Vassalboro select board authorizes church demolition

/0 Comments/in , /by

 

Following an executive session, Vassalboro select board unanimously authorized Town Manager Mary Sabins to negotiate and sign a contract to have the building taken down and the remains taken away. (The Town Line file photo by Roland D. Hallee)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members began their June 9 meeting with a party, recognizing retiring board chairman Robert Browne’s final meeting.

After the cake and cold drinks, they went into executive session with town attorney Kristin Collins to discuss demolition of the former church in North Vassalboro.

Vassalboro select board chairman Rob Browne was recognized at his final board meeting. (photo courtesy of Mary Sabins)

After the executive session, they unanimously authorized Town Manager Mary Sabins to negotiate and sign a contract to have the building taken down and the remains taken away. The focus will be on removing the building, which has been declared dangerous; accumulated items on the grounds will be moved as necessary to provide access to the building.

Board members discussed details like making sure property-owner Chad Caron is notified and providing a police escort for the demolition contractor. North Vassalboro resident Raymond Breton urged caution around the many sharp, heavy and damaged objects on the lot.

Caron reportedly has an alternative storage area on Reynolds Road. Select board member Barbara Redmond said he will be given reasonable time to move more things there if he wants to.

The land will remain Caron’s, Redmond said. The town will bill him for demolition costs.

In other business June 9, by a unanimous vote select board members adopted the Compensation Administration Policy they discussed earlier in the year, establishing a salary scale for town employees.

Sabins reported the contracts for hauling bulky waste and municipal solid waste (MSW) from the transfer station to disposal sites expire in August. She proposed either seeking new bids, or negotiating with the current contractors for one-year extensions.

Sabins said transfer station manager George Hamar is satisfied with the current haulers, and as far as she knows they are satisfied. Select board members unanimously authorized her to negotiate for one-year contract extensions.

North Vassalboro resident Lauchlin Titus asked Sabins to ask haulers to remind their drivers to obey speed limits. Sabins said she had done so once years ago without a problem.

Sabins shared another truck-related issue raised by fire department members: a tractor-trailer intermittently parked near the food pantry and the North Vassalboro fire station threatens to damage fresh pavement. Police Chief Mark Brown intends to talk with the driver.

Select board member Chris French asked Brown for statistics on crime in Vassalboro, leading to a discussion of whether it is time to repeat the neighborhood watch type program organized in North Vassalboro about a decade ago. Brown urged residents to report suspicious activities to law enforcement professional and to leave action to them.

Vassalboro Legion Post Commander Tom Richards raised another North Vassalboro question: who owns the flagpole that stands with the stone monuments in front of the former North Vassalboro school, former town office and former health center? Breton now owns the land and building.

Richards said the Legion Post replaced the flagpole recently. Having little money and no fund-raising plans – there are only about 25 members, “and you’re looking at about the youngest one,” Richards explained – the Post had billed the town.

At Sabins’ suggestion, select board members approved closing the transfer station Sunday, June 19, for the new Juneteenth holiday. The town office will be closed Monday, June 20, to observe the holiday.

The next regular Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 23.

VCS names three new staff

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

At a short special meeting June 6, Vassalboro School Board members hired three new staff members, Chairman Kevin Levasseur reported.

Joining the Vassalboro Community School staff are assistant principal Tabitha Brewer, SLP (speech-language pathologist) Madison Morneault and school counselor Gina Davis.

The next regular Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 21.

Davidoff announces for District #61 seat

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Amy Davidoff

Amy Davidoff has announced a bid for House District #61 (Vassalboro and most of Sidney). She retired in 2019 as a Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine after a productive and fulfilling research and teaching career. She moved to Vassalboro with her partner Mary, where they built a high efficiency home with numerous solar panels.

Having sailed the coast of Maine for most of their lives, they have witnessed the adverse effects of climate change. Amy’s political philosophy has been formed in part based on her professional career in health sciences and a life time love of the sea. Amy has been involved in seeking solutions about solid waste disposal in Vassalboro, and expanding broadband access in Kennebec County.

