Erskine Academy girls basketball team holds fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis

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Participants in the Erskine Academy girls basketball team fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis, held at the school on January 26. Over $500 was raised for those stricken with MS, who need help with medical bills. (photo courtesy of Jane Golden)

Cassidy Roderick, left, with Erskine girls basketball coach Bob Witts. (photo courtesy of Jane Golden)

The Erskine Academy girls’ basketball team hosted a charity basketball clinic on January 26 with proceeds going to the Maine chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Thirty-five athletes between the ages of 8 and 12 came to the two-hour clinic to not only learn skills, but to also help raise funds for this worthy cause. Coach Bob Witts and several members of the girls’ basketball team worked with the clinic participants to run them through fun drills, teach them skills, and to play a few games.

Over $550 was raised at this event, which will go towards getting wheelchairs and walkers for people as well as helping pay medical bills for those that cannot afford it in Maine with multiple sclerosis (MS).

One of the Erskine basketball players, Mackenzie Roderick, has been personally affected by MS, as her sister, Cassidy, was diagnosed with the disease a year and a half ago, making this cause very special to her and her teammates. Cassidy joined the participants at the clinic, speaking to the kids and parents about how her wheelchair helps her, especially when she needs to walk a great distance or for a long amount of time.

This was a great way to inform the community about MS and its effects on the lives of those who have it. Congratulations to the Erskine Academy girls’ basketball team for holding such an important fundraiser, and thank you to the community for supporting this cause!

Submitted by Jane Golden, VP of HR, JMG Central Office, 65 Stone Street, Augusta, ME 04330.

China planners set to visit one proposed solar development site

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members are tentatively scheduled to visit the site of one of two proposed solar developments in town Saturday morning, Feb. 8, if the developers are available and the weather cooperates. The site visit is considered a board meeting and is open to the public.

At the Jan. 28 Planning Board meeting, Codes Officer Bill Butler said he expects the solar applications to be on the board’s Feb. 11 meeting agenda. Planners would like to see the proposed site in the field behind Mike Willette’s gravel pit, off Arnold Road near Erskine Academy, which has been described as an open meadow with an area of forested wetlands.

The visit is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Feb. 8, with Butler and the developers to decide where to meet.

Erskine Academy to host eighth grade open house

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(photo credit: Erskine Academy)

All eighth grade students and their parents from the surrounding communities are invited to attend the Erskine Academy 8th Grade Open House on Wednesday, February 26, at 6:30 p.m., in the gym. The administration strongly encourages all incoming freshmen and their parents to attend this event as registration materials will be available and information about the course selection process will be provided. In the case of inclement weather, a snow date of Thursday, February 27th has been set.

Parents who are unable to attend this event are asked to contact the Guidance Office at 445-2964 to request registration materials.

China selectmen make budget recommendations

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen made their recommendations on Town Manager Dennis Heath’s proposed 2020-21 municipal budget at a special meeting Jan. 27, so the budget committee could review them Jan. 30. Voters will make final decisions at the annual town business meeting, scheduled for Saturday morning, April 4.

The major change Heath proposed was adding a full-time police officer, which would increase the police and animal control budget from this year’s $91,498 (of which $26,535 is designated as “police wages”) to more than $207,000.

“We can’t afford it,” was Selectman Wayne Chadwick’s immediate response, followed by a motion to leave police wages and related items at the current level.

“We can’t afford it,” was Selectman Wayne Chadwick’s immediate response…

Later, however, selectmen expressed willingness to support a proposal to put the police officer’s salary and related expenses in a separate, extra-budget warrant article with a price tag, so voters could decide on April 4 whether they want the service and are willing to pay for it.

Most other changes in the proposed budget are internal moves or rearrangements of expenditure requests.

For example, Heath proposes making Town Clerk Rebecca Hapgood, Transfer Station Manager Tim Grotton and Public Works Manager Shawn Reed salaried rather than paid by the hour, because, he said, they work as managers. He and selectmen agreed on recommended salary levels that would be approximately equivalent to the three percent increase recommended for China’s hourly workers.

