China rec committee talks about possible pickle ball court

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by Mary Grow

Pickleball, anyone?

Reacting to local requests, China Recreation Committee members discussed the possibility of adding a pickleball court to the town’s recreational facilities at their Feb. 23 meeting.

Pickleball requires a paved court. Committee Chairman Martha Wentworth’s first idea was to convert a corner of one of the two ballfields near the China schools that the committee oversees.

Raigan York protested that soccer uses every inch of the ballfields, and often school fields as well.

Wentworth then proposed the currently-wooded area along the north side of the school property. She intends to investigate further.

York said there are two sizes of pickleball court, 30-by-60-feet or 34-by-64-feet.

Addition of an outdoor basketball court was mentioned as another possibility.

In other business Feb. 23, committee members unanimously approved a so-far-informal request from officials of Central Church, on Route 3, to use a ballfield for an Easter egg drop the afternoon of Saturday, April 9.

Wentworth said she understands that several hundred Easter eggs will be scattered on the ground, with another 200 “special eggs,” some containing prizes, dropped from a helicopter. She intends to get more information.

Planning for the upcoming sports season, committee members talked about browntail moth control, field maintenance, portable toilets and making sure users clean up the snack shack.

Wentworth said the recreation committee could use one more member. Interested residents are invited to contact the town office.

Committee members postponed detailed discussion of their proposed 2022-23 budget to their next meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 23.

VASSALBORO: Special select board meeting acts on tax abatement requests

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members held a special Feb. 24 meeting, partly to act on a tax abatement request (approved after a discussion in executive session) and partly to consider again Road Commissioner Eugene Field’s request that the town buy a roadside mower.

Specifically, Field wants a mower that can be attached to the front-end loader the town already owns. An alternative would be a tractor-mower, but that would be a single-use piece of machinery, he said.

A new mower currently costs $106,000, Field said. A used one might be available for around $89,000.

Vassalboro’s past procedure has been to rent a roadside mower. Field said summer mowing is standard. There was no second mowing in the fall of 2021, and he thinks there should have been one – tall grass was blocking motorists’ sight-lines in some places, he said.

By consensus, select board members left in their draft budget $106,000 for a town-owned mower. The budget is for fiscal year 2022-23, from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. Since Field expects a July order will take weeks to fill, they added $8,800 to cover a fall 2022 mowing with rented equipment.

If voters don’t approve a mower in the 2022-23 budget, Field said he will need to repeat the request for the next year. By then, he said, he will also be asking voters to begin setting aside money for a new public works truck.

Select board members further debated whether they should recommend paying for the equipment from next year’s budget, or extending payment over two or three years (with interest added).

Discussion of the 2022-23 budget will continue at the select board’s Thursday, March 3, regular meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m., half an hour earlier than usual. It will be followed by the Vassalboro Budget Committee’s organizational meeting at 7 p.m.

Sabins said human resources consultant Laurie Bouchard, of LBouchard and Associates, who did an area salary survey and offered recommendations for Vassalboro town employees, will explain her work to budget committee members.

China planners decide to schedule two public hearings

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members decided at their Feb. 22 meeting that they need at least two public hearings. They scheduled one, on SunRaise Investments’ expanded solar project on Route 3 (see The Town Line, Feb. 3, p. 3), for their March 8 meeting, with a review of the application to follow.

One or perhaps two hearings on amendments to China’s Land Use Ordinance remain to be scheduled. Board member are dealing with two separate issues; they have drafted amendments to two chapters and wording for a proposed new chapter.

Land Use Ordinance amendments need approval from local voters and from state regulators. Municipalities may have stricter environmental regulations than the state’s, but they are not allowed to be less stringent.

The amendments to Chapter Two and Chapter Eleven were approved by China voters in 2019 and conditionally approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in May 2021. DEP staff listed changes they required for full approval. Planning board members presented revised versions to the select board in the summer of 2021, aiming for a November vote.

Select board members were not satisfied with the planning board’s format and took no action. Planners resubmitted their request at the end of January for the June 14 town business meeting.

Select board members accepted the revised version at their Feb. 14 meeting, but rescinded their vote Feb. 21. Reasons given were that not all the DEP changes were included, and planning board members had held no public hearing as they worked on the document in the spring of 2021.

Planning board members agreed on Feb. 22 that a hearing should be held. Veteran board member James Wilkens thought all DEP changes had been included, and wondered if an incomplete version had somehow reached the select board. He insisted that planning board members can re-review a document they already approved only after select board members send them specific recommended changes to consider.

