China voters to be presented with three ballots on June 11, 2024

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by Mary Grow

China voters will be presented with three ballots at the polls on June 11: the annual town business meeting, the school budget referendum and a choice of state primary ballots. All ballots can be previewed on the town website, china.govoffice.com, under the Elections tab on the left side of the main page.

Voting will be in the portable classroom behind the town office on Lakeview Drive. After a moderator is elected at 6:45 a.m., polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The warrant for China’s annual town business meeting has 32 articles. Voters will act on authorizations to spend town money on listed purposes (and set the fall 2024 and spring 2025 tax due dates to collect some of the money); grant authority to select board members to carry out official functions; and accept or reject three amended or new ordinances (Arts. 29, 30 and 31).

There are no local elections. They will be held Nov. 5.

Select board and budget committee members debated many of the June 11 articles at multiple meetings, sometimes with input from audience members. A May 6 public hearing on the warrant was sparsely attended.

Some of the articles discussed were:

— Art. 4, administration expenses, $1,184,525, which includes a 3.2 percent cost of living increase plus one percent merit raises (the same increases are in other budget lines that include town employees).
— Art. 5, town boards’ and committees’ expenses, $84,220. For the second year, this article includes no compensation for select board members.
— Art. 7, public safety, increased to $420,931, mostly because Delta Ambulance’s fee has risen from $15 per resident this year to $25 per resident in 2024-25.
— Art. 9, public works, increased to $1.848 million, including planning for truck replacements, but no additional staff.
— Art. 10, $74,000 for community support organizations (China Historical Society, two libraries, two lake associations, Golden Agers, China Rescue, supplemental funds for the three volunteer fire departments, veterans’ markers and Memorial Day expenses).
— Art. 28, authorizing the select board to contract for ambulance services, in case the contract with Delta Ambulance falls through.
— Art. 32, authorizing up to $155,489 from federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money for the long-discussed records storage vault at the town office and $70,000 from undesignated fund balance (surplus) for a broadband project, the latter to be spent only on (future) town meeting approval.

The budget committee recommends voters approve all proposed expenditures. At their April 3 meeting, budget committee members supported select board members’ plan to spend up to $296,715 for a new town truck, provided that the select board gets at least a second price quote before signing a contract.

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Three articles propose ordinance amendments. These, too, are on the website under the Elections tab.

Art. 29 asks voters to replace the current Planning Board ordinance, dated 2008.

If voters approve the new ordinance, the six planning board members (five regular, one alternate) will be appointed by the select board, instead of elected; and the four planning board districts will be abolished, so that a resident of any part of town can fill any vacancy.

Board members’ two-year terms, their compensation ($25 per meeting with a maximum of $700 per year) and their responsibilities would be unchanged.

Art. 30 asks if voters want to amend parts of three chapters of China’s Land Development Code. Two documents are on the website, one including explanations of the changes.

Substantive changes are mandated by the new state affordable housing law, known as LD 2003 and titled “An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions.” China’s town attorney advised on wording.

Major changes include creation of a South China Development District and its description and regulations. Its purpose is to “provide for the siting and construction of affordable housing, and resources and services in a clustered (higher density) land area.”

The district, described in an appendix, is the area around South China Village and along Route 3 and Route 32 South (Windsor Road) that was recommended as a development district in China’s 2020 comprehensive plan. It goes west to the Vassalboro line and south on Route 32 just past the Weeks Mills Road intersection.

A map titled Future Land Use Map, page 14 of appendices to the China Comprehensive Plan, shows the area. This map is found on the town website under Ordinances, Policies and Orders, named Comprehensive Plan Appendices – March 2022.

A second major change allows for accessory dwelling units on residential lots. Provisions allow a house-owner to add a separate unit or a separate building to provide additional housing.

A third provision required by the state amends the subdivision ordinance in the Land Development Code to add what are named affordable housing developments.

Art. 31 asks voters to accept the long-discussed Solar Energy Systems Ordinance as a new Chapter 8 in the Land Development Code.

