New China committee looks at additional space for town office

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by Mary Grow

At their Sept 23 meeting, members of the China Building Committee officially named themselves the Municipal Building Committee (MBC) and proceeded with preliminary plans for recommending additional space at the town office.

Their main focus is on storage space, but as they looked ahead three decades they also considered whether more, or differently arranged, office and work space should be part of a recommendation to selectmen.

Committee Chairman Sheldon Goodine had sketched a plan for a separate building south of the present building, reached by a corridor from the meeting room on the west end, as a starting point for discussion. He considered it more attractive than a right-angled extension.

Another suggestion, from Codes Officer and committee member Jaime Hanson, was a three-sided “bump-out” on the south side.

Town Clerk Angela Nelson explained which records town officials are required to keep forever and which they are allowed to discard after a certain number of years. Related issues were which materials need to be in a climate-controlled area, which require fire-proof storage and how much security is required.

Committee members considered the possibility that paper records will become obsolete. They do not foresee an immediate change to all-digital record-keeping.

The town office also stores voting machines, decorations and supplies for holidays (like Christmas and China Community Days) and other miscellaneous things.

Goodine and Hanson gave themselves assignments as the next step in drafting a plan. They will estimate the present storage space and the volume of material in it; Hanson will measure and photograph the building as it is and will locate underground lines and pipes; and Goodine will interview office staff members individually to get their suggestions.

Hanson will also look into legal requirements. For example, he said, building codes require a certain amount of natural light. If the requirement applies to a storage facility, a windowless space, as Goodine suggested for security, would be illegal.

Committee members set no deadline for presenting a recommendation to the selectmen. As of Sept. 23, they do not anticipate asking for building money in the 2022-23 town budget.

They scheduled their next meeting for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28.

China Transfer Committee discusses raising transfer station fees for Palermo residents

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by Mary Grow

China Transfer Station Committee members held a special Sept. 21 meeting to talk about increasing fees charged to Palermo residents. The meeting was consistently cooperative and courteous, with each town’s representatives expressing appreciation to the other’s.

According to the discussion, the 17-year contract allowing Palermo residents use of China’s transfer station was signed in June 2016 and was effective Jan. 1, 2017. It prescribes an annual $18,000 payment from Palermo to China; sets fees for Palermo mixed solid waste, which must be in bags that China buys and Palermo residents pay for; and includes China’s right to increase fees charged to Palermo, with at least six months’ notice.

China cannot increase fees by more than the cost-of-living increase (a prescribed measurement and time period are in the contract), except as needed “to cover any ‘pass-through’ costs (such as increases in tipping [disposal] fees) and federal or state mandated policies” that increase transfer station costs.

Representatives of both towns had calculated the consumer price increase since the beginning of 2017. They presented similar figures: China Committee Chairman Lawrence Sikora figured about 13.3 percent, Palermo representative Bob Kurik about 12 percent.

The two men agreed the consumer price increase would justify a recommendation to increase the price of a large trash bag from $2 to $2.25.

China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood observed that the large bags now used are 33 gallons, not the 30 gallons specified in the contract. There are also 15-gallon bags, priced in the contract at $1.25; they are so little used that over the years the price has been reduced, Kurik and Hapgood said.

There was a long discussion of pass-through costs before committee members agreed that they include four components: tipping fees; transportation; state or federal mandates (no one was aware of any); and higher costs for the Town of China buying the bags.

They do not include pay increases for transfer station staff, because those are defined as part of operating costs that China pays.

Committee member Ashley Farrington had reviewed records from 2017 to Aug. 1, 2021, to prepare information on tipping fees and trucking costs. Committee members did not translate them into a figure to be recommended as an increase.

The trash bags are used for mixed solid waste, the stuff that goes into the hopper at the transfer station. Another component of trash is larger items like furniture and carpets. Sikora and Farrington had collected information to start a discussion of fees for such items, but committee members made no decisions.

Sikora prepared a table based on average weight of different items, as listed in an on-line guide for moving companies. It appeared that if the transfer station charged the new 10-cents-a-pound fee for demolition debris that selectmen approved Aug. 30, disposal fees for some items would increase significantly.

The most conspicuous example was a sleeper sofa, for which a transfer station user is now charged $10. If the typical one weighs 275 pounds, as the guide said (committee members had doubts), the new disposal fee would be $27.50.

