Local legislator participates in virtual ecological conference

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Representative Stanley Paige Zeigler, Jr.

District #96 state Representative S. Paige Zeigler recently spent two days in a Zoom conference with other ecologically-concerned state legislators from throughout the nation. The meeting was convened by the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, whose thousand-plus members regularly trade advice to improve laws and governance of natural resources. Zeigler led the Maine contingent as the group held its 2020 National Forum in virtual space on August 6 and 7, an opportunity for 150 state leaders to discuss goals and methods. Keynoted by Ken Salazar, interior secretary in President Obama’s first term, the participants discussed:

Sustainable food systems. Attendees exchanged ideas on how to promote local production of healthy food without damage to the environment.

Utility reform. This part of the meeting focused on transition to renewable energy sources with lower costs both to consumers and to the planet.

Habitat connectivity. Participants discussed ways to regulate development so as to avoid slicing and dicing habitats into areas too small for wildlife to thrive.

PFAS pollution. A major component of plastics, PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) is a group of “forever chemicals” that leach into soil and water, enter the food chain, and are known via animal studies to damage the liver, thyroid, reproductive organs, and immune system. Maine officials are intensely interested in PFAS control since February, when milk from one central Maine dairy farm was found to contain 60 to 150 times the standard limit. The farm’s milk production has been shut down, and investigators are trying to find the source of the pollution.

Transport electrification. Decided in favor of a feasibility study on converting the Ferry Service to electric power so as to cut greenhouse gases.

Environmental justice. A pair of Maine laws served as examples: one requires private well testing for contaminants, but the other helps out with the cost, an essential provision because toxic waste tends to be dumped where the poor live.

On August 6, a meeting was held by the University of Maine regarding a new source of power. Because of public/private cooperation, Maine is on the brink of starting to launch wind generation offshore. The university has the technology and there is financing available. The partners are going to work with the fishing fleet so they will have access to the areas they need. The state could generate all of its own power at an affordable rate and still export some.”

CHINA: Town business meeting to be conducted by written ballot in 2021

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen have decided the 2021 annual town business meeting at which the budget is approved will be conducted by written ballot, not at an open meeting. They have not set a date; March and June 2021 were suggested at their Aug. 17 meeting.

Until 2020, the business meeting was an open meeting, held recently in the primary school gymnasium on a Saturday morning in late March or early April, with a quorum of 120 voters needed to start the meeting. Pandemic restrictions on large gatherings led to the cancellation of the April 2020 meeting. It was rescheduled as a written ballot on July 14, with approved expenditures retroactive to the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year.

Selectmen do not know what restrictions, if any, will be in effect next spring. They agreed they should be prepared; and if the past is a guide, a written-ballot election will bring more voter participation than an open meeting.

Selectmen to hold special meeting

China selectmen will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, primarily to set the 2020-21 tax rate. Town Manager Becky Hapgood said their decision should make it possible to mail tax bills early in September. By town meeting vote, the first half payment of 2020-21 taxes is due at the town office by the 2 p.m. closing time Friday, Sept. 25.

A proposal to set a March meeting date was deleted from the decision after Town Manager Becky Hapgood said that preparations for a written ballot require more advance time than preparations for an open meeting. Because of the need to have ballots available well before election day, she estimated selectmen might need to have the entire budget in final form as much as 75 days before the scheduled vote.

Last spring, she reminded them, they were working on the budget into February in anticipation of an early-April meeting.

Hapgood also suggested if the town vote were combined with the school budget vote, which has in normal years been in June, the town would save money. She plans to prepare a timeline to guide board members as they find an appropriate date.

