moving up to 400 cubic yards.

The plan, he said, is to replace “highly erodible material” – gravel – with materials like stone and pavement. He and others talked about the pavement being sloped toward ditches and the ditches designed to slow water flow.

Chesley said the town is waiting for boat ramp planks to be available to schedule the work next year. He said the state Department of Environmental Protection has approved a DEP permit.

Much of the discussion was over a broader topic, use of the landing. Many of the neighbors would like it to be limited to carry-in only, kayaks and canoes. This use, they said, would not require the trucks and boat trailers that either back down the 500-foot-long, narrow road or turn in residents’ driveways, and that have to go well into the lake to unload and load boats.

Carry-in would also be more compatible with swimming at the landing, they said.

Planners review application for new retail store at site of former Grace Academy

The China Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing for 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10, on a conditional use application for a new retail store at 363 Route 3, in South China.

Engineer Steven Govoni, president of Skowhegan-based Wentworth Partners & Associates, spoke for the developer, Calito Development Group, of Torrington, Connecticut, at the Nov. 26 board meeting.

The developer plans to tear down the building on the site, most recently the home of Grace Academy Learning Center until it closed in June 2022, and replace it with a store selling, in Govoni’s words, “general merchandise.”

The new building will be 9,100 square feet, larger than the present one, with a smaller parking area. The result is to reduce phosphorus run-off, Govoni said, because paved parking areas are a larger phosphorus source than roofs.

Board members discussed the existing building’s varied commercial history. Codes officer Nicholas French said the septic system, updated when the building became a restaurant, is adequate for the proposed use.

Board members voted that the application was complete and scheduled the Dec. 10 public hearing.

Bob Hargadon, whose family has summered on nearby Jones Road for five generations, set the tone for neighborly objections to the proposal.

He said the China select board had mostly ignored area residents, “people most concerned about the lake,” and had ignored an earlier engineer’s report that recommended a carry-in landing.

Hargadon and other speakers questioned the accuracy of the application for the planning board permit. For example, one said, the application mentions a 25-foot vegetated buffer at the foot of the roadside ditch, but no buffer appears on the accompanying plan.

Another objected to the application’s saying if the project had any effect on adjacent property values, it would increase them by providing “quality access to the lake.”

Hargadon pointed out the lack of data to support statements in the application.

He and others doubt that China Lake needs three boat landings – the same number, he said, as for much larger Moosehead Lake.

Another speaker noted that the landings at the head of the east basin, outside China Village, and near the outlet of the west basin, in East Vassalboro Village, offer port-a-potties and adequate turning and parking space, not available in South China.

Chesley and others said erosion from the boat landing has impacted water quality for years, and controlling it is a high priority in the watershed management plan. Chesley explained that the vegetative buffer is not on the plan because DEP officials requested it during their review; it will be added.

The properly sloped paving, well-designed ditches and boat ramp planks with spaces between should minimize run-off and absorb contaminants, Chesley said. He accused the neighborhood residents of “just wanting to preserve their little piece of the pie.”

Margot Crosman, member of another family long established in the neighborhood, called Chesley’s assumption insulting. “The boats keep getting bigger and bigger,” she commented.

After planning board chairman Toni Wall closed the hearing, she reminded those present that the application to the board is only for earth-moving.

In other business Nov. 26, board members unanimously accepted Elaine Mather’s offer to become board co-chairman, running meetings when Wall is absent. They voted unanimously to cancel their second December meeting, which would have fallen on Christmas Eve.

State Rep. LaRochelle withdraws recount request for Senate District 15

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Raegan LaRochelle

by Lauren McCauley
Maine Morning Star

Richard Bradstreet

On Saturday, the Office of the Maine Secretary of State confirmed that the recount for Senate District #15, initially scheduled for Monday, had been officially withdrawn.

Election night tallies had Demo­cratic outgoing state Rep. Raegan LaRochelle trailing Republican Richard Bradstreet 10,621 to 10,820 votes. The seat, previously held by Repub­lican state Sen. Matt Pouliot, who announced in January that he wouldn’t seek reelection, was among those that Democrats had tried aggressively to flip.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the national party’s arm that focuses on winning state legislatures across the country, contributed roughly $95,000 to Maine’s Senate Democratic Campaign Committee and spotlighted LaRochelle’s bid. Senate District #15 covers Augusta, Belgrade and China, in Kennebec County.

 

 

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Vassalboro planning board approves site review application by public works dept.

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Planning Board members held a special meeting on Nov. 19 at which they unanimously approved a site review application from the town’s public works department.

The action will let groundwork begin for the proposed 50-by-100-foot pole barn on the public works lot on Bog Road.

Planners rejected the proposal at their Nov. 12 meeting, because they had only a building application, not a site review application (see the Nov. 14 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

The next regular Vassalboro Planning board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Dec. 3.

EVENTS: Small Business Saturday is Nov. 30

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Small Business Saturday is this coming Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 30, 2024. Are you interested in writing a story on the holiday shopping season or want to arrange an interview with a small business advocate in the area? The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association, is here to help. NFIB State Director David Clough is available to discuss the importance of Small Business Saturday to the local economy and how shopping small benefits consumers, employees, and business owners alike.

NFIB State Director David Clough can be reached at (207) 807-4900, and you can contact Senior Media Manager Mike Donohue at (202) 525-9835.

“In addition to creating good-paying jobs and strengthening the local economy, small businesses shape our communities by volunteering their time and financially supporting charitable organizations,” said Clough. “A recent NFIB report highlights how small business owners and their employees benefit their communities, beyond operating their businesses. As we kick off the holiday season, I encourage all Mainers to shop small, especially on Small Business Saturday, and thank a small business owner for how they enrich your community.”

Sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday began in 2010 as a way to help local stores and restaurants recover from the Great Recession. It has quickly transformed into a Thanksgiving weekend tradition, becoming one of the busiest sales seasons for small business owners nationwide.

Windsor select board recommends abolishing Conservation Commission Committee

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by The Town Line staff

At their October 22 meeting, the Windsor Select Board voted unanimously to recommend a warrant article to abolish the Conservation Commission Ordinance at the June 2024 town meeting.

Adrian Prindle, chairman of the Conservation Commission Committee reported they were going through the process of the ordinance and there is legal technology within the ordinance that is confusing and is causing the committee members to have many questions..

The conservation commission committee members are entertaining to have the ordinance abolished and then create a Belle Grove Parke Advisory Committee. The same members of the conservation commission would want to be part of the Belle Grove Parke Advisory Committee and would submit by-laws/rules.

They are meeting on Tuesday, December 10, at 6 p.m., and will suggest the process of forming a new group. Chester D. Barnes Jr. said the legal terms of this ordinance are for them to maintain a list of wetlands public and private property and he feels the town does not have the authority to do that, commenting, “We are not DEP.”

In other business:

– Town Manager Theresa Haskell said she has two letters from the assesdor’s agent regarding abatements and an abatement denial. The board approved an abatement in the amount of #3,761.88 for errors in building valuations for the Hysom, Shelia, heirs of $439; Carver, Ryan and Loralee of $958.62; Castle, Marcella and Collins, Matthew of $701.04; Bradbury, Joseph and Debra of $153.74 and Shorey, Timothy of $851. The board also approved the recommendation of the assessor’s agent for the denial at 139 Casey Road which lacks supportive documentation to substantiate what the assessment should be and is unclear as to how they calculated the reduced assessment.
– Public Works Supervisor Keith Reed reported on multiple issues with town trucks. He said the new truck was shipped November 14. Also, truck #5 needed to have transmission lines replaced at a cost of $3,000; when asked about what the future is going to bring for plow truck drivers, he said everyone that drives wants $30-plus per hour. He said, “we’ll have to go with what we have since we have not had many applicants.”

On the backhoe, locking pins, control switch and wiring had to be replaced at a cost of around $2,000.

– It was reported the medical marijuana petition will need to be formally voted and denied by the select board and for them to state the reason. The Maine Municipal Association recommends that it’s OK to have an ordinance ready before any vote. It was approved by the board on Select board member Allison Whynot’s motion to deny the petition as the wording is not a specific warrant question.
– Haskell handed out an updated Windsor Educational Foundation and Reed Fund Statment of Investment Policy for the select board to review until tne next meeting, and having someone from Kennebec Wealth Management attend the meeting as well.
– Haskell said the June 30, 2023, audit is complete and will be receiving the final audit soon.
– Finally, Haskell received a request from Aaron Ready to allow his truck to be parked in the town’s parking lot because he comcommutes to his job at Bath Iron Works with another driver. The select board said they had no issue at this point but would suggest they do not utilize the parking lot during snowstorms.

The next meeting of the select board was held on November 5.

EVENTS: China flag retirement ceremony set for Dec. 5

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by Mary Grow

A flag retirement ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Boynton-Webber American Legion Hall, in South China. Transfer station safety officer Cheyenne Houle said it will honor the more than 300 worn-out United States flags that have been left in the flag disposal boxes provided at the transfer station, plus others from Boy Scouts and other local groups.

The event is open to the public. Anyone with a worn-out or damaged flag is welcome to bring it to be added to the ceremony, Post Commander Neil Farrington said.

An on-line document from the National Flag Foundation describes a typical procedure for this ceremony, which honors the used flags. One is selected as representative of all: it is hoisted to the top of a flagpole by a color guard, saluted by the audience, who then recite the pledge of allegiance; and respectfully lowered and folded.

The best-known way to dispose of used flags is by burning them and burying the ashes. Farrington said the Dec. 5 ceremony will use an alternate method, cutting flags in half vertically and again horizontally, without damaging the block of 50 stars. The pieces are returned to the transfer station.

Vassalboro transfer station committee reviews changes manager claims are overkill

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by Mary Grow

At a Nov. 13 meeting, Vassalboro transfer station task force members reviewed plans for changes at the transfer station that new station manager Adam Daoust thinks may be overkill.

Presently, users disposing of municipal solid waste (MSW) at the Lombard Dam Road facility have to back up to the waste hopper. Occasional accidents led to a select board decision last fall to work toward a new plan that would eliminate the need to drive backwards.

The proposed alternative is drive-through area. It would have a roof, to keep water out of the waste, and open ends, to prevent build-up of gases.

In January, Vassalboro select board members contracted with Senders science, engineering & construction, of Camden, to design the new building, after company head Jeff Senders visited the facility and met with task force members.

Senders presented three slightly different plans. In addition to the new building, part of the plan is having separate entrance and exit driveways instead of the present single driveway.

Task force members reviewed the plans and talked about costs, needed permits and approvals, accommodating commercial haulers as well as individual residents, traffic issues on Lombard Dam Road and disruptions of service during construction, among other issues.

Select board and task force member Chris French pointed out that voters have supported putting away money for the project for two years. Perhaps, he said, Vassalboro could contract to use China’s disposal facility during the change-over.

Daoust suggested taking down the tower that now rises above the facility; putting a cover over the MSW hopper and another over the separate bulky waste hopper; and leaving the traffic pattern as it is. He thinks the proposed changes would do little to improve traffic flow and might increase waiting time.

Town Manager Aaron Miller asked task force members to send their suggestions to Daoust, and Daoust to write up a response and his ideas.

Task force members tentatively scheduled their next meeting for 5:15 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 12, before that evening’s select board meeting.