This ordinance, if approved, will set standards for large ground-mounted solar energy systems. Large means any system with more than an acre of panel area; some requirements – height limit, setback and screening requirements — apply to systems with more than 5,000 square feet of panel area.

The ordinance includes requirements for decommissioning a system after its useful life ends, with a required pre-construction guarantee of decommissioning funding in the form of a “surety bond, letter of credit or other form of financial assistance.”

The select board and the planning board recommend that voters approve all three ordinances.

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A separate ballot has only one question, asking if China voters want to approve the Regional School Unit #18 budget that was adopted at a May 16 RSU meeting.

Information on the RSU #18 website says the proposed 2024-25 school budget totals $44,377,494.71, an increase of $1,459,447.19 over the current year’s budget.

The income section of the budget shows how much each member town is asked to contribute. For China, the amounts are: under “Local EPS” (Educational Programs and Services), $3,487,526.34, an increase of $216,273; and under “Local Additional,” $2,166,576.72, an increase of $228,274. China’s total share is $5,654,103, an increase of $444,547 over the current year.

In addition, RSU 18 Superintendent Carl Gartley said in an email, there is a $10,716.20 assessment for the adult education program.

The EPS figure, Gartley explained, is the amount “the state deems necessary for all students to achieve Maine’s Learning Results.” State officials calculate each EPS based on the municipal valuation, population, number of students and other factors. Each municipality must raise the amount the state calculates to be eligible for its full state subsidy, Gartley said.

Member towns in RSU 18 are Belgrade, China, Oakland, Rome and Sidney.

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In China’s June 11 primary voting for the state and national legislatures, the only contest is on the Republican ballot for the District One Congressional seat. Andrew Piantidosi, of Cape Elizabeth, and Ronald C. Russell, of Kennebunkport, seek the nomination. The winner will run in November against Democratic incumbent Chellie Pingree, of North Haven, who has no opponent on the Democratic ballot.

There is also a Green Independent ballot, with no candidate’s name.

In the Maine State Senate primaries for District #15 (Augusta, Belgrade, China, Mount Vernon, Sidney, and Vassalboro), Republican Richard T. Bradstreet, of Vassalboro, and Democrat Raegan French LaRochelle, of Augusta, are unopposed.

In House District #62 (China, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor and Hibberts Gore), Republican incumbent Katrina Smith and Democrat Pamela Swift are unopposed. Both are Palermo residents.

State law says voters enrolled in a party may vote only on that party’s ballot; but unenrolled voters may request any one of the three party ballots. All primary ballots have a line for a write-in candidate.

Vassalboro select board seeks ways to relieve VSD financial crunch

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members began their May 30 meeting with a discussion with Vassalboro Sanitary District trustees about ways to relieve the VSD’s financial crunch. Auditor Ron Smith, of Buxton-based RHR Smith and Company, joined the discussion virtually to offer his advice.

A major problem for the VSD is interest payments on the loans the district took out to fund connecting the original in-town treatment system to Winslow’s sewers, whence waste goes to Waterville’s treatment system. Winslow’s recent rate increase has added to the need for funds.

A major problem for the VSD is interest payments on the loans the district took out to fund connecting the original in-town treatment system to Winslow’s sewers, whence waste goes to Waterville’s treatment system. Winslow’s recent rate increase has added to the need for funds.

The May 30 group discussed uses of Vassalboro’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money to help cover some VSD expenses. They said $100,000 was previously allocated from the TIF fund to the VSD to help fund the connection to Winslow, but was not used.

As at a prior discussion, Town Manager Aaron Miller said he needs to know what money was spent in Vassalboro (and is therefore TIF-eligible) and what was spent across the Winslow town line. And to make proposed use of additional TIF funds legal, Miller needs more information on other expenditures.

VSD Treasurer Rebecca Goodrich promised figures as soon as she can assemble them from records, perhaps in time for the June 13 select board meeting.

In addition to money questions, Smith agreed with earlier recommendations to amend the VSD charter. Goodrich said a revised draft is already with the VSD’s attorney.

After Smith signed out of the discussion, select board member Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., asked if the group had done anything to bring rate-payers immediate relief. There was no affirmative answer.

