VASSALBORO: Energy application incomplete; action postponed

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by Mary Grow

At their July 7 meeting, Vassalboro Planning Board members found that Longroad Energy Management’s application for a solar farm at 2579 Riverside Drive (Route 201) is incomplete. They therefore postponed action.

Longroad spokespeople David Kane and Kara Moody, who had also presented a preliminary application at the board’s May 5 meeting, said they will include more details about grading the site as part of their application for state Department of Environmental Protection permits. The grading, Kane explained, is not to level the sloping field, but to even out the slope where necessary. Since grading is expensive, Longroad will make as little change as possible.

However, Planning Board Chairman Ginny Brackett said, Vassalboro’s ordinance says an application shall include current and proposed contours, and board members do not skip over mandatory requirements.

Brackett also asked Kane and Moody to add information about planned buffers along the boundaries of the project.

Abutter Peter Ditmanson raised another issue: he said a pond on his property connects to a stream that runs through the proposed solar farm and eventually feeds into the Kennebec River. No stream is shown on the map prepared by Longroad’s consultant. Planning board member Betsy Poulin found one on a Vassalboro shoreland map, however.

The Longroad representatives said they intend to have the state submission ready this summer and hope to return to the Vassalboro board with additional information before November.

Kane said state review can take up to 195 days. The tentative schedule is to start construction in July 2021 and have the solar farm operative by the fall of 2021. The 4.6 megawatts of power to be generated are already sold to a Maine firm, he said.

Longroad’s solar farm differs from ReVision Energy’s on Main Street, approved by the board on June 2 (see The Town Line, June 11), in two ways.

First, it will cover more than 20 acres – around 26 to 30 acres, Kane said – and therefore requires state environmental permits, as well as local approval.

Second, it is a different type of installation. ReVision’s, and others approved and pending in Central Maine, have what are called fixed tilt panels, facing south, in north-south rows.

Longroad’s panels are single-axis trackers. The rows run east and west, and small motors move each panel to follow the sun from east to west daily. Kane described the movements as “sort of a wave motion,” not the whole field turning in unison.

Tracking panels are lower than fixed ones, five or six feet high versus up to 10 feet high for fixed. They need more ground space, Kane said. Mowing requirements are the same as for fixed panels: only two mowings a year and the first one delayed until ground-nesting birds have fledged their young.

Kane said Longroad does not plan snow clearance, on the panels or on the ground. Should the snow get deep enough to interfere with the panels’ motion, Longroad can shut the field down, he said.

Brackett asked how long-distance control works. Kane replied that Longroad, which has offices in Boston and Portland, has remote control over some 800 solar developments, including in Hawaii. Its affiliated firm First Wind operates eight wind power generators, from northern Maine to the mid-West. A Utah windfarm, he said, has a bird scanner that tracks and identifies birds flying nearby; if a bird appears to be in danger, that sector can be shut down remotely.

China manager leaving town in good shape

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Retiring town manager Dennis Heath. (photo by Eric Austin)

by Eric W. Austin

“Above all, I hope the people of China have an optimistic outlook about the future,” said Dennis Heath, who is resigning from his position as manager for the town of China this week. “With Becky [Hapgood] stepping up as town manager they have nothing to fear.”

Heath was hired as China’s town manager in June 2018 when Daniel L’Heureux retired from the position after 22 years. Current town clerk, Becky Hapgood, has been chosen by the selectboard to succeed Heath as the new town manager.

In a few weeks, Heath and his wife, Mary, will be returning to Oklahoma to care for their aging parents. Leaving Maine was not an easy decision. “I’ve enjoyed my time here,” he said. “Mary and I are not happy about leaving. We came primarily because of our grandkids being here, so that means we’ll be leaving our grandchildren.” Heath and his wife currently own a home on Cross Road, in China, and attend China Baptist Church where Heath has occasionally taken on pastoral duties. “We’ve become very close with them,” he says of the church community. “Leaving them is leaving family.”

Their return to Oklahoma was prompted by the failing health of Heath’s mother and the need to live closer to both their parents as they age. “We made a commitment decades ago to our parents that we would be the ones to look after them when the time came,” he said, “and that time has come.”

