WINDSOR: Shoulder work complete on all roads; assessors grant abatements

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Compiled by The Town Line staff

The September 29 meeting of the Windsor Board of Selectmen opened with the board voting to adopt the MMA Model Ordinance GA Appendices (A-H) for the period of October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021.

Public Works director Keith Hall reported that all shoulder work in the town has been completed, with the roads still needing to be marked so the center line can be painted. It was also suggested that the electronic speed sign be placed on Coopers Mills Road, Griffin Rod, Weeks Mills Road or even at the Windsor School area, as these areas typically experience high traffic with excessive speeds. It was believed that the state Department of Transportation may need to be contacted for any state road.

Hall also reported that public works hours have gone back to Monday through Friday, eight hours a day.

Transfer Station director Timothy Coston said the compactor was scheduled for servicing on October 14. All fluids to be drained and filters and screens checked.

Reporting on the cemetery, Sexton Joyce Perry indicated that 61 stones in North, three in Resthaven and nine others in the cemeteries need to be raised and cleaned, at an estimated cost of $1,870. The selectmen approved the expenditure. The cemeteries will be closed on October 30. Money, from the cemetery maintenance account was also unanimously approved for four to six inches of loam to be spread to help the grass grow.

Three junkyard permits were unanimously approved to Allen Rogers, Stanley Pelletier and Millard Nicker III.

The board then suspended its meeting and convened as the board of assessors.

The assessors unanimously accepted tax abatement requests by Oxford Property Management for $244.48, and to Scott Thibodeau for $128.

A tree growth penalty was assessed to Donna and Paul Pinkham in the amount of $1,420 by a unanimous vote.

The board of selectmen then reconvened and adjourned. All members of the board of selectmen were present for the meeting.

The next regular meeting of the Windsor Board of Selectmen took place on October 13.

China planning board approves two requests after more detailed explanations

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by Mary Grow

Both items on the China Planning Board’s Oct. 20 agenda needed some explaining, but once the situations were clear board members quickly agreed on unanimous approvals.

The first issue dealt with a subdivision on Fire Road 51, off Lakeview Drive (Route 202), originally established by Rick Fischer’s parents and, Board Chairman Tom Miragliuolo said, approved in 1971. Fischer believes it might have been the first subdivision in China.

Over the years, he explained, part of the subdivision was developed and planned interior roads were built. In the part left undeveloped, the roads were not built and became what he referred to as “paper streets.”

During a 2014 transaction, ownership of the paper streets was mistakenly assigned to abutting landowners. They should belong to the Fischer family, Fischer explained. To eliminate future confusion, he needed – and received – approval of an Oct. 14, 2020, revised plan that made no changes in anyone’s land ownerships or access rights, but restored the streets to their previous situation.

The second permit request was for repair work on Fire Road 11, off Neck Road, in shoreland and resource protection zones. The China Region Lakes Alliance (CRLA) is supporting the work under its Gravel Roads Rehabilitation Program (GRRP). Fire Road 11 Association President Danny Boivin and member Mickey Wing explained the plans via speaker-phone.

The work includes improving ditches and other run-off controls, Wing said. It is supported by all members of the road association, whether or not their property will be affected, and residents on nearby Fire Road 10 have been consulted. The desired end result is a road that is environmentally improved, easier to keep passable year-round and narrower (because material that has been graded out to the sides will be turned into a grass buffer).

Wing expected work to begin promptly after planning board approval. Board members approved with one condition, putting up appropriate signs to warn and direct delivery-truck drivers during construction.

The next China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Nov. 10.

China residents discuss Causeway improvements at hearing

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Work continues on the Causeway at the head of China Lake. Phase 2 of the project is scheduled to be completed in mid-November. (photo by Roland Hallee)

Causeway construction in China to last through mid-November

by Jeanne Marquis

The completion of the Phase II Causeway Road bridge will provide a more walkable, accessible and family friendly area for residents and visitors. As with any renovation project, this one comes with a degree of inconvenience and mess, but this project also has generated a good deal of anticipation.

