China planners settle three issues

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members settled all three issues on their Dec. 14 meeting agenda.

They approved a revised subdivision plan for Fire Road 19, updating records to show a relocated road.

They agreed the former subdivision on the Lakeview Drive lot that Brent Chesley recently bought from the Town of China had expired before the town sold the land, and the town is therefore responsible for notifying the Registry of Deeds that the land is no longer subdivided.

They voted that the new owner of Little Learners Child Development Center, 166 Tyler Road, needs to file a new application to continue the business, even though she plans no changes.

The next China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28.

China TIF committee receives first 2022-23 application

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by Mary Grow

Members of China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee received their first applications for 2022-23 TIF funds at their Dec. 13 meeting. They postponed action until more applications are in, they hope by the Jan. 3, 2022, deadline.

Scott Pierz, executive director of the China Region Lakes Alliance, talked about plans for the rest of the current fiscal year and next year and about longer-range plans, which might involve an expensive alum treatment for part of China Lake (see The Town Line, Dec. 9, 2021, p. 1).

China Lake Association President Stephen Greene intends to submit a complementary application for funds to pay for additional analysis of bottom sediments in the north part of the lake’s east basin, a preliminary step toward determining whether the alum treatment is a good idea.

Greene said he has no firm cost estimate yet. He hopes to have one in time to meet the Jan. 3 deadline.

Four Seasons Club President Thomas Rumpf is asking for 2022-23 TIF funds for trail work and for the annual ice fishing derby, now expanded into China Ice Days and scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 18-20, 2022.

In addition to reviewing the applications, TIF Committee members discussed the program in general: how much money they have and how it is budgeted, what types of projects are eligible, whether they can legally create an emergency fund and similar topics.

They are currently operating under the TIF Second Amendment, approved by China voters in June 2021 and by the state Department of Economic and Community Development in November. Changes in project types or fund allocations would require a third amendment, with the same approval process, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said.

The next regular TIF Committee meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 10, 2022.

China transfer station committee agrees to budget $1,500 for travel expenses

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by Mary Grow

China Transfer Station Committee members used their Dec. 14 meeting to discuss, and in some cases re-discuss, a variety of waste disposal questions.

They made two decisions.

They will reduce the 2022-23 budget request for the committee from the $2,500 agreed on at their November meeting to $1,500. They will meet again at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.

The funds requested from the town are intended to cover registration and mileage when committee members attend meetings, training sessions and similar relevant events. Committee Chairman Lawrence Sikora thinks $1,500 should be enough.

The major news from the meeting was that Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood and other town officials are considering – nothing is definite yet, Hapgood emphasized – reducing hours at the town office and the transfer station.

Currently, she said, China’s hours are among the most generous in Maine: the town office is open 45.5 hours a week and the transfer station 42.5 hours a week. Because of after-hours work, staff illness and other factors, overtime pay is frequent.

One suggestion is that the transfer station be open four days a week instead of five: Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday and Saturday. She again emphasized that the whole idea is in the conversation stage only; there has been no discussion at a select board meeting.

Other topics discussed Dec. 14 included:

  • The still-not-operating waste recycling facility in Hampden which China and many other Maine municipalities support. Hapgood repeated town attorney Amanda Meader’s advice not to try to get out of the contract.
  • How much the fee charged to Palermo residents for trash bags should be increased. Consensus was China has enough bags on hand for the next few months, and the earlier decision to wait for early 2022 information on bag prices and the consumer price index was sound.
  • Updating the five-year plan for transfer station equipment and other needs: no need to act immediately, committee members said.
  • Non-residents using China’s transfer station with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags to which they have no right. Committee members considered, without making any recommendation, checking each vehicle as it enters, or going back to the vehicle sticker system.

China Lake association president lays out 10-year plan to select board

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by Mary Grow

China Lake Association President Stephen Greene is thinking in millions of dollars these days – but not to be spent immediately.

At the Dec. 20 China select board meeting, Greene updated board members on the draft 10-year China Lake Watershed-Based Management Plan, which he expects the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to approve early in 2022 (see The Town Line, Dec. 9, p. 1).

Stephen Greene

The goal is to continue improving water quality in China Lake, for environmental and economic benefits. The plan has six components, Greene said: reducing internal loading, the excess nutrients (especially phosphorus) already in the lake; reducing external loading by controlling run-off; preventing future external loading; informing and educating area residents; raising funds, locally and from other sources; and monitoring progress and results.