In other business Aug. 17:

  • Hapgood outlined plans to use a $31,360 Covid-19 grant for a variety of purposes, including additional signs and weekly mailings to keep residents informed, touchless hand-sanitizer dispensers and refills for town buildings and personal protective equipment.
  • She described plans to share a counter clerk with the Town of Windsor, with the person working a 40-hour week, half in one town office and half in the other. There would be no additional cost to China, she said, and the new employee would benefit by getting experience faster than by working half-time.
  • Looking at two issues related to codes enforcement, board members unanimously endorsed Codes Officer Bill Butler’s recommendation to approve a holding tank on Fire Road 20, and asked Hapgood to ask Butler to review penalties for codes violations to see if fines should be increased.

After the Aug. 24 special selectmen’s meeting to set the 2021 tax rate, the next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Aug. 31.

Many take out nomination papers

As of Aug. 17, the following China residents were circulating nomination papers for local elective office.

  • For three seats on the board of selectmen, incumbents Ronald Breton and Janet Preston, plus Blane Casey, Brent A. Chesley, Milton F. Dudley, Peter Foote and Jeanne Marquis. The other incumbent whose term ends in 2020 is Donna Mills-Stevens.
  • For the at-large position on the planning board, Brent A. Chesley, Megan Marquis and incumbent James C. Wilkens; for the District 2 seat, incumbent Toni Wall; and no one for the District 4 seat now held by chairman Thomas Miragliuolo.
  • For the at-large seat and the secretary’s position on the budget committee, no one is circulating papers. Incumbents Thomas A. Rumpf and Timothy Basham are seeking nominations for re-election in District 2 and District 4, respectively.

Signed nomination papers must be returned to the town office by the 2 p.m. closing time Friday, Sept. 4, for candidates’ names to appear on the Nov. 3 local ballot.

Maple sap producers qualify for federal assistance

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Following a push by Maine’s Congressional delegation and Governor Janet Mills, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that producers of maple sap used to make maple syrup are now eligible for direct financial relief to help offset the financial harm they have experienced due to COVID-19.

In June, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue in support of maple syrup producers’ eligibility for direct relief from the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). CFAP, created through the CARES Act, is providing up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers. In the letter, the delegation also noted their full support of a letter previously sent by Governor Mills, which outlined the necessity of this relief for the Maine maple syrup industry.

“Maine is proud to be the country’s third-largest producer of maple syrup. This is a strong sector of our state’s agricultural economy, representing more than 800 full- and part-time jobs,” said Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Golden. “Maine maple syrup producers experienced substantial revenue losses due to the cancellation of Maple Sunday events this spring. We strongly supported making maple syrup producers eligible for assistance through CFAP, and we are pleased that they will now be able to access this lifeline for farmers.”

“Like many pillars of our economy, Maine’s maple syrup producers have suffered unprecedented financial hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic. I am pleased to hear that the USDA heeded our call and that our maple syrup producers can now access the resources they need to survive these challenging times,” said Governor Janet Mills. “I hope to see continued changes to the CFAP program to ensure that more Maine farms, of all sizes, whose financial stability and futures have similarly been disrupted, benefit from this important program.”

Maine is home to more than 550 maple syrup producers whose combined output totaled 580,000 gallons with a value of $21.6 million last year alone. Similar to other agricultural producers across the country, maple syrup producers in the state of Maine have suffered greatly due to COVID-19. The impact on this industry is even more acute than most, however, given its short season from late February to mid-April and heavy reliance on direct-to-consumer sales.

Every March, sugarhouses across Maine host Maple Sunday events, an annual celebration showcasing maple syrup operations throughout Maine that serves as a catalyst for sales. Due to the pandemic, this collection of events was effectively canceled this year, eliminating many producers’ best opportunity to connect with consumers and secure sales.

CFAP was established to provide “vital assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.” To date, a total of more than $14 million has been awarded through CFAP to Maine farmers to help offset the financial harm they have experienced due to COVID-19.

The USDA is continuing to accept applications from farmers through September 11. More information about CFAP and the application process can be found on USDA’s resource page: Farmers.gov/cfap.

