China planners review suggested ordinance amendments

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members discussed suggested ordinance amendments and the town’s 2020 comprehensive plan at their Jan. 10 meeting.

The ordinance amendments came from the select board, in the form of a proposed revision of Chapter 9 of the Land Use Ordinance, which is titled “Appeals.” Select board member Brent Chesley prepared the changes and presented them at the Jan. 3 select board meeting. The full board forwarded the document to the planning board.

Accompanying the proposed amendments was a print-out of an email from select board member Janet Preston to codes office Nicholas French in which Preston expressed her opposition to some of Chesley’s recommendations.

Planning board members pointed out that amending ordinances is their job, not the select board’s. “This is a backwards process,” co-chairman Toni Wall said.

By unanimous votes, they asked select board members to send them a document explaining why they want the planning board to revise Chapter 9 and providing reasons for specific changes they’d like planning board members to consider.

Planning board members’ intention is to consider amendments and, if they agree some are needed, draft them; present them to a public hearing for residents’ input; and forward the resulting document to the select board.

Board members briefly discussed other ordinances that might need updating, mentioning the Phosphorus Control Ordinance and the provisions governing home occupations, before considering review of the town’s comprehensive plan.

China’s current plan is available on the town website, china.govoffice.com.

Near the beginning of its 170 pages, it directs the planning board to “dedicate one meeting a year to review of progress on implementation of the plan.” The board should also keep “a checklist of action steps that have been accomplished, those in progress, and those due to be addressed” and suggest amending proposed actions if needed.

The planning board should send its updated checklist to the select board annually, preferably at the beginning of annual budget discussions (in case suggestions require new expenditures).

Planning board members intend to reread the plan before their next meeting, focusing on the recommendations, which begin on p. 136 in the on-line version.

Board member Walter Bennett suggested commercial solar development, or perhaps renewable energy development generally (including windmills), as a topic that should be added. He considers solar farms visible from public roads incompatible with several of the plan’s goals, like preserving China’s rural character and protecting scenic vistas.

Wall shared her proposed 2023-24 planning board budget request, totaling $9,622.82. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said in an email that the 2022-23 budget is $5,000, of which almost half has been spent so far. The fiscal year ends June 30.

The next China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Vassalboro town manager retires: Makes major “career” change

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(photo by Karen Hatch)

by Mary Grow

Maine State Representative Richard Bradstreet, right, presents a Legislative Proclamation to Vassalboro retiring town manager, Mary Sabins. (photo by Karen Hatch)

Mary Sabins is making a major career change, from managing a town of about 4,500 people to managing flowers.

Vassalboro’s just-retired town manager has started classes in the Maine State Florists and Growers Association Professional Certified Florists Program. She has enjoyed flower-arranging in her spare time for many years; once certified, she plans to work part-time in a flower shop, for fun and post-retirement income.

Appropriately, there were colorful flowers on each table at her Jan. 11 retirement party, and the cake was decorated with succulents. Guests included former and current town employees, officials and organization leaders and two officials from the Maine Municipal Association, of which Sabins is a past president.

Donald Breton, Robert Browne and Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell, the former select board members who hired Sabins in the spring of 2008, were among those present.

State Representative Richard Bradstreet, of Vassalboro, presented a framed copy of a legislative proclamation recognizing Sabins’ 33 years of public service, including 14 years as Vassalboro town manager.

Daniel Mayotte, chief of Vassalboro’s First Responder unit, gave Sabins a framed letter thanking her for supporting the unit.

Barbara Redmond, current chairman of the select board, thanked Sabins for her help with select board responsibilities and as a friend.

Former select board member Lauchlin Titus began his short speech with condolences to Scot (Sabins’ husband). In a serious vein, he thanked Sabins for achievements during her tenure, like written personnel and financial policies and creation of a Tax Increment Financing plan.

Road foreman Eugene Field said working with Sabins had been a pleasure. She reciprocated, calling him “my right-hand guy.”