The town manager moved requests for money for the China Lake Association, the China Region Lakes Alliance and stipends for volunteer firefighters and rescue personnel into the article funding community support organizations, raising that request considerably while reducing planned use of Tax Increment Finance funds and the fire and rescue budget lines.

Overall, Heath said, if budget committee members and voters agree with the selectmen, the 2020-21 municipal budget will have a minimal effect on the tax rate. The municipal budget includes the annual county taxes; the school budget is separate and was not part of the Jan. 27 discussion.

According to the budget summary for the current fiscal year in the town report for the year ended June 30, 2018, the municipal budget was less than 33 percent of overall spending; the county tax was less than 5 percent; and the school budget was just over 52 percent.

The budget committee meets at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, in the town office meeting room to review the selectmen’s recommendations for 2020-21 spending.

CHINA: Discussions continue over conflict of interest

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by Mary Grow

At their Jan 21 meeting, China selectmen, assisted by town attorney Amanda Meader, continued their discussion of conflict of interest as it relates to budget committee members who are also volunteer fire department members. They added an expansion of earlier discussions of reporting requirements for fire departments spending town funds. Neither issue was resolved.

As at the special Jan. 7 meeting (see The Town Line, Jan. 16), board Chairman Ronald Breton insisted that a budget committee member who is also a fire department member, or has a family member in one of China’s three departments, must recuse himself from any discussion of stipends, donations or other individual reimbursement, under whatever name, for firefighters. He named Budget Committee Chairman Robert Batteese and members Kevin Maroon and Tom Rumpf as those affected.

According to China’s Administrative Code of Ethics, no appointed or elected official can take any part in a decision on an item “in which he or she or a member of his or her immediate family has a financial or special interest, other than an interest shared by the public generally.”

Breton challenged Batteese, the only one of the three named budget committee members present, to declare himself in conflict and recuse himself from any committee discussion. Batteese refused, repeating, as he said on Jan. 7, that he has been in both positions for many years.

“I’m much more interested in keeping the taxes down than in the few dollars I get,” he said.

“That’s not gonna happen,” Batteese, a China Village department member, said, because individual stipend amounts are not public information.

Batteese asked whether the selectmen were in conflict when they voted to add to the 2019 town meeting warrant a request to increase their annual stipends, which voters approved. Meader replied that since only selectmen can approve the meeting warrant to be sent to voters, sometimes they must be exempted from conflict of interest rules. The voters make the final decision, she emphasized.

The attorney added that she regrets the whole “difficult conversation,” which in her view is not about local people “honorably serving your community for a few bucks,” but about possible future problems or current issues in the wider world.

Since Batteese declined to state a conflict of interest, Breton made a motion for the selectboard declaring the three budget committee members cannot vote on anything involving funds to individual firefighters, based on state law and China’s Administrative Code of Ethics. Donna Mills-Stevens seconded the motion so it could be discussed.

Breton insisted the issue was conflict of interest, not the money involved, although when Mills-Stevens called the $40,000 proposed for stipends a “very small part” of the total budget, he disagreed.

Breton voted in favor of his motion, Wayne Chadwick voted against it, and Mills-Stevens and Irene Belanger abstained. Breton demanded reasons for the abstentions. Mills-Stevens said she was confused by the emphasis on one budget item; Belanger agreed.

The motion having failed, selectmen turned to other business before returning to a related issue: when fire department treasurers submit quarterly reports on how they’ve spent town money, Breton said stipend recipients’ names should be listed.

“That’s not gonna happen,” Batteese, a China Village department member, said, because individual stipend amounts are not public information.

South China and Weeks Mills fire chiefs Dick Morse and Bill Van Wickler, respectively, also objected. Morse thought his department was filling out the quarterly form as Town Manager and Town Treasurer Dennis Heath requested. For example, he said, the line for vehicle repairs reports a total spent, but not individual amounts for tires or nuts and bolts.