These fees for special items apply to China and Palermo residents equally.

Committee member Mark Davis warned his colleagues not to recommend fee increases so big that residents would resort to roadside dumping.

He extended his comments to ask whether the transfer station is supposed to make a profit, or to provide a service to residents. Sikora reworded the issue; it is not a question of profit, but of seeking the appropriate balance between defraying costs and providing service.

Transfer Station Committee members scheduled their next regular meeting for 9 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 12.

CHINA: Land parcel sale back to square one

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by Mary Grow

As of Sept. 27, China selectmen’s effort to sell a 39-acre piece of land on Lakeview Drive is back where it was before they agreed on a buyer at their Aug. 30 meeting.

On Aug. 30, China realtor Lucas Adams told selectmen they had two bids, $10,000 from the local People’s Park group headed by Lindsey Harwath and $80,000 from former China residents Austin “Gerry” and Lynda Ogden. Selectmen authorized Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood to negotiate with the Ogdens. At their Sept. 13 meeting Hapgood said the Ogdens bought the property for $83,000.

At the Sept. 27 meeting, Adams said he had not known China subdivision approvals expire if work is not underway within five years. The land, therefore, is no longer legally a subdivision, and the Ogdens have withdrawn their $83,000 offer.

Adams revised his valuation of the lot from $80,000 upward to $55,000 upward. There are currently three bids, he said: the People’s Park has again bid $10,000, the Ogdens have bid $40,000 and resident Troy Bulmer has bid $40,000.

Adams told Selectman Janet Preston that Bulmer does not want to see the land developed. Lindsey Harwath, President of the People’s Park group, said she had talked with him.

After half an hour’s discussion, selectmen voted unanimously to authorize Adams, with whom they have a six-month contract, to market the property at $59,000, with bids due by their next meeting, which will be at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 12 (rescheduled due to the Oct. 11 Indigenous People’s Day holiday); and meanwhile to negotiate for higher bids from the three current bidders.

Adams said he would keep Hapgood informed.

Audience comments on the issue included a prepared statement by resident Marie Michaud urging selectmen to leave the land undeveloped to protect its varied wildlife and avoid more run-off into China Lake. In addition to potential run-off from developed areas, a stream on the lot “flows directly into China Lake,” she said.

Michaud reminded selectmen that in two town visioning sessions held as part of the process of updating the town’s comprehensive plan, residents had indicated a preference for preserving green spaces, open land and farmland. Selectmen are “currently not following what your constituents said they want,” she said.

Harwath, Stephen Greene and Brent Chesley had questions about Adams’ research and marketing.

Adams told Chesley the property had been listed online, and he had received telephone inquiries. He agreed with Chesley’s comment that no sign was posted on the ground until late in the process.

Adams said wetlands lower the property’s sale value. He and Selectman Wayne Chadwick discussed whether it has a septic system easement for the condominiums on the west side of Lakeview Drive, or whether all such easements are on an abutting lot.

In other business at the Sept. 27 selectmen’s meeting, board members chose, conditionally, a supplier for heat pumps for town buildings and agreed with Regional School Unit (RSU) #18 on a bus parking area on the town office grounds.

At their Sept. 13 meeting, selectmen looked at five bids for heat pumps for the transfer station and the town office. They postponed a decision while Hapgood confirmed which venders are “Efficiency Maine commercial qualified partners” eligible for rebates (if state funds are available).

Hapgood said all but one bidder is so qualified. Selectmen therefore awarded the bid to the lowest qualified bidder, Rod’s HPAC Installs, of Windsor, for $14,520. The decision is contingent on Selectman Blane Casey’s being satisfied with the proposed scope of work that he will review and compare with at least one other bidder’s.

RSU #18 Transportation Director Lennie Goff explained that the RSU needs room to park from three to occasionally five buses. Hapgood said she and Goff had considered school and town properties and agreed on an area off the back entranceway to the town office complex, between the buildings and Alder Park Road.

RSU #18 will create and maintain a gravel parking lot and provide electrical service to it, and will take care of snow removal at the same time as school grounds are cleared. Goff and Hapgood both will look into any possible insurance needs.

Hapgood said the area will have minimal impact on the office buildings. She and Goff agreed that the buses will be moved temporarily to the school grounds if the town needs extra parking, for example during an election.

Selectmen unanimously accepted the agreement.