In her reply, Sabins praised Vassalboro as the warmest and kindest of the five municipalities in which she worked, thanked town employees, select board members and others and expressed her pride in “the work we’ve accomplished together.”

Redmond said monetary gifts were used for gift certificates to Fieldstone Gardens, in Vassalboro, and to Amazon, recognizing Sabins’ interests in plants and handicrafts. Other gifts and a basket full of cards awaited Sabins’ attention.

The party, held at Browne’s Natanis Golf Course, was organized with his help by Redmond, Town Clerk Cathy Coyne and Community Program Director Karen Hatch.

Retiring Vassalboro Town Manager Mary Sabins, second from left, with the select board members who hired her in 2008, from left to right, Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell, Robert Browne, and Don Breton. (photo by Karen Hatch)

(photo by Karen Hatch)

Vassalboro select board discusses medical marijuana license renewals

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by Mary Grow

The final Vassalboro select board meeting of 2022, held Dec. 22, began with discussion of renewing medical marijuana business licenses for 2023.

Codes officer Paul Mitnik presented the list of licenses up for annual permits. Audience members offered no comments on any of them.

Select board members unanimously approved five of the six applications, renewing licenses on Old Meadows Road for building owner Leo Barnett and tenants Colin Dorsey, William Cunningham, Zeena McMullen and Hayden Poupis.

Action on the sixth application, from Daniel Charest, whose building on Cushnoc Road burned, was postponed until the replacement building is finished and approved. Mitnik said Charest has a building permit, and when a new building is available will have tenants who need licensing.

Mitnik offered suggestions about two issues covered by the Marijuana Business Ordinance that voters approved in June 2021 and amended slightly in June 2022.

First, he said, the ordinance refers to a “facility,” without defining the word or making clear whether it means a building or a growing operation.

Barnett has four buildings on Old Meadow Road, which currently count as a single facility. Two of his tenants have two growing areas apiece; they are each counted as a single facility.

Mitnik said he had his own suggestions for clarification and one from the town attorney, and select board chair Barbara Redmond offered another idea. The issue will be discussed at a future meeting.

Mitnik’s second issue is the exemption from license requirements for a “facility” that is less than 1,000 square feet. He said the exemption is hard to enforce, especially when growers are reluctant to admit people to their areas, and is contrary to the intent of the Marijuana Business Ordinance, which is to prohibit new facilities beyond those already operating when the ordinance took effect.

After discussion of the legality of a grower barring legitimate required inspections, and whether state law allows banning all new medical marijuana growing businesses, the issue was postponed.

Mitnik reminded select board members that he is about to retire as Vassalboro’s codes officer, for the fourth time, passing on the job to Bob Geaghan.

Vassalboro will also have a new town manager in 2023, as Mary Sabins retires. Select board members signed papers appointing Aaron Miller to the position, and the other positions the manager holds, effective Jan. 3.

Select board holds first meeting with new manager

by Mary Grow

Aaron Miller

Vassalboro select board members held their first meeting with Aaron Miller, who succeeded Mary Sabins as town manager, on Jan. 5, with a short agenda.

Miller reported after the meeting that board members scheduled a public hearing for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 19, in the town office meeting room. The hearing is to solicit public comments on allocating Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds, in preparation for considering amendments to the TIF Ordinance.

Vassalboro voters approved a TIF, a state-approved tax system, at the June 2014 annual town meeting. Taxes paid by Summit Natural Gas on its pipeline through the town along Route 201 (Riverside Drive) go into the municipal TIF fund, which can be used to make grants to projects that qualify under state law.

The grantees named in the original Vassalboro TIF were the Alewife Restoration Initiative (ARI), aimed at opening Outlet Stream to allow alewives access from the Sebasticook River to China Lake, and the expansion of the Vassalboro Sanitary District’s sewer lines to connect with Winslow.

Both projects received TIF funds, and both have been completed, so the ordinance needs to designate new fund recipients. TIF amendments require approval by town meeting voters and by state officials in the Department of Economic and Community Development.

