Windsor selectmen approve three tax abatements

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by The Town Line staff

Windsor selectmen approved three tax abatements at their August 31 meeting.

Abatements were awarded to Heather Vannah in the amount of $141.70, which was assessed to the deleted account; James A. Donnell and Melissa L. Blodgett, in the amount of $1,404, which as assessed to the wrong owner; and Augusta Rockland Rd., LLC, in the amount of $52, which was assessed to the deleted account. A supplemental tax was approved for Benjamin Powers, in the amount of $1,404, which was omitted from assessment. All passed unanimously.

Town Manager Theresa Haskell also presented the 2021 municipal valuation return (MVR) for the board’s signature.

In other business, Selectmen Chairman Ray Bates asked about the poverty abatement that was mentioned at the last board of selectmen meeting, and Haskell said she left a message to schedule a date. This matter will be held in executive session.

Also, Haskell reported she sent an email to China Town Manager Becky Hapgood and advised her that Bates was available to have a discussion regarding the China Region Lake Alliance (CRLA).

Haskell also informed the board that Keel Hood, the auditor, was at the town office the week of August 23 and needed only two days to complete the audit instead of the normal three days.

In the absence of cemetery sexton Joyce Perry, Haskell reported that Jaime Carle, of J.C. Stone, donated two granite stone benches for the Veterans Memorial. The new flagpole, which looked slightly crooked, has been straightened by Nor’East Flagpole Co.

Selectmen unanimously approved holding a public hearing to adopt the MMA Model Ordinance and GA Appendices (A-H) for the period of October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, September 28.

Selectmen also approved the naming of a non-town road as Country Lane.

The next meeting of the Windsor Selectmen was held on September 14.

China resident John Glowa announces as Democratic candidate for governor

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John Glow (image credit: ballotpedia)

John M. Glowa, Sr., of South China, has become the first declared Democratic candidate for governor in the 2022 election. Glowa, 67, is a seventh generation Maine native who was born in Aroostook County and who, like many Mainers, moved with his family to Connecticut in the 1950s. He became the youngest government official in Connecticut at the age of fifteen after he tried, unsuccessfully, to preserve an important wildlife habitat. He moved back to Maine with his family in 1983 and has resided in South China since 1986. He is the father of two grown sons and the grandfather of six.

He is best known for his wildlife advocacy, primarily natural wolf recolonization, and his advocacy for open, fair, and inclusive government. He worked for the State of Maine, mainly as an environmental specialist with the Department of Environmental Protection, from 1986 until his retirement in 2016. According to Glowa, “I am the first professed animal/wildlife advocate and environmentalist to run for governor in Maine since Percival Baxter a century ago. Maine’s economy depends on its environment and ecosystem and it’s time to begin making both a priority. My work inside state government, my environmental and wildlife advocacy, and my education have taught me not only how government doesn’t work, but how it should work.”

Glowa’s post-secondary education includes a bachelor of science degree in economics and a master’s degree in public administration. “We teach our children in school that ours is a government of, by, and for the people. When they get older and try to effect social change, they learn that ours is a government of, by, and for itself and the special interests. Government puts into place laws and rules that give the appearance of fairness and inclusiveness, and then implements those laws and rules for its own benefit. We must reform our government to motivate people, especially young people, to work to make our world a better place.

Unfortunately, government’s intent is to get the public to give up and go away. It’s no wonder that so many people have become disengaged. As one who has tried for decades to bring about positive change, I refuse to give up and go away,” Glowa said.

Glowa co-founded The Maine Wolf Coalition, Inc., in 1994 and the organization recently identified the first DNA documented live Eastern Wolf in Maine. Additional DNA analyses and photographs indicate that there may be a breeding population in the state. According to Glowa, “We have done, and are doing on a shoestring, what the state and federal governments have refused to do for more than 20 years.”

As governor, Glowa’s initial focus will include bringing in a non-partisan task force to look at Maine’s constitution, laws, rules and programs to come up with recommendations for change and system reform. Glowa also wants to establish an effective, non-biased internal system of compliance auditing to maximize government accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency.