The other time-consuming issue at the May 30 select board meeting was, again, the town’s personnel policy (see the May 30 issue of The Town Line, p. 3). Half a dozen town employees contributed to the discussion. The topic will be continued.

Select board members signed a proclamation honoring Vassalboro sixth-grade student Sarina LaCroix, a state winner in the Elks Club’s Americanism Essay Contest (see the April 25 issue of The Town Line, p. 1).

They continued consideration of keeping part of a foreclosed property adjoining the transfer station on Lombard Dam Road, to enlarge the transfer station property.

Miller said two pending projects should be done by the end of June, rearranging the fuel pumps at the public works garage and repaving the parking lot at the former East Vassalboro schoolhouse.

Board members accepted Miller’s preliminary recommendation to close the town office at 3 p.m., Thursday, June 27, so staff can do necessary end-of-year bookkeeping before the fiscal year ends Sunday, June 30. The closing time might be changed at the board’s June 13 meeting.

Vassalboro residents take care of 41 of 45 articles at town meeting

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro voters at the June 3 part of the annual town meeting took care of 41 of the 45 articles in this year’s warrant. The remaining four will be decided by written ballot on Tuesday, June 11, with polls open at the town office from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Of the 41 articles, 39 were approved as written. One was defeated, with David Trask, the voter who made the motion presenting it, urging everyone, “Vote no!” Another was amended, on the recommendation of Town Manager Aaron Miller.

The defeated article, Art. 12, asked voters to eliminate the quorum requirement for a special town meeting, which, since 1991, has said that 125 registered voters must be present to open a special town meeting. Select board members have therefore called very few special meetings; and, Miller said, sometimes an emergency might require one.

Former select board member Lauchlin Titus remembered two special meetings under the quorum ordinance. One was to deal with marijuana growing. The other was to deal with Vassalboro’s topless coffee shop – a reminder that drew chuckles from the audience. Titus agreed that the topic “kinda drew folks in.”

However, former select board member John Melrose said, the 1991 quorum was established by the state legislature, as a private and special law, and he doubted a town meeting could repeal it. Former state representative and state senator Elizabeth Mitchell, who sponsored the law – at the town’s request, she said – agreed with Melrose.

Other voters wondered if eliminating the requirement was a good idea anyway. They pointed out that a small group with an agenda might be able to impose their policy on the whole town.

The amended article was Art. 26, which had two parts: voters were asked to appropriate $110,475 for ambulance service, and to authorize the municipal officers to make agreements for such service. Miller pointed out that $110,475 for ambulance service had already been approved in Art. 5, as part of a 15-item, $2.9 million list of town departments and functions.

Voters approved an amendment to delete the duplicate funding, and then approved the article as amended. The money is intended to pay for Delta Ambulance’s service for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

All other articles were approved as presented, by show of voting cards. Where the select board’s and budget committee’s recommendations differed, the select board’s figure was moved and approved.

As the first few articles dealing with the 2024-25 municipal budget were discussed, former town manager Michael Vashon and others asked for a summary of the effect of decisions on the 2024-25 tax rate, information they said had been available at previous town meetings.

They were not pleased when Miller replied that until the assessment of town property values is complete, he cannot calculate possible tax rates.

Under Art. 2 of the warrant, voters re-elected budget committee members Richard Bradstreet, Nate Gray, Douglas Phillips and Frank Richards and elected Laura Jones to fill a vacant seat.

Holly Weidner asked whether the five nominees thought they need additional help, for example a separate committee, to fulfill their responsibilities. None did, though Gray and Richards agreed they deal with complex issue. Phillips praised select board and school board members for their “due diligence” as they prepare annual budgets.

Spirit of America award winner Melrose was recognized with a certificate from the town, presented by select board member Michael Poulin, and another from the Maine legislature, presented by Rep. Richard Bradstreet.

Chris French, select board chairman, recognized members of Vassalboro’s First Responder Service, to whom the annual town report is dedicated.

Moderator Richard Thompson told voters this would be his last year as a town meeting moderator. He estimated he had been elected to serve at 17 Vassalboro meetings, and thanked voters for their cooperation and help.