They also approved exploring options and getting cost estimates to repair the dry hydrant on Routes 202 and 9 at the head of China Lake, between the blinker at the Route 137 intersection and the Circle K gas station and convenience store.

Hapgood said the new hydrant installed at the causeway froze over the winter, leading firefighters to ask about repairing the old one. No one knows whether it is plugged or whether a pipe is broken.

The manager said costs would be paid from the volunteer fire departments’ reserve fund.

In other business, selectmen appointed a list of ballot clerks for the Nov. 2 election and appointed Terry Demerchant secretary for the Municipal Building Committee.

They authorized Hapgood to sign American Rescue Plan Act funding documents. She is still accepting suggestions for ways to spend ARPA money.

CHINA: Follow-up on land sale story from last week

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The property in question, from Google Streetview.

Lucas Adams, head of Adams Realty in China, has provided additional information to supplement the story on the People’s Park group in the Sept. 23 issue of The Town Line.

China selectmen agreed at their Aug. 30 meeting to sell about 39 acres of town-owned land on the east side of Lakeview Drive to Austin “Gerry” and Lynda Ogden. The Ogdens bid $80,000, and after negotiations with Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood agreed to $83,000.

The only other bid was from the People’s Park, a group headed by Lindsey Harwath hoping to acquire the land for a public park. Their offer was $10,000.

Adams confirmed Harwath’s report that she and the Ogdens met at his office on Sept. 15 and the Ogdens offered to sell the back (eastern) part of the property to the People’s Park group for $110,000.

The Ogdens also offered to put in a road and an electric power connection to the eastern area, at an estimated cost of $30,000, and to follow through at their expense if the cost estimate turned out to be low, Adams said.

And, he said, the Ogdens were willing to wait until next spring for payment, to give the People’s Park group time to collect donations.

His conclusion is that with those conditions, the $110,000 price is “a very fair offer.”

The Ogdens’ initial plan was to keep two of the lots designated in the former Candlewood subdivision, on the north side of the proposed, but unbuilt, access road. They later decided to keep a third lot, Adams said.

They offered to the People’s Park group two lots on the south side of the access road and all the property east of the former Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington railroad track that is now a recreational trail.

Adams said he had not “discouraged” anyone else from buying the land from the town. He had talked with one person who decided not to buy, he said. He told China selectmen on Aug. 30 that he had received only the two offers; he surmised interest was low because much of the parcel is wet.

Adams said Ogden has not been associated with Adams Realty since the 1980s.

“Gerry’s an investor,” who owns property all over the State of Maine, Adams said.

History of Candlewood Camps property

The about 39 acres the Town of China has just sold was part of the Candlewood Camps property owned for years by Lucas Adams’ grandparents, Albert and Muriel Adams.

After the Adamses retired, Wachusetts Properties acquired and subdivided the land. At the Sept. 8, 2015, planning board meeting, then Codes Officer Paul Mitnik reported that he thought the subdivision permit had expired, until he found a modification approved in June 2015 that extended its life.

China’s Subdivision Ordinance says that a subdivision plan approved by the planning board becomes “null and void” if “substantial construction” has not started within five years. When a plan expires, the planning board is to have a notice placed in the state Registry of Deeds,

When Wachusett Properties failed to sell subdivision lots, they offered the land to the Town of China. Voters accepted the gift at the polls on Nov. 8, 2016. That fall, town officials considered using the property for a new China Village fire station or holding it for later resale.

In March 2017, voters amended China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program to add the Lakeview Drive lot to areas eligible for TIF-funded development projects.

In November 2018 they approved $5,000 from the TIF account for “concept drawings” for an emergency services building and community center on the lot. The emergency services section was intended to include a new China Village fire station; space for a police office and vehicle; and perhaps room for one of Delta Ambulance’s vehicles (since China Rescue cannot provide transport).

In June 2019, however, voters refused to take $25,000 from unexpended fund balance (also called surplus) to develop engineering plans and cost estimates for the building. The vote, as recorded in the June 13, 2019, issue of The Town Line, was not even close: 72 “yes” votes to 332 “no” votes.

Selectmen therefore asked at the June 8, 2021, town meeting for authorization to sell the land, with proceeds “to be put into an assigned fund to reduce the mil rate in the fiscal year following the sale.” Town meeting voters approved.

