Vassalboro residents air anger over drivers on town roads

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by Mary Grow

Some Vassalboro residents are fed up with people who do not drive safely, legally and respectfully on local roads, and they brought their complaints to the Sept. 7 select board meeting, not for the first time.

After a half-hour public hearing, Vassalboro select board members responded by creating a new committee to deal with one issue, the four-way intersection in East Vassalboro. Residents complained drivers going straight through on Route 32 exceed the 25-mile-an-hour speed limit, endangering pedestrians and local drivers trying to get out of their driveways. A nearby homeowner reported seeing vehicles ignore the stop sign on Bog Road and cross Route 32 at speed.

Town Manager Aaron Miller said the speed recording sign set up on Route 32 in July and August showed average speeds were not excessive, but occasionally drivers were recorded at 60 or more miles an hour. Residents Holly Weidner and Laura Jones questioned the accuracy of the result, suggesting that many drivers slow down when they see the sign.

Weidner and Jones urged select board and committee members to review the 2010 report on the East Vassalboro intersection, copies of which they distributed. Many of its recommendations appear to be still valid, they said.

Select board member Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., asked why nothing was done to implement the 2010 ideas. Weidner blamed a lack of collaboration and follow-through, including cost calculations.

The new committee, which Miller christened the East Vassalboro Village Project Team, will be asked to evaluate ways to slow traffic on Route 32. An initial proposal for four-way stop signs had little support Sept. 7. Other suggestions include a flashing light or speed bumps.

The committee’s suggested membership includes East Vassalboro residents, Miller and representatives of the planning board and the public works department. Anyone interested should contact the town office.

The second repeat complaint appeared on the meeting agenda as “Burnout Ordinance request,” referring to a request for a town ordinance to penalize drivers who deliberately burn out, annoying residents and leaving tire marks on the pavement (see the Aug. 24 issue of The Town Line, p. 2), including across the newly-painted stripes on Cross Hill Road.

Select board chairman Chris French referenced Title 29A, section 2079, of Maine law, which says, “Braking or acceleration may not be unnecessarily made so as to cause a harsh and objectionable noise.”

The concerned resident objected that the problem is less noise than damage, claiming rubber on the road wears out the pavement and reduces adjoining property values.

French said a local ordinance on a topic already covered by state law is not necessarily useful; and a local ordinance would have to be enforced locally, by Vassalboro Police Chief Mark Brown.

Lack of enforcement was the major problem with all the traffic offenses being discussed, board and audience members agreed. Denico reminded the group that at Vassalboro’s June 5 annual town meeting, voters rejected a chance to increase Brown’s weekly hours from 15 to 20 (see the June 8 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

French said Brown does some traffic control, as his time permits. He listed some of the chief’s many other duties, a list Jones said she intends to put on the town’s Facebook page that she manages as a volunteer.

The other major agenda item Sept. 7 was a presentation by partners in TownCloud, the Maine-based company Miller recommends to take over design and maintenance of Vassalboro’s town website. Their business cards identify them as Christopher Haywood, Chief Amazement Officer, and Dennis Harward, Wizard of Light Bulb Moments.

Haywood said the seven-year-old company specializes in designing websites for small towns all over the country, including, in Maine, Bethel, Denmark, Livermore, Norway, Solon and St. Albans. Their goal is to make the sites simple, inexpensive, user-friendly, responsive and secure, to meet residents’ needs and minimize costs and staff time.

He demonstrated a sample website for Vassalboro, built using information imported from the current site. One example he showed was the agenda for the Sept. 7 meeting with the packet of accompanying documents, like the police report Jones proposed sharing on Facebook.

TownCloud’s proposal would cover the website and meeting agendas, not just the select board’s but other committees’. Haywood said some towns post agendas for up to 15 committees.

Miller said TownCloud was the least expensive of options he explored, at $3,754 for three years’ service.

Jones urged creation of another committee to collect residents’ input on what a website should include and how it should work. She promised a list of committee volunteers on Sept. 8.

Despite Harward’s reminder that the website can be modified any time, select board members postponed a decision to their first meeting in December (currently, Thursday, Dec. 14), to give more time for public input and a recommendation from Jones’ “Tiger Team.”

