China select board “spends a lot of money” on new equipment

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by Mary Grow

“We’re spending a lot of money tonight,” China select board member Blane Casey commented as the board’s March 27 meeting wound down.

They spent much of it on two pieces of equipment, a side-by-side for the transfer station and a plow truck for the public works department. Decisions were unanimous as board members recognized needs, reluctant as they groaned about prices.

They also approved the warrant for the June 13 annual town business meeting, when China voters will have a chance to spend a lot more money; and decided other issues.

Transfer station staff member Cheyenne Houle presented four updated bids for the small utility vehicle, and the transfer station committee’s recommendation.

The transfer station committee recommended, and select board members approved, a Polaris Ranger 570 from Cove-Side Wheel & Ski, in Newport, for $11,598. (The Polaris 500 the committee endorsed on March 7 is no longer available; see the March 9 and March 16 issues of The Town Line).

Paul Lucas, chairman of the transfer station committee, said there is a little more than $38,000 in the transfer station reserve fund.

At a March 22 transfer station committee meeting, Houle said the newer model, which costs $900 more, has the roll cage members liked on the older one. It has upgraded lighting, a better dumping body, higher ground clearance and more time recommended between servicing.

Transfer station manager Thomas Maraggio said the Polaris will “make work easier and more efficient” by reducing time staff spend “running back and forth” to put things in their proper places.

Select board chairman Wayne Chadwick asked whether the previously-discussed guard shack at the transfer station entrance wouldn’t serve the same purpose. No, Maraggio said, because someone planning to smuggle a discarded air conditioner into the brush pile (for example) would need only to hide it under incoming brush, and a staffer would need to move it.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said with the present efficient transfer station crew, and the monitoring cameras, she has lost enthusiasm for a guarded entrance. Chadwick commended the staff for “doing an excellent job.”

Director of Public Services Shawn Reed requested the new truck. For the last two winters, he said, the town has plowed four routes with four trucks, and sometimes two of them break down at the same time. Getting parts is slow, getting time in a repair garage is slow; he needs a fifth truck for back-up.

Getting a new truck is also slow. Reed explained the new system: people who want a truck don’t just order one, they ask a dealer for a slot, present specifications and buy the truck when it gets made.

After investigating options, Reed recommended buying from O’Connor Motors, in Augusta; O’Connor currently has slots, unlike two other dealers he called. He further recommended buying the plow equipment from Viking Cives, in Auburn, and paying $6,325 extra for a seven-year warranty.

Chadwick, board member Brent Chesley and Maraggio, all familiar with equipment, endorsed the extended warranty. A single parts failure could make it worthwhile, they said.

The total price Reed put at $274,497. Hapgood said the public works reserve fund stood at $297,195 as of late December 2022, and the 2023-24 budget will add to it, if voters approve.

Reed was told the truck might be built in September and outfitted and delivered by December. Neither he nor Chesley will be surprised if it’s delayed.

The town meeting warrant select board members endorsed has 31 articles, beginning with election of a moderator. Voting will be by written ballot. The moderator will be chosen by voters at the polls in the portable building behind the town office at 6:55 a.m. Tuesday, June 13; polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Article 14 asks voters to approve expenditures of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Select board members reviewed expenditures recommended by the TIF Committee at its Feb. 8 and March 8 meetings (see the Feb. 16 and March 16 issues of The Town Line).

One request is for funds for Thurston Park. Jeanette Smith, chairman of the Thurston Park Committee, made a presentation on the future of the town-owned recreational property as she tried to plan for a post-TIF future. China’s current TIF ends June 30, 2045.

China’s TIF plan calls for an annual $65,000 appropriation for recreational trails, to be shared by Thurston Park and the China Four Seasons Club. The majority of the TIF committee recommended $25,000 for Thurston Park and $40,000 for Four Seasons.

Select board members voted unanimously to amend the recommendation and to split the $65,000 evenly between the two groups. Casey favors funding town-owned trails. Janet Preston said her decision was based on the February 8 agreement between Smith and Four Seasons president Thomas Rumpf for a 50:50 split (overruled by the TIF committee majority).