China Broadband Committee had a busy September

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members had a busy late September schedule, holding a committee meeting Sept. 23; participating in a public informational session by zoom Sept. 26 (see related story); attending the selectmen’s Sept. 27 public hearing on the Nov. 2 warrant article asking for funding for expanded broadband in China; and later discussing their proposed informational flyer with selectmen.

Selectmen did not approve printing and mailing the Sept. 27 version of the flyer with town funds.

CBC members therefore confirmed the committee meeting they had tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30. They intend to redraft the flyer.

Ronald Breton, chairman of the selectboard, said if they work fast, he will call a special selectmen’s meeting to consider a new version, rather than delaying distribution until after the Oct. 12 selectboard meeting.

On Nov. 2, China voters will be asked to authorize – but not require – selectmen to obtain a $5.8 million bond, to be supplemented by grants, to build broadband infrastructure throughout the town.

The Sept. 23 CBC meeting was devoted to plans to publicize the Nov. 2 vote. CBC members reviewed a two-sided legal-sized flyer that presented information supporting the broadband expansion and specifically urged a “yes” vote on the ballot question.

Selectman Wayne Chadwick, from the audience, expressed his personal opinion that the committee should not use town funds to influence voters.

CBC members pointed out that on the ballot, voters will see recommendations from the selectboard and the budget committee (both oppose the question, the selectboard by 3-2 and the budget committee by 4-1), but no recommendation from the CBC, which supports the question.

[See all our stories about the broadband project here.]

By Sept. 27, they had revised the flyer to eliminate exhortations to approve the bond issue. Selectmen nonetheless objected that it was one-sidedly in favor of the bond issue – “all pro and no con,” as Chadwick put it.

Breton remembered an earlier meeting when he had urged CBC members to promote their project with funds selectmen appropriated for the committee. “You got your money, go out and sell it,” he quoted himself, from memory.

More recently, however, Breton asked Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood to consult town attorney Amanda Meader about the situation. Hapgood reported that Meader said a flyer that was “persuasive” rather than “informational” did not benefit voters and should not be funded by the town.

Breton therefore joined his fellow board members in suggesting the flyer provide additional factual information, for example on costs, that they thought would be helpful to voters.

The result was a vote to ask CBC members to prepare a revised flyer with more information and less persuasion, and to seek approval to have it printed and distributed with town funds. Breton, Chadwick, Blane Casey and Irene Belanger voted in favor; Janet Preston, who is the selectboard’s ex-officio representative on the committee, abstained.

Preston explained that she thinks the improved broadband service is a benefit to the town and supports the bond issue, but she also understands the objections to the Sept. 27 version of the flyer.

Public hearing well attended

The half-hour public hearing on the Nov. 2 bond issue that preceded the Sept. 27 selectmen’s meeting was one of the best attended in recent memory, with audience members participating from the meeting room and over the town’s Live Stream.

Audience members’ questions about the China Broadband Committee’s (CBC) plans if the $5.8 million bond issue is approved were answered by Ronald Breton, chairman of the selectmen; Mark Ouellette, President of Axiom Technologies, attending his second China meeting in two days; and CBC members.

Ouellette and CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor explained some of the technical issues about connecting directly from the world-wide web via a southern Maine point and a China central office to each subscriber’s house.

Because of the direct connection, Ouellette said, each subscriber will get the speed of downloaded and uploaded information paid for, every hour of every day all year, without the variability characteristic of current services.

The proposed bond issue is for 25 years.

Residents satisfied with their current service may keep it. O’Connor said currently about 70 percent of China residents have cable service; another about 25 percent have DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) service; and the remaining about five percent have no internet access.

Selectman and ex-officio CBC member Janet Preston said Regional School Unit #18 had provided a map showing where students had no access, providing locations for some of the unserved areas.

Ouellette said employees of Hawkeye Fiber Optics (also called Hawkeye Connections) have finished the survey of existing utility poles in China and are scheduled to report immediately. Survey results will provide a more accurate estimate of the cost of building the proposed new network.

CBC member Tod Detre asked for and received permission to post the results on the committee’s website, chinabroadband.net.

Video of the hearing can be viewed here.

Local scouting leaders receive prestigious district awards

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Luanne Chesley, Advancement and Recognition chairman, left, presented the District Award of Merit to Russell Cahn. (contributed photo)

by Chuck Mahaleris

Russell Cahn, of Augusta, received the highest award a local Scouting District can bestow upon a volunteer on Saturday, September 25, when he was presented the District Award of Merit during the annual District Scouters’ Recognition Dinner held at Camp Bomazeen.