The other proposed ordinance change is addition of a new Chapter Eight to the Land Use Ordinance, titled “Solar Energy Systems Ordinance.” Town Attorney Amanda Meader had sent comments on the draft; planners discussed them briefly, but took no action.

Documents related to proposed ordinance amendments are on the town website, china.govoffice.com, under the Planning Board (which is listed under Officials, Boards & Committees).

The March 8 planning board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room. The public hearing will be advertised ahead of the meeting.

China, Palermo agree on new transfer station fees

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by Mary Grow

China Select Board members held a brief meeting Feb. 28. With one member absent and another participating remotely, board Chairman Ronald Breton had postponed continued review of the proposed 2022-23 town budget.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood reported that she and Robert Kurek, who chairs the Palermo Select Board and is one of two Palermo representatives on China’s Transfer Station Committee, were in agreement on the new charge for Palermo trash bags.

Interpreting the factors that determine bag prices, as listed in the contract that lets Palermo residents use China’s transfer station, they decided the new price should be $2.70 per bag, effective April 1. The current price is $2.00.

Kurek intends to present the proposed price to the Palermo Select Board at a March 10 meeting, she said. China’s Transfer Station Committee, whose members have discussed the bag price at length, is scheduled to meet March 8.

Hapgood further proposes that the price be reviewed every January; that the six-month notice of a price change required by contract be amended to three months, so a January decision can be implemented in April; and that other contract changes and clarifications be considered.

Hapgood had added to her initial list of possible uses for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. She suggests replacing the town office generator, which she believes dates back to the ice storm of 1998 or thereabouts, and adding a second generator for the old town office.

And she suggested select board members consider closing the town office driveway onto Lakeview Drive (except in emergencies) and routing traffic via Alder Park Road. Fast-moving traffic on Lakeview Drive makes turning on and off the highway dangerous, she said.

Board member Janet Preston liked the idea, now that many voters are used to taking Alder Park Road during elections. Wayne Chadwick was not sure turning east onto Alder Park Road was any safer than turning east into the nearby office driveway. Board Chairman Ronald Breton said the sight distance west on Alder Park Road is short for drivers leaving the town office property.

Hapgood said public works department mechanic and plow truck driver Josh Crommett has resigned, effective the end of the week. She is advertising for a replacement, she said.

The next regular China Select Board meetings are scheduled for Monday evenings March 14 and March 28. A special meeting March 21 is likely as board members finish their budget recommendations and prepare the warrant for the June 14 town business meeting.

Local Town Meetings Schedule for 2022

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Town meetings 2022

ALBION

Elections Friday, March 18, 1 – 6 p.m.
Besse Building
Town meeting Sat., March 19, 10 a.m.
Albion Fire Dept.

CHINA

Town meeting to be held in ballot format again.
Tues., June 14, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Portable building 571 Lakeview Dr.

FAIRFIELD

Annual town budget meeting Mon., May 9, 7 p.m.
Fairfield Community Center 61 Water St.

PALERMO

Elections Fri., March 11, 1:30 p.m.
Voting 3 – 7 p.m.
Palermo Town Office

SIDNEY

Town elections Fri., March 25, 12:15 – 8 p.m.
Town office, 2986 Middle Rd.
Business meeting Sat., March 26, 9 a.m.
James H. Bean School 2896 Middle Rd.

SOLON

Sat., March 5 Elections 8 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Business meeting 1:30 p.m.
Solon Elementary School

VASSALBORO

Business meeting Mon., June 6, 6:30 p.m.
Vassalboro Community School 1116 Webber Pond Rd.
Elections Tues., June 14
Vassalboro Town Office 682 Main St. 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

WINDSOR

Town meeting Thurs., June 16, 2022, 6 p.m.
Should Windsor School take one more snow day, meeting will be held Wed., June 15, 2022, 6 p.m.

*   *   *

To be included in this list, visit our Contact Us page or send an email to The Town Line at townline@townline.org.

Maine Catholic schools to lift mask mandate on March 7

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St. Mary’s Catholic Church

The Diocese of Portland has notified school communities that it is planning to eliminate the mask mandate in place at Catholic elementary and high schools starting on Monday, March 7.

“Though masks will no longer be required, teachers and students who wish to continue to mask will certainly be allowed to do so,” said Marianne Pelletier, superintendent of Maine Catholic Schools. “We chose March 7 to ensure that there isn’t another outbreak or rise in cases upon return to class from the February break that would necessitate the continued use of masks.”