Photo depicts the type of guardrail to be installed in Phase II. (provided by Mark McCluskey of A.E. Hodsdon Engineers)

Mark McCluskey, of A.E. Hodsdon Engineers, of Waterville, provided a schematic and photo for a preview of the completed project. The new guardrails will be placed further away from the roadway to allow for wider shoulders. A walkway will be added for pedestrians and a platform added for fishing. Erosion barriers will be added to protect from the wear and tear from the natural elements.

The photo that McCluskey provided shows the new guardrails which will replace the temporary rails placed during Phase I. These wooden rails will be more aesthetically pleasing and easier for parents to get their young children over to access their favorite fishing spots.

Mark McCluskey said, “We are extremely excited about getting the work done and feel it will be a substantial improvement to the shoreline stabilization, safety for the public and will provide much needed improvements.”

The planning for the Causeway Road bridge renovation project began when the Maine Department of Transportation had determined the bridge, built in the 1930s, would only last for another five or 10 years. Phase I work began in the Fall of 2018 when the old bridge was demolished. During Phase I, the remaining foundation was reinforced by stone, the culvert was raised, the new road was laid and a temporary guardrail was installed. Phase II is projected to be completed by mid-November 2020.

Schematics for the work at the Causeway. (provided by Mark McCluskey of A.E. Hodsdon Engineers)

According to China Town Manager Becky Hapgood, the work is being done by McGee Construction, of Gardiner. They will be installing a redi-rock retaining wall, rip-rap, a sidewalk on the lake side with improved guardrails and lighting, and improving the boat launch. There was a slight delay with the redi-rock retaining wall, but the redi-rock is now being delivered at a cost below budget. Hapgood said, “Residents can expect a boat launch that is safer and easier to navigate with a pleasant area to walk along the Causeway.”

Hapgood went on to say that she is not aware of any more that will be done but there has been some mention of a Phase 3.

China selectmen candidates explain their position on local topics

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Louisa Barnhart moderated the discussion.

by Mary Grow

The five candidates for three seats on China’s Board of Selectmen answered questions at an on-line Oct. 18 forum sponsored by the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library in China Village.

When ballots are counted after the polls close Nov. 3, three people will be elected to serve two-year terms as selectmen. The ballot choices are, in alphabetical order, Ronald Breton (incumbent), Blane Casey, Brent Chesley, Jeanne Marquis and Janet Preston (incumbent).

Moderator Louisa Barnhart first asked each person to summarize his or her qualifications for the local office.

Ron Breton

Breton cited his 12 years as a planning board member and then a selectman, including chairing both boards. In his military career, he learned leadership skills and how to communicate, and he managed large budgets.

Casey, an independent businessman and second-generation China resident, said dealing with lots of people has taught him to listen, to compromise and to solve problems.

Chesley, co-owner of a large highway construction business, cited his knowledge of public works projects. He said he listens to his employees to get information he needs to make good decisions and appropriate compromises. Born in Lincoln, he has lived in China for 16 years.

Jeanne Marquis

Marquis, who returned to China to take care of her elderly father in the house the family has owned for five generations, said her journalism training at Northwestern University taught her to research issues and to listen. She encouraged selectmen to initiate more communication with residents.

Preston, formerly a China School Committee member, cited her unique perspective as an educator, which she said helps her work with varied people, listen well and explain things clearly. She described herself as open-minded, non-judgmental and, as a math teacher, focused on problem-solving. She and her family have lived in their house in China for 30 years, she said.

Asked about taxes and the town budget, Breton and Preston agreed the current board studies expenditures carefully and does not waste taxpayers’ money. Chesley’s opinion is that “People are pretty well maxed out on taxes.” Marquis said compared to other Maine towns of comparable size, China’s tax rate is about in the middle.

Neither Chesley nor Casey had had time to review the budget looking for specifics, but Casey believes a town can always save money – and perhaps increase some allocations. Marquis pointed out that China currently contributes more to FirstPark, the Oakland business park, than the town gets in return, though the new park manager might improve the balance; and she suggested China’s Emergency Preparedness Committee should have money available for things like pandemic supplies and generators residents could borrow.