About 85 people were in the Vassalboro Community School bleachers, and another 18 residents – budget committee, select board and school board members – sat at the head table. The meeting lasted less than two hours, thanks partly to Trask, who repeatedly made motions to consider multiple articles in a single discussion and vote.

On June 11, voters coming to the polls will act on:

— Art. 42, to amend the town’s Solid Waste Ordinance;
— Art. 43, to amend the town’s Marijuana Business Ordinance;
— Art. 44, to re-approve the 2024-25 school budget that was approved at the June 3 meeting; and
— Art. 45, local elections, with two unopposed candidates for re-election, French for the select board and Jolene Gamage for the school board.

Summaries of the proposed ordinance changes are on the opening page of the town website, Vassalboro.net, titled “A synopsis of proposed changes to two ordinances.”

Memorial Day in China Village (2024)

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submitted by Linda Morrell

It was a bit rainy, but a small crowd gathered to honor our veterans who gave their lives for our freedom. The American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Boy Scouts, the Fire Dept, and the Children from China Baptist Church (thanks to Lemieux Orchards for the use of their farm wagon) were all represented. The veterans did the gun salute, the auxiliary honored those who died at sea, Kevin Maroon played Taps and Pastor Ron Morrell offered a prayer of remembrance. The gathering ended with the playing of the National Anthem. It was a brief time of remembering and honoring the memory of those who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy.

If you didn’t attend this year please find somewhere next year to honor these veterans, one hour out of your year doesn’t seem too much to give to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Vassalboro school board meeting routine

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members’ May 21 meeting featured monthly reports and routine decisions.

Vassalboro Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer and Vassalboro Community School (VCS) Principal Ira Michaud presented written reports on past and pending activities, including numerous end-of-school-year field trips.

Pfeiffer announced that the new Director of Maintenance and Grounds for VCS and Winslow schools will be Cory Eisenhour, formerly with Regional School Unit #71, in Belfast. Eisenhour succeeds Shelley Phillips, who is retiring at the end of June.

The VCS grounds have received their annual treatment for ticks, from a licensed applicator using approved chemicals, Pfeiffer said.

The superintendent had prepared a summary of work done on VCS buildings and grounds from 2005-2006, when the original (1992) windows were replaced, to the current year. This year’s major projects included cleaning, repointing and, where necessary, repairing the exterior brickwork; installing ceiling fans in classrooms; and improving playground equipment.

Vassalboro residents will check out the new speaker system in the VCS gymnasium when they assemble there for the Monday, June 3, open town meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

School board decisions May 21 included paying bills; approving the 2024-25 school calendar; and re-appointing returning teachers and educational technicians as they move up a step on the ladder from probationary to regular employees.

The next Vassalboro school board meeting will be Tuesday evening, June 18.

By then, voters will have acted on the 2024-25 school budget at the June 3 town meeting and again on June 11, and presumably will have re-elected school board member Jolene Clark Gamage, who is unopposed in her bid for another three-year term.

Vassalboro select board reviews draft of revised personnel policy

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members spent more than an hour of their May 24 meeting reviewing a revised draft of the town’s personnel policy, with comments from an interested audience of town employees.

The most discussed section deals with how time off – vacation time, sick leave, personal days, for example – is calculated. There were questions about when an employee begins to accumulate these benefits and how they are measured.

Related issues (like overtime) and possible future benefits (like family medical coverage) were also topics. Town Manager Aaron Miller will continue to work on the draft policy.

Before the policy discussion, select board members reviewed and made a few changes in the draft warrant for Vassalboro’s June 3 and June 11 town meeting. Miller hoped to have the annual town report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023, which will include the town meeting warrant, ready for the printer on May 20.

After the policy discussion, board members reviewed two ongoing projects, reorganizing the transfer station and slowing speeders on Route 32 in East Vassalboro.

The transfer station discussion has two branches, rebuilding in pretty much the existing footprint or expanding.

Absentee ballots available

Absentee ballots for the state primary election and Vassalboro local elections are available at the Vassalboro town office through Thursday, June 6. State primary ballots may also be requested through the Secretary of State’s website.