Breton said without names being listed, the town treasurer can be fined, jailed or both for failing to require proper itemization of taxpayers’ money.

Heath, who had been following the meeting via livestream as he continues to recover from a broken ankle, joined on speakerphone. He said that he does not need to know how stipends are calculated or how many hours each recipient puts in, but does need each name and the amount the person received. Because the stipends are an individual benefit from public funds, the treasurer needs a public record, he said.

Breton recommended selectmen, Heath and the three fire chiefs schedule a joint meeting to seek clarification and consensus. No action was taken on the suggestion.

In other business Jan. 21, resident Anita Smith talked about a planned timber harvest in the China School Forest behind China Primary School, to begin in February. Smith and Elaine Philbrook have been overseeing the forest for years.

Smith is working with forester Harold Burnett, of Two Trees Forestry, in Winthrop, and Tyler Reynolds Forest Products, of China. She expects timber sales will bring in less than $4,000.

Proceeds from the last harvest in the late 1990s were set aside in an account for town forest maintenance, grant-matching and related purposes. Smith would like money from the February harvest to go into the same account.

After some confusion over whether she was asking permission or informing selectmen of the next step in an ongoing plan, selectmen unanimously voted approval.

Selectmen appointed Trishea Story as budget committee secretary until the next local elections in November and Sandra Isaac to the China for a Lifetime Committee.

Their next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Feb. 3. Before then, they were scheduled for a Jan. 27 review of the proposed 2020-2021 budget in advance of a Budget Committee meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30.

Two area students named to dean’s list at University of New England

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Photo credit: University of New England Facebook page

The University of New England, in Biddeford, and Tangier, Morocco, have announced that Kayla Goggin and Emma McCormac, both of South China, have been named to the dean’s list for the 2019 fall semester at the University of New England. Dean’s list students have attained a grade point average of 3.3 or better out of a possible 4.0 at the end of the semester.

Erskine Academy first trimester honor roll 2019

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(photo credit: Erskine Academy)

Grade 12

High Honors: Lucy Allen, Jay Austin, Julia Basham, Derek Beaulieu, Haley Breton, Bridget Connolly, Summer Curran, Colby Cyr, Lily DeRaps, Vincent Emery, Nathan Evans, Alyssha Gil, Annika Gil, Boe Glidden, Bryce Goff, Joshua Gower, Tori Grasse, Alyssa Hale, Summer Hotham, Nicholas Howard, Julianna Hubbard, Sarah Jarosz, Cameron Johnson, Benjamin Lagasse, Benjamin Lavoie, Eleena Lee, Madison Leonard, Gabriel Lewis, Stephanie Libby, Jordan Linscott, Jakob Mills, Krysta Morris, Nathaniel Mosher, Lyndsie Pelotte, Matthew Picher, Hunter Praul, Miina Raag-Schmidt, Benjamin Reed, Mitchel Reynolds, Andrew Robinson, Alyssa Savage, Santasia Sevigny, Taylor Shute, Brandon Tibbs, Katelyn Tibbs, Hailee Turner, Cameron Tyler and Richard Winn.

Honors: Pedro Albarracin, Lucas Anderson, Alec Baker, Adam Bonenfant, Ashlee Bossie, Alexander Buzzell, Kole-Tai Carlezon, David Chubbuck Jr, Dominic Denico, Michael Dusoe Jr, Dominick Dyer, Cheyann Field, Jada Fredette, Mitchell Gamage, Lydia Gilman, Ella Giroux, Emma Harvey, Gage Henderson, Ashley Huntley, Emily Jacques, Ricker Jean, Colby Johnson, Kyle Jones, Luke Jordan, Tristan Klemanski, Brandon LaChance, Cole Leclerc, William Leeman, Desiree Leighton, Sydney Lord, Brandon Loveland, Shawn Manning, Reece McGlew, Lexigrace Melanson, Kaytie Millay, Jamara Moore, Adalaide Morris, Isaak Peavey, Chandler Peele, Jasmine Plugge, Hailei-Ann Reny, Dominic Rodrigue, Katelyn Rollins, Shawn Seigars, Serena Sepulvado, Nicholas Shelton, Danielle Shorey, Ryan Sidelinger, Kayla Sleeper, Dominic Smith, Lily Solorzano, Makenzi Strout, Matthew Stultz, Jacob Sutter, Nicole Taylor, Courtney Tibbetts, Kaitlyn Tims, Ashleigh Treannie and Andrew Weymouth.