Brent Chesley

Chesley recommended inviting more homeowners and especially more business owners to town, to increase the property tax base. Marquis, who advocated repeatedly for open space and China’s natural environment, disagreed with “overdeveloping China” and preferred seeking grants and other funding sources.

Moderator Barnhart’s broad questions about additional community facilities and services brought a variety of answers from the five candidates. Several cited recommendations in China’s comprehensive plan.

Casey and Chesley were least enthusiastic about expanding services. Casey said he is unaware of additional services residents are looking for, but invited suggestions. Chesley’s wording was that he is unaware of additional services residents need, versus what some might want.

Both men would consider elderly housing, if it were provided by private developers and, Chesley added, if there were community support. Casey said one service he recommends is more flexible town office hours to accommodate working residents.

Marquis endorsed expansion of broadband service, now being sought by the town’s broadband committee, and said more solar power would save money. She favors the comprehensive plan recommendations for more youth recreational programs and programs for the elderly.

Janet Preston

Preston favors elderly housing with services, though she has no specific plan yet. She would also like to see more bike paths, especially around China Lake, pointing out that cyclists now have Lakeview Drive with paved shoulders and heavy traffic on one side and back roads without shoulders the rest of the way.

Breton said China has a committee looking into elderly housing possibilities. He too favors more recreational areas. He would also like more law enforcement coverage, though voters at the 2020 town meeting did not approve hiring a full-time police chief.

The idea of a town community center, rejected by voters in June 2019, brought varied reactions.

Marquis proposed, in present circumstances, using the town-owned 40-acre lot on Lakeview Drive opposite the former Candlewood Camps for an outdoor pavilion with a firepit, a farmers’ market and perhaps later a community center building. She suggested funding the building through donations (with major donors offered naming rights), not taxes.

Chesley could see the Lakeview Drive property being used for an amphitheater, hiking trails and/or a farmers’ market – but he is concerned about the cost. China has already invested in recreational facilities like Thurston Park and the causeway project at the head of China Lake’s east basin, he reminded the audience.

Breton favors an earlier plan that he realizes was and is unpopular: a building on the Lakeview Drive land that would house a community center, the current three fire departments and perhaps China Rescue and a police office. He approved the farmers’ market idea; the town office parking lot might be another possible site, he suggested. If voters don’t want to use the Lakeview Drive land, he recommends selling it; town-owned land does not pay property taxes, he pointed out.

Neither Marquis nor Preston is currently willing to sell the lot. Both favor public access to outdoor areas, for dog-walking (Preston) and other quality-of-life reasons (Preston and Marquis).

Preston favors a community center somewhere in town. She sees the tentative plan to consolidate China’s two schools and free the present middle school for town use as no longer a possibility and suggested possible use of the large building at the China Baptist Conference Center on Neck Road.

Blane Casey

Casey and Chesley listed multiple underutilized buildings in town and opposed adding a community center. If there is to be a community center and central fire station, it should be close to the center of town, not at the north end of Lakeview Drive, Casey said.

Another previously-controversial issues, public access to China Lake, found the majority of the candidates favoring the idea, at least in principle. Preston, who served on the committee that proposed buying the Candlewood lakefront property and had its recommendation rejected by voters, still strongly supports a public beach.

Marquis agreed, and Breton hopes China’s revised comprehensive plan will include lake access as a goal. Chesley would not oppose a town beach at the right price, in the right place and with a maintenance plan. Casey does not know of available land, and is concerned about costs and potential liability.

The China library’s first on-line forum ran smoothly, thanks to the organizational and technical skills of librarians Carla Gade and Miranda Perkins and trustees Jim Hart (computer expert) and Barnhart (Zoom hostess and forum moderator).

To view the video of the China selectperson candidates’ forum, please click here.