State law allows voters to apply for absentee ballots after June 6 only under special circumstances.

Board members reviewed three plans for a drive-through building on the current site, prepared by Senders science engineering and construction, of Camden. Each would accomplish the main goal, improving safety by eliminating the need for drivers to back up to the hopper to dispose of trash.

They also discussed the possibility of incorporating at least part of an adjacent 5.5-acre parcel on the eastern border of the transfer station lot, on which the town has foreclosed. Miller said discussions with the heirs to the property are continuing.

If the town were to acquire the land, its usefulness would depend on numerous factors, from the extent of wetlands on the property to state regulations.

Board member Frederick “Rick” Denico suggested Miller consult engineer Jeff Senders.

East Vassalboro resident Holly Weidner and Miller said an East Vassalboro group and state Department of Transportation officials propose experimental Route 32 traffic-calming measures.

The first step is to collect statistics on traffic speed, Weidner said. Then the experiment will begin; continued monitoring will show whether it slows drivers.

Select board members approved spending up to $6,500 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for the project. Weidner said there might be a $1,000 grant available to reduce the cost to the town.

The next regular Vassalboro select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 30.

Vassalboro prepares for annual town meeting, election (2024)

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro’s annual town meeting will be, as usual in recent years, in two sections.

Voters will assemble at 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 3, in the Vassalboro Community School gymnasium to vote on the first 41 articles of the 45-article town meeting warrant. The meeting will then recess until 8 a.m., Tuesday, June 11, when written-ballot voting begins at the town office on Articles 42 through 45 and for state primary elections.

Town Manager Aaron Miller expects veteran moderator Richard Thompson will run the meeting, if elected under Art. 1 of the warrant.

Much of the warrant deals with familiar topics.

Art. 2 asks voters to elect five members of Vassalboro’s Budget Committee for two-year terms. In past years the warrant has listed the budget committee members whose terms end. In 2024 they are not listed; Miller had legal advice against appearing to limit choices.

The annual town report for the year ending June 30, 2023, now available at the town office, says Frank Richards’, Douglas Phillips’, Richard Bradstreet’s and Nate Gray’s terms end this year. There is a vacancy, because Michael Poulin’s seat was not filled after he was elected to the select board last year.

Art. 5 asks voter approval to spend more than $2.9 million for 15 municipal departments or functions. Biggest proposed expenditures include more than $648,000 for the public works department, almost $630,000 for administration; and $570,000 for road paving. The smallest request on the list is $3,000 for general assistance.

As in past years, most of the rest of the warrant deals with other expenditures and with authorizing a variety of select board actions.

New articles this year include:

— Art. 12, asking voters to adopt an ordinance called “Ordinance Eliminating Quorum Requirement for Special Town Meetings.”

The article refers to a 1991 town meeting vote. The state Law and Legislative Reference Library’s digital on-line version cites a 1991 private and special law that requires at least 125 registered voters to be present for a Vassalboro special meeting.

This legislative act amended an earlier requirement that at least 10 percent of the number of voters participating in the previous gubernatorial election take part in any special town meeting. The requirement has discouraged select board members from calling special town meetings.

— Art. 21, asking voters to approve spending up to $20,000 from surplus to run the Red Cross emergency shelter at Vassalboro Community School, if it is needed.
— Art. 23, asking voters to reallocate $5,500 from trailer capital reserve funds to buy a trailer for a new skid steer. The skid steer, a much-discussed topic at select board and budget committee meetings, will be used in winter to plow the expected new North Vassalboro sidewalks, and in other seasons for work on trails and elsewhere.
— Art. 25, asking voters to raise and appropriate $10,584 for Conservation Commission and the Courtesy Boat Inspection Program (CBI), directed by the China Region Lakes Alliance. Conservation Commission member Holly Weidner explained to select board and budget committee members that the commission will oversee the CBI, which is intended to keep invasive plants out of town lakes.
Art. 20 again gives select board members an emergency fund, from surplus. Last year, the limit was $15,000; this year, it is proposed at $25,000.

The 2024-25 school budget is in articles 29 through 41.