China selectmen unanimously award Phase 2 Causeway project to McGee Construction

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by Mary Grow

After the China selectmen’s Aug. 10 special meeting, Town Manager Becky Hapgood reported the four members attending voted unanimously to accept McGee Construction’s bid to complete Phase II of the causeway project for $581,805.

They further voted to transfer $70,000 from China’s undesignated fund balance (surplus) to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) account for the project, Hapgood said. The money will be repaid to the surplus account after taxes from Central Maine Power Company replenish the TIF fund.

Phase II of the causeway project will provide erosion barriers and a walkway along the shore at the head of China Lake’s east basin. Work will extend from the west side of the new causeway bridge to the boat landing.

School year 2020: Difficult choices for parents

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by Jeanne Marquis

This month, parents are making a difficult decision: how to educate their children in the era of Covid-19. Do they opt to send their kids to public schools? If so, do they choose in-person or remote learning, or possibly a hybrid of the two? Do they choose a smaller private school if they have funds. Or, do they homeschool their children themselves, choosing from a variety of online programs available? The answers are personal and the reasons why the families select which method of education they choose is as varied as each individual family.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) published a Framework for Returning to Classroom Instruction which includes the six requirements for protecting health and safety:

  1. Daily symptom self-check for students and staff before coming to school.
  2. Physical distancing.
  3. Masks.
  4. Proper hand hygiene.
  5. Personal protective equipment.
  6. An isolation plan if staff or student becomes ill.

Public schools in the area have been planning since July to follow the guidelines and have surveyed area families on their intentions and preferences between in-person or remote learning. Every step of the day has to be thought through carefully by the administrators and staff to keep in compliance with the DOE framework.

The buses, according to the RSU #18 website, will have assigned seating, fewer passengers and frequent cleanings. Parents will be asked to drive students if possible to free up the bus seats for social distancing.

Facilities at the schools will be adapted to help students and staff practice illness prevention. Drinking fountains will be replaced at some schools with bottle refill stations and students will be allowed to bring individual water bottles. Where possible, waste baskets will be replaced with touchless versions to keep clean hands sanitary after washing.

Even lunch time at school will be adapted by the nutrition workers adding appropriate protocol. Additional time will be allowed for hand washing prior to meals. Single-serve packets will be provided instead of sharing condiments. More room will be added for seating and serving lines will be socially distanced.

For specific changes at your students’ schools, check the school websites frequently:

https://www.msad49.org/
Albion, Benton, Fairfield, Clinton Lawrence High School and Junior High.

https://rsu18.org/
Atwood Primary, China Primary and Middle Schools, Belgrade Central, James H. Bean Messalonskee Middle and High School, Williams Elementary.

https://www.svrsu.org/o/whes
Chelsea Elementary,Sheepscot Valley, Palermo Consolidated School, Somerville Elementary, Whitefield Elementary, Windsor Elementary.

https://www.vcsvikings.org/
Vassalboro Community School.

For those families who have chosen to homeschool, Homeschoolers of Maine at homeschoolersofmaine.org is an excellent resource to get you started. According to their website, a letter of your intention to homeschool is due to your superintendent of schools by September 1, 2020. This organization provides information on record keeping and assessment of your students progress.

Vassalboro deputy clerk resigns after 6 years

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Vassalboro Deputy Clerk Deborah Johnston-Nixon is resigning her post after serving the town for six years. She will be moving to Florida to be nearer family members. (photo courtesy of Mary Sabins)

Moving to Lady Lake, Florida

by Mary Grow

August 21 will be deputy clerk Deborah Johnston-Nixon’s last day at the Vassalboro town office.

She is resigning after almost six years (she started Sept. 2, 2014, Town Manager Mary Sabins wrote) because her husband, Bob Nixon, Jr., has retired from Huhtamaki after 45 years and the couple is moving to Florida.

Inland Florida, Debbie specified, a town called Lady Lake, east of Interstate 75 and near The Villages. They chose the area because other family members are nearby. Considering the climate, Debbie commented, “We’ll go from air-conditioned to air-conditioned, like we go from heated to heated [in Maine].”