Grade 11

High Honors: Philip Allen, Nicholas Barber, Abbygail Blair, Jane Blanchard, Samantha Box, Trevor Brockway, Hailey Brooks, Zoe Butler, Cody Devaney, Jacob Devaney, Brandon Devine, Amelia Evans, Addison Gamage, Margaret Gamage, Hailey Haskell, Avery Henningsen, Braydon Hinds, Paeshance-Rae Horan, Emma Hutchinson, Delaney Ireland, Bryan Joslyn Jr, Madyx Kennedy, Sierra LaCroix, Isabela Libby, Emily Lowther, Chiara Mahoney, Michael Nicholas III, Ian Oliphant, Olive Padgett, Courtney Paine, Isabella Parlin, Annaliese Patterson, Elek Pelletier, Aiden Pettengill, Sydni Plummer, Harry Rabideau, Kristin Ray, Allison Roddy, Acadia Senkbeil, Hanna Spitzer and Kelby Young.

Honors: Mara Adams, Brooke Allen, Paris Bedsaul, Rylee Bellemare, Isabella Bishop, Everett Blair, Christopher Bourdon, Eleanor Brown, Ethan Cates, Anthony Chessa, Ashley Clavette, Adrianna Cook, Saydi Cote, Joshua Cowing, Nolan Cowing, McKayla Doyon, Katelynn Dubriel, Cameron Gifford, Avril Goodman, Patrick Hanley, Nathan Howell, Haley Laird, Logan Lee, Graydon Leeman, Joanna Linscott, Colby Lloyd, Eva Malcolm, Xavian Marable, Jonathan Martinez, Hailey Mayo, Riley Mayo, Mikala McIntyre, Isaiah Michaud, Nathan Million, Alicia Nelson, Tyler Ormonde, Brian Ouellette, Daniel Page, Anna Pfleging, Colby Rumpf, Hailey Sanborn, Alessandro Smith, Carly Spencer, Jarre St., Aarick Staples, Ariel Stillman, Riley Sullivan, Chloe Taylor, Joshua Tobey, Mollie Wilson, Dylan Wing and Samuel York.

Grade 10

High Honors: Griffin Anderson, Isaac Baker, Julia Barber, Autumn Boody, Lilian Bray, Emily Clark, Tabitha Craig, Isabella DeRose, Emma Fortin, Wyatt French, Samantha Golden, Hayden Hoague, Grace Hodgkin, Rachel Huntoon, Emma Jefferson, Grace Kelso, Taidhgin Kimball, Aidan Larrabee, Robert McCafferty, Adam Ochs, Devon Polley, Sarah Praul, Riley Reitchel, Mackenzie Roderick, Abbey Searles, Shawn Searles, Andrew Shaw, Hannah Soule, Hannah Strout-Gordon, Lily Thompson and Lily Vinci.