In Vassalboro’s June 11 primary voting for the state and national legislatures, the only contest is on the Republican ballot for the District One Congressional seat. Andrew Plantidosi, of Cape Elizabeth, and Ronald C. Russell, of Kennebunkport, seek the nomination. The winner will run in November against Democratic incumbent Chellie Pingree, of North Haven, who has no opponent on the Democratic ballot.

In the State Senate primaries for District #15 (Augusta, Belgrade, China, Mount Vernon, Sidney, and Vassalboro), Republican Richard T. Bradstreet, of Vassalboro, and Democrat Raegan French LaRochelle, of Augusta, are unopposed.

In House District 61 (Vassalboro and most of Sidney) Republican Alicia Carol Collins, of Sidney, and Democrat Laura M. Jones, of Vassalboro, are unopposed.

State law says voters enrolled in a party may vote only on that party’s ballot; but unenrolled voters may request any one of the three party ballots.

The budget committee reviewed and made recommendations on financial articles. Its members agreed, often but not always unanimously, with the select board and the school board on all but Art. 8.

Art. 8 asks voters to raise and appropriate $126,936 for capital investments, for reserve funds and to buy the skid steer and trailer. The select board so recommends.

The budget committee recommendation is for $182,936, increasing the public works reserve by $6,000 and adding a $50,000 transfer station reserve.

Sample ballots for the June 11 meeting continuation can be seen on the town website, vassalboro.net, under “Elections,” which is under “Departments and Hours.”

The sample ballot headed “Municipal Election” has three questions, Articles 42, 43 and 44 of the town meeting warrant.

Art. 42 asks if voters want to approve an amended Solid Waste Ordinance, renamed the Solid Waste and Recycling Ordinance, with new provisions about recycling; use by commercial haulers and owners and occupants of multi-family buildings; and enforcement.

Art. 43 asks if voters want to approve an amended Marijuana Business Ordinance. It changes the word “marijuana” to the word “cannabis” throughout, and adds regulations for small medical growing operations, which, by state law, must be allowed in town. The new ordinance does not affect provisions of the current one that prohibit new commercial cannabis-growing operations.

Art. 44, the school budget referendum, asks if voters want to confirm the 2024-25 school budget that was approved at the June 3 open meeting.

The ballot for local municipal elections is the final article on the town meeting warrant. The only candidates listed are Christopher J. French for re-election to the select board and Jolene Gamage for re-election to the school board. There is space for a write-in candidate for each position.

China select board holds ice cream social, presents Spirit of America award

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by Mary Grow

China select board members began their May 20 meeting with their second ice cream social in two weeks, as an introduction to the presentation of 2024 Spirit of America awards.

The dozen residents recognized for their volunteerism this year are:

— Carol Boynton and Thomas Bilodeau, for service to the Project Linus chapter serving Hancock, Kennebec, Penobscot and Piscataquis counties. Project Linus, Boynton explained, is a national organization whose volunteers give handmade blankets to hospitals and service organization to distribute to sick or traumatized children. Boynton said she and Bilodeau have made 55 blankets in the 18 months they have been involved.
— Sheldon Goodine (who was unable to attend the select board meeting), for leadership in China’s Golden Agers senior program and service to the South China church, library, Masons and American Legion.
— Thomas Maraggio, transfer station manager, for creating appropriate flag disposal boxes for the China Transfer Station. Maraggio explained that he was distressed to find United States flags treated as trash; he could not find appropriate disposal boxes to buy, so he made some. When he reported accepting about five flags a week, there was a chorus of “Wow!” from the audience.
— Thomas Rumpf, president of the China Four Seasons Club for the past seven years, for leading the organization that provides recreational activities. Rumpf shared credit with “all the Four Seasons Club volunteers who make things happen.”
— Jeanette Smith, chairman of the Thurston Park Committee, for leading the small group of volunteers ensuring accessibility to Thurston Park in northeastern China, including clearing trails after storm damage.
— China Community Forest Committee members Larry and Nancy Lemieux, Elizabeth Swahn, Jessica Parlin, Peter Moulton and Susan Cottle, for countless hours maintaining the China Community Forest behind China Primary School.

