Fairfield postpones meetings, pushes back budget hearing, closes public buildings

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Downtown Fairfield. (Contributed photo)

According to Fairfield Town Manager Michelle Flewelling, all previously posted measures will remain in effect until April 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted. If circumstances warrant, this time period will be adjusted.

The annual town budget meeting public hearing, following a vote by the town council on March 25, will be postponed until May 27, 2020, with the annual town budget meeting moved to June 15, 2020. These dates are tentative and subject to change.

Persons seeking General Assistance/Welfare should call the Town Office at 453-7911 x106 and we will process applications over the phone.

Access to the Fire Station and Police Department will be closed to all except emergency needs. If you have a non-emergency request such as a burn permit or a police report, please call, fire station-453-2429 or police station, 453-9321, and they will assist you in obtaining what you need. Emergency needs for EMS, fire, and police should be treated as normal by calling 911 for assistance.

Regularly scheduled town council meetings will continue and participants are strongly encouraged to attend virtually ONLY. Watch for participation instructions in the agenda and on our social media platforms.

The Town Office will be closed to the public. At this time, staff are working and actively responding to calls and e-mails during our normal business hours. The town office can be reached at 453-7911 or info@fairfieldme.com. Please refer to our website at www.fairfieldme.com for online services.

China residents seem to be doing fine during crisis

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen held their first virtual meeting March 30, with three members joining Town Manager Dennis Heath at the town office and two calling in.

The main purpose of the meeting was to pay the usual two weeks’ worth of bills. At Board Chairman Ronald Breton’s request, Heath provided updates on coronavirus response and town finances.

The manager said so far the town office has received no individual requests for help. Apparently, he said, China residents are “hunkered down” and have enough to get by. Town office staff have ordered supplies, including toilet paper, paper towels and Lysol, to keep on hand should things gets worse.

People planning to come to the town office are asked to call ahead and to use the drive-up so their business can be done quickly and safely.

Until further notice, the transfer station will take only household waste that goes into the hopper. Demolition debris, brush and compost will join the list of unacceptable items. The goal is to limit the number of people at the facility.

One more change Heath listed is that the town office and the transfer station will close from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily, so staff can take a lunch break and when necessary catch up on cleaning.

In response to Breton’s query about extending the local tax due date, Heath said since town meeting voters set the date, he is not sure selectmen have authority to change it. He will investigate the question.

The manager said property tax collection is at about the same level as it was at the end of March 2020, suggesting most people have made their payments on schedule and people who needed reminders in 2019 will need them again this year.

Heath and board members expect China’s 2020 income will be lower than expected. Lower state revenue will likely reduce state aid to municipal governments and schools; and, for example, if people postpone buying new cars, excise tax revenue to the town will decrease.

Until the situation is clearer, the manager plans to keep spending controlled, but not to stop using appropriated funds for necessary purposes. After all, he said, China’s unassigned fund balance (informally called surplus) is intended for emergencies like the pandemic.

China selectmen plan their next virtual meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 13. As with the March 30 meeting, they intend to livestream it on the town website, china.govoffice.com.

China Transfer Station enacts social distancing policy

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The China Transfer Station during social distancing. (Photo: The town of China)

The China Transfer Station will continue to operate with these limitations:

  • Cones and barricades will be setup to control traffic into the facility;
  • Only one vehicle will be allowed at the “hopper” area;
  • Only one vehicle will be allowed at the “express can” area;
  • Users will be asked what area they need to access and directed when appropriate to proceed to the assigned area;
  • Users will be asked to use each area expeditiously meaning no delay;
  • Users will be asked to maintain a 6-foot distance from all employees and others;
  • Users will be asked to only visit the transfer station once per day per household;
  • Users will be asked to limit visits on Saturdays to times other than between 9 a.m. -1 p.m., when we see the highest volume of users;
  • Alternate days with less traffic are Wednesday and Thursday;
  • Please treat the staff with kindness and care.

Transfer Station hours – Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Thursday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday 6:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Please note this is only a temporary change.

No awards from Oak Grove Foundation this year

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Oak Grove School Foundation will not be sending grant awards this Spring due to the Covid-19 virus and the stressed condition of our financial resources. We are thankful for all the people in our community who exert themselves for the well being of the young people that Oak Grove seeks to support. We look forward to recovering from this pandemic and returning to the major grant business in 2021.

China Manager: virtual meetings considered public & legal

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by Mary Grow

At China’s March 26 Broadband Committee’s virtual meeting, Town Manager Dennis Heath and committee members explained how virtual meetings are temporarily considered public and therefore legal.

The difference is Governor Janet Mills’ declaration of an emergency, committee member Jamie Pitney said. Normally, only a few state agencies were allowed to hold some of their meetings without gathering in person. Now and until 30 days after the emergency is declared over, municipal boards and committees can do the same, provided that they give public notice.

Heath added that the declaration allows members not physically present at a meeting to vote, another change from past procedure. The recording of the meeting legally serves as minutes.