Miller said board members directed him to prepare a request for proposals (RFP) for improvements to the town office entrance: better lighting, and a button that would open the doors, making access easier for handicapped visitors.

The ideas were submitted by town office staff as part of a list of proposals select board members reviewed at their Dec. 15, 2022, meeting.

Following up on their Dec. 22, 2022, discussion, Miller said, board members talked about amending the town’s Marijuana Business Ordinance, without coming to conclusions.

The manager said the next regular Vassalboro select board meeting will follow the Jan. 19 public hearing.

In other business, board members repealed the covid vaccination policy adopted at the beginning of the pandemic. Board member Chris French said he had always opposed it, because it applied only to employees in the town office; he thought all employees should have been included.

They agreed to a recreation committee request to sell a set of unneeded soccer goal posts, for $80. Program director Karen Hatch said there is one more set that is no longer useful to the town.

Resident Tom Richards started a discussion of ways to deter or punish people who litter roadsides, with select board members sympathetic but unsure what would work.

The next Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Jan. 5, 2023.

Couple looks to re-open corner store in East Vassalboro

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by Mary Grow

Tim and Heather Dutton want to reopen the former East Vassalboro Corner Store, beginning with pizza and sandwiches and adding local products (garden produce and crafts, for example) if business goes well.

Everyone who spoke at the Jan. 3 Vassalboro Planning Board meeting wanted them to reopen it, too, including those who wondered whether they could meet local ordinance requirements.

The principal problem that might make it impossible to grant a local permit is that the building is so close to Main Street (Route 32) on its east and Bog Road on its south that room for safe parking is extremely limited.

Neighbor Ben Gidney reminded board members of various traffic and parking issues before the previous store closed. But, he told the Duttons, “I’m all for your store.”

Tim Dutton said the edge of the Route 32 right of way, which extends 33 feet from the center line, is inside the building. He had consulted informally with Maine Department of Transportation engineer (and Vassalboro resident) David Allen about parking and related issues.

Dutton proposed three diagonal spaces along the front of the store. Gidney and board member Paul Mitnik objected. People parking in diagonal spaces would have to back out into Route 32 traffic, not the safest maneuver even in a 25-mile-an-hour zone; and their cars would block the view north as drivers came out of Bog Road.

Board member Douglas Phillips suggested two parallel parking spaces might fit.

Additional parking is available west of the store, off Bog Road, but planning board members needed more information about how much space Dutton, who is leasing the building, could use. He intends to have a loading dock for delivery vehicles in that area, he said.

Handicapped accessibility is another issue that could scuttle the proposal. Dutton told board members he could not see a way to make either of the present entrances meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

Gidney said the earlier store opened around 1949, before town land use ordinances, before the ADA and before traffic was as heavy and fast as it is now.

After almost an hour’s discussion, board chairman Virginia Brackett advised the Duttons what they need to do to make their application complete, including clarifying parts of the lease and, if possible, consulting officially with someone from the state Department of Transportation. The application was tabled until the additional information is presented.

Board members spent another hour and a half discussing the proposed additions to town ordinances that would govern future commercial solar projects.

They scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, Jan. 17, again at 6:30 p.m. rather than their usual 7 p.m., to take public comment on the proposed ordinance. They expect the Jan. 17 meeting will result in a draft that can be submitted to the town attorney for review.

Brackett granted requests from Jerry Hill, representing the Main Street Maine coalition (neighbors of the proposed commercial solar farm on Main Street [Route 32] north of the Duratherm plant), and Holly Weidner, on behalf of the Conservation Commission, to get copies of the draft before the Jan. 17 meeting.

A major topic Jan. 3 was whether, and if so why, soil sampling should be required at any stage during a commercial solar farm’s operation or decommissioning. The principal argument in favor was that if a damaged panel leaked contaminants, town officials needed to know.

Counter-arguments questioned what, if anything, in the panels is dangerous if one did leak; how fast operators would replace a damaged panel; and what sort of sampling would be in the right place and for the right substance(s) to be informative.

The issue was left open.