In other business, Vassalboro librarian Brian Stanley thanked the town’s public works crew for their help with ongoing renovations and asked about ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for several projects, like improved ventilation and new rugs.

Because the library is a nonprofit organization, not a town department, select board members were unsure what kinds of work ARPA money could cover. They unanimously allocated $3,975 for a new front door that will be controlled by a push-button and thereby comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

On Miller’s recommendation, board members appointed Andrew Vear as an alternate member of the planning board.

They renewed the cemetery mowing contract with Scott Bumford, whose work was praised at the board’s Aug. 17 meeting.

The next regular Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21.

VASSALBORO: Lack of information postpones project action

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Planning Board members discussed two proposed projects at their Sept. 5 meeting, but lacked information to act on either one.

They had an incomplete application from Ronald Weeks to add what the agenda called “an Amish building” on a lot on Dam Road, on the southeast side of Webber Pond.

Weeks was not at the meeting. Board members postponed the application to their Oct. 3 meeting.

Darrell and Jessica Field were present to explain why they needed to clarify land titles as they prepare to subdivide a lot on Gray Road and Katie Drive in northern Vassalboro.

After reviewing the history of the 2001 Norman and Diane Bailey subdivision and the 2015 division of the original Field lot between family members, board members agreed the Fields, with the assistance of the original surveyors (K & K Land Surveyors, in Oakland, the Fields said), should prepare a major subdivision application for the Oct. 3 board meeting.

Board chairman Virginia Brackett assured them the task should not be too difficult, because with K & K’s original records most of the necessary information will be at hand.

The only other topic discussed, briefly, is another possibility for the Oct. 3 agenda. Board member Marianne Stevens reported that Kassandra Lopes, whose retail store on Main Street, in North Vassalboro, was approved by the board on June 6, has moved her business into the building next door.

The two single-story buildings on the east side of the street – years ago, the credit union and the post office, Brackett said – are owned by Raymond Breton and have frequently housed short-lived small businesses. Brackett said Lopes’ relocation is a change of use for the previously-empty building and should have planning board approval.

Vassalboro school board members hold responsibility workshop

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Before the Aug. 29 Vassalboro school board meeting, Steven Bailey, executive director of the Maine School Management Association (MSMA), led a workshop on board members’ responsibilities, including reminders of what they should not do.

Although school board members are elected by town voters, their roles and responsibilities are defined by state law, Bailey said.

Individual members cannot act officially, unless the full board has so authorized in a specific case. For example, if someone brings an educational concern to a board member, the member can listen sympathetically, but the next step is a referral to the full board or appropriate administrator.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said he tries to offer an initial response to public complaints and concerns within 24 hours, understanding that resolving an issue will often take longer.

Bailey emphasized the respective roles of the board and the administration. Board members are not supposed to be “down in the weeds” dealing with daily operations; they are supposed to set goals and policies, which direct the superintendent as he delegates implementation to school staff.

In summary, Bailey said, the board’s responsibility is not to operate the educational program, but to see that it is well operated.

This division of labor does not mean that board members cannot join the parent-teacher organization, or volunteer services, though Bailey cautioned they should avoid taking leadership roles.

Another important task is to keep communications open with school staff and with town residents. State law requires that board meetings be open to the public (with exceptions for executive-session discussions) and that each meeting agenda include a public comment period. But, Bailey added, board members must make sure public discussion does not distract them from doing their job, which is to deal with the business on their agenda.

He reminded board members that emails about school business are public records. They should use their official school accounts for school-related emails and should avoid including confidential information.

And he summarized some of the laws passed or amended during the recent legislative session. Some of the state changes may require amendments to school board policies, an on-going process with Vassalboro board members.

Bailey congratulated VCS on having only “a few” open positions; other Maine schools have many staff vacancies, he said.

Gaga pit installed at school

One of the summer projects at Vassalboro Community School was construction of a Gaga pit on the school grounds, Principal Ira Michaud reported at the Aug. 29 school board meeting. He added a photo of the pit to his report.

A Gaga pit is an enclosure in which to play the game called Gaga. Wikipedia says the name is from the Hebrew word for “touch, touch” and calls the game “a variant of dodgeball.”