A healthy environment that supports health and safety among all people is one of her top priorities and includes being a good steward of the planet as well as our community.

China town meeting ballot a long one

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

CHINA, ME — China voters coming to the polls on Tuesday, June 14, might want to bring at least a water bottle for sustenance. Balloting will take a while.

In addition to the 38-article warrant for the annual town business meeting, each voter will be handed two more pieces of paper. Those enrolled in the Republican or Democratic party will get a fourth ballot.

Regional School Unit #18, which includes Belgrade, China, Oakland, Rome and Sidney, has two separate ballots. The familiar one, the school budget referendum ballot, asks if voters will approve or reject the 2022-23 budget approved at a May 19 open meeting of voters from the five towns. A second question asks voters whether they want to continue the referendum vote for another three years.

RSU #18 Superintendent Carl Gartley told China select board members at their May 9 meeting the proposed budget was about 1.57 percent, or about $643,000, higher than the current year’s budget. China’s share was projected to increase by 0.96 percent, or about $48,000, he said.

A separate RSU #18 ballot asks if voters will approve or reject a proposal to borrow almost $3.7 million from the state’s revolving loan fund to provide new air handling equipment and to replace outside doors and siding at various schools.

Gartley emphasized the air handling equipment when he spoke with China select board members. In a follow-up email, he said that updating air handling systems has been an ongoing effort since before Covid-19; he believes improvements helped protect students and staff during the last three years. Work to be done with the loan is “consistent with improvements that are recommended as a prevention strategy against the spread of COVID-19,” he wrote.

The ballot question says the state has already approved the loan, if voters do the same. RSU #18 will repay a little more than half (almost $1.9 million) over 10 years, at no interest. The remaining about $1.8 million will be forgiven.

Voters enrolled in a political party will also receive a primary ballot. There are no contests on the Democratic ballot. Local candidates are Storme St. Jude Valle, of Augusta, for state Senator from District #15 and Pamela J. Swift, of Palermo, for state Representative from District #62.

On the Republican primary ballot, Matthew Gary Pouliot, of Augusta, is unopposed for re-election as District #15 state senator. Jennifer V. Tuminaro, of China, and Katrina J. Smith, of Palermo, are rivals for the nomination for the House of Representatives from District #62. The winner will be Swift’s opponent in November.

China voting will be in the former portable classroom behind the town office on Lakeview Drive. After a moderator (required by state law) is elected at 7:55 a.m., polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The town office driveway from Lakeview Drive will be closed; entrance will be from Alder Park Road.

Absentee ballots are available at the town office through Thursday, June 9, without excuse or explanation, and later in special circumstances. The meeting room is set up to allow early voting there; voters who vote elsewhere may return ballots to the locked ballot box outside the office building, or by mail. The deadline for returning absentee ballots is 8 p.m. June 14.

Sample ballots and other information are on the town website, china.govoffice.com, under the Elections tab on the left side of the home page.

* * * * * *

Many of China’s municipal ballot questions are financial, asking voters to authorize an expenditure budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year that begins July 1, including spending Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money.

Voters who want to know in advance exactly how much they are asked to approve for different departments, boards and committees, projects and purposes should consult the document named “FY 2022-23 Budget Workbook” under the Elections tab.

As in past years, major spending requests are for public works ($1,449,745, including about $52,000 expected from state funds, in Art. 11); administration ($872,895 plus $25,000 for accrued compensation, to cover amounts that might be owed to retiring or resigning employees, in Art. 4); and the transfer station ($638,755, in Art. 10).

These articles and others that include town employees’ compensation reflect a 4.5 percent pay increase. Select board members debated raises ranging from 3 percent to 6 percent and by a 3-2 vote recommended 4.5 percent. Members Jeanne Marquis, Janet Preston and board chairman Ronald Breton voted for 4.5 percent increases; Blane Casey and Wayne Chadwick were opposed, favoring 3 percent.