The problem is “there isn’t enough money to go around,” Chesley, who chairs the TIF committee, commented.

Otherwise, select board members endorsed the TIF committee recommendations, all but one by unanimous votes.

The exception was the recommendation to appropriate $20,000 for the China Region Lakes Alliance. Chadwick, Casey and Chesley all had reservations about the group’s gravel road rehabilitation program, which involves using town funds to help landowners improve private roads to control run-off.

Casey and Chesley voted against recommending the appropriation; Chadwick reluctantly joined Jeanne Marquis and Preston in recommending approval.

In other business March 27, select board members appointed Amber French a new member of the Thurston Park committee. They also appointed:

  • to the comprehensive plan implementation committee, French, Randall Downer and Barbara Crosier; and
  • to the Community Forest at China Schools committee, Elizabeth Swahn, of Waterville, and Nancy Lemieux, Larry Lemieux, Jessica Parlin, Susan Cottle, Peter Moulton and Elaine Philbrook, all of China.

Committee would like to expand park offerings

Jeanette Smith’s slideshow on China’s Thurston Park says it started with land given in 1958 by Everett Thurston. Town officials added tax-acquired property and bought one small piece to create the present 400-acre rectangle in northeastern China.

She quoted from a 2019 state survey on the value of recreational space, in terms of personal health, making a town more inviting and increasing nearby property values.

The committee would like to continue expanding park offerings, Smith said. Goals include handicapped access, two new trails, kayak and canoe racks by the pond, a camping area and outdoor programs.

Smith has learned that many grants require handicapped access; but providing handicapped access requires money.

Preston reported on plans to participate in the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) community resilience program. The public meeting that is an early step is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 24, before that evening’s select board meeting, Preston said.

She hopes many residents will attend to learn more about the program and submit suggestions for making China a more resilient community. Much of the focus is on adaptation to climate change.

Select board members unanimously sold a tax-acquired mobile home on Chadwick Way to the only bidder, Ed Oliver, for $2,001. Hapgood said Oliver will remove the mobile home from the property.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, April 10.

WINDSOR: Cemetery sexton seeks to upgrade computer software

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by The Town Line staff

Cemetery Sexton Joyce Perry informed the Windsor Select Board, at their February 14 meeting, that she has been researching information regarding software for the cemeteries. The costs have ranged up to $6,000. There are several different companies and she recently talked with Julie Finley, from China, regarding a Crypt Keeper program which is what they use. To use this program, there is a one-time fee of $250 to download the program to a laptop. If the town wanted to pay $60 per month, they can access it from anywhere. Perry recommended if they were to do this, they could put it on a desktop computer. Perry gave a presentation of the Crypt Keeper through the town of China’s website. This software can give a lot of information, like where someone is buried, which lot number, which cemetery, photos of the stone and much more. The town of China has hired someone to do their cemeteries and it took them over three months working 40 hours a week.

Perry was asking the select board to approve the $250 program purchase for now, and add in $500 a year in her budget for 2023-24 and continue until the work is done. The board approved the purchase and added they will add the additional $500 a year in her budget until the work is completed.

In other business, Town Manager Theresa Haskell said the town of Windsor has been invited to participate in a one-day household hazardous waste collection which is being coordinated with KVCOG and the town of China, to be hosted by China on Saturday, April 15, from 8 a.m. – noon. The cost to Windsor is $500 and this would allow the town residents to dispose of hazardous chemicals, in a proper manner, that are commonly used around the house.

Resident Patricia Springer asked the town to reimburse the excise tax she paid on a vehicle she purchased in December that was later declared totaled in an accident. The board approved to credit Springer the $124.30 transfer rate.

Public Works Supervisor Keith Hall, and Public Works driver/laborer Timothy Coston brought up the compensation time and are asking the select board to warrant them to be able to comp over 40 hours of overtime, which will equal 60 hours of time off. The board approved the agreement with the conditions that need to be done.

A discussion followed about CDL drivers and a possible position added in next year’s budget. Hall said he needs someone with a CDL license. Springer indicated she conducts CDL classes and would provide information in helping to hire someone.