China selectmen hear reports from department heads

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen heard reports from town departments (submitted in writing and read by Town Manager Becky Hapgood) and considered various issues at their Oct. 13 meeting.

They made three decisions:

  • They appointed Frederick Anderson, Dale Peabody, Shawn Reed and Joshua Crommett to the Road Committee.
  • They accepted with appreciation a $5,000 grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life to help with Covid-related election expenses. Hapgood gave Town Clerk Angela Nelson credit for obtaining the money.
  • After an executive-session discussion with Town Attorney Amanda Meader, Hapgood reported selectmen voted to authorize Meader to enter into negotiations with Brent Chesley’s attorney over Chesley’s rejected application to build a retaining wall along the shore of his China Lake property. Codes Officer Bill Butler denied a permit, and in August the China Board of Appeals upheld Butler on a split vote, on the ground that the planning board was the proper body to review Chesley’s application.

Department and other report highlights included the following:

  • Town Clerk Angela Nelson had already issued a record number of absentee ballots. The ballot drop box at the town office was installed with state funds covering $1,500 or 80 percent of the cost, whichever is less, and the possibility of more state aid.

Hapgood added that office staff have received many complaints about ballot applications, ballots and other election materials mailed by political parties and affiliates. Selectboard Chairman Ronald Breton said town officials can do nothing to stop them.

  • Public Works Foreman Shawn Reed reported road paving and striping finished and final shoulder work almost done. Breton thanked the crew for their clean-up work after recent storms.
  • Codes Officer Butler reported on enforcement issues, one pending and one resolved, and again announced his retirement, effective Dec. 1.
  • Transfer Station Manager Ron Marois’ report sparked questions from Breton and board member Wayne Chadwick about the cost of recycling various materials, including glass and cardboard, versus the cost of treating them as mixed waste. Hapgood reminded the board that cardboard recycling is required by town ordinance.
  • Police Chief Craig Johnson’s report summarized September hours and activities. Breton wants more hours of coverage. Hapgood said China’s police force consists of five people, all with full-time jobs in other departments; three share patrol duty, while two Oakland officers handle various office duties for China.

Selectman Irene Belanger, who represents China on several regional and state boards and committees, reported that the Municipal Review Committee, the group of towns overseeing the now-closed Fiberight trash facility, in Hampden, continues to move toward finding a new owner/operator.

Halloween trunk or treat to be held

China’s annual Halloween trunk-or-treat will be held, with adjustments for Covid, beginning at 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, in the town office parking lot. Selectman Irene Belanger and former Selectman Robert MacFarland are organizing the event; they plan to hand out treats as children remain in vehicles, with a one-way traffic flow. Those who would like to help are invited to wear costumes and to assemble well before 6 p.m. Those seeking more information should contact Belanger, MacFarland or the town office.

In other business, South China resident Carrie Gay again asked for town help in creating a public water source to replace the private spring on Route 3 that has been closed. Many people in the area have well water that is unfit to drink, she said, and cannot afford to meet their needs with bottled water. No definite proposals were discussed; Breton said the town will try to assist.

Breton asked whether Hapgood intends to continue mailing weekly newsletters after the Covid grant financing them runs out. Hapgood said she hopes to find money in the budget to continue on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, and praised deputy town clerk Ashley Farrington for the quality of the letters.

Hapgood and Breton made the following announcements:

  • Causeway Road is to be closed for several weeks between the boat landing and the China Baptist Church parking lot, to finish construction of embankments and a walkway at the head of China Lake’s east basin. The lake’s water level is expected to drop 12 to 18 inches soon.
  • On Nov. 3, the town office will be closed so staff can supervise voting in the adjoining portable building.
  • The next regular selectmen’s meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26.

Annual drug take-back day set for Oct. 24

The annual fall drug take-back day at the China transfer station is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24. Residents are encouraged to bring in unused or outdated medication for safe disposal.

Vassalboro parents protest closing of town-owned ballfields

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by Mary Grow

Four residents, three of them young parents who said they were speaking for others, attended the Oct. 15 Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting to protest closing the town-owned ballfields in East Vassalboro.

