Windsor select board approves assessor’s municipal tax assessment warrant

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by The Town Line staff

At their August 16 meeting, at the suggestion of Windsor’s Assessor’s Agent, Vern Ziegler, the select board unanimously voted on the Assessor’s Certification of Assessment, 2022-2023 Municipal Tax Assessment Warrant, certificate of commitment and certificate of assessment to be returned to the municipal treasurer of the state of Maine.

There was also discussion on the draft utility scale solar energy facility ordinance which was continued to the next meeting to give the select board more time to read the draft.

The select board also voted unanimously to authorize Town Manager Theresa Haskell and board chairman Ray Bates to sign the general obligation bond for the town to finance the purchase of a new E-One/Freightliner Tanker Truck as approved at the annual town meeting. The amount is not to exceed $300,000 and would be payable on August 17 of each year of the next six years. The bond was awarded to Kennebec Savings Bank at an interest rate of 3.89 percent. The bond qualifies as being tax exempt.

In other business:

  • The board gave approval for the town manageer to move $10,000 from the cemetery fund interest account to the cemetery fund interest account CD. This was done because the CD maturity date is September 5, 2022.
  • The board also authorized Haskell to move $978.93 from the administration line to the planning/codes enforcement line that was overspent because of additional plumbing permits that were issued but not budgeted enough. This will not change the bottomline total expenditure spent which was approved at town meeting by the voters.
  • Resident Moira Teekema distributed a photo of what the new food pantry sign, which she designed and donated, will look like.

Select board member Ronald Brann mentioned that the Lincoln County News had an article on a solar ordinance from the town of Whitefield posted if the select board wanted to read it and compare to the draft utility scale solar energy facility ordinance, in Windsor. There was some discussion of what happens when taxes are not paid. Who is responsible – landowner or solar company. Brann suggested the town obtain a copy of the lease agreement, and maybe ask the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) about their thoughts on the subject.

The next meeting of the select board was scheduled for August 30.

Webber Pond one of six Maine lakes at high risk for toxic algae bloom

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Blue-green toxic algae bloom.

No lakes or ponds have been put on advisory just yet

by Roland D. Hallee

Following the news that a couple of dogs in southern Maine had to be euthanized following their exposure to a blue-green toxic algae bloom, this news was released by Lakes in Maine.

According to them, six lakes in Maine are at high risk for a blue-green toxic algae bloom. In our immediate area, Webber Pond, in Vassalboro, in on the short list of six lakes.

While the algae has been spotted in Maine lakes in the past, this year no lakes or ponds have been put on advisory just yet. However, officials have rated the waterways in the state based on their likelihood of having it before the summer’s end.

Many lakes in Maine see algae blooms every year and officials are closely watching to make sure residents are aware of any blooms that become toxic.

The toxic blue-green algae is actually called Cyanobacteria and it thrives in warm water. This warmer water is not unusual here in the summer, which is why reports of it typically happen in the warmer months. Learn to recognize what this bacteria looks like when you’re checking for toxic algae.

Many lakes and rivers have seemingly foreign objects and foam floating in them. Most of these things are harmless. But the algae that can cause illness is known by its blue-green color. You’ll want to avoid it wherever you can. Children and pets are especially susceptible.

Those topping the list are, in alphabetical order: 1. Annabessacook Lake, in Monmouth, 2. Cross Lake, in Aroostook County, 3. Georges Pond, in Franklin, 4. Sebasticook Lake, in Newport, 5. Trafton Lake, in Limestone and 6. Webber Pond, in Vassalboro. There are plenty of great lakes in the state that are safe for swimming, or just hiking, camping, or enjoying views. Check out more about lakes in Maine that you can feel free to enjoy.

Coming into contact with the toxic algae can cause rashes, skin irritations, and even some gastrointestinal illnesses. You’ll see these symptoms even more severely in children and pets.