During his tenure at the China town office, Heath has tried to decentralize authority and empower the managers below him. “I believe that it’s the responsibility of a senior leader to develop the people that are beneath him so that if something were to happen to him, he could step away or – God forbid – expire, and you don’t skip a beat,” he said. “That was primarily why, upon my arrival, I called together the department heads [and] I pushed authority out to them instead of consolidating it. It’s dangerous when you consolidate authority in one person.”

Following this philosophy, he has required that each department head create their own budget. Because of that “they have a lot more understanding about decisions that are made by the budget committee, by the selectboard, [and] by the townspeople, in terms of the amount of money that’s allocated. It’s better for them, and I think it’s better for the community.”

Not everything has gone smoothly during Heath’s two years as town manager. During his first year, controversy erupted over the paying of “stipends” to the town’s volunteer fire departments. “I was a little disappointed that it ratcheted up the way it did,” Heath reflected.

The issue was over the legality of how money was being given to the fire departments, and was eventually solved by including the monetary gift as a different line item in the town’s budget.

“I can understand the point of view of the fire departments,” he said. “They’ve been independently incorporated since their beginning, and they don’t want to lose that identity. At the same time, the elected officials and the officers of the town have the legal responsibility to protect the taxpayers and make sure everything is done within the law…If the townspeople want to give money to the fire departments to help them pay stipends, then there’s a way to do that, and that’s why I put it in the budget this year the way I did, so that you don’t have to continue that fight.”

The energy expended over this issue may have distracted from other important initiatives, Heath said. Among them was a proposal to purchase lakefront property for a public beach (on land across from the town office and next to the Four Seasons Club), a plan for a new community building (on the lot adjacent to the current town office at the corner of Lakeview Drive and the Alder Park Road), and a proposal to build a consolidated emergency services building.

Retiring town manager Dennis Heath, left, handed Becky Hapgood, center, incoming town manager, personalized stationary, as Board of Selectmen Chairman Ron Breton looks on. (contributed photo)

“One of the things I suggested,” Heath said, in regard to the effort to establish public lake access, “[was that] there might be an opportunity to do an agreement with the China Four Seasons Club, where their property becomes the public lake access. So, I’ve encouraged Becky to talk to Tom Rumpf, [president of the China Four Seasons Club], and see what they might be willing to do.”

Looking toward the future, Heath thinks the town should continue to push the Maine Legislature to give small towns like China a legal way to opt-out of collecting local taxes on personal property and business equipment. A bill allowing this was introduced last year by Representative Tim Theriault (R-China). Heath spoke in favor of the proposal before the Legislature’s Taxation Committee.

“I went to bat at the State House about business and personal property taxes,” he said, “and I maintain that that is something that needs to be done statewide to allow smaller communities, like China – that are hurting on the business side of things – to be able to say: If we can incentivize business to come into this town to help us be stronger, then we need the flexibility to say we’re not going to collect those taxes.”

Heath also expressed the opinion that China should look further into establishing some land use and zoning ordinances in order to spur controlled economic growth and development. Many people are against zoning because they see it as limiting their development choices, but Heath disagrees. “I’m not a proponent of zoning to take away from people,” he said. “I’m for zoning to protect people. Zoning can be a good thing if it’s done right.”

The Heaths will be leaving China with heavy hearts for the relationships they’ve cultivated. “We’re not happy because we’re leaving a lot of good, close friends behind,” he said. “This is a fabulous job. I couldn’t imagine working with – or for – a better group of people.”

He also had some praise for The Town Line’s coverage during his tenure. “One of the things I’ve appreciated about The Town Line from the very beginning is that they report the news. I have not sensed a bias,” he said. “If there’s ever an opinion given, it’s very clearly indicated that it’s an opinion and I appreciate that. I just wish more news outlets were like that.”

As for his plans once the couple gets settled back in Oklahoma, Heath says he is considering going back to work in the ministry and is in talks with a local church there that is in need of a pastor, but he has certainly not ruled out returning to municipal government. While in Maine, he has continued his education and recently completed his master’s degree in Public Administration.

Heath’s last official day as China town manager will be July 18, but it may not be the last the people of China see of the Heaths. “Thank you for welcoming me and Mary to the community,” he said. “We have already talked about coming back for visits.”

China selectmen close out fiscal year, make appointments

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen held a special meeting June 30, the last day of the 2019-2020 fiscal year, to pay year-end bills and make appointments for the new year beginning July 1.