Cahn currently serves as Scoutmaster of Troop #631 at St. Augustine church but his Scouting career began when he joined Cub Scouts as a leader in New York Pack #349 where he served as Den Leader for Tigers, Wolf, Bear and Webelos dens. He was also Little League Coach from 2009-2014, in Forest Hills, New York. When the family moved to Maine, he and his family quickly got involved in Augusta’s Cub Scout Pack serving as Assistant Cubmaster and Den Leader.

When his son Tyler was old enough to cross over, Russel joined Troop #631, in Augusta, as an Assistant Scoutmaster and became Scoutmaster in 2020. Russell also served as the Cub Scout Rangemaster for Kennebec Valley District and served as Rangemaster for Pine Tree Council since 2017. Cahn teaches several merit badges and was a member of various Merit Badge Colleges. He also was a member of the 2017 National Jamboree Staff and the 2019 World Jamboree contingent.

Julie McKenney, Cub Day Camp Director at Camp Bomazeen and Kennebec Valley District Activities chairman, praised Cahn. “Russell’s knowledge from his previous unit in New York helped shift the way the Kennebec Valley District holds their Pine Wood Derbies. His guidance has molded the derbies into a far more enjoyable format for our Scouting families.” Cahn’s wife Tracy is a member and the chairman of the Troop Committee and their son Tyler is working on his Eagle Scout project. Both were present when the award was presented to him by District Advancement & Recognition Chairman Luanne Chesley, of Vassalboro. Cahn said, “Scouting allows me to share knowledge about the outdoors and the values of Scouting that they otherwise would not receive. Scouting gives them outstanding experiences that will help them develop into leaders.”

Heidi O’Donnell

Also receiving the District Award of Merit was Heidi O’Donnell, who volunteers in Scouting with Camden Troop #200. She has been involved with both Girl Scouts and Scouting since her son Matthew was a Tiger Cub Scout in 2011 and her daughter Taylor first joined Girl Scouts. Both joined her at Camp Bomazeen to receive the award.

Matthew is currently working towards his Eagle Scout rank and Taylor has submitted her Gold Project award. Heidi has been involved at various levels of both programs and has also served on Camp Bomazeen staff and worked at several Merit Badge colleges. Like Cahn, she was a member of the 2017 National Jamboree staff and also attended the 2019 World Jamboree.

O’Donnell was co-trek leader for Philmont in 2019. Outside of Scouting, Heidi has been involved with the YMCA and was awarded its Volunteer of the Year in 2016. Heidi said, “I love being part of the scouting program – both Scouts BSA and Girl Scouts. It is my hope that my involvement in scouting has made a positive impact on many. I know it has had a significant effect on myself and my two children and I am grateful that they were both there to celebrate with me. I look forward to many more years in scouting and encourage others to consider helping to make scouting strong in their communities as it is fulfilling work on so many levels.”

John Wood, a long-time Scouting volunteer from Hope said, “Scouting has been this young lady’s life. She is well deserving of this award.”

District Chairman Joe Shelton, of China, said, “We are very blessed to have so many outstanding volunteer Scouting leaders in Kennebec Valley. They make this program happy and it is only fitting that we take the opportunity to recognize those who have given so much.”

Vassalboro selectmen approve purchase of two compactors

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by Mary Grow

At their Sept. 16 meeting, Vassalboro selectmen unanimously approved purchase of two new compactors for the town transfer station, concluding a years-long discussion of updating the facility.

Tom Maguire, head of Maguire Equipment Inc., of Readville, Massachusetts, reviewed his company’s proposals with selectmen, Town Manager Mary Sabins, Transfer Station Manager George Hamar and Public Works Director Eugene Field.

Selectmen plan to order two compactors immediately. One will be installed when available – Maguire estimates delivery within five or six weeks after he receives an order.

There will be a pause to repair the cement underneath the site of the second machine; then it will be installed, probably not until 2022. Maguire will store it until the town is ready for it.

Selectmen will also order two new large trash containers.

Board and staff members debated spreading the work over several years and decided to get it done in one blow. They discussed related work, like electrical changes and how extensive the concrete repairs are likely to be.