Board members also discussed fire-fighting in or around a solar farm. They agreed the ordinance should require the Vassalboro fire chief’s approval of any plan.

There was consensus that the decommissioning scenario previously discussed – complete removal of everything connected with solar energy and restoration of the site to its pre-development condition – was unlikely. More likely would be piecemeal replacement as components reached the end of their useful lives.

Phillips thinks the ordinance should require operators to notify the town as outdated panels and other equipment are replaced.

Another topic still to be discussed, Phillips said, is what definitions need to be added to the current ordinance to apply to solar developments.

When agreement is reached on a near-final draft of the solar ordinance, board members will hold a public hearing, perhaps in February, to solicit residents’ comments and suggestions.

Voters will accept or reject the ordinance at Vassalboro’s June town meeting. The current tentative schedule is for an open meeting Monday evening, June 5, and written-ballot voting Tuesday, June 13.

China road committee looks at preliminary list of road repaving

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by Mary Grow

China Road Committee members met Jan. 6 to make a preliminary list of roads to be repaved during the 2023 work season and to consider other road-related recommendations.

The focus of this year’s paving is the southeastern part of town. Roads recommended by the end of the meeting include Pond Road (the section of old Route 202 that begins just north of Fire Road 50 and lies across the main road from the former China Dine-ah); Water Street in Branch Mills Village; a section on top of Parmenter Hill, known locally as Moe’s Mountain; and the section of Pleasant View Ridge Road not done recently.

Director of Public Services Shawn Reed said the roads that had been repaved with the method called chip seal (a mix of asphalt and stone chips) seem to be holding up well. Although chip seal leaves small loose rocks about which motorists and residents complain for the first few weeks, it costs enough less so he recommended expanding its use.

Reed did not yet have preliminary price estimates for 2023 paving materials.

Another major topic for committee members was an approximately half-mile section of Hanson Road near Evans Pond. Reed said it should be raised two or three feet and have larger culverts installed to prevent more flooding.

Hanson Road runs north from Route 3, along the east side of Evans Pond, to the intersection with Bog Brook Road. Bog Brook Road runs east to Pleasant View Ridge Road.

Committee members made no recommendation on rebuilding the stretch; they agreed the project would be expensive. When they do a road tour later in the year, they plan to include the south end of Hanson Road, between the Cross Road and Route 3, which Reed said is not in bad shape.

The next road committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for the first or second Friday morning in February.

CHINA: New program formed, old one scrapped

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by Mary Grow

China select board members approved a new town program and scrapped an old one at their first 2023 meeting, held Tuesday evening, Jan. 3, instead of the usual Monday evening because of the New Year’s holiday.

Donald W. Pratt, of Dirigo Masonic Lodge #104 in Weeks Mills, proposed what he called a Sand for Seniors program: Masons and other volunteers would deliver winter sand from the town’s supply to senior citizens who are not comfortable lifting heavy buckets into and out of their vehicles.

Pratt had already talked with Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood, and she had consulted Maine Municipal Association attorneys and transfer station and public works heads. Pratt planned to find out whether members of Central Lodge #45, in China Village, want to participate.

The program was repeatedly described as a pilot, with details to be worked out. The tentative plan calls for volunteer sand distributors to have access to a collection of buckets – Hapgood said transfer station staff are saving cat litter pails that could be used – and a designated sandpile from which to fill them.

The program would be monitored and would run only during transfer station hours. Changes could be made as it developed – one suggestion was extending it to shut-ins and people with disabilities, regardless of age – and it would be evaluated in the spring.

Select board members unanimously approved authorizing Pratt to proceed.

They also agreed unanimously to discontinue the wooden nickel program at the transfer station. Started in 2008 or 2009 to encourage recycling, Hapgood said, the program rewarded people who recycled by giving them wooden nickels worth 20 cents toward disposal fees for items for which there is a charge.

Payment in wooden nickels does not match the contemporary receipt system; and Hapgood said very few people still use the tokens.

Board members voted to stop handing out wooden nickels as of Jan. 15 (effective Saturday, Jan. 14), and not to accept them as payment after Friday, March 31.