Zachary and Melissa Olson said groups of parents and children had been using the fields, with their own sports equipment and with no town involvement. Someone notified Police Chief Mark Brown and they were ordered to leave.

Selectmen and Town Manager Mary Sabins explained they had closed the fields two weeks earlier, after children in the Vassalboro recreation program shared transportation with students from Windsor school, where Covid-19 was found.

Sabins said she consulted with Recreation Director Danielle Sullivan and school officials, especially nurse MaryAnn Fortin, before ending the town recreation program for the season and closing the fields for two weeks. The two weeks ended Oct. 15, she said, and if people want to use the fields, they may.

“I’m a risk manager,” Sabins said. “Your children and all of us were at risk.”

The discussion ended with consensus that there is no plan for town-sponsored use of the ballfields this fall. Residents who bring their own equipment and supplies may use the property at their own risk. Sabins warned everyone on the fields to stay well away from the snack shack that is being reroofed, to avoid machinery, roofing nails and other possible hazards.

Board Chairman John Melrose said selectmen could have done better at explaining and publicizing the closure. He reminded the audience that, not for the first time since March, board members were dealing with a novel situation and making up a solution on the spot. He proposed they discuss developing a policy for pandemic-related decisions.

Returning to items from past meetings, selectmen voted unanimously that they support the volunteer fire department’s five-year lease-purchase of a new fire truck, as authorized by town meeting voters. Firefighter Michael Vashon said the fire department reserve fund lacks about $11,000 of the July 2021 lease payment; the department is fund-raising.

Selectmen will again wait for more information on the fire department’s need for a new repeater and on the future of the Conservation Commission. Sabins said a Conservation Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Selectmen voted unanimously to deny Susan Little’s request for an additional streetlight in East Vassalboro, but to include the request in the proposed 2021-22 budget next year.

Sabins said Central Maine Power Company account manager Tammy Pierce said the new light would cost $9.10 a month rental, plus the energy cost. Little offered to cover the monthly charge for at least a year, but Sabins said town policy doesn’t authorize such donations.

Selectmen were concerned about the precedent they might set. Between now and budget preparation time they intend to see if they receive other requests. Sabins could remember only one new light approved during her tenure, on Cemetery Street near the Sanitary District office.

The next Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for an unusual time and day: 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, instead of the usual Thursday evening. Beginning at 4 p.m., Oct. 28, board members will tour the North Vassalboro and Riverside fire stations, under Fire Chief Walker Thompson’s guidance.

China broadband committee meets virtually

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China’s Broadband Committee meets virtually at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15, to continue discussion of expanding internet service in town. People interested in watching or participating in the meeting should contact the town office for information.

At the Oct. 13 selectmen’s meeting, spokesman Tod Detre said the committee is investigating means and costs to upgrade infrastructure in order to provide high-speed internet service throughout the town.

CHINA: Virtual community candidates forum slated for Oct. 18

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Albert Church Brown Memorial Library in China Village.

The China Library Association invites China residents to a virtual candidates’ forum hosted by the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library, China Village. The ZOOM event will take place on Sunday, October 18, 2020, at 2 p.m.

Dr. Louisa Bernhardt, vice president of the library’s board of directors, will interview the five candidates running for three positions on the China Board of Selectmen, providing an opportunity for voters to become better acquainted with their platforms.

Capacity limit is 100 for the live ZOOM event; however, the forum will be recorded for others to view online at their convenience. Access to the log-in link for the live and recorded event will be available on the library website at chinalibrary.org. Interested residents are invited to send potential questions for consideration to chinalibraryacb@gmail.com.  Please submit your questions by 6 p.m., October 16.

Vassalboro public hearing planned on medical marijuana growing request

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by Mary Grow

Faced with a four-item agenda that included three pre-application reviews, Vassalboro Planning Board members have scheduled public hearings on two of them, for Leo Barnett’s requested medical marijuana growing facilities.