Their plan is to have the town public works crew do the concrete work. Field reminded them that his men might need to be plowing by November and will have spring road work.

If selectmen want them to make concrete work at the transfer station a priority, they will, of course, he said.

“You guys answer to the residents,” he reminded them.

Selectmen agreed it is time to make the transfer station upgrade a priority. They are satisfied that the approved additions and changes can be made within the $156,000 budgeted.

In other business, after hesitation, selectmen approved a short policy statement requiring all employees “whose duties include routine work in the Town Office” to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The only exception is a medical exemption; any exempted employee must be masked when within six feet of anyone else.

Hesitation was because the issue has become politically controversial. Approval was because all town office staff are already vaccinated, Sabins said, so the policy would affect only job applicants; and because social distancing is difficult in the “super-close quarters” (Selectman Barbara Redmond’s phrase) in the office, as well as in some transactions with the public.

Selectman Chris French voted against the policy, because he thinks it should apply to all town employees who meet the public, not just those in the office.

The meeting began with a very short public hearing on the annual update to the appendices to the General Assistance Ordinance, adjusting the allowable amounts of aid. There being no public comment, board Chairman Robert Browne closed the hearing and the selectmen unanimously approved the changes.

Sabins said resident and retiring Codes Officer Paul Mitnik would like to rejoin the Conservation Commission. Selectmen unanimously appointed him to finish out Betsy Poulin’s term, which ends in 2023.

There is still a vacancy on the Conservation Commission, since French resigned after he was elected selectman. That term ends in 2022.

Selectmen unanimously approved the annual resolution declaring the week of Sept. 17 through 23 Constitution Week, honoring the United States Constitution.

Sabins reported the Vassalboro annual report for 2020 had earned a Supreme award from the Maine Municipal Association, for the ninth year in a row. “Supreme” means Vassalboro produced the best annual report of any Maine town in its size category.

Because selectmen plan an extra meeting they have labeled a goal-setting workshop, and because November holidays disrupt their usual Thursday schedule, they developed the following list of pending board meetings.

— Regular meetings at 6:30 p.m., on Thursdays, Sept. 30, Oct. 14 and Oct. 28;
— A special goal-setting workshop meeting at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 21, open to the public to watch and listen but not to participate; and
— One November meeting, unless a press of business requires another, scheduled for Thursday evening, Nov. 18, at 6:30 p.m.

French led an inconclusive discussion of the unsatisfactory solid waste disposal situation, which Browne suggested as a topic for Oct. 21. French objects to too much landfilling and too little recycling, due to the failure to restart a successor to the Hampden facility that minimized landfilling and emphasized recycling.

CHINA: People’s Park group dealt major disappointment

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The property in question, from Google Streetview.

by Mary Grow

[There has been an update to this story: CHINA: Follow-up on land sale story from last week]

Lindsey Harwath, President of the The People’s Park group hoping to create a public park off Lakeview Drive on land that town officials just sold, has reported a major disappointment.

At the Aug. 30 selectmen’s meeting, selectmen reviewed two bids for the approximately 40-acre parcel with their chosen realtor, Lucas Adams, of Adams Realty, in South China. One bid was for $10,000, from The People’s Park. The other was for $80,000 from a then-unnamed party, now identified as former China resident Austin “Gerry” Ogden.

Adams had valued the land at between $80,000 and $100,000. Selectmen had split the difference and set $90,000 as their preferred price.

They authorized Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood to negotiate and contract with the higher bidder. Adams told selectmen that person’s plan was to keep two lots and offer the remainder of the land to The People’s Park, at a “reasonable” price.

Hapgood reported at the Sept. 13 selectmen’s meeting that she and Ogden had agreed on $83,000. Closing was postponed to sometime in October, she said, because the title company is so busy.

Harwath said before town selectmen acted, Adams had discouraged another interested resident from making a formal offer and had told Harwath that if Ogden became the landowner, The People’s Park “would be in a better financial position than if we tried to buy the lot from the town.”

On Sept. 15, Harwath met with Adams, Ogden and Ogden’s wife Lynda at Adams’ office. Fellow People’s Park board member Jeanne Marquis joined the meeting late.

At that meeting, Harwath said, Ogden said he intended to keep three lots from the property. He offered to sell the remaining acreage to The People’s Park for $110,000. Or, Harwath said, he would sell the group the entire almost-40 acres for $160,000.