Players in the pit slap a ball, trying to strike another player below the knee (rules vary, but below the knee seems to be most common). The ball is soft, foam or rubber or similar. A player hit below the knee is out and leaves the pit; a player whose ball hits another player above the knee is out; the winner is the last person still in.

Michaud said the VCS Gaga pit is a 22-foot-diameter wooden-walled box. It can accommodate two dozen players, but is more suited to a dozen at a time. He planned to try it out the day after the meeting; Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said later that the games were postponed for a day because of rain on Aug. 30.

VASSALBORO: Board updated on school summer improvements

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members began their fall/winter meetings on Aug. 29 with the usual updates on summer improvements; approval of new staff and other appointments for the coming school year; and financial report.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer summarized the work done on the exterior of Vassalboro Community School (VCS) by Standard Waterproofing, of Winslow: a complete power-washing (“You could just see the difference,” interjected assistant principal Tabitha Brewer), resealing joints, repairs where needed and a silicone spray that should last six years.

The superintendent called the work “long overdue.” He had not received a final bill, but expected the cost to be around $195,000.

Pfeiffer praised the VCS custodial crew for their work on the building interior over the summer, and thanked principal Ira Michaud, Brewer and special education director Tanya Thibeau for the many hours they’ve put in since classes ended in June.

Michaud’s report to the school board listed multiple training sessions for teachers, showing that they, too, have been working over the summer. He mentioned successful pre-school events already held, and thanked Don and Lisa Breton and the people who donated school supplies to the drive the Bretons organized.

School board members approved new hires, including a school nurse and two sixth-grade teachers. VCS still needs a part-time Spanish teacher (to succeed Monica Fallaw, who resigned to accept a high-school position, Pfeiffer said), and there are a few openings for educational technicians.

Finance director Paula Pooler summarized unaudited year-end balances for FY 2022-23, which ended June 30. Of Vassalboro’s $8.722 million in proposed expenditures for last year, all but $5,421.88 was spent, she reported – very close budgeting, but still in the black.

Revenues were lower than expected, so the school department had to use some of the funds allocated from the undesignated fund balance. The undesignated fund still totals more than $1.2 million.

The VCS food service program, which ran a deficit for many years, showed an excess of revenue over expenditures in 2022-23 for the second year in a row, Pooler said.

For the new fiscal year that began July 1, Pooler sees no budgetary problems so far.

School board members re-elected Jolene Gamage board chairman and Jessica Clark vice-chairman, and reappointed members of board committees.

The only item of new business on the Aug. 29 agenda was review of proposed updates to the document called “Vassalboro Community School Strategic Plan Goals.” Pfieffer asked board members to be prepared for discussion at their Sept. 19 meeting.

He offered two other items for that meeting agenda: the 2023-24 school board meeting schedule, including tentative 2024 dates for reviewing the 2024-25 budget with the budget committee; and preliminary discussion of cooling upstairs classrooms at VCS.

New staff members will be invited to meet board members at 5:45 p.m., on Sept. 19, at VCS, and the board meeting will begin at 6 p.m.

China select board sets tax rate at 12.26 mils, up from 12.05 mils

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by Mary Grow

At their Aug. 28 meeting, China select board members, in their capacity as assessors, set the town’s 2023-24 tax rate: 12.26 mils, or $12.26 for each $1,000 of valuation.

The current rate is 12.05 mils, or $12.05 per $1,000, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said.

Kelly Grotton, assistant to the assessor’s agent, said residents who were approved in 2022 for the seniors’ property tax stabilization program should not be affected by the increase; their 2023-24 bill should be the same as their 2022-23 bill.

The Maine legislature has repealed the tax stabilization program. District #62 State Representative Katrina Smith recently summarized legislative actions expanding other programs that assist taxpayers aged 65 and over (see the Aug. 17 issue of The Town Line, p. 8).

Hapgood said she hopes town office staff will have tax bills in the mail by Friday, Sept. 8. She and Grotton both said office employees have been extremely busy in the last few weeks.

By town meeting vote, the first half payment of local taxes is due at the town office by Friday, Sept. 29.

Select board members also approved the warrant for Nov. 7 local voting. There will be only elections on the town ballot. Board members and planning board co-chairman Toni Wall talked about three possible ordinances, including the long-discussed solar ordinance, and decided nothing can be ready for voters’ action that soon.