China Community Forest Committee co-chairs Elaine Philbrook and Anita Smith received Spirit of America awards in 2022.

In other business May 20, select board members postponed continued discussion of town buildings until Goodine, who heads the town’s building committee, is present. He had drafted a plan for remodeling the interior of the old town garage on the north side of the town office lot.

The June 3 select board meeting tentatively includes a tour of the building.

On another ongoing issue, board chair man Wayne Chadwick reported that the South China boat landing “is getting looked at and worked on.” That morning, he said, he and fellow board member Brent Chesley, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood and Director of Public Services Shawn Reed met there to discuss improvements intended to minimize run-off into China Lake.

Select board members appointed Thomas Maragliuolo to fill a vacancy on the town board of appeals.

They continued preparations for the June 11 elections, approving the Regional School Unit #18 school budget referendum warrant and appointing election officials.

In a separate meeting in their capacity as assessors, they approved five requests for local tax abatements. Two points came out of the discussion:

— Anyone planning to demolish a building needs a free demolition permit from the town. The record of the permit ensures that the building is removed from the tax rolls.
— Any property transfer should include accurately surveyed boundaries, to avoid many later complications.

Temporary changes in town office hours and related information

The China town office will be closed all day Monday, May 27, for the Memorial Day holiday.

In June, the town office will be closed all day Tuesday, June 11, for the annual town business meeting, school budget referendum and primary election. Absentee ballots are available until the close of business Thursday, June 5.

June 11 voting will be by written ballot in the former portable classroom behind the town office building. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. (after a moderator is elected at 6:45) to 8 p.m. The driveway off Lakeview Drive will be closed June 11; access will be from Alder Park Road, south of the town office complex.

On Friday, June 28, the town office will close at noon to allow staff to complete end-of-fiscal year tasks. The select board will hold a special meeting at 3 p.m. on June 28 to approve year-end payables.

The town office will also be closed on Saturday, June 29, because of the end of year process.

China select board holds hearing on town meeting warrant

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by Mary Grow

The ice cream social that preceded the May 6 China Select Board’s public hearing and meeting was enjoyed by board members and 10 people who attended the hearing.

The hearing topic was the warrant for the June 11 annual town business meeting, which will be by written ballot in the former portable classroom behind the town office. Voting begins with election of a moderator at 6:55 a.m.; polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A recording of the May 6 hearing is available on the website, china.govoffice.com. A printed copy of the warrant was mailed out early in May; it is posted in public places around town and is on the website, with related documents, under the Elections tab on the left side of the main page. Absentee ballots are available as of May 13.

Questions May 6 were about financial items, mostly smaller ones, like appropriations for social service agencies (Art. 6); the revised Planning Board Ordinance (Art. 29); and the new Solar Energy Systems Ordinance (Art. 31).

Discussion also covered two broad issues, how to get more people interested and involved in town business and whether China should return to pre-Covid open town meetings.

Former select board member Joann Austin said she thinks lack of involvement has allowed the select board to act more like a town council, making decisions and, when appropriate, asking voters to ratify them. Perhaps, she suggested, it is time to ask voters if they want to convert local government from a select board to a council.

She and others who favor an open town meeting argued that voters attending have the opportunity to ask questions and amend articles, promoting informed decisions.
Written-ballot supporters replied that getting 120 or more voters together for a quorum takes too long; and many who sign in soon leave, so decisions are made by a very small minority.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said voters were asked in a straw poll on June 14, 2022, whether they wanted an open meeting.

Poll results, reported in the June 30, 2022, issue of “The Town Line” were as follows: of 275 respondents (out of 660 residents who voted June 14), 162 preferred an open meeting, 111 preferred a written ballot, one asked for both and one recommended having select board members make decisions.

Building Committee chairman Sheldon Goodine and select board member Blane Casey sparked an unexpected discussion related to the final article in the June 11 warrant. Art. 32 asks if voters will approve two appropriations: up to $155,489 from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money toward a new fireproof vault in an addition to the town office; and $70,000 from undesignated fund balance (informally called surplus) for a broadband project.

