A big thank you from the China Community Food Pantry to all the people who have donated food or money in the past weeks. Even the young are learning the importance of sharing with others. The Pantry still needs turkeys and the fixings. Pictured, parents and family with the owner of China Dolls Daycare, drop off food. (photo by Ann Austin)
by Mary GrowChina select board members offered the unusually large audience at their Nov. 17 meeting a preview of their Dec. 1 agenda.
On Dec. 1, they intend to discuss with members of the town’s three volunteer fire departments and China Rescue Unit when and how to begin consideration of creating a municipal emergency services department.
Several board members are concerned that the present system of private organizations is not sustainable much longer. For one thing, people said, municipal departments are eligible for federal grants that private ones cannot apply for.
Department representatives at the Nov. 17 meeting included South China Fire Chief Richard Morse, who urged board members to be aware that the rescue unit and the fire departments have different problems needing different approaches.
The bulk of the Nov. 17 audience were town employees, come to hear select board members talk about their health insurance.
China currently uses a Maine Municipal Association (MMA) insurance plan named Katahdin. Two lower benefit plans are named Moosehead and Pemaquid.
After MMA proposed a nine percent rate increase for Katahdin next year, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood and Brent Chesley, former and newly re-elected select board member, looked into alternatives, including private companies, and adjustments.
Board members spent an hour and a half discussing options. Several employees, and at least one resident who is not an employee, suggested they were risking losing “the people who keep this town running” to save a trifling sum; they should instead start speaking up when the Regional School Unit #18 board discusses the annual school budget, which for China is almost $6 million.
The discussion ended with a vote to keep the present plan, increase and all. Board members Blane Casey, Natasha Littlefield and Thomas Rumpf voted in favor; Chesley was opposed; and Edwin Bailey abstained, because his wife is a town employee.
The nine percent increase amounts to a little over $31,000. After the meeting, Hapgood said China sends out about 3,500 tax bills, meaning the average cost of the increase per bill would be $8.88 (varying with the amount of the bill).
Chesley and other board members said they intended no disrespect to town employees. Chesley explained he was trying to balance employees’ welfare with taxpayers’ welfare, and Bailey thanked those present for their work.
Chesley and other board members said they intended no disrespect to town employees. Chesley explained he was trying to balance employees’ welfare with taxpayers’ welfare, and Bailey thanked those present for their work.
The meeting, the first since the Nov. 4 election, opened with election of board officers. Chesley was elected chairman and Rumpf secretary.
Chesley then opened a public hearing on Littlefield’s application for a liquor license for Nash’s Café, her new restaurant in South China. There was no public comment. Later in the meeting, the license was approved without discussion, with Littlefield abstaining on the otherwise-unanimous vote.
Hapgood listed the town committees on which there are vacancies: the planning board (three; Natale Tripodi and Elaine Mather have declined reappointment, and there was one vacant position); the budget committee (two vacancies, one caused by Chesley’s election to the select board); the appeals board (two vacancies, one Chesley’s former seat); the board of assessment review (one); the tax increment financing committee (three); and the comprehensive plan implementation committee (four).
The planning board is the only one of the six that meets regularly. Hapgood said the main requirements for a planning board member are “an open mind and logical thinking.” Audience members chuckled.
Select board members unanimously appointed Kevin Maroon to the budget committee.
Residents are invited to apply for any committee position. Information is available at the town office, applications there and on the website, chinamaine.org.
China municipal departments will be closed for Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 and 28; the town office will be open Saturday morning, Nov. 29. The next select board meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Dec. 1.
Many thanks to everyone who helped make the Keyboard Dedication Service at South China Community Church (SCCC) on Friday, October 3 such a success – from those who provided the beautiful music to Pastor Paul to Susie Harwath (owner of “Susie’s Bakery”) and all who attended.
Following Words of Welcome, Opening Prayer and Scripture Reading by Pastor Paul, the audience enjoyed a relaxing hour of music. A variety of hymns and secular pieces were performed by Music Director Mary Matteson, Lynne Burney and Richard Preston (piano); Phil Amidon (violin) accompanied by wife Mary on piano; Diane Rawson (guitar); Dave Matteson (drums, congas); and Tanner Matteson (congas). Choir members included David and Richard Preston, Russell Poulin, Diane Rawson, Jenny Clair and Julie Gilbert; solo performances were given by Russell and Diane.
After the Dedication and Benediction were given by Pastor Paul, Chris Field closed the service with the Aaronic Blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:23-27)
Catering by Susie’s Bakery was literally, the frosting on the cake! Guests were treated to delicious sandwiches, salads, fruits, sweets, and cider. We greatly appreciated her cooking for our event in lieu of her weekly presence at the United Farmers Market in Belfast. SCCC is blessed in so many ways!
To the editor:The China Community Food Pantry says thank you so much to all the community members that have donated individually. Thank you, as well, to the groups who have donated, including the Greater Neck Road Neighborhood Association and many churches, businesses, schools, and banks. This community is surely a great one. So many people care and want to help.