Instead, select board members agreed by consensus to try to schedule a zoom meeting with planning board members, Hapgood and town attorney Amanda Meader to talk about at least the solar ordinance.

Wall said China’s planning board ordinance, last amended in June 2008, and the 2017 ordinance banning retail marijuana establishments need attention, and probably other ordinances. Select board member Brent Chesley recommended considering a medical marijuana ordinance.

The next town vote will be in June 2024, in conjunction with the annual town business meeting and the state-wide primary elections. Hapgood said any ordinances to be presented to voters in June 2024 should be ready for legal review by Jan. 1, 2024.

On Nov. 7, China voters will elect two select board members, three planning board members and three budget committee members. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., in the former classroom behind the town office on Lakeview Drive.

Hapgood said at least one person is circulating nomination papers for every board/committee position except budget committee District 3 (southeastern China). Friday, Sept. 8, is the deadline for returning signed papers to have one’s name on the ballot.

Select board members unanimously appointed Elaine Mather to the District 3 planning board position, to finish Walter Bennett’s term. Hapgood said Mather is circulating nomination papers to be elected to the seat after her interim term ends Nov. 7.

Board members postponed action on several other items on their Aug. 28 agenda.

Hapgood reported that the public works crew can probably find time to do groundwork for the planned new storage vault attached to the south side of the town office building. Discussion of how to proceed from there was postponed until after select board member Blane Casey confers with building committee chairman Sheldon Goodine.

Whether China’s senior fuel fund, paid for with ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money, can legally continue for another year without a new approval from town voters remains undecided. Hapgood has discussed the question with a Maine Municipal Association attorney, but has no definitive answer yet.

Proposals to amend China’s town logo, a project initiated by summer intern Bailee Mallett, whose term has ended, can go on the back burner for now, select board members agreed.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Sept. 11.

WINDSOR: LS Power discussion leads to ordinance suggestion

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by The Town Line staff

At their August 1 meeting, the Windsor Town Manager Theresa Haskell wanted to give an update on the meeting that took place with LS Power, at the Windsor Fairgrounds.

Select board member Andrew Ballantyne wanted to share his views on the subject. He feels the town should have more say in what happens with the town land and how it is utilized, even in the future when big outfits like LS Power plan to run an extension of the corridor through the town. There was discussion of perhaps having ordinances in place to safeguard the town from allowing or restricting certain acts by the corridors.

In other business, select board member Thomas McNaughton presented a small community grant request from a member of the community. He brought it before the board to be sure he wasn’t missing something. There are two criteria that needed to be met to qualify for the grant. First, it must impact any body of water, and second, it must be a public nuisance. Since neither of the criteria were met, the select board agrees that the small community grant be denied. The decision will be relayed to the respective party.

Public Works Supervisor Keith Hall and the town manager have been working on the E-911 project. They have been out measuring driveways and roads, also looking for properly posted road signs. Because of these updated measurements, some addresses may need updating.

An update presented on the Choate Road Bridge stated that the Maine Department of Transportation has deemed it safe. When work is due to be done in the future it was not clear what kind of work may or may not be needed. Hall said he would follow up with DOT on perhaps placing a weight limit on the bridge to extend the life of the old span.

With the Conservation Committee reconvening, Moira Teekema expressed interest in serving on the committee. Haskell provided a handout regarding the Parke Property and short discussion was held on what the conservation committee can and can’t do and how many people will be part of the committee. She noted there are many files with lots of information regarding Parke property available to the committee for review when it reconvenes.

There was a lengthy discussion, questions and answers regarding the town’s bank accounts. Haskell recently had a long meeting with the town’s current bank, Kennebec Savings Bank, and obtained information to share. She discussed combining six CDs to four CDs and moving four accounts to money market accounts. The select board agreed. They also discussed with the Windsor Volunteer Fire Department moving accounts to money market accounts. To do this the fire department will need to keep the accounts at $20,000. They will need to bring the forest fire account to $20,000 to be able to move to a money market account. They currently will need to add approximately $285 to make the $20,000 limit.