County sheriff’s deputy has messages for residents

Kennebec County Deputy Sheriff Ivano Steffanizzi had two messages for area residents at the May 6 China select board meeting, and board chair Wayne Chadwick added a third.

Steffanizzi said many thefts have been reported recently, including motors from unattended boats, packages from doorsteps and mail from mailboxes.

And he reminded people driving cars and trucks to share the road with motorcyclists, now that the weather is milder.

Chadwick added a request not to let lawnmower clippings fly onto paved roads; they make the surface dangerously slippery for cyclists, he said.

Building committee members have been discussing the vault since 2021. Goodine and Casey surprised the other four select board members with a new plan to rearrange use of town buildings.

As Goodine summarized, the plan involves moving paper records that the state requires be kept for seven years from the town office building into the white garage behind (east of) the old town office. The space the records now occupy could be converted to a fireproof vault.

Hapgood said she thought Goodine planned to move the Wednesday morning Golden Agers meetings to the garage, from the former portable classroom where they currently meet. Goodine said no, his current idea is to enlarge the bathroom and add a kitchen in the portable, to make it more convenient for the meetings and useable as an emergency shelter.

Austin asked that the China Historical Society by considered in any rearrangement. The organization has irreplaceable documents that need insect-proof storage with temperature and humidity controls.

Goodine offered to make a sketch plan of a redesigned interior for the old garage. The May 20 select board agenda is likely to include a “field trip” to inspect the building.

In other business, select board members approved a contract with Delta Ambulance for the 2024-25 fiscal year. At Casey’s insistence, Hapgood cannot sign the contract until after the June 11 town meeting, assuming voters approve Art. 7. The article appropriates $110,200 for Delta as part of the 2024-25 public safety budget.

Casey wanted a similar stipulation on Hapgood’s request to sign a three-year contract — $1,100 next year, $1,134 the second year and $1,156 the third year – with Time Clock Plus. His argument again was that until voters approve a new budget, the money is not available.

The other four board members, figuring they could find $3,400 somewhere, did not impose the condition. Casey voted against the appropriation.

Hapgood explained that Time Clock Plus is the program that records when employees sign in and out. It is especially useful for road crew members who work odd hours, board chair Wayne Chadwick commented.

Also on the May 20 select board agenda, Hapgood said, will be a second ice cream social, this one in recognition of China residents receiving 2024 Spirit of America awards for volunteerism. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the town office meeting room.

China planners unanimously approve two projects

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Grange hall apartments conversion welcome by neighbors

by Mary Grow

The two projects on the China Planning Board’s May 14 agenda got praise as well as unanimous approval.

Carrol White’s application to convert the former Silver Lake Grange Hall in China Village to four apartments was the subject of a short public hearing. Everyone who spoke at the hearing endorsed the change, including Main Street resident Ann Sylvester, whose daughter and son-in-law live in the house north of the Grange Hall, and Jennifer Clair, owner of the post office south of the Grange Hall.

Sylvester thinks the apartments will be “a nice addition to the town.” Clair called the reuse of the building “a wonderful idea.”

White intends to sell the building to another Main Street resident, Daniel Coleman. Coleman said he has experience with rehabilitating buildings and as a landlord, and intends to find tenants who will be good neighbors.

The other application was from Jeffrey Michaud. He and Mark Brown are doing selective cutting on a lot once owned by Henry “Hank” Dillenbeck on Lakeview Drive; they needed planning board approval to do some of the work in a resource protection area.

The two said the resource protection area extends 250 feet from the edges of a wetland that used to have more water, until a man-made dam was breached some years ago. Now, a stream runs through a marshy area.

Planning board members found Michaud and Brown met all requirements to encroach into the protected area. Board chairman Toni Wall commended their work.

Michaud said nearby landowners had asked him to do selective cutting on their woodlot. On their lot, too, he expects to take out some trees in a 250-foot resource protection zone.

Codes officer Nicholas French said Michaud will need another planning board permit and supporting documents, including another wading bird habitat report from the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The next China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, June 25. Board members canceled their May 28 meeting; a June 11 meeting would have fallen on primary election day.