Other large appropriations appear in:

  • Art. 7, asking for $157,985 for assessing and $30,000 for legal expenses.
  • Art. 8, asking for $16,995 for animal control, $34,000 for police services (by the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office) and $42,057 for dispatching emergency services (through the Waterville communications center).
  • Art. 9, asking for $166,755 for China’s three fire departments and China Rescue. This article, if approved, will cover buildings, equipment, insurance and other basics.
  • Art. 12, asking for $92,000 for community support organizations. This article includes additional funding for the fire departments and China Rescue intended to recognize volunteers’ service. It also helps support two lake protection organizations, two libraries, historic protection and “The Town Line” local newspaper.
  • Art. 14, asking for $88,290 for contingency expenses, as determined by the select board, with any funds needed to come from China’s undesignated fund balance (surplus), not from 2022-23 taxes.

The preceding five articles are recommended with no negative votes from select board or budget committee members. Some members abstained on some recommendations, usually to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.

Art. 15 asks voters to approve using $265,000 from China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) money for 10 projects. They are listed on page 37 of the Second Amended TIF plan, with information on each numbered project on preceding pages. The plan is on the town website under the Tax Increment Financing Committee, which is under Officials, Board & Committees.

The largest proposed uses of TIF money include $65,000 for environmental improvements, primarily by the China Region Lakes Alliance and China Lake Association, and $50,000 for maintenance and improvement of trails, mainly by the Four Seasons Club.

Recommended uses of ARPA funds include, in Articles 30 through 35:

  • Buying two new generators for the town office complex;
  • Providing every house with an Emergency 911 number;
  • Buying a digital information sign to go in front of the South China fire station on Route 32 South (Windsor Road) for town and fire department use;
  • Compensating employees who worked with the public through the height of the pandemic;
  • Expanding town-sponsored activities for seniors; and
  • Buying a portable digital sign that will provide for “speed control and community announcements.”

Voters are asked to approve several authorizations for the select board, including authority to sell tax-acquired property (Art. 22); authority to apply for, accept and spend grants (Art. 23); authority to negotiate and approve contracts of up to five years for things like auditing, buying or leasing equipment and roadside mowing (Art. 25); and authority to buy “municipal vehicles, machinery and equipment” (Art. 28).

A specific request in Art. 27 is for approval to sell the no-longer needed police vehicle.

The last three warrant articles are non-monetary. Art. 36 asks voters to repeal a 1998 School Budget Ordinance, which Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said was made obsolete by membership in RSU #18.

Art. 38 asks voters to approve China’s updated comprehensive plan. A copy is on the website under the Elections tab, and the town office has a paper copy for review.

Art. 37, asking if voters want to enact a Large Scale Solar Facilities Moratorium Ordinance, generated debate among select board members. They ended up recommending that voters reject the ordinance by a vote of two supporters to three opponents.

At their March 28 meeting, Breton, Marquis and Preston outvoted Casey and Chadwick to authorize town attorney Amanda Meader to draft the moratorium ordinance for town voters’ action. At an April 4 special meeting, board members agreed to let voters decide on the moratorium; but Breton joined Casey and Chadwick in recommending that voters not approve it.

The argument in favor of the ordinance was that planning board members need time to finish writing and submit to voters (presumably in November) their proposed Solar Energy Systems Ordinance that would regulate future large-scale solar development in town.

The opposing argument was that the moratorium would prevent China landowners from taking advantage of offers to lease or buy their properties for solar development as long as it was in effect.

If voters approve the moratorium, it would last no longer than 180 days, unless the select board extended it.

The moratorium ordinance, too, is under the Elections tab on the town website.