The board also will be looking into the cost to place a roof/cover over the roll off containers at the transfer station. The 45 x 60-foot area is currently uncovered. Select board member Ray Bates has reached out to Fowler’s Roofing, but was told to speak with McGee Construction.

The next board of selectmen meeting was scheduled for August 15.

Vassalboro select board sets 2023-24 tax rate at 12.72 mils

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by Mary Grow

At their Aug. 17 meeting, Vassalboro select board members set the 2023-24 tax rate, discussed pending changes and distributed a bit of praise.

The new tax rate will be 12.72 mils, or $12.72 for each $1,000 of property valuation. The figure is slightly below the range assessor Ellery Bane recommended, and will provide less money in the overlay account than Bane suggested.

Overlay is used to pay for tax abatements or refunds. The 2023-24 account will have about $30,000, which select board members expect will be enough.

The current mil rate is 14.40 ($14.40 per $1,000). Because board members earlier accepted Bane’s recommendation to increase all valuations by 20 percent (see the June 29 issue of The Town Line, p. 2), an average tax bill will go up, despite the lower rate.

Town Manager Aaron Miller expected to commit the taxes Aug. 21. Bills will go out as soon as they can be prepared for mailing. By town meeting vote, the first quarterly payment is due by Monday, Sept. 25.

Board members agreed to include with each tax bill an opinion survey. They accepted three questions proposed by the town planning board and others suggested at the Aug. 17 meeting, leaving precise wording of the new ones to Miller.

An agenda item labeled “Bog Road detour,” referring to state plans to replace the Bog Road bridge in 2025 (see the July 20 issue of The Town Line, p. 3), led to a wide-ranging discussion of road-related issues.

Miller said he has a draft agreement with the state about detouring on town roads that needs review by the town attorney.

He has invited staff from the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) to talk about repaving Route 32 through North and East Vassalboro. Specific issues include the Vassalboro Sanitary District manholes and the granite curbing in North Vassalboro.

Select board members do not want the granite curbing replaced with higher-maintenance concrete.

The manhole covers are a major problem, residents and public works employee Brian Lajoie said, because the edges are slightly above the pavement level. Lajoie said hitting one with a snowplow brings the machine to a dead stop and often damages the blade, and it isn’t always possible to dodge or to lift the plow in time.

They’re a menace to ordinary traffic, too, resident James Schad said, as drivers stop abruptly or swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid hitting them.

The manholes belong to the Sanitary District, whose officials told select board members they cannot afford to have them redone. MDOT has disclaimed responsibility for them. The town owns neither the covers nor the road, though the town crew plows the road for the state.

Town seeks new codes & animal officers

The Town of Vassalboro is looking for a new codes enforcement officer/plumbing inspector/building inspector and a new animal control officer.

Codes officer Robert Geaghan, Jr., has submitted his resignation effective at the end of October. Animal control officer Peter Nerber plans to be done in November, Town Manager Aaron Miller told select board members at their Aug. 17 meeting.

Additional information is on the town website, vassalboro.net.

Those interested in information about or applications for either position can call the town office at 207-872-2826 or email Miller at amiller@vassalboro.net.

A resident raised yet another road issue: what he called vandalism as drivers deliberately damage town roads by doing donuts, peeling out and otherwise leaving black marks on the pavement. The practice harms the roads, lowers nearby property values and disturbs residents, he said. The Sheriff’s Office told him the problem was the town’s, not theirs.

Other audience members cited vehicle damage to fields and other off-road properties.

The resident asked select board members to draft an ordinance that would set penalties. Lajoie found a Somerville report saying that town’s officials sent an offender a letter threatening an injunction and a suit for damages; he did not know whether Somerville had a local ordinance.

Lajoie summarized 2023 paving plans for select board members. He expects the work to be done toward the end of September.

Now that the public works department has bought a new trailer (under budget, Miller said), Lajoie asked whether to trade in the old one or try to sell it. Select board members authorized a trade-in.

On a different subject, board members considered the only bid received for painting the North Vassalboro fire station roof, and expressed concern about spending more than $14,000 and getting only a one-year warranty. After discussion, they asked Miller to seek price quotes for replacing the roof instead of repainting it.