Absent specific plans, cost estimates are crude. Greene expects the external work to cost about a million dollars and the internal to add another $1.4 million.

One possibility for internal work is an alum treatment, a process in which aluminum sulfate would be added to the north end of China Lake’s east basin. The alum carries phosphorus in the water to the bottom of the lake and creates a barrier above phosphorus that is already in the bottom sediments.

Alum has been used in other lakes in Maine, including East Pond, in Smithfield, and in other states. Greene said more study, including more bottom sampling, is needed before a decision is made on whether a treatment would help China Lake.

He told selectmen the China Lake Association has turned over its ongoing programs – LakeSmart, Courtesy Board Inspectors, Youth Conservation Corps and Gravel Road Rehabilitation Program – to the China Region Lakes Alliance, so the Lake Association can focus on the management plan. He intends to ask for town funds in the 2022-23 budget.

Greene listed numerous cooperating groups and potential funding sources, from local organizations to state and federal governmental agencies. Asked if he had contacted the Town of Vassalboro, which surrounds part of China Lake’s west basin, he said no, but Vassalboro should be included.

Greene did not ask selectmen to take any action at the Dec. 20 meeting.

Other issues did require action, including voting to:

  • Appoint Trishea Story a full member of the Tax Increment Financing Committee, on which she has been the alternate member.
  • Appoint Stephen Nichols China’s Emergency Preparedness Director, with approval from Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood, who has had the position with Nichols as her deputy.
  • Maintain the present employees’ health plan for another year, with four board members in favor and Blane Casey dissenting (see The Town Line, Dec. 9, p. 3).

Hapgood called board members’ attention to the DEP’s Dec. 15 notice that PFAS testing will be conducted in China, to see if any land is contaminated with the “forever chemicals,” (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

The letter says DEP staff are working with Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry staff to locate any farmland in China where sludge or septic waste might have been applied. A state law that became effective in October prescribes and describes the investigation.

A copy of the letter is on the Town of China website, china.govoffice.com, under the sub-heading “Public Notices” under the “About” tab.

As part of 2022-23 budget preparations, Hapgood asked whether the current police services are satisfactory. China is now paying $65 an hour to the Kennebec Sheriff’s Office for 10 hours a week extra coverage, in addition to the service provided by KSO and the state police.

Select board members are satisfied. Wayne Chadwick asked whether a contract could be signed, to help with longer-range budgeting.

Deputy Ivano Stefanizzi said coverage is provided 24 hours a day; there is no change-over gap between shifts. He and his colleagues continue to stop many speeders between 4 and 7 a.m., he said.

If select board members decide not to revive the town police department, they are likely to ask voter’ permission to sell the town-owned police vehicle.

Hapgood said no bids had been received on the Harley-Davidson motorcycle the town has taken as part repayment of a loan from the Tax Increment Financing Revolving Loan Fund. She recommends trying again in the spring.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.

State to initiate an investigation into the presence of PFAS chemicals in China

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Photo: Richard Hurd (internet photo)

China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood has received a letter from Susanne Miller, director of the Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management, relative to initiating an investigation into the presence of PFAS chemicals in the town. The letter follows:

China town manager Rebecca Hapgood. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

This letter is to inform you that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is initiating an investigation into the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the land application of sludge and/or septage in China. This is part of the DEP’s statewide investigation for the implementation of 2021 Public Law Chapter 478, An Act To Investigate Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Contamination of Land and Groundwater, effective October 18, 2021.

Sites have been identified based on DEP licensing information. To designate the approximate schedule for sampling, the DEP prioritized all sludge sites across the state into four Tiers (I, II, III, IV) based upon the following criteria:

  • The anticipated presence of high levels of PFAS substances in sludge or septage applied at a location; and/or
  • The volume of sludge or septage applied at a location; and/or
  • The proximity of a site to drinking water supplies.

The DEP is working closely with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) to identify sites with historical sludge application which are currently being used for the production of agricultural products. As a first step, DEP and DACF will work to verify application history and locations of spreading and stockpiles. DEP and DACF staff may reach out to municipalities to gather information that will help in our investigation. DEP will request permission to sample soils and groundwater from properties where sludge and/or septage may have been land applied.

DEP will also request permission to sample and test drinking water supplies from individual homeowners in the direct vicinity of the site(s) for certain PFAS. The purpose of DEP’s investigation is to identify sites statewide that are impacted by PFAS, identify drinking water supplies that are impacted above Maine’s Interim Drinking Water Standard for PFAS, and provide impacted individuals with water that is below the standard.