The hearings are to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 (a week later than the board’s usual monthly meeting night because Nov. 3 is Election Day). Due to space limits at the town office, Codes Officer Paul Mitnik hopes to arrange to use St. Bridget’s Center on Main Street, in North Vassalboro. The location will be announced once it is final.

Barnett described plans to build two new marijuana-growing buildings on Sherwood Lane, and two more on Old Meadow Lane near his current business. Both roads run off Riverside Drive. He intends to rent out the space, he said, perhaps an entire building to one tenant, perhaps half a building.

Residents from both areas voiced a variety of concerns about the proposals, and Brackett said the board had received emailed comments. The decision to hold public hearings was intended to give interested residents a chance to get their information and opinions on the record.

Issues raised included access for emergency vehicles and an adequate water supply for the fire department (required for commercial buildings, firefighter Michael Vashon said); the kind of bathroom facilities required by state plumbing regulations; odor control (odor from marijuana-growing operations is a common subject of complaint, State Representative Richard Bradstreet said); security; effects on nearby property values; and traffic.

After the Nov. 10 hearings, board members intend to review Barnett’s applications for completeness and, if they are voted complete, discuss whether they meet town ordinance requirements.

The other two Oct. 6 applications were from Susan Traylor, to expand a non-conforming building in the Webber Pond shoreland, and from Jeremy Soucy, to open a used-car business at 24 Webber Pond Road, at the junction with Riverside Drive.

Traylor had a 2018 permit that expired before work was started. The new application is for a smaller expansion, not toward the water nor toward neighbors, she said. Board members unanimously approved her permit.

Brackett made sure Soucy was aware of information needed for his full application.

VASSALBORO: Final plans for transfer station upgrade come before board

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro selectmen heard a variety of matters, some with potential costs, at their Oct. 1 meeting, including near-final plans for a redesign of the transfer station, junkyard and auto hobbyists’ permits, the fire department’s repeater problem and the future of the town’s Conservation Commission.

Engineer Al Hodsdon, of A. E. Hodsdon, in Waterville, presented the transfer station plan. He explained that it is a “minor upgrade” to the existing facility, not the more expansive – and expensive – redesign selectmen reviewed with a different firm a few years ago. The main goal is to improve traffic safety.

Part of the plan is a new exit onto Lombard Dam Road. Hodsdon said abutter William Spaulding is willing to discuss selling, leasing or granting a right-of-way over his land to provide space.

Hodsdon and selectmen agreed that he, Town Manager Mary Sabins, transfer station Manager George Hamar and Spaulding will work out details for a final plan. Board members are looking at including funding in the 2020-21 budget and expect no action until after the 2021 town meeting.

Codes Officer Paul Mitnik presented a list of seven auto graveyard owners and four auto hobbyists who need town licenses to keep unregistered vehicles on their property; but he believed one person had moved enough vehicles so no license is needed. After a public hearing and on Mitnik’s recommendation, selectmen approved permits for the following, some with conditions.

Auto graveyards: James Cogley, 510 Main Street (Ron’s Parts Inc.); Dale Clement, 471 Taber Hill Road (Bondo’s Garage); Bill Pullen, 163 South Stanley Hill Road (Freddie’s Service Center); Stanley Garnett, 1616 North Belfast Avenue (Garnett’s Motors); Olin Charette, 1499 Riverside Drive (Week’s Mills Garage); Voit Ritch, Route 3 (Autowerkes); Roger Pomerleau, 1702 Riverside Drive (RAP).

Hobbyists: Keith Lemieux, 79 Priest Hill Road; James Jurdak, 7 Baker Road; Robert Dore, 919 Church Hill Road; Mathew Farrington, 321 Holman Day Road.

Voting at school; 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Vassalboro’s Nov. 3 voting will be in the Vassalboro Community School gymnasium, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Town Manager Mary Sabins said voters will have access only to the gymnasium; the school’s front door will be locked. No public restroom will be available. Voters will be asked to wear masks and to observe social distancing.