Officials urge folks to be mindful of any standing bodies of water. Always do a check for discolored water or “froth” that has a bluish color to it before you swim or come into contact with water. If contact is made, be sure to wash it off with clear and fresh water as soon as possible. You might be worried if you run into toxic algae in Maine, but there won’t be any long-term problems to worry about if you wash it all off right away.

Remember that fish can also be affected. If you fish in any water that might be affected by the blue-green algae, be sure to clean the it well before cooking at a high temperature.

To keep track of the Maine lakes at highest risk of cyanobacteria advisories, check out the official state website.

If you’ve been affected by any of the algae blooms this summer, they would like to hear your experience. Contact them at https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/maine/toxic-blue-green-algae-me/.

China budget committee urges approval on 6 ballot questions

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by Mary Grow

China Budget Committee members have recommended voters at the town’s Nov. 8 town meeting approve all six proposed expenditures from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants.

All votes but one were unanimous. Select board members have unanimously recommended approval of the expenditures (see The Town Line, Aug. 25, p. 2).

The split vote was on the article requesting $70,000 to expand broadband service to unserved and underserved areas of China. After a brief question and answer session, committee chairman Thomas Rumpf, secretary Trishea Story and members Kevin Maroon, Timothy Basham and Elizabeth Curtis voted to recommend voters approve the expenditure; Michael Sullivan dissented.

The other proposed ARPA expenditures presented to voters, with unanimous affirmative recommendations from both town boards, are:

  • Up to $21,590 to reimburse China Rescue Unit’s reserve fund for the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) the unit bought. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said the machine was used frequently for diagnoses during the Covid epidemic, justifying use of ARPA money.
  • Up to $7,000 for improvements to the radio tower at the town office.
  • Up to $22,000 to buy three heat pumps, for the town office, the transfer station office and the scale shack at the transfer station. Hapgood assured committee members the pumps are eligible for Efficiency Maine rebates; she does not know how long it will take to get bids, choose a vender and have the pumps installed.
  • Up to $75,000 for the new 2022-23 fuel assistance program for senior residents.
  • Up to $30,000 to replace or repair fences around China cemeteries.

At the select board meeting following the budget committee meeting, select board members unanimously approved rules for the fuel assistance program. After the previous discussion Aug. 22, Hapgood had checked the 2020 census records; she estimated that 136 households would have been eligible that year.

Select board members left the maximum household grant at $500. They approved maximum income limits – $30,000 for a one-person household, twice that for two people – and a residency requirement. The application process will be as simple as possible; the $500 will be sent to the fuel company, not to the householder.

If voters approve the proposal on Nov. 8, application information will be publicized.

Budget committee members do not plan to schedule another meeting until January 2023, when town officials begin work on the 2023-24 municipal budget.

CHINA: Computer problems stall setting tax rate

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by Mary Grow

China select board members were again lacking the information they need to set the 2022-23 tax rate at their Aug. 29 meeting; the town’s assessment process has been plagued by computer problems. They will schedule a special meeting as soon as possible, they hope on or before Tuesday, Sept. 6.

After the rate is set, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said, town office staff need between one and two weeks to get each property-owner’s bill(s) calculated, printed and mailed. By town meeting vote, the first half payment of local taxes is due at the town office by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30.

Board members’ Aug. 29 decisions included final action on the local ballot questions for Nov. 8 and on regulations for the new senior residents’ fuel assistance program (see the related story on the Aug. 29 China Budget Committee meeting in this issue of The Town Line).

They discussed ongoing topics: the future of the closed waste recycling plant in Hampden and the proposed local ordinance to govern commercial solar development in town.

The Nov. 8 ballot will include one question in addition to those approved at the board’s Aug. 22 meeting (reported in the Aug. 25 issue of The Town Line). Board members voted 3-2, with Chairman Ronald Breton, Jeanne Marquis and Janet Preston in the majority and Blane Casey and Wayne Chadwick opposed, to ask voters to approve amendments to chapters 2 and 11 of the China Land Use Ordinance, as requested by the planning board.