Another expenditure was approved cheerfully: board members unanimously contracted with Darrell Gagnon, owner of Attention to Detail Lawn Care, in North Vassalboro, to continue to mow town properties for another five years. Gagnon had built in small price increases over the life of the contract.

Board members are satisfied with his work and said they had received no complaints. Asked about the new Eagle Park, on Route 32, Gagnon said he is already mowing it. Recreation Director Karen Hatch praised his care of the town ballfields.

Gagnon also mows for Vassalboro’s school department. His contracts do not include town cemeteries, which are done by Scott Bumford. Gagnon praised Bumford’s work, and Lajoie agreed.

Select board members congratulated Vassalboro librarian Brian Stanley on the $24,999 grant the library received this summer. He explained the money will be used to turn two storage rooms into rooms where individuals or small groups can use computers in private for work, zoom meetings, telehealth and other purposes. He plans also to strengthen the library’s wifi signal.

Items now in storage will go into a separate building, for which the public works crew is preparing a pad, Stanley said. He expects the storage building to be in place this fall and an electrician to work during the winter.

Another project, removing tree limbs hanging over the library building, has been completed, and a resident donated money to cover the cost, Stanley reported.

Stanley shared with select board members excerpts from the library by-laws, which say they can come to library board meetings and can vote.

In other business Aug. 17:

  • Miller recommended transferring management of the Vassalboro website to TownCloud Group, based in Broomfield, Colorado, least expensive of several companies that offered quotes. Select board member Michael Poulin asked for a demonstration; Miller will make arrangements. The manager praised current webmaster David Jenney.
  • Miller is still exploring ideas for supplying select board members with laptops and for putting meetings on line, as they’re conducted or as recordings or both.
  • Board members appointed as members of the recreation committee, for one-year terms: Kris Stewart, baseball commissioner; Ryan Reed, softball commissioner and secretary; Kevin Phanor, basketball commissioner; Melissa Olson, soccer commissioner; Vickie Limberger, fundraiser and senior events; and John Fortin and Marie Fortin, members at large. Miller plans a committee meeting soon.
  • A proposed discussion of future improvements at the transfer station was postponed, probably until after the transfer station task force headed by select board chairman Chris French meets on Sept. 14.

At their July 13 meeting, board members scheduled a public hearing on proposals to slow traffic through East Vassalboro (see again the July 20 issue of The Town Line, p. 3) for their Thursday, Sept. 7 meeting. They tentatively scheduled the transfer station discussion for their Sept. 21 meeting.

WINSLOW: CMP rep explains need to upgrade transmission lines

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by Jonathan Strieff

More than 30 residents gathered at the Winslow Public Library to attend the monthly town council meeting on Monday, August 14. After a roll call vote and approval of the minutes from the July meeting, the first order of business was to award the 2023 Spirit of America award to Wallace “Wally” LaFountain. LaFountain served as a teacher at Winslow High School throughout the 1950s and ‘60s before going to work for the Department of Education, in Augusta.

He was the longtime head coach of the Winslow High School football team and started the school’s wrestling program. He was a 1940s “all-decade” football star and received a bronze star for serving overseas during World War II. His receipt of the Spirit of America award was met with a standing ovation by all present.

Next, representative Ben Shepherd from Central Maine Power Co. addressed the council with a 10-minute presentation concerning the need to upgrade and possibly reroute a 23-mile long section of transmission lines running between Winslow and Augusta. Built in 1920, Section One, as this particular stretch of transmission line is called, connects two substations and provides service for more than 77,000 CMP customers in Winslow, Benton, Vassalboro, and Augusta.

A 2016 assessment identified numerous issues with the aging infrastructure, including insufficient working clearances for linemen, broken and otherwise compromised conductors and insulators, the lack of a static wire to protect the system from lightning strikes and more than 90 of the 632 utility poles along the route failing a basic visual inspection. After submitting to a Nonwire Alternative review with the Public Utilities Commission in 2019, the PUC certified the project to rebuild Section One out of public necessity in July 2022 and granted final approval to the project last month.

CMP has an additional environmental survey to complete by the end of the year and to decide if the rebuilt transmission line will follow the current route or a slightly shorter route along another existing right of way. Construction is expected to start in January 2025 and be in service by the end of that year.

The board unanimously voted to add Peter Newkirk to the planning board.