Most appointments were reappointments. The main change was that Angela Nelson becomes town clerk as of July 19, when current town clerk Rebecca Hapgood takes over as the new town manager.

The meeting was followed by the second and final public hearing on the local town meeting warrant articles that voters will decide by written ballot on July 14. To another very small audience, Town Manager Dennis Heath again summarized the post-Covid-19 shutdown changes in the proposed 2020-21 budget and the effect on taxes (see The Town Line, June 18, p. 3).

As of June 30, Heath anticipates the proposed budget will cause a slight increase in the tax rate. However, he pointed out the rate is not firm. There are still uncertainties in proposed expenditures; voters in Regional School Unit #18’s five member towns (Belgrade, China, Oakland, Rome and Sidney) will not approve the 2020-21 school budget until July 14. And China’s assessor has not finished updating property valuations, the basis for taxes.

Recordings of the June 30 meeting and hearing are posted under Live Stream on the Town of China website. Absentee ballots for local and state questions are available at the town office. Polls will be open in the former portable classroom behind the office from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on July 14.

Selectmen are scheduled to hold a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 6.

Albion residents approve $1.99 M budget at town meeting

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Albion selectmen lead the town meeting on Saturday, June 27, 2020. (contributed photo)

by Roland D. Hallee

The Albion town meeting was held on Saturday, June 27, 2020. This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting was held at the Albion Fire Station, where social distancing was more easily attainable, as opposed to the normal location at the Besse Building.

The town election was held on March 20. Following 21 years of service, Town Clerk, Treasurer and Tax Collector Amanda Dow resigned in November 2019. Jeanie Doore then resigned as selectman and was appointed town clerk, on an interim basis, until the March election.

The results from that election are as follows, with all candidates running unopposed:

Selectman, overseer of the poor and assessor, all three-year terms, Peter Fortin; Selectman, overseer of the poor and assessor, all for two-year terms, Waldon Linnell; Town Clerk treasurer and tax collector, two-year term, Jeanie Doore; SAD #49 School Board director, Katrina Dumont.

At that time, a motion was made to postpone the remainder of the town meeting, scheduled for March 21, to a future date due to the Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings.

32 residents of Albion attended the town meeting. (contributed photo)

That meeting was reconvened on June 27.

At that meeting, 32 Albion residents were in attendance. According to Doore, that number is usually 50-75 attendees. The meeting was moderated by Richard Thompson.

All 58 articles on the warrant passed.

The 2020 budget for the town is $1,199,816. Of that, $559,168 is raised from taxation and that is $51,783 above last year, a 10% percent increase. The increase comes from administration, FICA, cemeteries, highways, trash service, 911 dispatch, fire department and the addition to the Albion Public Library.

Three members of the planning board were elected: Matt Ward, five-year term; associate members, Matthew Dow Sr., Ben McPhearson, for one-year terms. Budget committee members elected were Jeffrey Lindsay, Dan Sinclair and Brad Giguere Sr., three-year terms, and William Mckenzie III, two-year term. Alternates are Sonia Nelson and Matthew Dow Sr.

China planners approve revised permit for daycare

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by Mary Grow

At their June 23 meeting, China Planning Board members unanimously approved a revision to Amanda Gower’s permit for her daycare business at 166 Tyler Road that lets her increase capacity to a maximum of 75 children and staff at one time.

When the daycare was permitted in 2009, Gower said, she used only part of the house, and applied for a maximum occupancy of 49. She now uses the entire building, has state approval for 75 people and needed town approval to match the state’s.

Planners attached one condition to the permit. Codes Officer Bill Butler said Gower’s septic system as a whole is adequate for the business, but she needs a larger septic tank. Board members directed her to get a new one installed within six months; Gower said she is already talking with installers, who are busy enough so they’re booking well ahead.

Gower said when she enlarged the daycare area she expanded the sprinkler system, as directed by the state fire marshal. The system has an outside connection for firefighters, she said, and members of the Weeks Mills and South China departments have checked it.

The building is in the middle of a four-and-a-half-acre lot, partly wooded, with a wide driveway and adequate parking, Butler and Gower said. There have been no complaints about the business to the town or to Gower in the 11 years it’s been operating.