DEP will share the sample results with DACF who may recommend modifications to farming practices based on a careful review of the data. DACF may also recommend additional sampling, including the testing of feed and other on-farm products, and the testing of additional soils to gain insight into any potential impacts that PFAS may have at farms.

PFAS are considered emerging contaminants and are not currently regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). As an interim step, U.S. EPA has established a Health Advisory Level of 70 parts per trillion in drinking water for the combined total of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which are two of the most common forms of PFAS.

In Maine however, emergency legislation became effective June 21, 2021, setting forth an interim drinking water standard of 20 parts per trillion for the sum of six PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, PFHpA, and PFDA). This is described in 2021 Public Law Chapter 82 Resolve, To Protect Consumers of Public Drinking Water by Establishing Maximum Contaminant Levels for Certain Substances and Contaminants. The DEP is using Maine’s more stringent standard for its investigation.

We understand that you may have questions and concerns regarding our investigation. General questions about the investigation by DEP or that are being conveyed to you through your constituents should be directed to David Madore, Deputy Commissioner and Communications Director, David.Madore@maine.gov, 207-287-5842. You can also visit our webpage located at: http://www.maine.gov/dep/spills/topics/pfas/index.html.

Any questions about an investigation by DEP at a specific property should be directed to Jim Pollock at 207-592-8343 or jim.c.pollock@maine.gov

If you have agricultural-related questions, please contact Nancy McBrady, Director of the Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, Nancy.McBrady@maine.gov, 207-287-7522.

Thank you for your assistance in this important investigation.

Windsor transfer station needs to replace tire can

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by The Town Line staff

At the November 23 meeting of the Windsor select board, Transfer Station Supervisor Sean Teekema noted that the tire can is in rough shape and will not last the winter. He suggested taking the existing Demo can and use it for tires, and replace the Demo can with a new one. It was also suggested to put a cement pad under the tire can. There is $25,840 in the transfer station reserve account, so Selectman Ronald F. Brann will research the cost of a new Demo can.

The Veterans Memorial Pie sale, held on November 20, at Hussey’s General Store, netted $1,111.11 in sales, and $111.11 from the cash jug. Currently there is $11,596.29 in the Veterans Memorial Fund. A question was raised as to whether they should add more money in the budget for next year to the Veterans Memorial Fund. It was agreed to discuss that at a later time.

To date, 24-1/2 miles of lines have been painted on town roads. Sixty-six percent of the lines are done. The stop bar for the Barton/Jones road was done on the Route 105 side, but not the Jones Road. Town Manager Theresa Haskell said she will contact Lucas Striping to look into it.

In other business, the Windsor School is asking the Reed Funding Group to reimburse a teacher directly for the four bean bag chairs that were agreed to be purchased for the school. It was unanimously passed that a manual check in the amount of $341.78 be issued to Windsor Elementary School for reimbursement of four bean bag chairs, and they would reimburse the teacher.

Discussion centered for the upcoming holiday schedule for the transfer station. The transfer station will be closed Friday, December 24 and Saturday, December 25, and Saturday, January 1, 2022. The select board agreed to let Sean Teekema, transfer station supervisor, to decide if the transfer station will be open on December 31.

A meeting of the Windsor Bicentennial Committee was held on November 15. The $313.55 remaining in the Windsor Days accunt will be used towards the bicentennial event.

Finally, it was reported that 16 accounts are impending auto foreclosure. Of those, 12 are repeat and usually pay at the last minute.

The next meeting of the select board was held on December 7.

China Broadband Committee (CBC) entertains proposal for expanded service

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members entertained a proposal for expanded service by Spectrum at their Dec. 9 meeting, and offered multiple suggestions for sweetening the deal.
Spectrum was represented by Melinda Kinney, Regional Senior Director for Spectrum’s parent company, Charter Communications. Her prepared presentation started with Spectrum’s nation-wide reach, zeroed in on China and included an offer.

Nationally, Charter/Spectrum has more than 750,000 “miles of network infrastructure” in 41 states. In Maine, the company serves 448,000 customers, in 293 communities, and has 680 employees. Augusta, Bangor and Portland are listed as the largest “employment centers,” but Kinney said the company tries to hire local technicians and other employees who are familiar with the service area.

In China, Kinney showed 2,268 homes and businesses served. The proposal she presented would add 15.9 miles of infrastructure, reaching 120 currently unserved homes. The cost would be $296,380 for Charter and $429,000 for the Town of China.