Brown, Levasseur honored for service at Vassalboro town meeting

/1 Comment/in , /by

Left, Vassalboro outgoing Select Board chairman Robert Browne presented Spirit of America Award. Right, Vassalboro’s retiring school board chairman Kevin Levasseur cited for service. (photos by Mary Sabin)

Vassalboro voters quickly approve 39 articles

by Mary Grow

VASSALBORO, ME — Vassalboro voters chose Richard Thompson to moderate their annual town meeting Monday evening, June 6, for more than the dozenth time, Thompson said. But for the first half hour after his election, his role was more master of ceremonies.

First, Thompson introduced School Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer, who was joined by school board members in recognizing Kevin Levasseur, retiring this year after 21 years on the board.

Pfeiffer commended Levasseur for his long and helpful service, especially as board chairman during the last two unusually difficult years. Board members presented him with a plaque from the school staff, parents and community.

Levasseur has been on the town school board under four superintendents: Elaine Miller, Hugh Riordan, Eric Haley and Pfeiffer.

Assisted by a cameo appearance by one of Senator Susan Collins’ staff members, Thompson next read a series of congratulatory letters to retiring select board chairman Robert Browne from Governor Janet Mills, Senator Collins, Senator Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree.

State Representative Richard Bradstreet, of Vassalboro, presented a legislative sentiment – not an official one, he explained, because to earn an official one requires 20 years’ service and Browne just missed, so Bradstreet made up his own.

Former select board member Lauchlin Titus, who served with Browne, said Browne is nonetheless Vassalboro longest serving select board member: a man named Isaac Fairfield held office for 18 years in the early 1800s, but Browne’s 19 years in the early 2000s beats Fairfield.

Titus praised Browne for the smoothness of the relationships on the board over the years, commenting that disagreements were amicable and mutually respectful, and for his generosity to residents in need. He drew chuckles from the audience with comments on Browne’s well-known positions, like his aversion to town debt.

Select board members Barbara Redmond and Chris French presented Browne with this year’s Spirit of America Award for volunteerism and a photo montage of select board members and town staff he has worked with.

Browne’s reply commending townspeople for their willingness to work out local problems and for their volunteerism brought a standing ovation.

After the ceremonies, the 100 or so voters attending the meeting in the Vassalboro Community School gymnasium settled to business and quickly approved the 39 articles before them. Three were amended.

Select board members and Town Manager Mary Sabins had agreed before the meeting to reallocate sources of funds in two articles, because the fire truck reserve and the plow truck reserve funds have lost money in the market. The changes had no effect on proposed spending or on 2022-23 taxation.

Resident Holly Weidner proposed increasing the allocation for the China Region Lakes Alliance (CRLA) from the $9,000 recommended by the select board and budget committee to the $11,500 requested. The additional money would help fund additional lake protection services from the organization, she said.

Voters approved the amendment by a vote of 41 in favor to 27 opposed.

Budget committee members Bradstreet, Doug Phillips, Mike Poulin and Frank Richards were re-elected, and Nate Gray was elected to fill the seat being vacated by Rick Denico, Jr., who is an unopposed candidate for the select board in local elections.

The meeting recessed a little before 8:30 p.m. until 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 14, when polls will open in the town office for written ballot voting, including a second vote on the $8.7 million school budget approved June 6; a straw poll asking if voters want the select board to draft a new ordinance to regulate the number and locations of solar arrays in town and their decommissioning; local elections (uncontested); and state primary elections (also uncontested).

Maine Gov. Mills attends alewife restoration ribbon cutting

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, left, with Vassalboro resident Ray Breton. (photo by Mary Sabins)

by Eric W. Austin

It was drizzling lightly on Thursday, May 19, at the Box Mill Dam, in Vassalboro, as a good-sized crowd gathered behind the Olde Mill Place to witness a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the Alewife Restoration Initiative’s project to bring migratory fish back to China Lake.