Three things stand out for Debbie from her time at Vassalboro.

First, her co-workers have been “wonderful” and easy to work with and the community has been very receptive.

Second, with support from the town, she completed the necessary courses to become a certified Maine town clerk.

Third, she has had time and encouragement to volunteer in Vassalboro, especially with FAVOR (Friends Advocating for Vassalboro’s Older Residents). Sabins started FAVOR and passed on the chairmanship, Debbie said. Rachel Kilbride, co-owner with her husband James of St. Bridget’s Center, in North Vassalboro, thought up the name.

After a survey of senior residents, FAVOR provided public bus service two days a week, but there were not enough riders to maintain it. More successful were the two WindowDressers sessions, working with the Rockland-based volunteer organization to weatherproof windows in seniors’ homes, and three annual senior services fairs (the fourth would have been this summer), bringing together residents and area service providers.

Debbie graduated from Lawrence High School, in Fairfield, and went to work at Waterville City Hall as a counter clerk. By the time she applied for the Vassalboro job in 2014, she had worked in municipal and health-care-related offices and gained experience with the TRIO software system that Vassalboro and many other Maine municipalities use.

She is already looking long-distance for a comparable Florida job. She also hopes to remain active in groups like the Elks and the HOGs (Harley Owners Group) with which she’s affiliated in Maine.

Sabins remembered Debbie’s role as “Elf Debbie” in the Vassalboro Christmas tree lighting. At work, she often went beyond routine to help customers, for example, by making telephone calls if the customer needed more information to complete a transaction, Sabins wrote.

Summarizing, Sabins commended Debbie for “her great dependable customer service with a smile that we are all going to miss.”

“I will continue to smile,” Debbie said.

China selectmen deal with multiple matters

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen dealt with miscellaneous matters at their Aug. 3 meeting, including hearing beginning-of-the-month reports from town departments, accepting recommendations from the assessor that will lead to setting the 2020-21 tax rate later in the month and approving agreements with the China Lake Associa­tion and the China Region Lakes Alliance.

Town Manager Becky Hapgood presented most of the reports.

From Police Chief Craig Johnson, she re­ported that Da­vid Sa­vage from the Madison Police Depart­ment has become China’s fifth part-time policeman. With the Waterville Road repaved, there have been speeding complaints, and local officers intend to increase patrols there (and elsewhere in town), Johnson wrote.

Board Chairman Ronald Breton asked Hapgood to ask Johnson to include summaries of the month’s activities in future reports.

Codes Officer Bill Butler and transfer station staff, now headed by Ron Marois (since former manager Tim Gotton has cut back his hours), have been very busy. Butler has had many permit applications; transfer station employees are dealing with residents’ backed-up recycling since they reopened that part of the facility.

The public works department is temporarily down to two people, with a new employee scheduled to start Aug. 19 and a fourth position being advertised.

Speaking for assessor Bill Van Tuinen, Kelly Grotton recommended increases in valuations in certain categories, including land values around China Lake and Three Mile Pond, to bring China’s valuations closer to the state’s. Otherwise, she said, state funds will be reduced in categories like the homestead exemption. Selectmen unanimously approved.

Grotton and Hapgood expect the 2020-21 tax rate will be determined before the end of August. By town meeting vote, the first half payment is due Friday, Sept. 25, by the time the town office closes at 2 p.m.

The agreements with the two lake associations provide that town funds will be used for the purposes for which they are given. The China Lake Association (CLA) focuses its town grant on the Lakesmart program and the Gravel Road Rehabilitation Program (GRRP), both helping waterfront property owners limit run-off. China Region Lakes Alliance (CRLA) activities include the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), whose members do erosion control work, and the Courtesy Boat Inspection (CBI) program, whose members inspect boats being launched at local boat landings for invasive plant species.

China resident Scott Pierz, president of both organizations, was indignant about people being rude to the boat inspectors, whose work is vital to protect China Lake and Three Mile Pond from milfoil and other invasive plants.