Gower said 47 children are currently enrolled, but not all come every day. In the current Covid-19 situation, she does not expect to reach capacity for months.

Board members found Gower’s application was complete, no public hearing was needed for a non-controversial expansion of an existing business and the plan met all local ordinance criteria. They then approved the application.

In other business June 23, Butler said he had received questions about the comprehensive plan and about Grace Academy’s change to a pre-school from Clifford Glinko, who wondered whether either the proposed updated plan or the school change would let him expand his marijuana-growing business in South China. Board members lacked information for definitive answers; they agreed a change in the business would require their review.

Butler and Board Chairman Tom Miragliuolo shared warnings about this year’s major infestation of browntail moth caterpillars, which Butler said are causing significant tree defoliation in Weeks Mills, around Webber Pond and elsewhere in the area.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Miragliuolo said.

The moth hairs cause skin irritation and respiratory problems. Miragliuolo said a neighbor had been hospitalized after inhaling them.

The next regular board meeting would have fallen on primary election day, July 14, so board members rescheduled it to Tuesday evening, July 28. They postponed deciding whether it will be a virtual meeting, as the June 23 one was.

Vassalboro selectmen give retiring Lauchlin Titus a send-off

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Lauchlin Titus, center, outgoing Vassalboro selectman, was presented the Spirit of America award during the June 22 annual town meeting. Presenting the award were town selectmen Rob Browne, left, and John Melrose. (photo courtesy of Mary Sabins)

by Mary Grow

The centerpiece of the June 25 Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting was the going-away party for Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus, who is not a candidate for re-election on July 14. He has been a selectman for 12 years and previously served on other town committees.

Numerous town employees were present. Titus received gifts suited to his non-governmental interests and the audience shared – and praised – the trifle made by town office staffer Debbie Johnston-Nixon.

Town Manager Mary Sabins introduced Michael Levesque, summer intern whose task is to begin computerizing Vassalboro’s cemetery records to make them accessible to genealogists and other researchers. Levesque is studying environmental policy and planning at the University of Maine at Farmington, where he just finished – virtually – his second year.

Levesque said he started with the Cross Hill Cemetery and intends, time permitting, to move to the North Vassalboro one. Already, he said, he has made interesting discoveries, like locating the grave of someone who was almost certainly a veteran, but has not previously been recognized when veterans’ graves are marked with flags.

In other June 25 business, selectmen made the annual reappointments to town boards and committees for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Sabins commented that Vassalboro is lucky to have many residents willing to volunteer. There are a few vacancies; selectmen recommended they be listed on the town website.

Sabins reported alewife revenues for 2020 are lower than usual, at $16,410. The income from sale of the small fish as they migrate into Webber Pond has exceeded $20,000 in some recent years. Selectmen commented they had observed fewer eagles watching the migration up Outlet Stream, too.

The good news, Sabins reported, is that excise tax revenue has rebounded after dropping at the beginning of the Covid-19 shutdown.

Codes Officer Paul Mitnik informed selectmen of a North Vassalboro yard full of junk left by tenants who have moved out. The town might have to clean up the property and bill the former tenants, he said. He fears the yard is likely to attract rats and could become a health hazard.

Titus (doing his duty as a citizen, he said) passed on to Mitnik a complaint about another property in town that has not yet been cleaned up as the owner promised.

July 14 voting in Vassalboro will be at Vassalboro Community School (not at the town office as usual), with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The town office will be closed July 14. In addition to state referenda and primary elections, Vassalboro voters have two local questions: a referendum on the school budget approved at the June 22 town meeting and uncontested local elections.

Information on July 14 voting and on obtaining absentee ballots is on the Vassalboro website.

The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 23.

Fish die-off reported on China Lake

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This photo was taken of a fish die-off occurred on Webber Pond in June 2016. (The Town Line file photo by Roland D. Hallee)

There has been a fish die-off reported on China Lake. An inquiry at the China Town Office prompted this response from Scott Pierz, president of the China Lake Association.

“In the past there was a fish die off that was recognized by Nate Gray of the Maine Department of Marine Resources and others (more knowledgeable than I) said that a temperature shift in the lake water’s thermocline stressed the fish and caused their mortality. This was reported by Shannon Power down in the area of the lower portion of the east basin watershed of China Lake a couple of years ago. I had sent an email to Nate along with some photos (from Shannon) and that’s the response I received.”