The Jan. 3 meeting began with presentation of plans for a storage vault as an addition to the town office, by Municipal Building Committee chairman Sheldon Goodine and Keith Whittaker of B. R. Smith Associates (BRSA) of Presque Isle. The presentation was a follow-up to discussion at the Nov. 21 select board meeting (see The Town Line, Dec. 1, p. 2).

The plan shows a small new building south of the present office, connected by a short corridor and containing a mechanical area and a masonry or concrete vault.

Roofs would slope east and west, to avoid problems shedding snow. Whittaker proposes exterior shingles and siding that would match the present building.

Discussion covered what trees would need to be cut south of the present building and a reminder about buffers and Phosphorus Control Ordinance requirements.

The vault is intended as the first phase of a two-stage addition; when town office work requires more space, the new building can be extended southward. Whittaker will get construction cost estimates for phase one.

On another issue, select board members reviewed and generally approved proposed changes to China’s Board of Appeals Ordinance, drafted by new board member Brent Chesley, as authorized at the board’s Dec. 5 meeting (see The Town Line, Dec. 8, p. 2). The Appeals Ordinance is Chapter 9 of the Land Use Ordinance; it is on the website china.govoffice.com, under Ordinances, Policies and Orders.

Suggested changes include clarifications; additions, like a schedule for submitting variance requests and for the board to act on them; and deletion of provisions Chesley said were elsewhere in the Land Use Ordinance and therefore unnecessary.

Chesley said he believes China ordinances are too strict and should not be stricter than state regulations. Fellow board member Janet Preston suggested China Lake might need extra protection.

Board members agreed to forward Chesley’s draft to planning board members for their comments before they endorse a document for public review. Agreed-upon revisions will be submitted to town meeting voters to approve or reject.

In other business:

  • Board members reviewed two bids to supply two new generators and accepted the lower, from Ideal Electric, of Winslow: $9,150 to replace the existing generator at the town office and $8,144 for a new generator for the old town house. Funds will come from China’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant.
  • Reporting for Public Works Director Shawn Reed, Hapgood said the new snow pusher, which goes on the new loader, has already been put to use and is expected to save substantial staff time; and beginning Tuesday, Jan. 10, #5 plastic will be accepted for recycling.
    (An on-line source says #5 plastic is polypropylene, or PP, and lists among its most common uses yogurt containers, cereal box liners and disposable cups, plates and cutlery.)
  • Hapgood said Kyoko Roderick is the new staff member at the China town office, with the titles of deputy clerk and deputy tax collector.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, because the town office will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The following regular meeting will be on Jan. 30. Hapgood suggested it start at 6 p.m. to allow time to begin discussion of the 2023-24 budget.

China broadband funding application denied

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by The Town Line staff

Bob O’Connor

In an e-mail to The Town Line newspaper, Bob O’Connor, chairman of the China Broadband Committee, stated, “I am disappointed to report that our Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) Grant “Connect The Ready” for China / Unitel/DC was not approved in this round.

Jayne Sullivan, at Unitel/DC, forwarded this letter that Daniel Parrish from Direct Communications / Unitel received. O’Connor stated, “I look forward to the follow-up and to resubmitting our application in the next funding round.”

O’Connor received the following e-mail from Sullivan: “Thanks for taking my call this morning. While we are disappointed to receive this news, we will keep moving forward and hopefully have great success in the next round. It will be interesting to see which towns were approved once that information is released.

“We are in the process of scheduling a meeting with MCA to discuss China’s application and get further insight on the application. We should schedule a conference call soon with John to discuss further.”

In an e-mail to Parrish, from Brian Allenby, of Maine Connectivity Authority, he stated, “Thank you again for all your hard work in preparing a Connect the Ready application. As you may know, we received more than $105 million in proposed projects, which is an amount well beyond the available funds for this round. Unfortunately, application CTR-0000000033 proposed for [China] was not selected for this round of Connect the Ready funding. I am sorry for what is inevitably disappointing news. We appreciate how much work goes into these applications and would welcome a dedicated conversation with you and/or your partners to discuss any questions you might have, hear your feedback on the application process, and talk through options for a path forward.”