Selectman Breton proposed that he and Hapgood meet with Windsor’s town manager and selectmen to discuss Windsor’s lack of financial contributions to CBI work on Three Mile Pond.

In other business Aug. 3, selectmen:

  • Approved renewal of Craig Taylor’s pawn shop license, for Wildwood Inc. on Gunshop Road.
  • Reappointed members of numerous town committees for the new fiscal year that began July 1.
  • Approved carrying forward cemetery funds from the previous fiscal year to have dead trees removed in two town cemeteries.
  • In their capacity as assessors, approved penalties for four property-owners who took land out of the tree growth or farm protection programs, as provided by state law.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Aug. 17.

Nomination papers available in China

Nomination papers for China elective offices are now available at the town office. Signed papers must be returned to the town office by 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, for candidates’ names to appear on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, ballot.

To be elected are:

  • Three selectmen (Ronald Breton’s, Donna Mills-Stevens’ and Janet Preston’s terms end);
  • Four planning board members (District 2, incumbent Toni Wall; District 3, vacant; District 4, incumbent Thomas Miragliuolo; at-large member, incumbent James Wilkens); and
  • Four budget committee members (secretary, incumbent Trishea Story; District 2, incumbent Thomas Rumpf; District 4, incumbent Timothy Basham; and at-large member, incumbent Jeffery Furlong.

At the Aug. 3 selectmen’s meeting, Breton was circulating his nomination papers for another term on the Selectboard. Town Clerk Angela Nelson said Aug. 4 Preston has also taken out papers, as have Brent Chesley and Milton Dudley.

Chesley also has papers for the at-large Planning Board position, and Wall for re-election to her District 2 seat, Nelson said. For the Budget Committee, Basham and Rumpf have papers out for re-election.

VASSALBORO: Only one resident attends Longroad Energy hearing

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by Mary Grow

Representatives of Longroad Energy Management held open their July 28 public hearing on their proposed solar development at 2579 Riverside Drive for half an hour, but they still attracted only one resident. He expressed no concerns.

The hearing is one of the requirements for Maine Department of Environmental Protection approval. State approval is needed, in addition to a permit from the Vassalboro Planning Board, because the project will cover more than 20 acres – about 27 acres, Kara Moody and David Kane said.

The two appeared before the planning board on May 5 with preliminary information and again on July 7 (see The Town Line, July 16). Because the July 7 application lacked detail on ground to be disturbed, board members voted it incomplete.

Since then, the developers have prepared a plan for state regulators that should also meet town requirements. Most of the lot will be graded, Kane said, to level out humps and hollows. No soil will be permanently removed and no fill will be added.

The entrance road has been relocated from the side of the lot to the middle to minimize potential drainage onto adjacent properties.

At the July meeting, abutter Peter Ditmanson said a stream runs through the property Longroad is leasing. It was not on the initial maps Longroad presented, and Moody said a re-inspection of the property did not find it.

The Vassalboro project is one of Longroad’s smaller ones; it is, however, the first solar development in Vassalboro to exceed 20 acres. Kane said meeting state as well as local standards adds to the cost, but also ensures additional scrutiny to avoid adverse impacts off-site.

Assuming state and local approval, construction could start with clearing a few trees along one side in January 2021, go on to preliminary grading after mud season ends and continue into the summer.

Vassalboro Codes Officer Paul Mitnik said the Longroad application would not be ready for the Aug. 4 planning board meeting, which was canceled. The next regular meeting should be Tuesday, Sept. 1.

TOWN OF FAIRFIELD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

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Looking south down Main St., in Fairfield. (Internet photo)

The Fairfield Town Council will hold a Public Hearing in the Council Chambers, at the Community Center, at 61 Water Street, on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at 6:30 p.m., for the purpose of hearing public comments on the following matter:

To hear from the public on a request from SAPPI North America, Inc. – Somerset Plant for a renewal to operate a solid waste facility on company owned land off Route 201, in the Town of Fairfield.