What to expect at the polls in China on July 14

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by Becky Hapgood
China Town Clerk

Welcome to 2020! The year of everything being different than what we are accustomed. On July 14, the town of China has a major election not because of the size but because of what you will be voting on and how things surrounding the election have changed.

First, if you are 17 and will turn 18 on or before the November 3 election, and you are enrolled in a party, you can vote. You will only receive a state candidate ballot.

If you are over 18 and, in a party, you will receive a candidate ballot, state referendum ballot, two RSU ballots (budget and revolving renovation fund) and two town of China ballots containing the municipal budget. If you are unenrolled, you would receive all ballots except for the candidate ballot.

Because China requires a quorum of 118 voters to hold an open meeting, we could not convene our annual town business meeting and follow the CDC guidelines. We were forced to go to a written ballot vote to approve the town’s budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

I expect if a voter receives all ballots, it will take the voter up to 10 minutes in the voting booth. We sent out a mailer earlier to help the voters see the municipal ballot questions before they enter the voting booth. We will also be posting all sample ballots to our website under elections as soon as they are received.

Please note the Lakeview Drive entrance will again be closed to traffic. We kindly request you access the municipal complex from the road off the Alder Park Road. We will have signs to remind everyone where the entrance is located. I expect long lines while the polls are open. To avoid the lines, you are welcome to request an absentee ballot up to and including Election Day. This is a change to election law for this election due to the pandemic.

We cannot plan for the weather, but we will have a 20-foot x 40-foot tent in case of rain or heat. You will notice that we will have to adjust how we wait to enter the voting area. We will be limiting the number of voters in the building to maintain the 6-foot physical distance between persons. Everything in the polling place from the booths to the voting machines must be set up as to maintain the 6-foot social distancing. Voters are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings but cannot be turned away from voting for not doing so. If you cannot stand for a long period of time, you should request an absentee ballot.

The absentee ballot request process is very easy. You can go online to www.china.govoffice.com under the Election tab, you can call the office (207) 445-2014 to request a ballot or you can stop by the office and pick one up for you and/or an immediate family member. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election night. No reason is required to vote absentee. Once you receive the ballots, you vote and then seal all ballots in the envelope provided. Please make sure to sign on the return ballot envelope where highlighted. The ballots can then be returned by mail or dropped off at the town office by the voter or the voter’s immediate family. We are working on a secure drop box for ballots but as of this writing, we have not found one that meets the criteria set forth by the state.

If you have any questions leading up to the election, please reach out. We have provided background information for the town’s budget vote on www.china.govoffice.com under the Elections tab. Sample ballots will also be posted as soon as they are available.

Vassalboro school officials not sure what fall return will mean

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Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro school officials have no idea what returning to school in the fall will mean.

“We’ve got to be ready for change,” School Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur summarized during the board’s June 16 in-person meeting in the Vassalboro Community School (VCS) cafeteria.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said he and colleagues have guidelines from the state education department, but they are not directives, and local school officials assume they will change as circumstances change. Pfeiffer does not expect decisions until late July at best.

School board member Jessica Clark said at a recent Maine School Board Association meeting no one had firm plans. Many participants hoped their schools will reopen, to accommodate parents with no child care and because “no school has the money or infrastructure to support 100% virtual education.”

Principal Megan Allen said VCS staff want to be in school, and a survey to which 40 parents responded found almost half of them would like the school to open. The rest, she said, were unsure or waiting to see how the health situation changes.

Pfeiffer pointed out that reopening the building will add costs, too, for such things as supplies, like masks and sanitizers; staff time to clean; and if students come and go in shifts, additional bus routes.

Pfeiffer and Allen anticipate an unusually busy summer as they monitor developments and try to be prepared for however the new school year starts.

Allen said the June 5 end-of-school parade was one of the best days of her life. Vassalboro fire trucks and the police car, school buses and decorated private vehicles toured much of the town visiting students who had not seen their teachers since March.

“We got to see so many kids – it was fantastic,” Allen said.

VCS also had a retirement parade for retiring literacy specialist Kathy Cioppa, of China, Allen said. She said Cioppa has been in education for 38 years, 35 of them at VCS.