Over the course of two centuries, numerous dams were constructed along Outlet Stream to power a growing paper and textile industry in central Maine. Although built to generate power, those dams had the unintended effect of blocking migratory fish passage into and out of China Lake, principally river herring, also known as alewives. This had a significant impact on the local ecology throughout the watershed. As the years passed and companies moved operations from hydro to electric power, these dams were abandoned, but their environmental impact remained.

The Alewife Restoration Initiative was a cooperative effort formed to solve this problem, involving the towns of China, Vassalboro and Benton, local organizations like the China Lake Association, China Region Lakes Alliance, and the Sabasticook Regional Land Trust, with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maine Department of Marine Resources. It was led by the Yarmouth-based nonprofit Maine Rivers.

The project has worked the past seven years to remove dams or install fishways at six locations along Outlet Stream. Lombard, Masse and Morneau dams were dismantled, while fishways were installed at the head of Outlet Stream (behind the Vassalboro Historical Society) and at Ladd and Box Mill dams. It was one of the most ambitious projects of its kind in New England.

Speakers at the event included Landis Hudson, Maine Rivers Executive Director; Mary Sabins, Vassalboro Town Manager; Rick Jacobson, the Assistant Regional Director for Fish and Aquatic Conservation in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northeast Region; Patrick Keliher, Commissioner with the Department of Marine Resources; and Governor Janet Mills, who also performed the titular ribbon cutting.

A special emphasis during the speeches was placed on the efforts of the many organizations and individuals who contributed to the project, including, aside from those already mentioned, local land owners who worked closely with the ARI team, especially the Cates family, owners of the property adjacent to the head of Outlet Stream, and Ray Breton, owner of the Olde Mill Place where Box Mill Dam is located. Nate Gray, a Vassalboro resident and scientist for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and Matt Streeter, project manager for Maine Rivers, were among those also singled out for their essential contributions to the project.

The new fish ladder at the Box Dam that will allow alewives to migrate naturally toward China Lake. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

Ahead of the event, I caught up with Landis Hudson, Maine Rivers’ Executive Director, who said the next few weeks will be the best time to come and watch the alewife runs. The fishways at the Box Mill and Ladd dams were specifically designed for visitors to observe the migratory fish passage. Box Mill Dam, in particular, is a popular spot with a small park for local residents to visit and enjoy the ambiance.

Nate Gray told me they have counted around 500,000 fish that have passed up the fishway at the head of Outlet Stream so far this season. He expects China Lake will support a population of about one million alewives each year.

“I’m just here to cut a ribbon,” said Governor Mills, closing out the ceremony. “I know these fish have been waiting 200 years to get up to China Lake and we’re not going to delay them any further. A million alewives: welcome home!”

[See also: After 200 years, alewives set to return to China Lake]

China planners take solar field trip: pleased with results

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

CHINA, ME — Three China Planning Board members took a field trip to Three Level Farm community solar farm on Route 32 (Vassalboro Road) before their May 24 meeting, and were pleased with what they saw.

The visit was part of board members’ preparation to write a solar ordinance to submit to China voters in November. The solar farm was approved several years ago, under the current land use ordinance; provisions intended for buildings were adapted to regulate solar panels.

“This one sets the standard,” board member Walter Bennett said of Three Level Farm. He and others agreed a new solar-specific ordinance should include as requirements many of the things done at the South China site.

Specifically, they liked:

  • The limited impact on the natural environment. Only a few trees were cut; an existing wetland and drainage into it seem not to have been affected; minimal changes were made to the terrain.
  • The fact that the solar panels are almost invisible from the road. Board members pointed out that not all sites would be naturally screened, suggesting the need for a screening requirement.
  • The footings for the panels, three-inch diameter augurs that should be easy to remove when the solar farm is decommissioned.
  • The elevated panels – Codes Officer Jaime Hanson estimated the lower edges are about four feet from the ground and the top edges 10 feet – and the generous spacing, allowing a luxuriant growth of grass and clover.

With the minimal disruption to the site, it should return to its natural state soon after the facility is decommissioned, Bennett said.