The plan would not be the all-fiber system CBC members prefer, but the hybrid now in use: a fiber network with copper connections to each building served.

Nor would the speed be as high as CBC members think necessary. Kinney presented several speeds, with cost options and additional-service options. Spectrum offers two programs to assist low-income consumers, she said.

CBC member Tod Detre’s reaction was, “We’d be paying for you to extend your network.”

Kinney agreed; China’s $496,000 would bring the town no ownership rights. Spectrum would own and be totally responsible for the network.

The following discussion established that there could be more than 120 unserved houses, and if so Spectrum would consider adjusting its proposal, within limits. Long driveways might prohibit service, or make installation expensive for the home-owner; roads with no utility poles could not be served, Kinney said.

CBC members’ previous discussion with Axiom, a potential service provider, was based on the town owning the infrastructure and Axiom – or a successor if town officials so chose – being entirely responsible for service. Axiom proposed running fiberoptic cable to every house, eliminating the copper link.

On Nov. 2, China voters rejected the committee’s proposal to authorize selectmen to issue a bond to pay for the new infrastructure to support Axiom’s service.

For the Spectrum proposal, cost was one issue for CBC members. Discussion of whether grants could cover part of China’s share was inconclusive, because Maine’s rules for awarding internet connectivity grants are not yet written.

The other major issue was running fiber all the way to each building. Detre and CBC Chairman Robert O’Connor think it’s essential, both for superior service now and because it’s the way internet development is going. O’Connor urged Kinney to ask her company to get ahead of the times.

Her reply was that fiber to the home might be feasible in a new service area, but replacing the existing infrastructure in China is probably not feasible. She told CBC members she will relay their concerns and suggestions to her superiors and report back as she gets answers.

Spectrum still has potential competition, even if Axiom is counted out.

At the Nov. 22 China select board meeting, board and CBC members heard a presentation from Bob Parsloe, of Wireless Partners, LLC, another internet possibility for China residents. At the Dec. 9 CBC meeting, O’Connor said he would like to talk again with representatives of Consolidated Communications, which currently serves some China homes.

The next CBC meeting is tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article (and the print edition) incorrectly referred to the Charter/Spectrum representative as Melinda Perkins. Her name is Melinda Kinney. The article has been updated. We apologize for the error.

VASSALBORO – Small problem turns out bigger: resolved anyway

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Planning Board members started their Dec. 7 meeting thinking they had a small problem. It turned into a bigger one, and they solved it anyway.
At issue was the solar development at 2579 Riverside Drive. It was originally proposed by and permitted to a company named Longroad Energy (see The Town Line, Sept. 10, 2020), and repermitted in August 2021 as the permit’s one-year expiration date loomed.

The work had not started because Central Maine Power Company had not, and still has not, given final approval for adding the solar energy to the power grid.

After several changes, the project now belongs to a different company, Summit Ridge Energy, based in Arlington, Virginia. Ben Aparo, Summit’s Senior Director for Northeast Development, and Brook Barnes, representing a prior owner, asked the planning board to please change the permit to the new owner.

However, board member Douglas Phillips pointed out the clause in the Vassalboro Site Review Ordinance that says: “Permits shall be issued to the applicant of record. The permit(s) are not transferable to a new owner.”

Board members agreed the restriction makes sense. The new owner might not be able to carry out the permitted project; or ordinance requirements might have changed since the original permit was issued.

Neither situation was applicable to the solar development. Aparo and Barnes presented evidence that Summit has the financial capacity to build the solar farm; they assured board members that they intend no changes from the previously-approved plan; and Vassalboro voters have not amended the ordinance.

Barnes and Aparo therefore submitted a revised application in the name of the new ownership, incorporating the information from the original application. Board members voted unanimously to approve it.

The Dec. 7 meeting was Paul Mitnik’s last as Vassalboro’s Codes Enforcement Officer. Ryan Page will succeed him in the position as of Jan. 1, 2022, and Mitnik will become an alternate member of the planning board, appointed by select board members at their Nov. 18 meeting.

Vassalboro select board discusses money, ordinances

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by Mary Grow

Much of the discussion at the Dec. 9 Vassalboro select board meeting was about either ordinances or money, the money as a preliminary to consideration of the 2022-23 municipal budget.

Ordinances included the Marijuana Business Ordinance town voters approved in June and the Mass Gathering Ordinance they rejected in November.