Resident Colleen Doucette asked what the status was with people in town living in campers. The board indicated the codes enforcement officer, Arthur Strout, is working on this matter and that it takes time. Allison Whynot said there are people living in campers on the Jones Road as well. Selectman Ronald Brann said it is a long process and the town is dealing with human beings, and that an attorney may become involved, which could be costly to the town.

Haskell said the cemetery perpetual certificate of deposit is coming up for renewal and suggested they take the money received for the sale of lots throughout the year, which is a total of $5,625, and add it to the CD. The move from the general ledger account to the CD was approved.

All votes were by unanimous (3-0) votes since selectmen Richard Gray Jr. and Andrew Ballantyne were absent.

FEBRUARY 28 MEETING

At the February 28 meeting of the Windsor Select Board, resident David Shaw asked to discuss fines that were billed to him. Arthur Strout, Codes Enforcement Officer, said he was working on it. Shaw explained he was doing a favor for the occupants of the campers and it was his understanding it would only be for a short period. Shaw did what he could to get the occupants off his property, including getting the law involved. The fines have now reached $4,000. Shaw is asking the town to reduce or forgive the fines for the reasons he had given and the explanation. Strout recommended no less than $1,000 as the fine. The select board approved that $1,000 be paid within 30 days and the property to be cleaned up in the spring.

In other business, Town Manager Theresa Haskell wanted to be sure everyone on the board has received and looked over the new Delta Ambulance contract. She would feel comfortable having an attorney look it over to address some of the questions that have been brought up and suggested by the Windsor Volunteer Fire Department and select board members. The townspeople should be aware of what they will be getting into if they choose to go with Delata Ambulance service as opposed to not having an ambulance service. Selectman Richard Gray said he’d like to see it go to the town as a separate warrant article and for the voters to see if they want an ambulance service or not.

Selectmen Andrew Ballantyne and William Appel Jr. were absent from the meeting.

Vassalboro select board advised investments lost money

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members covered varied topics at their March 16 meeting.

Matthew Weaver, chief investment officer at The First Bancorp, in Damariscotta, updated board members and Town Manager Aaron Miller on Vassalboro’s investment funds. Last year was “a very difficult year,” he said, and Vassalboro lost money, primarily because bonds had “their worst year ever” – and he emphasized “ever,” not just in the last few years.

Since Vassalboro officials contracted with The First in 2011 to improve their 0.25 percent return on invested funds, the annual average return has been around three percent, Weaver said. The investment portfolio has been “very conservative, based on town policy.”

Weaver’s advice was “sit tight.”

He also recommended that when officials intend to use a reserve fund promptly, they transfer money to a no-risk bank savings account, however low the interest, to ensure the full amount needed will be available.

On another topic, Miller reported two experts looked at the Vassalboro town office doorway and said it meets handicapped access requirements. Select board member Chris French repeated his concern about cold air in the lobby when both doors open simultaneously; Miller said staff members are not worried.

Board members therefore unanimously accepted the low bid of $5,215 from American Glass, of Waterville, to install two door openers and four buttons to operate them. They reaffirmed spending $500 for an electrical outlet (see the Feb. 9 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

Turning to an earlier request to extend no-parking regulations on Bog Road near the East Vassalboro four corners, board chairman Barbara Redmond said a state Department of Transportation (MDOT) staffer told her there is no safety issue there. She and Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., therefore opposed amending the town parking ordinance.

Audience member Douglas Phillips suggested lowering the speed limit on that end of Bog Road from 35 to 25 miles an hour, to match Main Street (Route 32). Miller will ask MDOT, which sets speed limits, for a review.

Board members unanimously approved a liquor license for the Parsonage House, on Dunham Road.

Miller and board members briefly reviewed updates to the draft 2023-24 budget prior to talking with budget committee members.

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

Vassalboro budget committee begins draft review for 2023-24

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro budget committee members held their first 2023 meeting March 16, unanimously electing Peggy Shaffer chairman and reviewing the draft 2023-24 municipal budget with select board members and Town Manager Aaron Miller.