The proposed changes are on the town website, china.govoffice.com. Most are required by the state as a condition of approval for the local ordinance.

The proposed new ordinance to govern commercial solar development will not be presented to voters this year. Planning board members have worked on the ordinance for months, using a model select board members said was provided by an environmental group.

Now, Hapgood said, board chairman Scott Rollins, having reviewed town attorney Amanda Meader’s comments and suggestions on the latest version, proposes Meader prepare a new draft. Hapgood pointed out that planning board members are not lawyers; given the current complexity of regulations, she said perhaps the attorney should draft a solar ordinance and propose other new ordinances or revisions.

Breton objected that asking Meader to do so much would overspend the legal budget. Yes, Hapgood said; but the board could ask voters to approve a larger 2023-24 budget to cover future work.

So why have a planning board, if members don’t prepare ordinances? asked Casey.

China’s Planning Board Ordinance, last updated in 2008, lists board responsibilities as preparing ordinances, preparing the comprehensive plan (the most recent update was drafted by a separate committee) and reviewing applications forwarded by the codes officer and other town officials to make sure projects conform to local land use and building ordinances.

Another suggestion, from Chadwick, was to add solar-specific provisions to existing ordinances, instead of writing a separate solar ordinance.

Discussion ended with Breton asking Hapgood to consult with Meader about the best way to proceed.

For discussion of the Hampden waste facility, now owned by the Municipal Review Committee (MRC) representing China and 114 other Maine municipalities, MRC Executive Director Michael Carroll joined the select board virtually.

Carroll explained that at this point, the MRC is negotiating a contract with Revere Capital Advisors to operate the plant as originally intended, to accept and recycle waste from member towns. As a fall-back if negotiations fail, the MRC is seeking money, including from member municipalities, to run the plant itself, he said.

In either case, Carroll said, he expects MRC will avoid errors made by past management. For example, he agreed with Breton that delay in getting state permits was a handicap to the earlier venture, and said he has worked with state agencies and permitting is up to date.

The Fiberight process established previously worked well for the seven months the facility operated, Carroll said. The operation closed primarily because it was already underfinanced and Covid was “the final straw.”

Carroll expects a decision on funding within two months. He said the facility might begin operating on a small scale, as a demonstration, in six months or so.

In other business, Hapgood asked approval to pay the Westbrook-based company St. Germain $2,300 from the public works road reserve fund to prepare an application for state grant funds to help replace an Ingraham Road culvert.

St. Germain describes its business on line as environmental assessment and remediation and civil engineering and permitting. Hapgood said the reserve fund’s current balance is a little over $20,000.

The company did a similar application last year, the manager said; China received no grant, and St. Germain received no payment. This year, Hapgood said, grant criteria have been amended and she thinks China has a better chance.

Select board members approved her request on a 4-0-1 vote, with Casey abstaining.

A brief discussion of an unrepaid loan granted under the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program led to a discussion of canceling the program. So far, only one businessman, the defaulter, has applied for a loan. The question was referred to the Tax Increment Financing Committee.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Sept. 12.

China TIF committee hears reports from fund recipients

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by Mary Grow

At their Aug. 24 meeting, China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee members heard reports from representatives of programs that have received TIF funds. The China Broadband Committee’s project has a 10-year, $30,000 a year allocation, approved by voters. The Thurston Park Committee, the China Region Lakes Alliance (CRLA) (and the China Lake Association [CLA], not represented Aug. 24) and the China Four Seasons Club apply annually.

Committee members also discussed briefly the proposed boundary survey of the nearly-unused town-owned boat launch in South China. Committee member Jamie Pitney said $15,000 was approved for the survey, recommended by Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood.

Once town officials know how much land they have, they can decide how to use it. Pitney said South China Volunteer Fire Department members want continued access to the lake. Public possibilities include restoring a small area for boat trailers (to take pressure off the often-crowded north end landing, TIF committee member Michael “Mickey” Wing said) or allowing only hand-carried canoes and kayaks.