Ogden worked with Lawrence “Larry” Adams, the family-owned real estate firm’s previous head, when the Ogdens lived in China.

China planners to hear application to convert Knowles building to marijuana business

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members have scheduled a Sept. 28 public hearing on Miguel Rivera’s application to convert the Knowles Mechanical Building at 1097 Route 3 to a medical marijuana business.

The building is a short distance east of Dirigo Corner, where Dirigo and Alder Park roads intersect Route 3 (also called Belfast Road). Codes Officer Jaime Hanson, summarizing Rivera’s application, said Rivera plans no changes to the exterior of the building, the parking areas or the grounds.

Hanson said the existing septic system, approved in 2013, should be adequate for the proposed new business. Rivera said he has not had it inspected, but the facilities indoors seem to work properly.

The change of use will have no effect on a mapped wetland on the property, Hanson said. Referring to a requirement that no medical marijuana business can locate on a property within 500 feet of a school, day care or other child-oriented use, Hanson said the provision is met.

That issue later raised two others: whether the existence of a medical marijuana facility prohibited a child-based use in an adjacent building and thereby “burdened” surrounding lots, and whether home-schooling counts as a child-oriented use. The questions were left unanswered.

Rivera said he has a state medical marijuana caregiver’s license. He plans no more than two or three employees in the building at a time, he said. He will not have a marijuana growing operation in the building.

Planning board members agreed the next steps are notifying abutters of the proposed change of use and holding the Sept. 28 public hearing. Unless new pandemic regulations require a change, the hearing should be at 6:30 p.m. in the portable building behind the town office on Lakeview Drive, with interested residents invited to attend in person.

Hanson said there might also be an application to amend a subdivision, by approving the already-accomplished relocation of Fire Road 19, at the Sept. 28 meeting.

In other business, Hanson reported that he remains backlogged on permit applications, but Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood has authorized staff help. Planning Board Chairman Randall Downer expressed appreciation to the manager.

Board member Toni Wall said she plans to spend six months on the Appalachian Trail next year. She asked whether she should ask for a leave or resign from the board.

Board member James Wilkens said he considered the question the board’s business and made a motion to authorize a six-month’s leave for Wall. The motion was approved 4-0 with Wall abstaining.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) drafts printed publicity material

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by Mary Grow

At their Sept. 16 meeting, China Broadband Committee (CBC) members continued planning publicity for the bond issue they are sponsoring on China’s Nov. 2 local ballot. They focused on drafting printed materials, and briefly discussed the next scheduled public presentation.

That presentation will be at 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 26, at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library. The meeting is only on Zoom; there will be no in-person audience. Pre-registration is required by emailing chinalibraryacb@gmail.com; the Zoom link will be provided.

CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor intends to tape the meeting for later viewing. It should become available on the town website, under Live Stream’s list of previous events.

CBC members scheduled another committee meeting at 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 23, to agree on who will say what on Sept. 26 and to put their proposed flyer in final form.

The Nov. 4 ballot asks voters to vote yes or no on a long question that, if approved, would authorize, but not require, China selectmen to issue a bond to provide up to $5,608,700 to build new broadband infrastructure in town.

The CBC expects enough additional funding from state and federal grants to cover the total cost of the project, estimated at almost $6.5 million.

During the Sept. 16 discussion, John Dougherty, of Mission Broadband, consultants to the CBC, said that grants are already being awarded. If voters approve on Nov. 2, one use of the bond money could be to provide matching funds so the CBC can start grant applications.

The Sept. 16 discussion of the flyer covered two points, content and distribution methods.

CBC members are working with a two-sided document on standard 8½-by-11 paper. Their task is to explain complexities, including technical internet information, clearly enough so that voters understand what their Nov. 2 decision will mean.

They agree on what the flyer and other informational materials should say, but have different ideas on what to emphasize and how to convey their points most clearly. Both Doherty and Mark Ouellette, head of Axiom Technologies, the CBC’s choice to oversee construction of new broadband infrastructure and to run and maintain the expanded service, advised them to simplify the information to essentials.

Committee members discussed distribution through various means, with the goal of informing as many China residents as possible. In addition to the flyer, they plan yard signs advertising the ballot question.

They also plan to schedule future public informational meetings and discussed possible places to hold them.

More information is available on the CBC website, chinabroadband.net.