Natale Tripodi said he had had reservation about solar farms, but after the visit is more enthusiastic.

The only concern discussed was how to allow wildlife into a fenced-off solar farm without also letting people in. Fencing and signage are essential, board members agreed, both to inform people that the area is private property and to avoid possible injury to trespassers.

The May 24 agenda called for discussion of the draft solar ordinance and proposed amendments to the Land Use Ordinance, the latter mostly to incorporate changes required by the state Department of Environmental Protection. With only three members present, acting board chairman James Wilkens postponed both topics.

Hanson said state officials are reviewing currently protected areas along lakes, streams and wetlands. Residents who question whether their property near any protected area is correctly zoned are invited to contact him; he will request a state review.

Wilkens thanked Hanson and Planning Board Secretary Dawn Kilgore for their work. He told Kilgore her diligence is appreciated (board members almost never suggest even a minor change in her detailed meeting minutes). And he told Hanson that he appears to have gained residents’ respect and to be managing codes enforcement smoothly.

Two days after the meeting, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood reported that Hanson is resigning to accept a position with Kennebec County. China is advertising for a new codes officer.

Because the next regular planning board meeting would have fallen on Election Day, June 14, members agreed they will skip it and meet Tuesday evening, June 28, unless a special meeting is needed earlier.

VASSALBORO: Two reserve accounts have lost money in market

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

VASSALBORO, ME — Vassalboro select board members discussed two main topics at a short May 26 meeting: plans to offer amendments to warrant articles at the June 6 town meeting, and two proposals from resident Amy Davidoff.

Town Manager Mary Sabins explained that because of the national economic downturn, two of Vassalboro’s reserve accounts have lost money. The town meeting warrant asks voters to appropriate a specified sum from each, and that sum might not be there on June 6 or later when the money is needed.

The first problem is with Art. 4, which lists anticipated revenue from sources other than taxation that would help fund the 2022-23 budget. Of the total of more than $2 million, the article proposes using $71,991 from the fire truck reserve, to make a lease payment due in July, and $200,000 from surplus (the town’s unassigned fund balance).

Sabins said the fire truck reserve fund has $70,954.90 in it. On the recommendation of the town’s investment advisor, it has been moved from investment to savings so it won’t lose any more.

The manager recommended taking another $1,036.10 from surplus (for a total of $201,036.10) to make up the difference. Select board members agreed, and plan to offer an amendment to Art. 4 at the meeting.

The other article that will likely need amending, for a similar reason, is Art. 11, which calls for $125,000 from the plow truck reserve to help buy a new plow truck. Again, select board members approved Sabins’ recommended amendment, which would add a note authorizing use of surplus funds if needed (see also the article on the Vassalboro town meeting in this issue of The Town Line).

Davidoff’s first request concerned broadband service. She wants Vassalboro officials to join representatives of other Kennebec County towns in asking county commissioners to “facilitate” a county-wide assessment of broadband needs. Determining how many residents are underserved or completely unserved on a county-wide basis, instead of town by town, might make it easier to take advantage of federal funds for expanded service, she said.

Davidoff assured the board signing a letter of request would not create any financial obligation for the town. Select board members voted unanimously to approve Vassalboro’s endorsing the request.

Davidoff’s second proposal was that select board members approve creation of a Solid Waste Sustainability Committee whose members would offer them advice on solid waste issues. This committee, too, she presented as something that might increase Vassalboro’s eligibility for federal solid waste management funds, by providing information and looking into grants and application requirements.

Transfer Station Manager George Hamar has been involved in discussion of the proposed committee, Davidoff said. Select board members postponed a decision until they, too, talk with Hamar.