The draft is subject to change, because some costs are not yet firm.

Budget committee members have not seen the proposed 2023-24 school budget, which is usually more than twice the municipal budget (over $8 million for schools, less than $4 million for the town).

On the municipal side, the administration budget has several proposed changes from the current year, including a decrease in the town manager’s salary, and for select board members increased stipends and three laptops. Board member Chris French would like to see the board working on line, with meetings broadcast and recorded.

Board member Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., has a potential source of donated broadcasting/recording equipment. There were questions about other costs and about the adequacy of the town office’s internet connection.

Road Foreman Eugene Field wants to pave several short dead-end gravel roads this year. He said the roads might need some ditching beforehand, but no extensive rebuilding; he estimated paving would last up to 15 years before it needed redoing and said it would save on maintenance costs, including wear on Vassalboro’s elderly grader.

Miller said he has taken Delta Ambulance’s request for $66,285 out of the public safety budget and made it a separate line item. He plans a separate warrant article that will ask town meeting voters to approve both the expenditure and a contract with the ambulance service.

The current expectation is that if Vassalboro does not approve the funding, Delta will stop serving the town on July 1. French said there are no alternative services willing to take over.

Budget committee member Donald Breton reminded the rest of the officials that the budget does not include money for work on the North Vassalboro fire station’s roof, a project that he said has been mentioned regularly in recent discussions.

Field’s request for up to $75,000 for a new storage building on the public works lot on Bog Road is included in the draft budget. He said he envisions an enclosed pole barn, and has an estimated $35,000 cost for materials, but no estimate yet for labor.

Budget committee member Douglas Phillips wondered whether the Bog Road lot is large enough to add the currently-planned building, and how soon public works would need even more storage space. He suggested the $75,000 should go into a reserve fund, to allow time for more planning.

Program director Karen Hatch and library director Brian Stanley each explained the expanded services they will offer if voters approve their requests for bigger budgets.

A new article asking voters to donate $5,000 to the Webber Pond Association for work on the outlet dam generated a request from Tom Richards, speaking for fire chief Walker Thompson, for installation of a dry hydrant at the dam. Budget committee member Nate Gray said involved parties plan to meet to discuss the dam soon and he will see that the fire department request is on the agenda.

A previously-scheduled Thursday, March 23, meeting of the select board and budget committee was canceled. Budget committee members planned to meet Tuesday evening, March 21, to make as many recommendations as they can with available information.

Vassalboro select board recommendations ready for budget committee

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by Mary Grow

After a March 9 budget workshop, Vassalboro select board members had their recommendations for 2023-24 municipal expenditures ready to go to the budget committee for its members’ review and recommendations.

The budget committee’s 2023 organizational meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, March 16, following a 6 p.m. select board meeting.

The proposed budget includes a 6.5 percent cost of living increase for town employees, plus a two percent step increase for all except those who have already reached the maximum number of years the step-increase scale covers.

Other proposed changes in the administration budget, besides salaries, include Town Manager Aaron Miller’s proposal to buy a new copier to replace a 12-year-old one, at an estimated cost of $10,000, and select board members’ recommendation to raise their annual stipends from $1,100 apiece to $2,500 apiece.

The recommended amount for select board members is based on compensation in comparable Maine towns and is intended to recognize the amount of time the job takes and to encourage more people to run for the board.

Board members approved additional time for police chief Mark Brown; Miller said the request is a response to residents’ desire for more coverage.

The total proposed public safety budget is up more than $80,000, mostly because Delta Ambulance has asked for $66,285 to continue serving Vassalboro residents.

Select board members also approved increasing program director Karen Hatch’s time from 20 to 30 hours a week, and her pay commensurately. Board chairman Barbara Redmond was hesitant, because the position is less than a year old; select board member Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., and budget committee member Michael Poulin said Hatch is doing a lot and getting good participation.

Hatch’s summary of some of her initial activities appeared in the Jan. 19 issue of The Town Line, on page 2.

Miller suggested a survey asking resident how they like the program and what additional activities they recommend.