“Maine’s system of government is rigged to favor the government and those with political clout. This is a fact. Unless and until we reform this rigged system, Maine’s government will continue to attempt little more than politically motivated window dressing and will live from budget to budget, never solving the myriad of problems, many of which the government has created. The task will be huge, but we must start now to turn this government around if our state and nation are to survive,” said Glowa.

Glowa formally announced his candidacy on September 14, in a brief speech outside the State House, in Augusta.

For more information, contact John Glowa at 207-660-3801 or at jglowa@roadrunner.com.

CHINA: Four candidates vie for two selectmen’s seats

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by Mary Grow

With the deadline for returning nomination papers passed, China Town Clerk Angela Nelson reported only one contest on the Nov. 2 election ballot, four candidates for two seats on the Board of Selectmen.

There are four town positions for which no name will appear on the ballot.

Candidates for selectman are incumbent Wayne Chadwick and Brent Chesley, Peter Foote and Jeanne Marquis. Incumbent Irene Belanger did not hand in papers.

For the planning board, Natale Tripodi is a candidate for re-election as the alternate at-large member. There are no names on the ballot for District 1, Chairman Randall Downer’s position, or District 3, a seat that has been vacant for months.

For the budget committee, Thomas Rumpf, currently the representative from District 2 whose term would end in 2022, is unopposed for election as chairman, the position Robert Batteese is retiring from after many years. Kevin Maroon is seeking re-election as the District 1 representative.

There is no candidate on the ballot for the budget committee District 3 seat currently held by Dana Buswell. If Rumpf is elected chairman, Town Clerk Angela Nelson said selectmen will be able to appoint a new member from District 2, to serve for one year.

Neil Farrington is not seeking re-election as one of China’s two members of the Regional School Unit #18 board of directors, and no other name is on the ballot.

Vacant positions for which no candidate is on the ballot can be filled in one of three ways:

— A resident can announce he or she is a candidate and ask voters in advance for their write-in votes;
— Voters can write in a name of their choice, and town officials will run down the list, starting with the name that appears most often, until someone accepts the position; or
— If neither of those methods works, selectmen can seek and appoint a volunteer.

China’s District One is in the northwestern part of town; District Two, northeastern part; District Three, southeastern part; and District Four, southwestern part. Maps of the districts are on the website, china.govoffice.com, under the planning board and the budget committee.

In addition to choosing town officials, China voters will be asked whether they want to approve a bond issue to fund new broadband infrastructure.

China transfer station subcommittee agrees on mission statement draft

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by Mary Grow

Members of the China Transfer Station Visioning Subcommittee agreed on a draft mission statement at their Sept. 10 meeting and discussed possible items to include in a vision statement.

The mission statement is intended simply to state the purpose of the transfer station. The draft wording – subject to change – says it is “to transfer, recycle and dispose of solid waste for residences and businesses in China and Palermo, in accord with state Department of Environmental Protection solid waste rules.”

The vision statement is a summary of proposed future activities and services. Discussion ranged from the relatively obvious, like encouraging recycling and promoting public education about all aspects of waste management, to the controversial, to the definitely visionary.

Discussion of costs and cost control led to a brief discussion of recommending a pay-per-bag requirement for China residents (Palermo residents are already required to buy trash bags). The proposal was quickly shot down the last time it was suggested, subcommittee members remembered.

Lawrence Sikora, who chairs the main Transfer Station Committee, talked about an automated system that could be available 24 hours a day. An identification card, similar to the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags that now confirm China and Palermo residents’ right to use the facility, would open bins for different recyclables and for waste.

The necessary technology is “probably far in the future,” he commented.

Another possibility discussed was turning waste into a useful commodity, doing on the local scale what the regional Fiberight facility in Hampden, has failed to accomplish so far. A variation on the theme was some way to use trash to generate energy, again locally rather than as regional incinerators have been doing.

Subcommittee Chairman Chris Diesch said in addition to issues like costs and equipment, the vision statement ought to mention intangibles, like employee satisfaction.

Transfer Station Manager Ronald Marois said that employee turnover is low right now and that almost all facility users are cooperative and courteous. Sikora and Diesch commended Marois and staff for keeping the transfer station clean.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) discusses how to publicize ballot question

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee members spent their Sept. 9 meeting discussing plans to publicize and explain the Nov. 2 ballot question asking voters to authorize borrowing to support expanded and improved internet service.