China has subscribed to a virtual meeting system that allows meeting participants to see and talk with each other and signed-in non-participants to watch and listen via computer and/or cellphone, depending on audience members’ computer capabilities. Heath said he paid $150 for a year’s service.

The March 26 meeting was not streamed on the China’s live stream and therefore was available only to those who signed in. Heath plans to have future virtual board and committee meetings live-streamed so they can be seen on the town website.

People seeking information on future meetings may visit the website, email the town office at info@chinamaine.org or call the town office at 445-2014 during office hours.

Broadband Committee members, joined virtually by two representatives of Mission Broadband Inc., discussed two main topics: the previously-planned broadband census to find out how many China residents need better service and why they don’t already have it, and ways to expand service.

Mike Reed and John Dougherty, of Mission Broadband, a national company promoting increased broadband service, said the company is planning a state-wide survey or census, simpler than the one originally proposed for China. Their version is currently on-line only and has alternatives – that is, a person’s answer to one question determines which question appears next.

Heath would like a paper census as well, to reach people who cannot or will not reply by computer or cell phone. Reed plans to review Mission Broadband’s draft to see if it can be adjusted for paper. Heath hopes to send a direct mailing to China residents by the end of March.

Committee members continued discussion of ways to increase the reach of existing broadband in town, suggesting more questions for Heath to ask Peter Hussey, of Hussey Communications, in Winslow, with whom town officials are working.

Committee member Tod Detre said there is not yet enough equipment to cover the town. The tower at the town office and the repeater at the China Village fire station offer limited service.

Heath said Hussey installed an omnidirectional antenna at the town office to reach the town garage and transfer station. The downside is a shorter range, he said. After census results more accurately define town-wide needs, he intends to explore more options.

Committee members scheduled their next, presumably-virtual meeting for 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 8. One agenda item will be a proposal to ask the Maine legislature to study the possibility of continuing to allow virtual meetings after the coronavirus emergency ends.

Heath feared virtual meetings would limit public participation. Pitney suggested the town office could be opened so people could go there to watch virtual meetings just as they could attend person-to-person meetings before the emergency.

Vassalboro school board members briefly discuss first draft of 2020-21 budget

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Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)

by Mary Grow

In addition to review of plans for operating during shutdown (see The Town Line, March 26), Vassalboro School Board members at their March 24 meeting briefly discussed the first draft of the 2020-21 school budget.

They and Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer intended to meet again March 31 to review a revised budget and to discuss it with the Budget Committee later the same evening. However, as of March 30 final figures for insurance were not available, and since the cost of insurance could affect staffing, both meetings were cancelled.

Last year, Pfeiffer reminded board members, “a perfect storm of good numbers” made possible a small reduction from the previous year. The March 24 version, if left intact through the budget review process and approved by town meeting voters, would have increased the tax rate by about one mil ($1 for each $1,000 of valuation).

Pfeiffer asked School Board members if that increase was acceptable, and if not, what would be. They unanimously asked him to aim for a maximum increase of half a mil. Jolene Gamage was unenthusiastic about even that amount, since the pandemic is costing people jobs. On the other hand, she could not see obvious places to cut proposed school expenditures.

Pfeiffer promised to “review, readjust, shave down” to try to meet board members’ target.

As of March 31, Pfeiffer said the school board planned to meet at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, with budget committee members joining them at 7 p.m. The meetings will be virtual; those interested can watch them on the Vassalboro School website, vcsvikings.org.

Michigan group plans high-rise housing in China (2020 April Fools Day story)

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An artist’s rendition of the proposed high rise housing complex for China.

by Mary Grow

DeMiHuGi Developers, of Detroit, Michigan, filed permit applications with the Maine environmental protection and transportation departments on April 1, for a 28-story luxury housing complex, to be built on an artificial island at the Narrows on China Lake. The complex will be accessed by a causeway connecting the end of Neck Road to Lakeview Drive, as well as by boat.

Plans call for 24 stories of housing, with apartments arranged around a central core with elevators and utilities. The lower 12 will have four apartments per floor, each with views in two directions; the upper 12 will have two apartments per floor, each with views in three directions. Above will be a rooftop restaurant topped with solar panels.

The base of the building, partly below water level, will be a 150-car parking garage. Above the garage will be three stories housing a supermarket, a clothing store, a pharmacy and clinic, specialty restaurants and boutiques, a gym and sauna, a four-lane bowling alley, offices and probably one or more shops tailored to the area, like a sporting goods store or bait-and-tackle shop.

A double water purification system on the north side of the building will purify China Lake water to make it drinkable and treat wastes so wastewater will be returned to the lake “cleaner than it came out,” according to a DeMiHuGi spokesman.

The swimming beach will be on the south side, the marina on the southeast and motel-style employee housing east and west.

The four-lane causeway connecting the island to the mainland on both sides will be roofed with more solar panels. Additionally, cables running under the road will provide back-up power and will heat the causeway so it will not need winter maintenance.

The DeMi­HuGi spokesman, Maken Haye, said two similar projects on larger water bodies have drawbridges in the causeways to accommodate sailboats.

The company analyzed mast heights on China Lake and concluded no drawbridge is needed.