The masking policies and safety protocols in place at the diocesan schools have allowed for continuous, in-person education at Catholic schools since September of 2020.

“We believe students are best served when learning in school,” said Pelletier. “Thanks to the understanding, cooperation, and generosity of our school families, faculty, and staff, we were able to continue to provide a safe and healthy school environment for our students. It was a partnership that worked diligently to protect each other and the wider community.”

As always, if the number of positive cases surges in a specific town, city, or school, mitigation measures, including mandatory masking, could be reinstated.

The schools overseen by the Office of Maine Catholic Schools includes St. Michael School, in Augusta.

VASSALBORO: Mothers want to nix mask requirement

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

At their Feb. 15 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members again heard from half a dozen mothers who do not want their children to wear masks in school. Board members corrected two pieces of misinformation the parents had heard, and Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said he is “incredibly hopeful” that if Maine’s covid cases continue to decline, requirements will ease.

Mothers said their children “hate masks” and are therefore unenthusiastic about school, and masks worsen the health of children with asthma and other conditions that affect their breathing.

Some parents had heard that students are forbidden to talk in the cafeteria while they are eating with their masks off. Assistant Principal Greg Hughes said talking is allowed, although lunchroom monitors prefer conversations after students finish eating and put their masks on again.

Some teachers are stricter than others about silencing students, one parent commented.

The other incorrect information the group quoted was that Maine schools get extra state funds if they require masks. Absolutely untrue, Pfeiffer, board chairman Kevin Levasseur and Finance Director Paula Pooler all said.

Pfeiffer said he and other superintendents have been meeting with half a dozen Maine education and health groups and government officials to talk about the masking requirement. Depending on what the pandemic does, new state guidance might be issued in a month or so, he said. The parents were audibly displeased at the prospect of no action for a month.

In other business, Pfeiffer reported that 19 students have registered to attend pre-kindergarten at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) in the 2022-23 school year. To take advantage of offered state funding for a second pre-k class, 30 or more students are needed. He encouraged board and audience members to spread the word.

He further reported that the shortage of substitute teachers continues.

Food Service Director John Hersey is working on a survey to be sent to students and parents about the school lunch menu, Pfeiffer said. The goal is to increase participation in the free school lunch program by making menus more appealing.

The VCS Vikings website is being redone, with the new version scheduled to be ready Feb. 27, Pfeiffer said. He expects it will help people find what they want “with fewer clicks.”

Board members’ next big project is development of the 2022-23 school budget request. They scheduled a preliminary discussion for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, in the VCS gymnasium.

At Pfeiffer’s request, to give him more time to draft a budget, they postponed their regular March meeting by one week, to Tuesday, March 22 “from 6 p.m. to midnight,” Pfeiffer threatened.

School board budget meetings, like regular meetings, are open to the public to watch and listen.

Church owner pleads for more time to make repairs; board denies request

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by Mary Grow

Chad Caron pleaded emotionally with Vassalboro select board members at their Feb. 17 meeting, asking for more time to work at the former church building he owns on Priest Hill Road in North Vassalboro.

They unanimously rejected his request, as advised by Codes Officer Ryan Page.

At their Jan. 6 meeting, board members had found the former church a dangerous building that should be demolished. However, they gave Caron 30 days to get an engineer to declare it structurally sound; and they authorized Page to extend the deadline if he found a reason (see The Town Line, Jan. 13, p. 2).

At the Feb. 17 meeting, Page reported that an engineer from the Waterville firm of A. E. Hodsdon visited the building and declared it structurally unsound. Since the Jan. 6 decision, Caron had not made progress that would justify recommending more time, Page said.

Caron argued that the engineer had not done a thorough inspection, and had not provided the plan he needs to make repairs; and that without a town permit he was not allowed to work on the building anyway.

He said he had a crane coming the week of Feb. 21 to take down the steeple, and asked for a 10-day extension, or even a five-day extension.

Select board members reminded Caron they have been waiting more than a year for him to clean up the property and stabilize the building. Former Codes Officer Paul Mitnik had worked with Caron for over a year previously, before coming to the board in January 2021.

At the Jan. 6 meeting, Caron had offered to demolish the building himself, labeling each piece and storing them for an eventual reconstruction. His plan is “not for me but for the town,” preserving an architecturally and historically valuable property, he said repeatedly.

When board members remained adamant at the Feb. 17 meeting, he told them he could not afford to reimburse the town for demolition. Bring in your wrecking ball, and put me in jail for non-payment, he challenged.

“I believe what you’re doing is cruel,” he added as he left the meeting.