CENTRAL ME: Report shows 37% of Maine homes with high Radon levels

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During Radon Action Month in January, the American Lung Association urges everyone to test their home for radon.

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and the “State of Lung Cancer” report reveals that it is detected at high levels in about 37% of homes in Maine. During January for Radon Action Month, the American Lung Association in Maine is urging everyone to test their home for radon.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas emitted from the ground. Radon can enter a home through cracks in floors, basement walls, foundations and other openings. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.

Here in Maine, about 37% of radon test results equal or exceed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level of 4 pCi/L, according to the Lung Association’s “State of Lung Cancer” report.

“Radon is responsible for an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year and is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked. Since radon is odorless, tasteless and colorless, the only way to detect radon in your home is to test the air. This is why it is critical for everyone to test their home,” said Lance Boucher, Director of Advocacy for the Lung Association. “Radon Action Month is the perfect time to learn more about this dangerous gas and take action to protect yourself and your loved ones.”

Do-it-yourself radon test kits are simple to use and inexpensive. EPA urges anyone with radon levels at or above 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) to take action to install a mitigation system in their homes. Both the EPA and the American Lung Association recommend that mitigation be considered if levels are greater than 2 pCi/L. After high levels are detected, a radon mitigation system should be installed by a radon professional.

A typical radon mitigation system consists of a vent pipe, fan, and properly sealing cracks and other openings. This system collects radon gas from underneath the foundation and vents it to the outside of your home. If you need to have a radon mitigation system installed, contact your state radon program for a list of certified radon mitigation professionals.

Learn more about radon testing and mitigation at www.Lung.org/Radon.

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit:? Lung.org.

China transfer station committee reviews five-year plan

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by Mary Grow

China Transfer Station Committee members went over the five-year plan for the facility at their Dec. 20 meeting, planning to collect price estimates and present the select board with a prioritized list during 2023-24 budget discussions in January and February.

Items on the current list include:

  • A new metal waste container, so that mattresses can be stored in what transfer station supervisor Thomas Maraggio described as a “shaky” old one and the new one used for heavier items. The goal is to keep mattresses from getting soaked in rain and snow before they’re shipped off for disposal – a high priority for committee chair Paul Lucas, because, he said, adding water triples the shipping cost. Maraggio said he has one bid and is waiting for more.
  • A cover for the new pre-crusher – Maraggio is seeking prices.
  • A water filter, so that transfer station employees will not have to put up with water that Director of Public Services Shawn Reed called “unfriendly:” not dangerous, according to test results, but with a bad smell from contaminants from the closed landfill close by.
  • Power and lights for the free for the taking building, a proposal building manager Karen Hatch enthusiastically supported. Palermo committee member Chris Diesch suggested solar power; Maraggio said he will check into possible grants.
  • Trading in the golf cart, which Maraggio said is unusable in winter, for a Gator utility vehicle.
  • Removal of the wind-damaged canopy at the recycling center.
  • A cement pad for compost, a spring project, also possibly grant-eligible.
  • Paving the road behind the recycling building so trucks can load more easily – perhaps to be done in conjunction with 2023 road paving.
  • Repainting crosswalks, another project that could be correlated with the town’s summer work.
  • Some kind of space for propane tank storage; another spring project, perhaps merely a fence, Maraggio suggested.

Farther in the future, Reed said, are a decision on whether to buy a new skid-steer or keep the old one running; and replacement of the main mixed waste hopper.

In addition to local needs, the other major topic Dec. 20 was the new state law that requires manufacturers to pay for disposal costs for some packaging, called the Extended Producer Responsibility law. Several of the group had attended an explanatory Department of Environmental Protection meeting.

Palermo committee member Robert Kurek said the idea of the law is to reimburse towns that opt into the program for recycling. However, he said, state officials haven’t yet decided what packaging materials are covered.