The question is long and complicated (see The Town Line, Sept. 9, p. 3). Committee members hope for lopsided approval from local voters, to encourage selectmen to go ahead with the requested bond issue.

The ballot question says specifically that if too few customers sign up to make the new service self-supporting after the first two or three years, selectmen are not obligated to apply for the loan.

The question does not say the town will run the internet service, a point CBC members believe should be emphasized. If voters approve and selectmen proceed, the town will contract with Machias-based Axiom Technologies, and Axiom will be responsible for enrolling customers, overseeing construction of the system, collecting payments, doing repairs and all other aspects of operations and maintenance.

A committee member compared the broadband plan with the way China officials had roads plowed, before the town had its own public works department: they signed contracts with area plowing services, whose operators provided trucks and drivers and were responsible for getting roads clear.

Smaller Maine towns provide most services the same way, other committee members have pointed out. Selectmen and town office staff are not expected to teach in the schools, repave roads, collect trash or do other services they delegate.

CBC members reviewed a draft two-sided flyer explaining how the planned system would work and its benefits to townspeople. Committee member, former selectman and retiring Regional School Unit #18 board member Neil Farrington stressed the latter point. Fast, reliable and widely available broadband will benefit all residents, especially students, business owners and older residents getting medical attention without leaving home, he argued.

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

Committee members scheduled a public informational presentation for 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 26, at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, in China Village.

They discussed preparing roadside and yard signs; doing mailings to China voters; taking out ads in The Town Line and getting articles into other area papers; and organizing door-to-door informational visits.

The next CBC meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 16.

(See all our stories about the China broadband initiative here.)

China selectmen approve funding for community ice rink

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by Mary Grow

At their Sept. 13 meeting, China selectmen unanimously approved the Recreation Committee’s plan to spend about $5,000 from the recreation reserve account for an ice rink this winter, and commended Chairman Martha Wentworth and the rest of the committee for their activity.

Wentworth explained plans and answered numerous questions from board members.

The committee proposes buying a removable rink, made of hard plastic boards. Wentworth has half a dozen volunteers to set it up this fall after soccer and football teams are done and to take it down in the spring before baseball teams need the field. She plans to store the boards in the soccer storage garage.

The rink will be on the town-owned south ballfield on the China Middle School grounds, so the ballfield lights will be available for evening skating, probably either Fridays or Saturdays. Wentworth envisions the rink as primarily for family use, mostly in the daytime. A few hours might be set aside for hockey players one day a week, she suggested.

She had talked with South China Fire Chief Richard Morse about providing the estimated 9,600 gallons of water to fill the rink, and sending firefighters back to flood it when the ice gets too rough. She expects other volunteers, from the recreation committee and from local organizations interested in selling hot cocoa and other refreshments to skaters, to keep the premises clean.

Trash cans and winterized portable toilets will be on site.

Because of the location, no additional driveway plowing will be needed for access. Wentworth is looking for volunteers (preferably; the committee will pay if necessary) to clear the ice after snowstorms. She said she is talking with two people already.

Asked about insurance, she said adding ice-skating would not increase the town’s premium unless officials decided to insure the rink structure itself, for an estimated $100 a year.

Wentworth cited advantages of using an on-land rink instead of clearing an ice-skating area on China Lake: it’s a “more controlled environment”: some people are apprehensive about the solidity of the lake ice; and the field allows for organizations to sell refreshments and for loudspeakers to play skating music.

Ronald Breton, chairman of the selectboard, added that skaters on the field would not have to watch out for speeding snowmobiles.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood suggested the ice rink might be eligible for federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Wentworth had heard of another possible source of grant funding.

In other business, Hapgood announced that the town-owned lot on Lakeview Drive has been sold, for $83,000, but the closing is postponed until sometime in October because the title company has such a backlog of business.

Selectmen postponed action on bids to install heat pumps at town buildings to their next meeting.

After discussion with Codes Officer Jaime Hanson, selectmen voted unanimously to have the town attorney begin the process of taking a Winding Hill Road landowner to court for long-running uncorrected violations of town ordinances and state laws.