Thurston Park Committee Chairman Jeanette Smith said the park is getting increasingly favorable reviews on on-line sites like AllTrails as roads are improved and maintained and especially since the installation of two solar-powered dehydrating outhouses that, she said, “do not smell.” Trails are suitable for bicyclists and horseback riders as well as hikers; they are open for winter use.

There is vehicle access to the pond on Yorktown Brook in the northwest, and this summer one of three Eagle Scout projects planned a picnic area near the canoe and kayak launch. The other Eagle projects were an improved Monument Trail to the stone marking the intersection of the Albion, China and Palermo town lines and a winter parking area by the entrance road from the north, Smith said.

The next project, already started, is a storage building for equipment and supplies.

CRLA Executive Director Scott Pierz summarized major ongoing programs.

  • The Courtesy Boat Inspection Program, partly funded by Kennebec Water District, is aimed at keeping invasive plants out of China Lake.
  • The state-wide LakeSmart program helps shorefront property-owners plan erosion control measures, like buffers, retaining walls and infiltration areas. Pierz said Fieldstone Gardens, in Vassalboro, has been helpful in recommending appropriate shoreline plants.
  • Members of the Youth Conservation Corps, ably led in summer 2022 by Jack Blais, work with shorefront landowners to install erosion control features.
  • The Gravel Road Rehabilitation Program works with individuals and groups responsible for fire roads to minimize road run-off into water bodies. Pierz said CRLA recently sent out nine requests for bids for work on Fire Road 37; two companies replied, and Pine Tree Waste’s bid of $19,160 was accepted, being more than $15,000 lower than the other bid. Pierz expects work to start in September.

Pierz plans to ask for more TIF money for 2023, and said CLA president Stephen Greene will probably apply on behalf of that organization. He reminded committee members that the updated watershed management plan recommends an expensive alum treatment to seal off phosphorus-rich bottom sediment in the north end of China Lake’s east basin

TIF Committee member James “JJ” Wentworth reported briefly on the Four Seasons Club’s 2022 trail work, mostly toward the southeastern part of town.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) Chairman Robert O’Connor explained the current proposal to work with UniTel, of Unity, Maine, and its owner, Direct Communications, of Idaho, (see the Aug. 25 issue of The Town Line, pages 2 and 3) to expand and improve internet access in China.

The plan, O’Connor said, is to fund a project estimated to cost close to $1.2 million without raising tax bills. The TIF will contribute $300,000 over 10 years; if voters approve on Nov. 8, China’s American Rescue Plan Act funds will add $70,000, for about 31 percent of the total; UniTel and Direct will contribute a matching amount, another 31 percent; and a state grant from the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) would cover the remaining about 38 percent.

MCA grants are available to extend service to unserved and underserved areas, where people have no or inadequate broadband access. O’Connor showed TIF committee members an updated map of the proposed backbone, new fiber lines that would deliver broadband first to grant-eligible areas and in later project phases to all interested residents.

“Here’s my big thing,” Wentworth said. “Tell me if I’m wrong.”

He said when he chose to live off a main road, he paid for electricity to be extended to his house. Why, he asked, should residents who chose to live at the end of camp roads or otherwise distant from main lines be given broadband access without charge?

What if you inherited an unserved house? Wing asked. Wentworth, envisioning it as lakefront property, said he’d sell it and “make a ton of money.” But, Trishea Story said, lack of internet access would reduce its value.

Committee chairman Brent Chesley added that town-wide internet service is intended partly to benefit current residents and more to attract new residents and especially new businesses, as envisioned in the TIF program.

Pitney said that modern fiber technology has capabilities current copper-wire technology lacks. UniTel will become a competitor to existing services, probably to the benefit of all customers. O’Connor added that fiber allows broadband to function when electrical power is interrupted, except when the tree that took down the power line also snapped the fiber cable.

Meanwhile, Wentworth said, UniTel will make a profit off new customers. Businesses should make profits, Wing retorted.