Copies are available at the Town Office. All interested persons are invited to attend the public hearings and will be given an opportunity to be heard at that time.

Signed: Christine Keller,
Town Clerk

Vassalboro selectmen set tax rate for 2020-21 at 14.35 mils

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by Mary Grow

Newly-elected Vassalboro Selectman Barbara Redmond got an introduction to almost everything the board does at her first meeting on July 23. She participated in the on-going discussions of paying bills and overseeing town departments; in the annual ritual of setting the tax rate; and in the once-in-a-lifetime planning of a 250th anniversary celebration.

Selectmen unanimously set the 2020-21 tax rate at 14.35 mils, or $14.35 for each $1,000 of valuation. By town meeting vote, the first quarterly payment is due at the town office by the close of business Monday, Sept. 28. Town Manager Mary Sabins expects tax bills will be mailed out by the week of Aug. 10.

The 2019-2020 rate was 15.6 ($15.60 for each $1,000 of valuation), Sabins said. However, the lower rate will not necessarily mean residents get a lower tax bill for 2020-21, because, Sabins said, the assessor has increased all valuations by 11 percent, as required to bring local valuations closer to the state’s.

Sabins reported on two staff changes, one done and one pending.

Adam Daoust of Vassalboro has been hired as the new assistant at the transfer station, starting July 28. And the town is advertising for a successor to Deputy Clerk Debbie Johnston-Nixon, who is retiring from the town office staff effective Aug. 21.

The town is also advertising the old police cruiser, a 2007 Impala, for sale, Sabins said.

Selectmen had a memo from Engineer Al Hodsdon, of A. E. Hodsdon Engineers, in Waterville, on tentative plans for a transfer station redesign. They decided to invite Hodsdon for a discussion at their Aug. 20 meeting.

Board members reviewed Sabins’ draft bid specifications for a new metal roof on the snack shack at the ballfields and approved with one change.

The recreation committee oversees the ballfields and snack shack. Sabins said the committee plans to show a movie, to a drive-in audience, as a fund-raiser. The date is to be determined.

Public Works Director Eugene Field got selectmen’s approval to have Bog Road repaved this year instead of Lombard Dam Road, which he will add to the summer 2021 schedule. Preparatory culvert work on Lombard Dam Road has been delayed, he said. The Bog Road work will be 0.8 miles longer, but paving bids were low enough so the budget won’t be exceeded.

Selectman John Melrose, newly-elected board chairman, pointed out that Bog Road is closer to other 2020 paving work, an advantage. Having traveled the road, he agreed it could use resurfacing.

Sabins reported on an email from Scott Pierz, of China, President of the China Lake Association, proposing consideration of China assuming management of the China Lake outlet dam in East Vassalboro. China selectmen heard Pierz’s suggestion that China buy the dam at their July 20 meeting (see The Town Line, July 23, p. 3).

Melrose’s reaction was, “Leave it be for now,” and board member Rob Browne added, “See what happens.” Sabins said there is no rush; any decision to sell town property would need voter ratification, presumably at the spring 2021 town meeting.

Melrose has been heading planning for the 250th anniversary of Vassalboro’s incorporation as a town on Apr. 26, 1771, including superintending improvements at the park in East Vassalboro. Selectmen briefly discussed setting up an anniversary committee and suggested two residents they thought might be willing to head it.

Residents who are interested in the committee or have ideas for the celebration – as Browne pointed out, “This is a tough time to plan mass gatherings” – should get in touch with town office staff.

Selectmen left two other matters for a future meeting, either Aug. 20 or Sept. 3: public hearings on planned disbursements of previously-promised additional Tax Increment Finance (TIF) funds to the Alewife Restoration Initiative (ARI) and the Vassalboro Sanitary District (VSD); and a presentation by the town’s auditor on the most recent completed audit, for fiscal year 2018-2019.