In other business May 26, select board members, by unanimous decisions:

  • Approved a marijuana business permit for Hayden Poupis, at 63 Old Meadow Road, as recommended by codes officer Ryan Page.
  • Adopted the updated Kennebec County Hazard Mitigation Plan (as their compeers in China did on May 23; see The Town Line, May 26, p. 2). Theodore Marshall, of the Kennebec County Emergency Management Agency, told board members the only listed hazard in Vassalboro is an area on Cook Hill Road with a potential for wash-outs.
  • Set their summer meeting schedule, subject to amendment if needed, as follows: regular meetings Thursday evenings June 9, June 23, July 14 and Aug. 11. They further agreed to skip a meeting that would have fallen on Sept. 1, leaving their September meetings on the 15 and the 29.

Vassalboro residents prepare for June 6 town meeting

/0 Comments/in , /by
by Mary Grow

VASSALBORO, ME — Vassalboro voters who assemble in person at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 6, at Vassalboro Community School will decide on the 2022-23 town budget and numerous other issues, including whether to establish a new fund, whether to let select board members buy a new town truck and whether to amend the town’s Marijuana Business Ordinance.

The part of the annual town meeting warrant to be decided June 6 consists of 39 articles. The final 15 of the 39 are the proposed 2022-23 school budget.

The meeting will continue by written ballot on June 14, with polls open at the town office from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Town issues to be decided June 14 are local elections and ratification or rejection of the school budget approved at the open meeting.

State primary elections are also on June 14.

The first action June 6 is election of a moderator to run the meeting. Town Manager Mary Sabins said veteran moderator Richard Thompson has agreed to serve, if he is elected.

The second article asks voters to elect five budget committee members for two-year terms. Current members whose terms end this year are Richard Bradstreet, Rick Denico, Jr., Douglas Phillips, Michael Poulin and Frank Richards.

Most proposed municipal expenditures are in Art. 5, with a total of $2,582,004 for 14 accounts. The three largest are $593,925 for public works; $577,835 for administration; and $558,290 for road paving.

Select board and budget committee members both recommend these expenditures. In spring meetings, the two groups discussed how much road paving Vassalboro can afford at current prices and how generous salary increases for town employees should be.

Select board members are considering adopting a salary scale for town employees, based on information collected by consultant Laurie Bouchard, of Jefferson. They postponed a decision until after voter action on the budget and election of a new board member.

The library budget got more attention than usual at select board and budget committee meetings. Library supporters ask for $60,500 next year, up from $35,000 in the current year, to continue the town’s contribution to salaries and to provide more community programs.

Three more expenditure requests are in Art. 6: $156,000 to add to the capital improvement reserve, $106,000 for roadside mowing equipment and $20,000 for streamside park development. Officials discussed the latter two repeatedly.

The “roadside mowing equipment” started as Road Foreman Gene Field’s request for a specific piece of equipment and was rewritten to cover more options; at that, budget committee members endorsed it by a one-vote margin, five in favor and four opposed. Alternatives discussed by select board and budget committee members included leasing equipment, a method Field said would be more expensive.

The streamside park is proposed for the town-acquired lot between Route 32 and Outlet Stream, a short distance north of East Vassalboro. Eventual plans include a parking area, picnic tables and probably a pavilion or other shelter, enough to open the land for nature-watching, picnicking and fishing.

Art. 7 asks if voters want to establish a “Property Cleanup Fund,” using $25,000 in tax money plus a $40,000 grant from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. The cleanup fund would be used for two purposes: removal of “vacant, dangerous or abandoned” buildings, after appropriate legal procedures; and removal of “junk, waste, unregistered vehicles or similar offending materials” from an unlicensed junkyard or a property deemed to violate “public health or nuisance laws,” again with appropriate legal safeguards.

The immediate target is the former church on Priest Hill Road, in North Vassalboro, which has been declared a dangerous building. State law says the property-owner is to pay for demolition, but Chad Caron has told select board members he does not expect to be able to reimburse the town.

The request to buy a new town truck is in Art. 11. Select board members ask authorization to spend not more than $288,000 for a “new truck, plow and sander,” and to sell or trade the town’s 2009 Volvo truck. They expected to use $125,000 from the truck reserve fund and $108,000 carried forward from the current fiscal year, and are asking for a 2022-23 appropriation from taxes of $55,000.