At the Aug. 22 select board meeting, no one knew when MCA grant applications would open. In an Aug. 25 email, O’Connor said first-round grants will be accepted beginning Sept. 10, with the deadline Nov. 9. CBC members will work with UniTel personnel and CBC consultants Mission Broadband to prepare an application.

TIF Committee members scheduled their next meeting for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Why China decided to create TIF

At the Aug. 24 Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Committee meeting, committee member Jamie Pitney reminded the group why China decided to put tax revenue from Central Maine Power Company’s major transmission line through town and its South China substation into a TIF. Otherwise, he said, the revenue would have gone into the tax base, making China richer compared to its neighbors and thereby increasing its county tax and decreasing its share of state funding under various programs.

State law allows, but does not require, municipal TIFs. If the town does not spend its TIF money, eventually state officials will require it be un-TIFed and added to the tax base, Pitney said. In recent years not all the income has been allocated, and not everything allocated has been spent.

Efficiency Maine announces funding to expand electric vehicle charging

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A new initiative from Efficiency Maine will further expand the coverage of the state’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure by supporting installation of public EV chargers in rural communities. This is the first of a series of planned EV charging infrastructure incentives from Efficiency Maine using $8 million allocated by Governor Mills’ Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan.

Level 2 EV chargers add 20 to 40 miles of range per hour, and are suitable for hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and public parking lots where the vehicle can recharge for an hour or longer. Eligible projects under the funding opportunity being announced by Efficiency Maine can receive 80 percent of installation costs, up to a maximum of $5,000 per Level 2 plug for networked chargers or a maximum of $2,000 for non-networked chargers.

Thanks to the generosity of The Nature Conservancy, projects at local government-owned properties and public libraries in rural areas will be eligible for a bonus incentive of $2,000 per networked plug, with the total combined incentives covering up to 90 percent of the total project cost.

To be eligible for funding, proposed projects must be in a publicly accessible location in a rural community as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Projects in York and Cumberland counties, and the cities of Lewiston, Auburn and Bangor, are ineligible for this round, but future funding opportunities from Efficiency Maine are intended for areas not covered by this opportunity. To learn more about this funding opportunity, please visit the Efficiency Maine website. The deadline to apply is November 15, 2022.

Vassalboro select board calls special meeting

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members have scheduled a special meeting at 5:15 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the town office. The meeting will be in executive session, meaning the public is excluded, as allowed by state law for specified topics.

Vassalboro school board hears upbeat reports

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members heard a series of upbeat reports and appointed an unusual number of new staff members at their Aug. 16 meeting, the last one before classes at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) start again Sept. 1.

Both new Principal Ira Michaud, in his written report, and Director of Maintenance and Grounds Shelley Phillips, in her oral report, had high praise for the crew who worked on the building and grounds over the summer: head custodian Paul Gilbert and staff Jim Boucher, Ashley Smith and her mother, Bev Smith, Valerie Parent and Theresa Watkins. Michaud called the group “absolutely top-notch” and commended their “amazing hard work.” Projects included a major office renovation, reorganizing classroom spaces, the most wall-repainting ever done in a single summer, cleaning and helping teachers move from one room to another.

Phillips added a commendation to Greg Vigue, a contractor she has known for years and lined up over the winter in anticipation of the office rearrangement.

Part of that project was adding air conditioning for the benefit of administrators who worked at the school all summer. “It was a wonderful surprise,” Michaud said.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer added two more benefits: the cool air is good for the computers and electronics, and when the door is left open, it spreads into the maintenance crew’s break room. And, Phillips added, the work qualified for an Efficiency Maine rebate, as did some of the new exterior lighting (which she suggested residents drive by the school in the dark to admire).

She and Pfeiffer also recommend daylight drive-bys to admire the grounds. Phillips credited Darrell Gagnon for excellent maintenance work.

Phillips had two more pieces of good news for school board members. Two fixtures that had been blamed for lead in school water were replaced and the new ones tested fine; and, after weeks of suspense, the PFAS test results for the VCS water supply came back and the water “passed with flying colors.”