The Sept. 13 meeting began with the annual public hearing on state-proposed amendments to the appendices to the General Assistance Ordinance, adjusting the amounts of aid in different categories. There was no public comment. Selectmen later adopted the changes unanimously.

Kennebec County Sheriff’s Deputy Ivano Stefanizzi attended the meeting and reported that he has been welcomed by most residents, both as he patrols town roads and during the past summer when he and colleagues patrolled on China Lake.

Hapgood issued a reminder that the first half payment of 2021-22 China property taxes is due at the town office by the close of business Thursday, Sept. 30. Interest on late payments begins immediately.

She read Town Clerk Angela Nelson’s report that tax payments are coming in well, with some people paying for the entire year.

Assessor Kelly Grotton’s report added that if people believe their property is assessed, and therefore taxed, higher than it should be, the deadline for filing a request for an abatement is Feb. 17, 2022. Any appeal of personal property taxes must be accompanied by a complete list of such property.

Public Works Foreman Shawn Reed reported, via Hapgood, that his crew has been preparing roads for paving in South China Village and elsewhere in the southern part of town. Pike Industries plans to start paving in China Sept. 23, if there are no rain delays between now and then.

Irene Belanger retiring

At the Sept. 13 China selectmen’s meeting, long-time Selectman Irene Belanger announced that she is retiring this fall, and resigning from most of the other boards and committees on which she serves, because of her husband’s health. Other board members commended her for her long service to the town.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27. Their first meeting in October will be Tuesday evening, Oct. 12, because Monday, Oct. 11, is the Indigenous Peoples Day holiday.

Vasssalboro planners approve three applications

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Planning Board members unanimously approved all three applications on their Sept. 7 agenda, including what board Chairman Virginia Brackett said was the fourth application presented for a solar array in town.

The board previously approved a solar farm on Route 32 between North and East Vassalboro, which has been built. An application for a development west of Cemetery Street was presented in January and approved in June.

In March, board members granted the applicant for a Riverside Drive solar array a one-year permit extension, to allow more time to negotiate the necessary agreement to connect to Central Maine Power Company (CMP) lines.

Sunvest, a company with main offices in Illinois and Wisconsin, was represented at the Sept. 7 meeting by Bill French, regional director for project development, who previously appeared before the board in April.

The Sunvest project is on David and Jennifer Jones’ farmland on the east side of Webber Pond Road about 1,500 feet south of the Bog Road intersection, French said. The company plans to lease about 40 acres of a 93-acre parcel and use about 18 acres for solar panels that will turn to follow the sun — “single-axis tilt” panels, in French’s words.

As with other projects in town, it is expected to last at least 25 years and probably longer. As with other projects, its impacts are expected to be minimal. French and board members discussed buffers around the array; non-reflective panel surfaces to avoid glare; lack of noise and traffic (once construction is finished); and absence of dust, odor, trash, effects on soil, water and groundwater or other disturbances to neighbors or the environment.

Board members approved the permit with two conditions:

— Sunvest is to submit a plan acceptable to the codes officer for screening in two areas on the north and west sides where natural screening is inadequate; and
— The Town of Vassalboro is to be added as a secondary beneficiary, after the landowners, on the bond that guarantees removal of the panels and supports when the lifetime of the solar array ends.
Sunvest, too, needs a connection agreement with CMP. French did not know how long negotiations might take.

The other two applications approved Sept. 7 were:

— From Lisa Polevoy, to enlarge a deck at 111 Sandy Point Road in the Three Mile Pond shoreland area; and
— From Judith Elderkin and Christopher Ingalls, to remove a recreational vehicle and deck and replace them with a recreational vehicle of the same size or smaller, without deck; and to repair a shed. Their property is at 107 McQuarrie Road in the Webber Pond shoreland area.

Codes Officer Paul Mitnik, who has tried repeatedly to retire, told board members town officials are considering hiring a person without experience, whom Mitnik will train over the next several months.