The former requires licenses for marijuana businesses operating in Vassalboro before it was enacted, and is intended to ban new marijuana businesses. The codes officer is responsible for dealing with license applications.

At a public licensing hearing during the Dec. 9 meeting, Codes Officer Paul Mitnik recommended approval of four licenses for a Cushnoc Road facility. One is for building owner Daniel Charest. Three are for tenants Joseph Fucci (doing business as Grown Men LLC); Ryan Sutherland; and Robert Rosso (doing business as Kennebec Healing LLC). The licenses are for the calendar year 2022.

Mitnik said the owner and licensees had been cooperative, license fees were paid and operations met ordinance requirements. After the hearing, selectmen unanimously approved all four licenses.

Leo Barnett, owner of two buildings on Old Meadows Road used for marijuana-growing operations, had filed license applications, Mitnik said. However, no tenant of either building had applied; no license fee had been paid; and Mitnik had been denied admission to the buildings, in violation of both Marijuana Business Ordinance and building codes requirements.

After discussion with the town attorney, Mitnik had issued an order to vacate the buildings. He recommended denying Barnett’s license applications; selectmen agreed.

Mitnik’s second issue was his objection to the provision in the Marijuana Business Ordinance that exempts operations of less than 1,000 square feet, as it is being interpreted. He and incoming codes officer Ryan Page believe “operation” should include not just the grow area, but all related processing and storage spaces.

If the 1,000 square feet applies only to the grow area, which Mitnik called the canopy, then a 50,000 square foot building could house 50 new individual beds of marijuana plants, without any town review. Mitnik thinks such a development would be contrary to voters’ and officials’ expectations from the ordinance.

Town Manager Mary Sabins reminded those present that amending the ordinance to eliminate the exemption requires approval by town voters.

Mitnik and Page said there are other operations in Vassalboro that might need to be licensed. Investigation continues. They said the approved business in the Olde Mill complex in North Vassalboro is closing; and Barnett’s approved facility on Sherwood Lane is not yet built.

The defunct Mass Gathering Ordinance was mentioned in connection with the planned country music concert in July 2022. Local promoter J. R. Garritt (or Jr Garritt, on websites) was scheduled to speak with select board members, but did not attend the Dec. 9 meeting.

Board Chairman Robert Browne said he understood Garritt wanted to relocate the concert from the planned Nelson Road site to the town recreation fields. Board members postponed action until they hear from Garritt.

Without a mass gathering or similar ordinance, Browne said, town officials cannot regulate such events on private property. The defeated ordinance would have allowed them, for example, to require on-site drinking water, sanitary facilities, security and medical facilities.

The money issues select board members considered were raised by Vassalboro First Responder Chief, Daniel Mayotte; Vassalboro Public Library Director, Brian Stanley; and Sabins.

Mayotte suggested using about $75,000 of Vassalboro’s expected ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money for covid-related and other purchases. His recommendations included replacing the First Responders’ outdated AEDs (automated external defibrillators); providing new ENVO N95 masks for First Responders, fire department members and town employees who work with the public; adding a fit-testing system to make the masks more effective; training and equipping new First Responders; helping fund Delta Ambulance’s chaplain service; and adding a cardiac monitor to the First Responders’ equipment.

Sabins said Vassalboro is expected to get about $460,000 in ARPA grants, half now and half in 2022. She displayed the inch-thick notebook of ARPA regulations she is studying to find out what uses are permitted. The process, she said, has no pre-approval component: the town will spend the money and apply for reimbursement hoping the expenditure qualifies.

Select board members suggested other possible uses for ARPA funds that Sabins will research. Awaiting more information, they took no action on Mayotte’s list.

They approved unanimously the updated schedule for replacing town vehicles and equipment over the next decade. Items most likely to be in the 2022-23 budget request include replacement Scott air packs for the fire department, a new town office computer system and a new backhoe for the transfer station. Sabins’ note on the last item quotes station Manager George Hamar: the backhoe “should have been replaced seven years ago.”

Stanley led discussion of reviving the town recreation program. While promising full cooperation, he said the library director does not have time also to be the recreation director.

His recommendation was that select board members budget more than $18,000 in 2022-23 to pay a recreation director who would be expected to work 15 hours a week, plus seasonal sports directors for baseball/softball, soccer and basketball. Board members postponed action.

In other business Dec. 9, Sabins reported progress on turning Vassalboro Community School into an emergency shelter. The generator is installed, though not yet switching on every time it should; and Maine Emergency Management officials have scheduled an early-January walk-through, to be followed by a shelter training program later in 2022.