Pfeiffer added a thank-you to former select board member John Melrose, who led the project that connected the school and municipal buildings with a solar energy installation. The change saved a little more than $16,000 on the electric bill between January and July 2022, Pfeiffer said.

He also thanked Don and Lisa Breton for organizing the annual school supplies drive. Donations of money and supplies – the list on a website named “Vassalboro Community Events” ranges from pencils, crayons, notebooks and construction paper to clothing, backpacks and calculators – may be delivered to the North Vassalboro fire station Saturday, Aug. 27, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Pfeiffer called the past summer a period of “unprecedented professional mobility” not just in Vassalboro, but state-wide and nation-wide. School board members approved more than a dozen new staff members; there were still at least three vacancies as of Aug. 16.

Orientation for new staff is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 29, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with the annual introduction to the town, a bus tour led by North Vassalboro resident Lauchlin Titus. Tuesday, Aug. 30, and Wednesday, Aug. 31 are listed on the school calendar as staff in-service days. Pfeiffer said members of the Kennebec Retired Educators Association will provide refreshments and assistance.

Classes will be held Friday, Sept. 1, and resume Tuesday, Sept. 6, after the Labor Day Monday holiday.

The next school board meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 20, at VCS, will start at 5:30 p.m. with a discussion of the school’s strategic plan, with the formal agenda to begin at 6 p.m.

Webber Pond Association (WPA) members approve revised bylaws

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Jason Seiders, a marine biologist with the state explains the cause of the early summer fish kill on Webber Pond. (photo courtesy of Scott Pierz)

by Roland D. Hallee

By a split vote, members in attendance at the Webber Pond Association annual meeting passed the new, revised bylaws, as was recommended by the board of directors.

Highlights of the revised bylaws include the establishment of proxy voting, the forming of a water quality and water level management committee, adjustment in membership requirements, disqualification and termination criteria for directors and officers, and an indemnification clause.

The subject of proxy voting received the most discussion and was the most controversial item in the revised bylaws. The article would allow a member in good standing to present no more than two proxy votes for members in good standing who are unable to attend the annual meeting for various reasons. The person unable to attend the meeting would have to submit a form delegating their vote to someone else.

The dues structure was altered from the old practice of a $25 membership allowed two members of a household to cast votes at the annual meeting. That was adjusted to individual memberships of $25 per person, eliminating the two-for-one practice.

The revised bylaws created a water quality and water level management committee that would oversee the dam and determine when a mini-flush and the annual drawdown would take place.

This committee would determine if, and when, a mini flush was necessary, and set the date for the annual drawdown. All decisions would be made according to the most recent scientific data regarding the water quality with Secchi disk readings, phosphorus levels as determined by the state with lab testing of phosphorus levels in the pond, the water level – taking into consideration the level of the water at the spillway – and projected weather conditions. This would eliminate the annual vote for the drawdown which was always a contentious subject. The annual drawdown would be set for the second Monday following Labor Day, taking in all the data as described above.

The Webber Pond Association annual membership meeting was well attended as they hear association president John Reuthe speak.

That would be followed by replacing the gates in the dam two weeks following the drawdown, or around the beginning of October. The winter level would be set in November, to allow the pond to refill before ice in.

The indemnification clause would not hold board members and officers liable for lawsuits in the case of accidents at the dam. The dam has seen some vandalism in recent years.

Officers re-elected were John Reuthe, president; Tiffany Luczko, vice president; Rebecca Lamey, secretary, and Ericka Bennett, treasurer. Board members re-elected were Charlie Backenstose, Roland Hallee, Jennifer Lacombe, Kevin Luzcko, Bob Nadeau and Susan Traylor. The term of officers was changed from one year to two years.

At the beginning of the meeting, WPA President John Reuthe introduced Jason Seiders, a marine biologist with the state of Maine, who spoke on the fish kill that occurred earlier this summer.