All windows will have bird-friendly glass. Indoor lighting will be arranged to create “a warm, welcoming glow” after dark.

DeMiHuGi’s spokesman, Haye, said in most projects some amenities are open to local residents, by arrangement with municipal officials.

Additionally, she said, it is company policy to hold a contest among local residents only to name the project. The contest winner receives a 10-year lease on one of the larger apartments.

The project schedule depends on acquiring the needed permits, state and local. The company spokesman said, “Since Maine has never seen a project like this, I expect it will take a while. I doubt we’ll break lake bottom this year.”

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IF YOU BELIEVED THIS STORY, YOU ARE A BELATED APRIL FOOL.

Vassalboro Planning Board public hearing canceled

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The Vassalboro Planning Board public hearing on amendments to the shoreland zoning ordinance, scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, has been canceled, according to Codes Enforcement Officer Paul Mitnick.

Sacred Heart church, rectory, office building on the sale block

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Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Waterville (photo: Google streetview)

Corpus Christi Parish has announced that it will place the Sacred Heart property, located on Pleasant Street, up for sale. The property includes a rectory, parish office building, and Sacred Heart Church, which has not hosted a weekend Mass since July of 2006. The decision to place the property up for sale was made prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Placing this property on the market is the shared opinion of our parish’s finance and pastoral councils,” said Fr. Daniel Baillargeon, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish.

Sacred Heart Church needs major structural work as does the rectory, which hasn’t been used in over eight years. The church was dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1930. Prior to its opening, the church’s basement served as a place of worship for 21 years.

Though Masses are temporarily suspended right now due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Corpus Christi Parish traditionally offers Masses at Notre Dame Church on 116 Silver Street in Waterville (Saturday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Sunday at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12:15 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday at 12:15 p.m.) and St. John the Baptist Church on 26 Monument Street in Winslow (Saturday at 4 p.m.; Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.; and Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8 a.m.). In addition, the parish operates St. Helena Church on Route 27 in Belgrade Lakes from June 30 to Labor Day. During the academic year, a Mass is celebrated at Colby College in Waterville on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

“Notre Dame Church, in Waterville, and St. John Church, in Winslow, have been completely renovated and both feature ample room for parish liturgies and celebrations,” said Fr. Baillargeon. “As we live in the present and look toward the future, putting this property up for sale seems the most prudent thing to do.”

The parish administration is currently working with organizers of the soup kitchen that operates out of the church’s basement and will support their efforts in finding a new location to continue this important ministry.

For more information, contact Kevin Fletcher of Northeast Commercial Brokers at (207) 754-9311 or kevin@maineccim.com.

Vassalboro school board hears plans for schools during shut down

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Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members held their first virtual meeting March 24, and thanks to the technical expertise of David Trask and Will Backman it worked efficiently. From their homes, board members and administrators discussed issues and made decisions as though they were sitting in the same room.

Much of the discussion involved reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic that made the virtual meeting necessary. Vassalboro Community School (VCS) has not held classes since Friday, March 13; decisions included unanimous votes to retroactively approve the closure from March 16 to March 27 and extend it to April 27.

Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer congratulated staff and administrators on their response to the situation. He has spent a lot of time coordinating action and exchanging ideas with state education officials and other area superintendents, he said.

VCS Principal Megan Allen said she has focused on keeping teachers and students connected and parents informed. Plans being made for April include daily check-ins with students via video, email or other technologies; sending lists of virtual learning opportunities students may visit if they choose; robocalls sharing new developments; and information about when and how best to reach a teacher.

Teaching staff are expected to spend at least five hours a week doing on-line professional development. Some might choose to explore more ways to communicate from a distance, Allen said.

Rather than eliminate school breakfast and lunch programs, VCS bus drivers and volunteer staff members are using big yellow buses for morning and noon meals-on-wheels deliveries, Pfeiffer said.

Allen said about 300 meals go out on each run. VCS’s enrollment is about 418, she added. There is plenty of food available, Pfeiffer said, but one item on his to-do list is finding out whether state education officials approve of the program.

At one point, the superintendent said, VCS ran low on bags for the meals. Bus driver Bob Hall appealed to Carl and Phyllis Farris, owners of Lakeview Lumber, in China, and the Farrises donated an ample supply of bags.

On other topics, school board members unanimously accepted the resignation of Kyle Irvine as Educational Technician I, Life Skills Program, and hired Tanya Doyon as his replacement. Pfeiffer said Irvine is pleased to be moving into a vacant position on the custodial staff, and welcomed Irvine’s experience and skills.

Allen and Waterville-based central office Special Education Director Amy Benham said Doyon had been at VCS only a week when the school shut down, but both said she had already made a good impression.

Board members discussed their involvement with the town-sponsored solar energy project. Pfeiffer and Jessica Clark, school board representative on the town solar committee, said the latest proposal is to buy into an out-of-town solar farm rather than have one built in Vassalboro, and the question is whether school board members are still interested. A decision was postponed to the special board meeting scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, mostly for more work on the 2020-21 school budget.

The next regular school board meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, “hopefully in person,” Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur said.