No students will use the school Nov. 3 nor Wednesday, Nov. 4, when the gymnasium will be thoroughly cleaned, Sabins said.

Mitnik said anyone with more than two unregistered, unserviceable vehicles on his or her property needs a license. An auto graveyard or junkyard has to be a business, he said, and a hobbyist should be restoring vehicles. The annual fees are $50 for a junkyard and $25 for a hobbyist’s collection, he said.

Board Chairman John Melrose, and more vehemently Dore, said many residents have more than two unregistered and unused vehicles in their dooryards. Mitnik invited them to give him addresses, saying he is unaware of any, but does not have time to cruise around looking for them. Melrose recommended Mitnik and Dore follow up with Sabins.

Firefighter Michael Vashon told selectmen the repeater on Nelson Road is no longer working. Vassalboro and China bought it jointly about 20 years ago, he said. Its role is to forward calls from the Augusta dispatch center to individual firefighters’ phones or pagers.

For now, he said, a leased replacement is in use. He does not know how long it will be available. South China Fire Chief Richard Morse told him the South China department is experimenting using the facility at the China town office; therefore Vashon does not know whether China will again share the cost of a permanent replacement.

Nor does he have a firm replacement cost – he offered selectmen an estimate of $12,000 minimum, with another $7,000 or more in future software updating costs.

Vashon hopes to have additional information at the selectmen’s Oct. 15 meeting.

East Vassalboro resident Holly Weidner told selectmen the Conservation Commission is currently leaderless. A meeting is planned later this fall, she said, and she hopes enough interested volunteers will revive the organization. Melrose said it was created by town ordinance, so selectmen cannot eliminate it.

In other business Oct. 1, selectmen heard Susan Little’s request for a new streetlight in East Vassalboro. Sabins said she had called the town’s Central Maine Power Company connection, who would look into the situation once the chaos caused by the Sept. 30 wind and rain cleared up.

Melrose said work continues on the major Cross Hill Road culvert replacement. In-water work was completed before Oct. 1, as required by state regulations, he said.

On Sabins’ recommendation, board members plan to review Calderwood Engineering’s draft specifications for the Gray Road culvert work at their second October meeting, rescheduled to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Sabins announced a $5,000 election grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life to help cover extra costs associated with coronavirus precautions before, during and after the Nov. 3 election.

The manager had two less happy reports.

The most recent quarterly revaluation is done, she said; assessors reviewed properties in one-fourth of Vassalboro to see where values should be lowered (for depreciation or removal of taxable property) or raised (for improvements and additions). The review had increased valuation by less than $70,000, creating a minimal increase in tax revenue. She suggested selectmen consider setting aside funds for a full town-wide revaluation.

Sabins also said Vassalboro children had shared transportation with Windsor children (and some from two other towns), and one Windsor youngster had tested positive for Covd-19. Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is on the case, she said. (The Oct. 1 issue of the Kennebec Journal included a report on Windsor school officials’ action.)

Melrose announced a ribbon-cutting for ReVision Energy‘s solar project at 135 East Ridge Road in Skowhegan, scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 12. The Town of Vassalboro and Vassalboro Community School have contracted to buy power from the solar panels, along with Dover-Foxcroft, Rangeley, Rockland and Topsham.

A ReVision press release says solar power will cover almost 85 percent of each municipality’s energy needs for town buildings. The panels are expected to last up to 40 years and, because the power cost will be lower than market prices, to start saving money for participants in 2021.

Selectmen rearrange schedules to work around holidays

Vassalboro selectmen have rearranged their meeting schedule for most of the rest of the year, primarily to work around holidays.

The next regular selectmen’s meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.

The meeting that should have been the evening of Oct. 29 is rescheduled to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. It is to be followed by a tour of Vassalboro’s two fire stations, arranged with Fire Chief Walker Thompson and scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

In November, selectmen will meet as planned at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, but will skip the second meeting, which would have fallen on Thanksgiving.

And they plan to meet only once in December, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, to avoid a Christmas Eve meeting.

Board members can always call a special meeting if they need to.