Lucas added that the initial state reporting forms will have to be reduced, because staff don’t have time to keep the records they would require.

There’s no big rush, he said; currently, reporting is scheduled for 2026 with the first
reimbursements in January 2027.

“We’ll keep our eye on it, and we’ll figure it out when the time comes,” he concluded.

In other business, Diesch had analyzed data from the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system that reads transfer station users’ tags and presented summaries showing busiest and least busy days and hours and other useful information.

A short discussion of abandoning the RFID tags and going back to stickers on vehicles led to postponing a decision.

Review of China’s solid waste ordinances was also postponed. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said any recommended ordinance changes need to go to the select board in March 2023 to get on the warrant for the June town business meeting.

Committee members scheduled their next meeting for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, in the town office meeting room.

China select board discusses process for dealing with land use violations

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by Mary Grow

China select board members spent three-quarters of an hour of their Dec. 19 meeting talking about their process for dealing with accumulated land use violations.

They made two decisions, by unanimous votes.

They extended the amnesty program during which people who failed to get required permits can get them without paying any extra fee. The new deadline is Feb. 28, 2023. The program was established in September to encourage property-owners who did work without permits to apply for them (see the Sept. 29 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

And they approved Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood’s suggestion to continue employing resident Dwaine Drummond to deal with the backlog, using funds from the codes enforcement budget.

Drummond has a list of more than 300 cases to examine, some merely lacking proof in the files that everything was done right, some needing remedial work. The main reason for the build-up, he and select board members said, was the number of codes officers China has had over the last eight or so years.

Drummond emphasized that none did a poor job. But some were less conscientious than others about record-keeping; each had his own filing system; and follow-through was not always consistent.

In addition, the State of Maine expanded MUBEC (the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code); meeting those regulations now requires more inspections and more paperwork.

As a result, Drummond said, codes enforcement has not been consistent. It should be, he and current assistant codes officer Nicholas French agree.

Drummond has found many of the residents he tries to reach about possible violations uncooperative. Whenever he calls someone who agrees to come and talk with him immediately, “We do the happy dance,” he said. Often, he said, the time expended trying to connect with a property-owner is worth more than the permit fee town officials hope to collect.

Select board members supported continuing Drummond’s work to benefit residents who are upset by unsafe buildings, unlicensed junkyards and similar neighborhood problems; to allow French to continue to deal with current issues and not contribute to the backlog; and to establish a more consistent pattern that will treat everyone fairly.

Another topic discussed Dec. 19, for the second time (see The Town Line, Dec. 1, p. 2), was whether select board members should also be members of other town boards and committees that report to the select board.

Board members did not want to forbid the practice. Having the same person on the select board and on another board makes communication easier; and there are too few volunteers to fill all committee slots.

They voted to adopt a policy that no subsidiary committee can have more than one select board member serving simultaneously.

In other business, Kennebec County Sheriff’s Deputy Ivano Stefanizzi again reported too many drivers are speeding in the school zone on Lakeview Drive. Flashing signs limit speed to 15 miles an hour when buses are loading and unloading.

Select board member Brent Chesley said after noticing mailboxes knocked askew on Lakeview Drive and observing a plow truck – described in the conversation as under contract with the State Department of Transportation – driving faster than he thought right, he had informed state highway personnel. He was told state plows are not supposed to drive faster than 25 miles an hour.

Select board members reviewed bids for a utility trailer and sold it to the higher bidder for $585. They reviewed bids for installing a heating unit in the community forest building and accepted the lower bid, $2,288 from M. A. Haskell Fuel Company, in South China.

Hapgood said the town office is accepting nominations for Spirit of America awards for 2023, to honor people who have volunteered in the town.

For Christmas weekend, the China transfer station will close at noon Saturday, Dec. 24; the town office is not open Dec. 24. All town departments will be closed Monday, Dec. 26.

The next regular China select board meeting will be Tuesday, Jan. 3, instead of the usual Monday evening. On Monday, Jan. 2, all town departments will be closed for the New Year’s Day holiday.