2021-’22 Real Estate Tax Due Dates

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Albion

Tax year runs Feb. 1 to January 31
Taxes due September 30, 2021

China

Semi-annual
September 30, 2021
March 31, 2022

Fairfield

Four quarters

August 25, 2021
November 10, 2021
February 9, 2022
May 11, 2022

Palermo

October 31, 2021

Sidney

September 1, 2021

Vassalboro

Four quarters
September 27, 2021
November 22, 2021
February 28, 2022
April 25, 2022

Waterville

Four quarters
October 8, 2021
December 10, 2021
March 11, 2022
June 10, 2022

Windsor

Semi-annual
September 30, 2021
March 31, 2022

Winslow

Four quarters
October 8, 2021
December 10, 2021
March 11, 2022
June 10, 2022

To be included in this section, contact The Town Line at townline@townline.org.

CHINA: Broadband ballot question over 200 words long

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen learned at their special meeting Sept. 2 that it takes at least two lawyers to draft a proper ballot question asking voters if they will authorize selectmen to issue a bond – and a third lawyer to explain the result.

The local referendum question China voters will be asked to vote yes or no at the polls Nov. 2 is more than 200 words long. It has four sections; one section has two subsections.

The China Broadband Committee (CBC) requests the bond issue to provide funds to build new internet infrastructure in China. CBC member Jamie Pitney, who is a lawyer, drafted the first version of the ballot question.

At the Sept. 2 special selectmen’s meeting, town attorney Amanda Meader zoomed in to explain that the Maine Bond Bank, from which town officials intend to seek a loan, needs authorizations worded in specific ways. She had referred Pitney’s wording to a bond expert, and she and Pitney had further refined that lawyer’s draft before it came to the selectmen at their regular meeting Aug. 30.

When selectmen reviewed the proposed question, board member Wayne Chadwick had a problem with the first sentence. It begins: “Shall the Town vote to a) approve the acquisition, construction and equipping of a broadband system to be owned by the Town and built by contractors” and goes on to specify maximum cost ($6,485,850) and other parameters.

The bond issue has a maximum of $5,608,700. Grants are supposed to cover the rest of the cost.

To Chadwick, who readily admits he is not a lawyer, the wording sounded as though if voters said yes, selectmen were obligated to set up the new system. CBC members have repeatedly set two conditions for going ahead with the project: enough residents must sign up for the proposed new service to make it financially sound, and grants must be obtained.

Meader pointed to two phrases farther along in the document that she said allowed selectmen to refuse to apply for the bond if conditions were not met.

One section she cited authorizes selectmen to accept money from grants and other sources as they determine “are necessary and proper.” Selectmen could find that no grants or other funds were “necessary and proper,” she said.

The other section says selectmen can delegate to the board chairman (Ronald Breton) and the town treasurer (Becky Hapgood) the power to issue the bonds and “in their discretion” to establish schedules and other details. Their “discretion” includes the possibility of finding they cannot carry out the responsibility, Meader said.

Meader described the wording of the ballot question as “convoluted” and “cumbersome.” To make the intent and effect clear to non-lawyers, she proposed, and selectmen accepted, a fourth section. It says that voters further:

“[R]equire the Select Board to vote to determine whether in their own judgment and discretion there is sufficient subscribership to proceed with the bond issue.”

After more than an hour’s discussion Sept. 2, the wording was accepted on a 4-1 vote, with Chadwick voting against it because he opposes the whole idea.

The earlier version of the article carried a selectmen’s recommendation of “Leave it to the People,” adopted on a split vote at the Aug. 30 selectmen’s meeting. Irene Belanger, Blane Casey and Janet Preston voted in favor of the recommendation; Breton and Chadwick were opposed, believing the board had a responsibility to offer advice.

Breton raised the question of changing the recommendation at the special meeting. Hapgood ruled, with Meader’s support, that only the three board members on the winning side of the prior vote could make a motion to change it.

Preston moved to make a recommendation that voters approve the bond issue. She called it “a very low-risk opportunity for the town,” given the previous discussion.

Chadwick seconded her motion. The selectmen have more information from their discussions at meetings than the average voter has, and therefore should provide guidance on the ballot question, he said.

Chadwick voted against Preston’s motion, which lost on a 2-3 vote, with Belanger and Preston in favor.

Casey then moved selectmen recommend that voters not approve the bond issue. His motion passed 3-2, with Breton, Casey and Chadwick in favor.