Seiders noted that it is not unusual to have such a fish kill among adult largemouth bass in lakes with similar conditions as Webber Pond. He cited that a similar kill occurred at Three Mile Pond before Webber’s.

He noted that largemouth bass are not native to northern New England, and that they are at the northern end of their range. Following the fish kill, dead fish were taken and examined. What was first believed to be a fungus, turns out to be a parasite to which the skin cells of the fish reacted.

He explained that those types of fish kills usually happen right after ice out, especially at the time of spawning, when adult largemouth bass are stressed and more susceptible to parasites. Although Webber Pond is described by the state as a “bass factory,” it could take four to five years for the fishery to recover.

Charlie Backenstose reported that the Secchi disk reading on July 22 showed the pond was having a severe algae bloom with a reading of 1.64 meters (5.4 feet). A severe algae bloom is described by the DEP when the visibility is below two meters. The July 29 reading was 1.38 meters and the August 11 reading was 1.48 meters (4.9 feet).

“These readings are significantly lower than we normally see at this time of the year,” he said. In fact, the 1.38 reading was the second lowest reading since collecting data began in 2005.

According to Susan Bacon, at the DEP, the May fish kill was a result of a parasite, and suspects it had very little to do with the algae, despite dead fish slowly adding to the nutrient load. Hot July weather more than likely had something to do with it, as the water temperature spiked, resulting in the internal recycling kicking in at a slightly different time than usual, promoting growth of a different species.

High winds were also a factor in the algae bloom. Wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour on two different days during the first two weeks of July contributed. Heavy wind kicks up phosphorus from shallow areas of the lake, providing more feed, and also adds oxygen to the lake, which allows the algae to live in deeper waters.

In other business, the membership passed, with two dissenting votes, to contribute $1,500 to the China Region Lakes Alliance.

Seven substantive questions to appear on Nov. 8 ballot in China

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by Mary Grow

At their Aug. 22 special meeting, China select board members approved seven substantive questions to be submitted to voters on Nov. 8. They postponed deciding whether to add an eighth question until their next regular meeting on Aug. 29.

The voting in November, on the state election day, is technically China’s annual town meeting, because local elections are held then. The annual spring meeting that includes approving the budget for the following year is labeled the town business meeting.

In addition to electing town officials (see box), unless select board members change their minds, voters on Nov. 8 will decide whether to approve:

  • Appropriating $70,000 from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds toward expansion of broadband internet service in town (see The Town Line, Aug. 11, p. 3).
  • Appropriating up to $21,590 in ARPA funds to reimburse China Rescue Unit’s reserve fund for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) rescue personnel bought.
  • Appropriating up to $7,000 in ARPA funds for improvements to the town’s radio tower at the town office, work that Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said will improve reception for China Rescue and the public works department.
  • Appropriating up to $22,000 to buy and install three heat pumps, one for the town office building and one each for the transfer station office and scale shack.
  • Appropriating up to $75,000 – board members might adjust the amount – for a new senior citizens’ fuel assistance program, under guidelines board members still need to approve (see The Town Line, Aug. 11, p. 2).
  • Appropriating up to $30,000 to repair fences around town cemeteries (see The Town Line, Aug. 18, p, 3).
  • Amendments to China’s Quorum Ordinance.

The postponed question was whether to put on the ballot the planning board’s requested amendments to Chapters 2 and 11 of China’s Land Use Ordinance. Board member Wayne Chadwick asked for the delay because he was not sure what the proposed amendments say.

The amendments are posted on the town website, china.govoffice.org., and copies are available at the town office.

Select board members voted unanimously to recommend that voters approve six of the seven questions. The vote to put the amendments to the Quorum Ordinance on the Nov. 8 ballot was 3-2, with Blane Casey and Chairman Ronald Breton opposed and Chadwick, Jeanne Marquis and Janet Preston in favor.

The ordinance now sets the quorum for an open meeting (the pre-Covid type where residents gathered to vote by show of hands) at four percent of the registered voters as of the beginning of each year. Hapgood proposed amending it to make the requirement 100 registered voters.