Select board member Barbara Redmond said she had been invited to succeed former board member John Melrose on the Kennebec County budget committee. Browne and fellow board member Chris French approved.

Board members considered a new policy on background checks for people applying for town positions, paid or volunteer, but postponed action. Sabins said most applicants already undergo background checks.

The next regular Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22, moved a day earlier than usual to avoid keeping the town office open late on Thursday, Dec. 23.

The Vassalboro town office will be closed from 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, to 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 27. The transfer station will also close at 4 p.m. Dec. 23 and will not be open Saturday, Dec. 25. However, it will open as usual at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 26.

For the New Year holiday, the town office will be closed Friday, Dec. 31. The transfer station will be closed Saturday, Jan. 1, but open as usual Sunday, Jan. 2.

China transfer station committee postpones decision on fee increase for Palermo residents

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by Mary Grow

The Dec. 6 China select board discussion covered a variety of topics, most to be continued at future meetings.

Lawrence Sikora, chairman of the Transfer Station Committee, explained the basis for the committee’s recommendation that Palermo residents, who use the China facility by contract, be charged an additional 25 cents per disposal bag.

The price is based on four factors: the regional consumer price index; transportation costs for waste and tipping fees for disposal; and the price China pays for the bags. Sikora said the first and especially the last numbers are increasing and will likely continue to increase. Select board members therefore postponed a decision to February 2022, to get updated figures.

Palermo has received the required six months’ notice that an increase is coming at the end of March 2022.

Sikora also recommended hiring an engineer to design a cover for the precrusher beside the hopper building. Exposed to weather, the panel covering the controls is rusting; and China is paying to have accumulated rain and snow hauled away.

Board member Wayne Chadwick was unsympathetic. “Buy a can of paint” for the rusting panel, he suggested, reminding the audience that when the precrusher was approved, supporters said it didn’t need a cover.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said the transfer station reserve account has more than $50,000 that could be used for a cover.

Board Chair Ronald Breton asked Sikora and Transfer Station Manager Ronald Marois to get an estimate on the cost of an engineer’s advice.

On another trash-related issue, Breton referred to a Bangor newspaper article about lack of progress in finding a new owner to reopen the former Fiberight plant in Hampden. He said Town Attorney Amanda Meader advised China officials not to risk penalties by trying to withdraw from the town’s contract with the Municipal Review Committee that represents municipalities that supported Fiberight.

Sheldon Goodine, chairman of the Municipal Building Committee charged with planning an addition to the town office building, presented and elaborated on his committee’s preliminary report. The recommendation is for a single-story addition on the south side of the front section of the present building.

The report included CAD (computer-assisted design) drawings by committee member and Codes Officer Jaime Hanson. Breton proposed using them as the basis for a Request for Proposals to contractors who could turn them into specifications and build the addition.

He suggested money for the addition be part of the 2022-23 selectmen’s budget request.

One topic that will not be on a future agenda is board member Janet Preston’s proposal to consider a different voting method for local elections. She had presented information on three other types that she considers likely to produce a fairer result (see The Town Line, Dec. 2, p. 2).

Board members voted 3-2 not to continue the discussion. The majority consisted of Breton, Blane Casey and Chadwick; Jeanne Marquis supported Preston in voting for continued consideration.

By an identical vote, members did continue discussion of employees’ health insurance for the 2022-23 budget year, instead of deciding immediately to renew the present plan, as Preston and Marquis favored.

Several employees told board members that the current health insurance plan, though it is less generous than the one they voluntarily gave up in 2018 to save the town money, helps make up for comparatively low municipal pay.

The Town of China currently covers the full cost of a single plan and 85 percent of a family plan. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said this year’s two percent rate increase would cost taxpayers a total of $6,573 for the year, or $1.89 for each tax account.

In other business, board members unanimously appointed Lucas Adams a member of the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee.

Hapgood reported that the first Senior Day, held Dec. 1 in the portable building behind the town office, was a success. The next one is postponed from Wednesday, Dec. 8, to Thursday, Dec. 9, because of possible snow forecast for Wednesday.

Weather permitting, the gatherings will be held every Wednesday until further notice, with Thursdays as alternate days in case of bad weather. The time has been changed, by request, to 10 a.m. to noon, instead of 9 to 11 a.m.

Also on Thursday, Dec. 9, the China Broadband Committee is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. in the portable building to discuss internet service improvements with a representative of Spectrum/Charter Communications.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20.