Later, Town Manager Mary Sabins said the next step will be another discussion with the town attorney. Dealing with an unsafe building is new to her and to board members, she said, and they want to be sure they act correctly at all stages.

In other business Feb. 17, China Lake Association President Stephen Greene made a short presentation on the China Lake Watershed-Based Management Plan (see The Town Line, Dec. 9, 2021, p. 1, and Dec. 23, 2021, p. 2).

Vassalboro has nine percent of the China Lake watershed, and residents who are Kennebec Water District customers depend on the lake for their drinking water, Greene said. The management plan is aimed at improving water quality, by controlling run-off into the lake and by a proposed alum treatment in the north end of the east basin (in China) that would prevent accumulated lake-bottom nutrients from recycling into the water.

The outlet dam, which Vassalboro owns and which controls the water level, is an important part of the plan, Greene said.

Modifications to that dam, completed last summer, and to other dams on Outlet Stream will allow alewives to migrate from the ocean into China Lake. Greene said the small fish might improve water quality (by taking phosphorus with them when they leave in the fall), but evidence of their impact is not yet conclusive.

At this point, Greene said, he welcomes questions and ideas.

Vassalboro’s investment advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager Matthew Weaver, of The First, N. A., in Damariscotta, also made a presentation Feb. 17, telling select board members he thinks their investment policy and their investments are sound.

“I’m very pleased with how the portfolio performed” in the past year, Weaver said. Then he joked, “Someday, maybe, we have to talk about crypto.” He does not currently recommend cryptocurrency as a municipal investment.

Select board members voted unanimously to renew their investment policy without change.

They postponed decisions on their 2022-23 budget recommendations to their next meeting, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. – half an hour earlier than usual – Thursday, March 3. It will be followed by a budget committee meeting at 7 p.m.

On Wednesday, March 2, select board members will hold a 6 p.m. workshop at the town office on use of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, with representatives of town groups that are asking for money invited to present their cases.

Board members have emphasized they must use ARPA money in strict adherence to federal rules. The program requires a municipality to spend the money and apply for reimbursement; if federal officials find an expenditure wasn’t within guidelines, the municipality pays the bill.

Nomination papers available

Nomination papers for Vassalboro’s June 14 local elections will be available at the town office on February 28.

To be elected in 2022, for three-year terms, are one member of the select board (Robert Browne’s term ends) and two members of the school board (Kevin Levasseur’s and Jessica Clark’s terms end).

For a candidate’s named to appear on the June 14 ballot, a nomination paper with signatures of at least 25 registered Vassalboro voters must be returned to the town office by noon on Friday, April 8.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members continue talks to improve service

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members continued discussing possible future ways to improve internet service to China residents at an hour-long Feb. 17 meeting.

They plan to meet next at 4 p.m. Wednesday (not the usual Thursday), March 9, in the portable building behind the town office. At that meeting they expect to have another proposal from or discussion with representatives of Spectrum Communications and Consolidated Communications.

In past offers, both companies have offered to extend service at considerable cost to the town. The resulting network would be owned by the respective company, not by the town.

The proposal for which China voters rejected a bond issue last November would have resulted in a town-owned network, an outcome committee members preferred.

Yet another option would be formation of a district with one or more other towns. CBC members have considered it; there are no plans. Committee Chairman Robert O’Connor said he had received an inquiry from a Vassalboro resident, to whom he suggested involving Vassalboro select board members.

CBC members understand that China voters prefer not to have costs come from taxes. A system paid for by users is one option; other possibilities for avoiding or minimizing local shared costs are interesting private investors or using county, state or federal grants.

China does not have the densely-populated area that attracts private investors. Much of the grant money for which regulations have been written is for towns with no internet service; but most China households are served, not necessarily satisfactorily.

Related questions Feb. 17 were whether CBC members want to request funding at the June 1 town business meeting and if so, what for. One suggestion was a household survey to find out exactly what service residents have and what they would like to have.

Selectmen have approved asking voters to appropriate $40,000 for broadband from China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund, $10,000 to continue hiring consultant Mission Broadband for another year and $30,000 to get started on a project if one is approved during the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Select board continues work on spending requests; Focus on Tax Increment Financing

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by Mary Grow

At a special meeting Feb. 21, China select board members continued work on spending requests to be presented to voters at the June 14 town business meeting. Their main focus was on recommendations from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee and from Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood on spending TIF money in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

TIF funds come from taxes paid by Central Maine Power Company on its north-south transmission line through China and its South China substation – about $265,000 this year, select board chair Ronald Breton said.