Board members supported increasing funding for the China Region Lakes Alliance and, at Redmond’s suggestion, adding up to $5,000 for the Webber Pond Association. Both proposed appropriations have the goal of helping protect water quality. Miller is to draft an article specifying that the $5,000 town donation is to improve water level management at the outlet dam; he suggested the money be appropriated from proceeds from the annual alewife harvest, rather than from taxes.

Proposals for reserve funds, for example for future equipment purchases, were reviewed and amended.

The budget still contains unknowns, including major items like the cost of road-paving materials; and Miller has not yet estimated 2023-24 revenues. The school board has barely started review of its 2023-24 budget (See related story here).

Nomination papers available

Nomination papers for Vassalboro local elective offices are available at the town office. Positions to be filled this year are one seat on the select board (Barbara Redmond, whose term ends, has repeatedly said she does not plan to run again) and two seats on the school board (Erin Libby Loiko’s and Zachary Smith’s terms end this year).

Signed nomination papers must be returned to the town office by noon, Friday, April 14, for candidates’ names to be on the June 13 ballot.

Vassalboro school board begins budget review

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members began review of the 2023-24 school budget at a special meeting March 7, with information on four cost centers.

The easiest category was ELL – English Language Learners. Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said there are no ELL students this school year and none expected next year; he and finance director Paula Pooler agreed it should be safe to budget no money for 2023-24.

Certification – the budget lines that provide assistance to novice teachers – will have almost as little impact on the budget. Pfeiffer proposes budgeting less than $5,000 for that account.

For the 2023-24 technology budget, technology coordinator Will Backman requests almost $71,000, an increase of over $27,000 from the current year. Backman told school board members more than half the increase is intended for a rearrangement of the technology center.

He and Vassalboro Community School teacher and technology systems administrator David Trask explained that the central equipment is currently divided between two closets, one shared with the janitors. The plan is to consolidate everything in one server room. Backman does not yet know how much rewiring will be needed.

Backman also recommends $5,000 to replace a server, plus the usual technology costs and fees. The two experts and Principal Ira Michaud commented on technology added during the pandemic to facilitate remote learning that will be kept because teachers are finding it useful in classroom learning.

The largest budget item presented March 7 was the transportation account. Transportation Director Ashley Pooler is asking for a little over $647,000, an increase of more than $50,000.

The request does not include new school buses, although Peiffer said by next year board members might see a recommendation for at least one. An attached chart shows two of Vassalboro’s 12 buses have more than 100,000 miles on their odometers.

Pooler does recommend buying a third van; her chart lists two in service this year, each with a capacity of seven students. She further recommends another secretary in the transportation department, partly because of the increasing number of vans to support students’ educational programming.

Pooler and her staff serve all three formerly-united towns, Vassalboro, Waterville and Winslow, so the secretarial costs would be shared.

Pooler also recommends an increase in the vehicle maintenance budget.

Pfeiffer commented that Vassalboro’s fleet is “in good shape right now,” and as of March 7 the school department had enough drivers, many of them Vassalboro residents.

School budget discussions will continue at future meetings, to be announced as they are scheduled. The next topics Pfeiffer intends to present include buildings and grounds and special education (“a big one,” he warned).

The superintendent reported that high-school tuition went up 6.5 percent in December 2022, “one of the biggest jumps ever.” The 2022-23 Vassalboro budget was calculated to cover a three percent increase.

Because budgets are done in the spring every year and the new tuition rate comes out in December, school board and budget committee members and town meeting voters can only guess how much to appropriate.

The next regular Vassalboro school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at Vassalboro Community School.

Vassalboro planners send long-discussed solar ordinance amendment to select board

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro planning board members have sent to the town select board the long-discussed ordinance amendment that has for convenience been referred to as a solar ordinance.

After another two hours’ review at their March 7 meeting, planning board members decided they are satisfied with the draft they have worked on for months and voted unanimously to forward it.

Select board members will decide whether to put this version, or perhaps an amended one, on the warrant for the June 13 written-ballot part of the annual town meeting.

The proposed ordinance will be available for public review after select board members agree to put it to a vote, and a public hearing will allow residents to ask questions and express opinions.