One of the board’s June 16 decisions was to approve a copier lease agreement in conjunction with Waterville and Winslow schools. Pfeiffer said he, Waterville Superintendent Eric Haley and Winslow Superintendent Peter Thiboutot are discussing ways to continue mutually useful cooperation as the agreement that succeeded AOS (Alternative Educational Structure) 92 enters its final year. Voters in the three towns dissolved AOS 92 in the spring of 2018.

The next Vassalboro school board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Aug. 18. As part of their usual summer routine, board members authorized the superintendent to sign contracts for new staff until then, to avoid losing a good candidate to a school system prepared to act faster.

Vassalboro residents approve all 56 articles at town meeting

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro town officials and voters pulled off their June 22 open town meeting in style, with Covid-19 guidelines observed.

The gym at Vassalboro Community School was effectively turned into two rooms by a solid curtain that stretched almost from wall to wall, leaving space for moderator Richard Thompson to stand at one end and see into both rooms. Each side had no more than 50 well-spaced chairs; and the approximately 70 voters, most with masks, divided themselves evenly enough so that neither room approached the 50-person limit.

Entrance lines were well controlled by town office staff and volunteers. Multiple exits avoided crowding as the meeting ended, about an hour after it started.

All 56 warrant articles were approved, many in groups rather than one by one. As a result, Vassalboro is ready to start the new fiscal year July 1 with municipal and school budgets in place.

Selectmen expected the request to appropriate more than $360,000 (including interest over five years) for a new truck for the Vassalboro Volunteer Fire Department would be controversial. It was the only item discussed (one other generated a question and answer), but the near-unanimous vote to buy it suggests “controversial” was not the right term for the June 22 voters.

Selectmen and the budget committee recommended not buying the truck. Lauchlin Titus, Chairman of the Selectboard, explained that his board was not opposed to a new fire truck, but with 2020-21 revenues uncertain, selectmen did not want to commit the town this year. Two major sources of town income, he pointed out, are excise taxes, which increase as residents buy new vehicles, and state funding, which increases as the state’s economy grows.

Vassalboro volunteer fire department member Michael Vashon said the new truck would replace a 1981 vehicle that needs between $14,000 and $17,000 worth of work to restore it to operating condition. Firefighters do not want to put that much money into a 39-year-old truck, he said.

Department member Heather Hemphill, who described herself as a third-generation firefighter, said her experience in a repair garage taught her that a vehicle needing that much work will soon need more.

Christina Smedberg, recently moved to Vassalboro from Albion, praised the people who serve as volunteer firefighters. Vassalboro has a small department for so many residents, she said; “At least give the guys the right equipment.”

Tom Richards, who joined the department in 1957 at the age of 17, told voters, “We need this truck.” It won’t get cheaper if buying it is postponed, he added.

Vashon said the department has raised more than $500,000 in recent years for supplies and equipment, including enough to cover the first $72, 000-plus payment on the new truck. Firefighters will continue to raise funds toward the second payment, he said.

In the fire department report in the 2019 town report, new Chief Walker Thompson lists successful grant applications in 2019. The town report is dedicated to former fire chief Eric Rowe, who retired from the position after 30 years but remains in the department he has served for 40 years.

Titus, who is retiring from the board of selectmen as of Vassalboro’s July 14 election, received the 2020 Spirit of America award for volunteerism. Making the presentation, Selectman Robert Browne noted Titus’s years of service on numerous committees and in numerous organizations and praised his “willingness to listen to everyone.”

Voters re-elected budget committee members Rick Denico, Jr., and Douglas Phillips and elected new members Richard Bradstreet, Michael Poulin and Frank Richards.

Vassalboro’s annual town meeting is recessed until 8 a.m., Tuesday, July 14, when polls will open, again at Vassalboro Community School, for state voting and two local questions. The local questions are:

  • The annual referendum asking voters to approve or reject the school budget approved June 22; and
  • Elections for selectboard (Barbara Redmond is unopposed to succeed Titus) and for school board (Erin Libby Loiko seeks another term; Zachary Smith is the only candidate for the seat being vacated by Susan Tuthill).

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., July 14. Absentee ballots are available in advance from the town office for voters who do not wish to come to the school; those who vote in person are asked to wear masks.