The money is allocated as prescribed in China’s voter-approved and state-approved TIF document, usually called the TIF Second Amendment. Its full title is “Town of China, Maine, Second Amended Central Maine Power/China Lake Tax Increment Financing District and Development Program.”

Hapgood’s proposed expenditure is for a survey of the South China boat landing to determine the boundaries of the town-owned land, as a first step toward planning and carrying out run-off control measures.

China Region Lakes Alliance (CRLA) Executive Director Scott Pierz commended Hapgood for proposing to start work soon, calling the boat landing a “high-impact site” for phosphorus loading into China Lake that needs prompt attention to protect lake water quality. Select board members unanimously approved recommending the expenditure to voters.

On Feb. 9, TIF Committee members unanimously recommended select board members present to voters requests from four town organizations: $34,600 for the Thurston Park Committee; $55,000 for the CRLA; $30,000 for the China Four Seasons Club (CFSC), for trail work; and $40,000 for the China Broadband Committee (CBC). The fifth request on the select board agenda was for $5,000 for the CFSC and the China Village Volunteer Fire Department for Ice Days fireworks.

Select board members approved all but the CBC request unanimously and with little discussion. Board and audience members argued for half an hour over the CBC request before select board members added it to the town meeting warrant on a 3-2 vote. Breton, Jeanne Marquis and Janet Preston were in favor, Blane Casey and Wayne Chadwick were opposed.

The request is in two parts, $10,000 to cover another year of service from consultants Mission Broadband and $30,000 to start on a broadband expansion project if the town receives an acceptable proposal in the next few months. If the $30,000 is not needed in FY 2022-23, it will carry forward, Hapgood said.

Board member Casey said Governor Janet Mills had promised to provide broadband to everyone in Maine within two years. Why, then, he asked, does China need to use local money for broadband?

Preston pointed out the governor’s promise is not supported by a state plan. Marquis added that the town would need its own plan to apply for state funding. But, Casey said, there’ll be no application – Mills offered a gift.

CBC chairman Robert O’Connor chimed in via Zoom to support Marquis; O’Connor expects state funds to require a town match, for which the $30,000 could be used.

Chadwick questioned the other part of the request: why continue with Mission Broadband, which in his opinion has done “not much?”

O’Connor replied company representatives had explained technical information to the benefit of the China committee members. CBC members plan to use their expertise in a detailed community census of broadband facilities and needs, he added.

Resident (and TIF Committee member) James “JJ” Wentworth, also participating by Zoom, asked why the CBC is still pursuing broadband after China voters rejected it at the polls Nov. 2, 2021.

No, Breton said, China voters did not reject broadband. They rejected a specific plan, refusing to authorize a $5.1 million bond issue to finance expanded infrastructure construction. In theory, user fees would have repaid the bond; should user fees be lower than projected, taxpayers would have been responsible.

After the Nov. 2 vote, Breton said, select board members unanimously asked the CBC to continue seeking options. Personally, he said, he considers quality broadband service “a good investment for the town.”

The Feb. 21 agenda item after the TIF applications was to be a discussion of employee retention, but Breton called it too early in the budget process and, over Preston’s protest, skipped it.

At a Jan. 31 budget discussion, board members approved a three percent pay raise for FY 2022-23. The vote was 3-2, Breton, Casey and Chadwick in favor and Marquis and Preston preferring a more generous increase.

Board members are considering instituting a pay scale that would provide automatic annual raises. Breton said repeatedly that until they have job descriptions (on which Hapgood is working) they cannot consider a pay scale.

When board members turned to 2022-23 budget recommendations, Preston made a motion to add longevity increases for employees, to a total of $7,500. She and Marquis were again outvoted.

The two women argued that in the present job market, China needs to be generous; otherwise, employees will quit and the town will spend more recruiting and training replacements than it would have on higher pay.

Chadwick and Casey have said at past meetings that when benefits are considered, town employees are well treated. Both argue that they have a responsibility to all townspeople, including those on fixed incomes who do not get raises or longevity increases; therefore a goal should be keeping taxes as low as possible.

Select board members made one non-budgetary decision: they unanimously rescinded their Feb. 14 decision to ask voters to approve or reject two ordinance amendments proposed by the planning board (see The Town Line, Feb. 17, p. 3).

Responding to questions raised at the Feb. 14 meeting, Hapgood said the planning board had not held a public hearing as the amendments were developed in the spring of 2021, and some Department of Environmental Protection changes were omitted.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28.