With voter approval, the solar provisions will become a new Section XI of Vassalboro’s Site Review Ordinance. Amendments are proposed to other sections of the ordinance, too, some correcting or clarifying unrelated provisions and some – additional definitions, for example – auxiliary to the solar section.

The solar provisions were the topic of a Feb. 28 public hearing. At the March 7 meeting, planning board members reviewed written comments received after the hearing. Four members of the Main Street Maine coalition, formed after a solar company proposed an installation between Route 32 and Outlet Stream north of Duratherm Window Company, commented from the audience.

Buffer areas, fences, screening and in general isolation of a solar installation were one major topic. Board members accepted a suggestion to reduce the requirement for an eight-foot fence – which might require expensive special construction, they found – to the seven feet a ReVision energy comment said is in the National Electrical Code.

Board members agreed that a requirement for area testing for contaminants should be for monitoring wells, not soil tests. Board member Paul Mitnik pointed that water has widely-accepted standards for contamination, while soil does not. Chairman Virginia Brackett said a monitoring well is smaller and less expensive than a household well.

Brackett does not expect solar panels will contaminate soil or water. Mitnik pointed out some solar installations are deliberately placed on contaminated ground that cannot be used for farming or other purposes.

Requirements for inspections during and after construction were modified substantially. Of the proposed requirement for weekly inspections during construction, Mitnik, a retired codes enforcement officer, said he did not know what a CEO would look for every week. As for monthly inspections during operations, Brackett said nothing happens on a solar site.

Brackett reacted similarly to an audience member’s suggestion of an emergency response plan: for what, foxes killing mice? The draft ordinance requires the operating company to train Vassalboro firefighters before operations begin and to maintain access to the fire chief’s satisfaction.

Provisions requiring immediate notice to the town if the panels stopped generating electricity were deleted as board members accepted the ReVision argument that in addition to planned maintenance shutdowns, solar panels “cease to produce electricity every day between sunset and sunrise.”

As the discussion ended, board member Douglas Phillips told the audience he did not think changes made were substantial enough to require another review by the town attorney, but Town Manager Aaron Miller could decide to consult her.

Phillips reminded audience members that in addition to ordinance requirements, the planning board can attach conditions to any permit approved, whenever board members find they are needed to meet local conditions.

Planning board members had two other items on their March 7 agenda. They postponed action on a shoreland application on Birch Point Road, Webber Pond, because the applicant was not present.

They approved a second six-month extension on SunVest’s permit for a solar farm on Webber Pond Road, adding a requirement that when the company gets the connectivity permit from Central Maine Power Company it is waiting for, the town is to have a copy.

Board members decided that the six-month town-wide moratorium on new solar development voters approved in November 2022 did not prevent them from extending a pre-existing permit.

The next regular Vassalboro Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 4.

On April 4, “We’re not going to do solar; we’re done,” Brackett said.

China transfer station committee reconsiders utility vehicle recommendation

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by Mary Grow

Members of China’s transfer station committee are going to reconsider their recommendation that the town buy a Polaris Ranger 500 utility vehicle for transfer station staff use.

Since their March 7 action (see the March 9 issue of The Town Line, p. 3), they have new information and a new, higher price, according to an email from transfer station employee Cheyenne Houle.

Houle said the Ranger 500 has been replaced by a Ranger 570. The 570 has most features committee members valued in the 500, like a roll cage and lights; Houle wrote that it adds a dump body and has higher ground clearance. Also, she said, recommended time between services has been increased.

The price she brought to the March 7 committee meeting was $10,699. The new price is $900 higher, she said.

Houle is seeking updated prices from two other suppliers. She plans to have information by the next committee meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m., Tuesday, April 11.

China broadband committee to try again for grant

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members will try again to get a grant to expand broadband service to China residents who are currently underserved or not served at all.

They will again work in partnership with Direct Communications, the Idaho-based company that now owns UniTel, in Unity, with assistance from Mission Broadband, the consultants who have worked with them for several years.

These decisions were the outcome of a March 9 meeting among the parties, the first CBC meeting since last fall, when the first and unsuccessful application was put in final form.