The manager explained that under a new state law that automatically registers as a voter everyone who gets or renews a state driver’s license, China is gaining new voters every week – whether or not they intend to vote – and therefore the quorum requirement is increasing.

Hapgood is not happy with the thought that 100 residents can set policy for the town, and neither are select board members; but she reminded them that in past years, when the quorum was between 100 and 120 voters, meetings were delayed and even canceled for lack of attendees.

There is no plan to return to open meetings, Hapgood emphasized. She recommended the change because a written-ballot meeting requires, by state law, 90 days’ lead time, and there might be an emergency in which waiting almost three months for a voters’ decision would be harmful.

The senior citizens’ fuel fund was Chadwick’s idea. The purpose, he said, is to help seniors on fixed incomes adjust to dramatically increased fuel prices. At the board’s Aug. 1 meeting, Preston asked Hapgood to draft guidelines, which Chadwick said should be as simple as possible.

The preliminary version allocates $500 apiece next winter to applicants who are homeowners at least 65 years old and who have lived in town for at least a year, with an income cut-off (currently $30,000 for one person and $60,000 for a couple). LiHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) and HEAP recipients are not eligible.

Select board members propose approving final guidelines and perhaps amending the warrant article on Aug. 29.

The China Broadband Committee request for $70,000 in ARPA funds was discussed at length on Aug. 22. Jayne Sullivan and Michael Akers from UniTel, in Unity, and Daniel Parrish, from Idaho-based Direct Communications, joined select board members virtually, and local committee members attended in person.

The fund request is part of an estimated $1.2 million project that will be funded about 31 percent from China’s ARPA grant and TIF (Tax Increment Financing) fund – not from property taxes, Breton emphasized; a matching 31 percent from Direct/Unitel; and about 38 percent from state grants through the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) program.

If funding works out and the project goes through, Unitel would own and manage the system, meaning, Breton said approvingly, no new responsibilities for China staff.

Parrish said although the MCA program schedule is not yet established, he expects a first round of grant applications to be offered this fall. Direct Communications will prepare the application.

Parrish called the Nov. 8 local vote the next step in the process. Sullivan told Marquis UniTel will help explain the expansion program and funding to China voters. If China is denied a state grant, Parrish said, the project is not necessarily dead; possibilities include a smaller expansion with a larger Direct Communications contribution.

In addition to decisions on the Nov. 8 ballot, select board members approved re-contracting with Purdy Powers and Company to do the town audit and spending $16,408.06 in ARPA money for a portable digital speed sign. Voters approved up to $20,000 for the sign at the June 14 town business meeting.

The board’s Aug. 29 meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room.

After the budget committee meeting, Hapgood said the budget committee will meet at 5:30 p.m., on Monday, August 29, to make recommendations on Nov, 8 proposed expenditures.

Declared candidates

As of Aug. 22, China Deputy Clerk Jennifer Chamberlain reported the following residents were circulating nomination papers for local elective office.

  • For three seats on the select board, incumbents Ronald Breton and Janet Preston, plus Brent Chesley and Brian Ouellette Jr. Blane Casey is the other board member whose term ends this year; he said at the Aug. 22 meeting he is considering whether to seek another term.
  • For the at-large position on the budget committee, incumbent Elizabeth Curtis. Also to be elected in 2022 are a secretary (Trishea Story is the incumbent) and representatives from District 2 (northeastern China, currently vacant) and District 4 (southwestern China; Timothy Basham is the incumbent).
  • For one of China’s two representatives on the Regional School Unit #18 board, incumbent Dawn Castner, Wallace Pooler III and Darrell Stevens.

No one had taken out papers for any of the three planning board seats open in 2022. Incumbents are Toni Wall in District 2, Scott Rollins in District 4 and James Wilkens in the at-large (elected from anywhere in town) position.

China’s local elections will be Tuesday, Nov. 8. For candidates’ names to be on the ballot, signed nomination papers must be returned to the town office by the new closing time, 4:30 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 9.