Field would prefer to keep the old truck as a spare, in case two newer trucks break down simultaneously, as happened this past winter.

At the May 26 select board meeting, Sabins said the truck reserve fund is currently below $125,000, due to the national economy. Board members agreed that if the fund is not adequate by June 6, they will offer an amendment to the article that, if accepted, would allow use of surplus money (from the town’s unallocated fund balance) to make up the difference.

The proposed amendment would leave the total to be spent on the truck at $288,000. It would only change the source of the money, if a change were needed (see also the article on the Vassalboro select board meeting in this issue of The Town Line).

The proposed amendments to the Marijuana Business Ordinance, in Arts. 12 and 13, clarify licensing requirements and amend the definition of a cultivation facility.

Articles that will be familiar to regular voters deal with tax due dates (four are proposed, as usual); harvesting alewives; the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program; and a request for a $15,000 contingency fund select board members can use for emergencies and unanticipated expenses.

The total school budget request for 2022-23 is $8,722,176.29. Two parts of the total come from town taxpayers: $2,410,095 as the required matching money for the state’s Essential Programs and Services grant, plus $1,313,915 in additional local funds. A note in the warrant says the school board recommends the additional town money to contribute to costs for “special education, salaries and benefits, and tuition.”

The budget recommended by the select board and the budget committee is expected to cause no change in the local property tax rate. The 2021-22 rate of 14.48 mils ($14.48 for each $1,000 of valuation) should remain in 2022-23, barring major economic changes.

In June 14 local and state elections, there are no contests on any ballot, although there is a line for a write-in candidate for each office.

On the town ballot, Frederick L. Denico II is unopposed for a three-year term on the select board, succeeding Robert Browne, who is not running for re-election. Frederick L. Denico II is the same man as budget committee member Rick Denico, Jr., in Art. 2.

For two three-year terms on the school board, Jessica Clark is unopposed for re-election and Amy M. French is unopposed for the vacant seat left by Kevin Levasseur’s retirement.

Party primary ballots list, for local Democratic candidates, Storme Jude St. Valle, of Augusta, for District #15 state senator and Amy J. Davidoff, of Vassalboro, for District #61 state representative. For Republicans, District #15 State Senator Matthew Gary Pouliot, of Augusta, and District #61 State Representative Richard Bradstreet, of Vassalboro, are unopposed for re-election.

The municipal ballot asking if voters want to endorse the school budget includes a second question, identified as a non-binding straw poll intended to offer guidance to select board members. It asks if voters want town officials to write a solar ordinance “that would regulate where and how many solar arrays could be constructed in town, and also provide rules about decommissioning the arrays after their useful life.”

The final version of such an ordinance would become effective only with voter approval.

The annual Vassalboro town report for the year ending June 30, 2021, is now available. Printed copies are at the town office; the report is also on line.

On-line access to the town report, the town meeting warrant and all the separate ballots and Sabins’ budget summary is found in the center column on the website, Vassalboro.net, under the heading TOWN MEETING INFO.

Bradstreet announces re-election bid

/0 Comments/in , /by

Rep. Dick Bradstreet

Representative Dick Bradstreet is announcing that he is seeking re-election to the Maine House of Representatives. He has served three terms representing the people of House District #80, which includes the towns of Windsor, Somerville, the Unorganized Township of Hibberts Gore, part of Augusta and his home town of Vassalboro. Due to re-districting, the seat he is seeking is now District #61, which will include Vassalboro and most of Sidney.

Representative Bradstreet has previously served on the Judiciary Committee and for the past two terms has served as the Republican lead on the Labor & Housing Committee. He lives in Vassalboro with his wife JoAnne. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren, all of whom currently reside in Maine. Representative Bradstreet also serves on the Town of Vassalboro Budget Committee.