The grants are awarded by the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA). A letter from the MCA rejecting China’s first application (see the Jan. 12 issue of The Town Line, p. 1) said there had been many more applications than available funds could support.

At the March 9 meeting, John Doherty and Jeff Nevins, from Mission Broadband, and Jayne Sullivan, from Unitel/Direct Communications, discussed two issues that will affect the next round of grants: mapping and revisions to MCA’s grant program.

Mapping involves the accuracy – or inaccuracy – of maps purporting to show where improved service is needed. Doherty said that the first maps were by census block; if one home in a block had excellent internet service, the map showed all the neighbors equally well served.

New maps are being prepared by individual addresses. They are expected to be available by June.

The definition of adequate service is also debated, in terms of capacity, speed and reliability.

Sullivan expects MCA’s application form will be revised. She hopes the updated forms will be available by June; the application deadline is currently some so-far-unspecified time in August (which, Doherty pointed out, is a month when people are likely to be on vacation).

Bob O’Connor

Unitel/Direct prepared China’s previous application; CBC members authorized them to prepare a new one, at least in outline pending more information from MCA. Sullivan said the goal is “a winnable application.”

CBC chairman Robert O’Connor had drafted a document that he intended as part of a new application. Sullivan accepted it as useful local input for MCA reviewers; she and O’Connor will continue discussion by email as necessary.

The expectation is that MCA will still require a local funding match, toward which China voters have approved Tax Increment Financing funds.

The next CBC meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, April 27.

 

 

 

 

China select board makes plans for annual business meeting

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by Mary Grow

China select board members spent most of their March 13 meeting on plans for the June 13 annual town business meeting.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood gave them a first draft of the town meeting warrant articles, which will be decided by written ballot. Most articles are the familiar ones: appropriations for the 2023-24 fiscal year that begins July 1, including from the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) and ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds; authorization for the select board to take listed actions on behalf of the town; and setting the fall 2023 and spring 2024 tax due dates, for example.

Hapgood pointed out a new article asking voters to authorize municipal officers to close town roads to winter maintenance. If approved, she said, the authority would be available to stop plowing a lightly-populated town road if plow drivers encountered unusual difficulties, like residents’ vehicles consistently in their way.

The March 13 draft warrant included a request for voter action on one proposed ordinance, the Solid Waste Ordinance intended to update and merge two existing ordinances. The manager intends to add an article asking action on the Board of Appeals Ordinance (Chapter 11 of the Land Development Code).

Select board talks about lack of volunteers

At their March 13 meeting, China select board members briefly discussed an on-going problem: how to get volunteers to serve on town boards and committees, elected or appointed.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said there are vacancies on the elected planning board (District 4, the southwestern quarter of town) and several appointed boards, including the board of appeals, the Thurston Park committee and the recreation committee.

Amber French is the first volunteer for the comprehensive plan implementation committee that select board members created last summer, Hapgood said.

The town website, china.govoffice.org, has an application for committee membership under the heading “Town Officials, Boards and Committees,” on the first page. Committees and their current members are listed.

The 2023-24 school budget, which also requires voter action, is a separate document that is not included in the municipal warrant.

Hapgood expects select board members to approve a near-final warrant at their March 27 meeting, so it can be forwarded to the budget committee for their recommendations on spending articles.

She proposed a public hearing on the warrant on Monday, May 8. That way, she said, voters can get information before absentee ballots are available starting Monday, May 15.

On Tuesday, June 13, voters in the portable building behind the town office will elect a town meeting moderator at 6:55 a.m. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Select board member Janet Preston wants one more meeting added to the town schedule. Preston plans to apply for a Kennebec Valley Council of Governments program called Community Resiliency; an early step, she said, is a community meeting to get residents’ input on town needs and priorities.

Preston and the KVCOG website indicate that resiliency includes a variety of contemporary issues, like dealing with climate change impacts, environmental hazards, emergency preparations, renewable energy, green infrastructure and transportation.

Preston recommended holding the meeting in March, because the application is due in March. The board took no action.