Selectmen agreed to put the question on the Nov. 2 ballot and to include the negative recommendations from the selectmen and budget committee, with the numbers on each side after the recommendations (3-2 for the selectmen, 4-1 for the budget committee at an Aug. 23 meeting).

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13.

Vassalboro voters to decide mass gathering ordinance

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro voters will have a chance to approve or reject a Mass Gathering Ordinance at the polls on Nov. 2.

Selectmen unanimously approved the proposed new ordinance at their Sept. 2 meeting, after reviewing and mostly accepting town attorney Kristin Collins’ recommended changes to the draft Town Manager Mary Sabins and Selectman Barbara Redmond prepared.

Selectmen will hold a public hearing on the ordinance at one of their remaining two September meetings, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 16, and Thursday, Sept. 30.

They were motivated to prepare the document by a planned country music concert in town in July 2022. The ordinance spells out requirements intended to make such events safe for residents and attendees, including provision of drinking water and sanitary and waste disposal facilities; availability of medical services; and policing for traffic control and law enforcement.

If voters approve the ordinance, anyone hosting a mass gathering as defined will need a town permit, with the permit fee to be set by the selectmen. Selectmen will hold a public hearing before acting on the permit. The applicant must publicize the hearing in a newspaper and on the Vassalboro website and must individually notify property-owners within 1,000 feet of the site by certified mail.

The definition of “mass gathering area” in the proposed ordinance exempts many types of established permanent assembly places. Selectmen agreed in a July discussion that the ordinance would not apply to places like the Olde Mill, St. Bridget’s Center or Natanis Golf Course.

Two other major topics were left undecided at the Sept. 2 selectmen’s meeting: how to spend American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) money, and from whom to buy a second compactor for the transfer station.

Both discussions involved significant sums. Sabins said ARPA money coming to the town is currently estimated at around $461,000; for the transfer station upgrade, voters have allocated $156,000, Board Chairman Robert Browne said.

The Vassalboro Sanitary District (VSD) submitted a list of ARPA-eligible projects, as proposed in August; the total cost is $2,233,000. Items include repairing 54 manholes in town roads and streets; building storage tanks for odor control chemicals at two pump stations and making other pump-station improvements; repairing the VSD office building; updating the 1982 VSD map; and extending sewer lines to unserved areas.

Selectmen sympathized with the need to help the VSD, especially to lower user fees (which the VSD request says are among the highest in Maine). Board member Chris French commented that manhole covers flush with the pavement might save wear on town snowplows.

However, no board member was interested in giving the VSD $2 million. The district is eligible for Kennebec County funds, Redmond said.

French suggested Delta Ambulance as a possible recipient of money from Vassalboro and other municipalities it serves. He also mentioned expanded broadband for Vassalboro Community School. Redmond replied that she thought state money would be allocated to broadband.

Sabins had heard from one area businessman who had been negatively impacted by the coronavirus. Private businesses whose owners can demonstrate pandemic-related losses are eligible for ARPA money.

Since, as far as Sabins knows, the rules for distributing ARPA funds are not yet final, selectmen agreed to postpone further discussion to a future meeting.

Continued consideration of the transfer station upgrade is tentatively on the Sept. 16 agenda.

French had done research on two offers for a second compactor and explained the differences and related electrical needs, to thanks from the other board members. After discussing French’s findings, selectmen asked Sabins to invite a representative of one company to the next meeting to clarify his proposal.

Both companies offer the new compactor for less than $156,000. Selectmen said either will require additional electrical and other work that will add to the cost.

In other business Sept. 2, Sabins threw out the idea of contracting with a grant-writing company to try to get money to create a park on town-acquired land between Route 32 and Outlet Stream, south of the town office.

Selectmen expanded the idea into seeking bids from more than one company to write multiple grants for projects, work Sabins has been doing as needed. They took no formal action.

Sabins said she visited the town’s property for the first time recently and was favorably impressed by its possibilities for streamside recreation. Conservation Commission members might be willing to draft a park plan, she suggested.

Selectmen made two appointments, Paul Oxley as a member of the Trails Committee and Joseph Henry as a member of the Recreation Committee.