People are always asking if there is anything specific that we need. Because it is almost Thanksgiving, we do need a few things by November 21: turkeys and/or turkey breasts or whole chickens for the smaller families, cake mixes and frosting, pie filling and pie crusts, gravy mixes or jars of gravy. Items may be dropped off on the front deck or porch, at 1320 Lakeview Drive. If you have anything that is frozen or perishable, please call 207-968-2421.
Also, donations of money or checks can be sent to China Community Food Pantry:
PO Box 6012
China Village, ME 04926.
Again, thank you all so much for anything you have donated. Thank you, as well to those who have donated dog and cat food for our four-legged friends!
Our community has really stepped up to help our neighbors in need. We should all be very proud. We would not want to live anywhere else!
South China boat launch. (photo by Roland D. Hallee)
The good news from the Nov. 3 China select board meeting is that the planks needed to extend the South China boat ramp arrived, and the job of installing them is under way.
Town officials have been trying to improve the launch area and the road leading to it for many months. Their goals are to make the site more usable for small watercraft and to control erosion, while leaving the landing secluded to protect water quality and the neighborhood.
Work on the Town Landing Road, which leads from South China’s Village Street to the landing, is “coming along nicely,” Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said, thanks to the public works crew and resident Brent Chesley.
Turning to another project, select board members awarded a contract to add insulation, with a fire-resistant coating, in the community forest building behind China Primary School. They chose the lowest of three bidders, Builders Installed Products of Maine, LLC, of Hermon.
Board members appointed Benjamin Loubier the new chief of China Rescue, ratifying the unit’s members’ decision. Loubier succeeds Danny McKinnis, who resigned.
After a second public hearing on amendments to the town’s general assistance ordinance and appendices, which brought no public comments, board members approved the new version. Hapgood explained that after they acted at their Sept. 22 meeting, the Maine Municipal Association and state officials made changes, requiring another vote.
In other business, resident Edward Brownell reported on work he had done at the town ballfields, and received the board’s thanks.
Hapgood announced that 2026 dog licenses are now available. Licenses must be renewed by Dec. 31 each year.
The manager said all town departments will be closed Nov. 11 for Veterans Day and Nov. 27 and 28 for Thanksgiving. Town officials intend to collect food donations before Thanksgiving; they are working on logistics.
The next select board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17.
The Nov. 3 meeting was the last – at least for now – for retiring board members Wayne Chadwick and Jeanne Marquis. Hapgood presented each with a letter of appreciation, and their colleagues thanked them for their service.
Notice of Public Hearing The Municipal Officers of the Town of China will hold a public hearing at the town office on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. regarding an On-Premises Liquor License Application submitted by Nash’s Cafe LLC, located at 9 Legion Memorial Drive.
Kimberly Newby
This December, staff at the Bingham Area Health Center welcome Kimberly Newby, FNP, to their professional healthcare team.
Newby earned her Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Husson University. Previously, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Maine at Fort Kent and her Associate’s degree in Nursing from the University of Maine at Augusta. Newby’s wealth of medical experience includes time spent in surgical nursing, primary care, and specialty care settings, with experience in pain management, chronic disease management, and more. Her extensive experience will make her a great addition to the Bingham team.
Of her new position with HealthReach, Newby said, “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Bingham Area Health Center. I look forward to working with the people in the greater Bingham area on their health goals.”
Newby joins the existing Bingham clinical team – Doctor Abigail Cross; Physician Assistant, Cory Miller; Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Kelly Bell Bragg; and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Leah Agren.
Founded in 1975, Bingham Area Health Center is a part of HealthReach Community Health Centers — headquartered in Waterville, Maine. HealthReach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating eleven family medical practices and one school-based health center. The HealthReach mission is to serve the otherwise medically underserved. In 2025, HealthReach proudly marks 50 years of delivering high-quality healthcare to the rural communities of Central and Western Maine since its founding in 1975!
HealthReach services include general primary and preventative healthcare, including behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers, and there are no eligibility requirements to access care through HealthReach; all are welcome.
An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs, including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
The above is issued in furtherance of HealthReach Community Health Centers’ federally funded health center project. In 2025, HealthReach is projected to receive $4,436,654 in federal assistance, which is estimated as constituting 12 percent of project costs. Of total project costs for 2025, HealthReach estimates 88 percent to be financed with non-governmental sources.
The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.
by Mary GrowAt a short Oct. 28 meeting, three China Planning board members and Codes Officer Nicholas French discussed proposing changes in the town’s Phosphorus Control Ordinance, last revised in 1993.
The ordinance is found on the town website, chinamaine.org, as Chapter 4 of the Land Development Code. It says its purpose is “To control the amount of phosphorus entering China Lake and Three Mile Pond from all new development.”
Board Chairman Toni Wall had reviewed the four-and-a-half page document and recommended only minor clarifications and updates – for example, using current titles of state documents referenced in the ordinance.
French told board members he thinks China’s subdivision ordinance should be on their list for review. And, he said, new state legislation will require municipalities to amend other ordinances to conform to state regulations, he thinks by 2027.
Wall remembered the last time legislators required ordinance changes, the revisions were so complex that board members asked town attorney Amanda Meader to draft them.