Following the Town Manager’s monthly report about several new municipal hirings and ongoing infrastructure projects, Second District councilor Dale Maclean, proposed an item not on the agenda to direct the town manager to launch an investigation into allegations that Third District council member Jerry Quirion violated Maine’s Open Meeting laws by discussing municipal business with a quorum of council members outside of official public meetings. The resolution passed with six in favor and one abstention.

During public comment, many residents expressed anger that commenting on the town’s Facebook page had been disabled. The post in question related to the appointment of police chief, Lenny McDaid, to a new role as Director of Public Safety, now including the fire department as well. Town manager Erica LaCroix explained the decision to remove the public comments from the website came on advice from counsel, when the comments crossed the line to defamation.

Several amendments to the town’s medical marijuana ordinances to also allow for the cultivation and sale of adult use recreational marijuana received second readings and were approved unanimously. Also approved unanimously was an authorization agreement with the city of Waterville for emergency service dispatch, as Waterville was recently recertified as Public Saftey Access Point or PSAP dispatch.

New business receiving first votes included renewing the town contract with the Humane Society Waterville Area for animal services and the appropriation of excess revenues to cover budget overruns, largely due to an increase in overtime pay to the fire department.

The restructuring of the fire and police departments under the shared Public Safety department was expected to save the town money, but so far this has not been the case. Another public saftey budget overage resulted from budgeting money to hire new personnel, and for the necessary equipment to outfit them.

One item of new business passed without a second reading was the appropriation of $16,940 to board up the windows of the old Winslow Junior High School.

China nomination papers available for November election

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by Mary Grow

China’s municipal elections for members of the select board, planning board and budget committee will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7. Nomination papers are now available at the town office; Friday, Sept. 8, is the deadline for returning signed papers to be on the local ballot.

Select board members are elected from the town at large. Some positions on the planning board and budget committee are filled by district. A map of China’s four districts is on the website china.govoffice.com, under the Planning Board subheading under the main heading Officials, Boards & Committees.

Positions to be filled this year are:

  • On the select board, two seats. Members whose terms end this year are board chairman Wayne Chadwick and Jeanne Marquis.
  • On the planning board, three seats: District One (northwestern China; Michael Brown is the incumbent); District Three (southeastern China; the incumbent, Walter Bennett, resigned this month and will not seek re-election); and alternate at large, elected from anywhere in town (Natale Tripodi is the incumbent).
  • On the budget committee, three seats: District One (northwestern China; Kevin Maroon is the incumbent); District Three (southeastern China; Michael Sullivan is the incumbent); and the chairman, elected from anywhere in town (Thomas Rumpf is the incumbent).

In addition to the positions for which candidates are needed for the Nov. 7 election, town officials are looking for volunteers to be appointed to fill vacant positions on the planning board and budget committee.

The District Four (southwestern China) planning board position has been vacant all year; an appointee would serve until the November 2024 local election. Because of Bennett’s resignation, the District Three seat is empty; that appointee’s term would run until Nov. 7, and he or she could run for election to a full two-year term, until November 2025.

Budget committee secretary Trishea Story resigned after this spring’s pre-town meeting deliberations. This position can be filled by a resident of any part of the town; an appointee would be expected to serve until the November 2024 election.

China broadband committee set to present request to select board

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members held a short meeting Aug. 10, primarily to approve a request to select board members before that board’s Aug. 14 meeting.

CBC members’ focus is on applying for a state grant through the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) to extend and improve internet service to China residents. They are working through Direct Communications, an Idaho-based company that promotes rural broadband, and its local subsidiary, Unitel, of Unity, Maine.

The second round of applications is due in September. Having not been awarded funds in the previous round, CBC members hope to do better this time.

CBC chairman Robert O’Connor had drafted a letter supporting the application for select board members to sign. Committee members unanimously approved it. He also intended to ask people who signed supporting letters for the first application in the fall of 2022 to re-sign and re-date them.

O’Connor said Direct Communications will be the grant applicant, with China a proposed recipient. MCA procedures have changed, and the maps that supposedly show what areas need better service – or any service at all – have been made more detailed, he said.

Another CBC meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 17, in the portable building in the town office complex, to continue grant application planning.