Board members canceled their Nov. 11 meeting, since it would fall on the Veterans Day holiday. Unless an unexpected urgent matter comes up, their next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25.
by Mary GrowAs expected, the three unopposed candidates on China’s Nov. 4 local ballot won their elections.
Town Clerk Angela Nelson reported the following results:
— For two-year terms on the select board, Brent Chesley got 922 votes and Natasha Littlefield got 1,092 votes.
— For a three-year term on the Regional School Unit 18 board, Heather Neal got 1,228 votes.
For select board, there were 70 write-in votes, and 996 voters cast blank ballots. Chesley has served on the board before; Littlefield starts her first term. They succeed Wayne Chadwick and Jeanne Marquis, who did not seek re-election.
The RSU ballot had 29 write-ins and 283 blank ballots. Neal was appointed to the RSU board after her predecessor, Dawn Castner, resigned earlier this fall. John Soifer is China’s other representative on the board.
A majority of the China voters who came to the polls opposed both state referendum questions. The vote on amending voting rules was 711 in favor, 841 against. On adding a state red flag law, the vote was closer: 783 against, 763 in favor.
Almost half of China’s 3,157 registered voters cast ballots before or on Nov. 4.
Barry MacmIllan and Marie Michaud planting tomatoes for the China Food Pantry. (photo by Jude Hsiang)
Last October China resident James Hsiang met with Town Manager Becky Hapgood to propose a community garden. Her response was enthusiastic, and Hsiang wrote up a plan based on his experience at a community garden in a small Connecticut town. The garden would be built and managed by volunteers with support from the town government. Hapgood suggested that the garden, if approved by the Select Board, would become a project of the China For a Lifetime Committee which relies entirely on volunteers to improve quality of life for community members of all ages. The garden would be built on town property, and a fee of $25, $15 for seniors, would cover the season’s rental of each four-foot x eight-foot bed . A raised bed in a community garden can provide a surprising amount of vegetables, herbs, and flowers and is also a source of exercise, education, and camaraderie for people who may not have growing space, sufficient sunlight, or ability to garden without assistance.
Ed Hasselman pouring dirt into the raised beds. (photo by Jude Hsiang)
When the select board approved Hsiang’s plan in January 2025, planning and fundraising began. Several people immediately joined the effort, including Jean Marquis, a select board member and advisor to the China for a Lifetime Committee, along with committee members Marie Michaud, Sandra Isaac, and Eric Austin. The committee provided seed money to begin the building process. Tom Michaud offered space in his farm’s workshop for volunteers to build 36 raised beds which were moved to the garden’s location for temporary storage. The location just south of the Town Office included a disused well and a barn used by the Public Works Department and was also the site of a skating rink during the winter of 2025.
When spring arrived, the garden was laid out with help from Mark Hasselman whose brother Ed brought a tractor to fill the beds. Scott Brown brought his tractor and auger to set the fence posts, encountering some challenges with the ledges in the area. Local folks had begun reserving garden beds and helped with the fencing and preparing the beds. By late May, planting had begun even though the gardeners had to wait a couple of weeks for the old well to be revived and a pump installed in the barn. Several members transported large water jugs to fill the gardener’s watering cans. Soon the Public Works Department had finished digging a trench from the well and the water was turned on.
Sherry Spaulding, Marion Chasteen, and James Hsiang applying a coat of paint to the storage shed. (photo by Jude Hsiang)
Twenty-eight raised beds were rented and the remaining eight were reserved for growing food for the China Food Pantry with seedlings and seeds provided by Bill Powell and others. The tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, sweet and hot peppers, and string beans were grown for the food pantry by the member gardeners. A three-foot by 16-foot bed was planted with herbs and flowers for all to use and enjoy.
As summer weather arrived, passersby saw the gardeners tending their beds. Week by week, the gardens became more colorful as marigolds, nasturtiums, cosmos, bachelor’s buttons, and zinnias appeared here and there among many varieties of lettuces, peppers, tomatoes, and squashes. When the dreaded Japanese beetles made their early July appearance they were attracted to the zinnias and easily caught. One gardener took some home as a snack for their ducks.
Scott Brown, with the challenging job of digging post holes. (photo by Jude Hsiang)
July 25 marked the first small delivery of vegetables to the China Food Pantry. The increasingly dry weather was a challenge, but by the season’s end, 147 pounds, 10 ounces of very fresh, very local, food was donated. The garden participated in the China Days celebration in early August with an informational display about this new community project. On August 18, the garden hosted University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Deborah Barnett for a talk on Quick & Easy Food Preservation. Her presentation was encouraging for those newer to canning and freezing and included tips for those who have been doing it for years.
As the first season of the China Community Garden drew to a close many gardeners enthusiastically made reservations for 2026 – some adding an additional bed. Garden members Marion Chasteen, Luther King, Susan Reilly, Sherry Spaulding, and Carol Thibodeau formed a committee to plan for the future. The plans include inviting new members in the spring as well as continuing to grow for the China Food Pantry.
Thanks to the support of the Town of China and the contributions of materials, money, and labor by local businesses and individuals, the China Community Garden celebrates its first year.
By July, things were growing well. (photo by Jude Hsiang)