Honors: Elliott Atwood, Alana Beggs, Jacob Bentley, Gabriella Berto-Blagdon, Jack Blais, Evan Butler, Abrial Chamberlain, Nathaniel Collins, Hunter Colson, Jesse Cowing, Liberty Crockett, Colby Cunningham, Luke Desmond, Madison Devine, Kaden Doughty, Alexander Drolet, Abigail Dutton, Kelsie Fielder, Jacob Fisher, Chase Folsom, Jenna Gallant, Josette Gilman, Ciera Hamar, Thomas Hanley, Trace Harris, Skye Havey, Isaac Hayden, Hannah Huff, Tanner Klasson, Madelyne Koehling, Mallory Landry, Garrison Leeman, Lili Lefebvre, Shawn Libby, Madison Lully, Isavel Lux Soc, David Martinez-Gosselin, Calvin Mason, Wes McGlew, Kaden McIntyre, Christian Moon, Rebecca Morton, Brady O’Connor, Connor Owens, Abigail Peaslee, Kaden Plourde, Lilly Potter, Paige Reed, Parker Reynolds, Kadince Rideout, Annalee Rogers, Natalie Spearin, Brennen Wade, Samuel Worthley, Emily York, Hannah York and Hayden Young.

Grade 9

High Honors: Carson Appel, Andrew Bentley, McKenzie Berry, Abigail Beyor, Eve Boatright, Alexis Buotte, Nicholas Choate, Nickolas Christiansen, Breckon Davidson, Nicole DeMerchant, Lillian Dorval, Grace Ellis, Lilly Fredette, Alyssa Gagne, Loralei Gilley, Reiana Gonzalez, Cooper Grondin, Mallary Hanke, Elizabeth Hardy, Alexzander Hoffman, Kassidy Hopper, Grady Hotham, Grace Hutchins, Olivia Hutchinson, Hallie Jackson, Hannah Jackson, Beck Jorgensen, Kaiden Kelley, Meadow Laflamme, Zephyr Lani-Caputo, Dale Lapointe, Dinah Lemelin, Gwen Lockhart, Malachi Lowery, Emily Majewski, Lily Matthews, Brooklyn McCue, River Meader, Nabila Meity, Galen Neal III, Maddison Paquet, Timber Parlin, Kayla Peaslee, Gabriel Pelletier, Sophia Pilotte, Alexis Rancourt, Cadence Rau, Samantha Reynolds, Sarah Robinson, Ally Rodrigue, Noah Rushing, Emmalee Sanborn, Jacob Seigars, Sophie Steeves, Jacob Sullivan, Paige Sutter, Aidan Tirrell, Mackenzie Toner, Emma Tyler, Julia Wade, Damon Wilson and Aidan Witham.

Honors: Molly Anderson, Kassidy Barrett, Katherine Bourdon, Emma Charest, Courtney Cowing, Kayleen Crandall, Myra Evans, Isaac Farrar, Alivia Gower, Carson Grass, Ronald Haskell Jr, Tyreke Hitchener, Acadia Kelley, Brady Kirkpatrick, Casey Kirkpatrick, Matthew Knowles, Emmet Lani-Caputo, Emily Laweryson, Joseph Lemelin, Brenden Levesque, Bryce Lincoln, Aimee Lizotte, Cooper Loiko, Gage Moody, Ethan Ouellette, Hannah Patterson, Jenna Perkins, Casey Petty, Kathleen Pfleging, Kaden Porter, Karen Potter, Parker Potter, Conner Rowe, Jarell Sandoval, Isabella Smith, Kiley Stevens, Emma Stred, Camyrin Thompson, Hannah Toner, Lauren Tyler and Joseph Wing.

Erskine holds fundraiser for koalas

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Contributed photo

Students and staff at Erskine Academy recently held a dress down day to raise funds for the Koala Hospital, in Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia.

The Koala Hospital’s efforts include the rescue and treatment of sick and injured koalas, conservation and expansion of koala habitats, research relating to habitat, disease, nutrition and habits of wild koalas, and provides educational materials to increase public awareness of all aspects of the koala. Pictured are members of the student council who helped organize the dress down day effort.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Protect previous natural resource

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To the editor:

In light of a Letter to the Editor dated October 31, 2019, I would like to add to the comments about run-off at the Town Landing Road and other concerns.

As a resident of South China who has cleaned litter along this road for 20 years, I would agree we have a problem with this road as a public access point to the lake. During the season, large boats and vehicles can be seen trying to manage entry from this road. The only way to turn around is on someone’s private property, and the only place to park is along the buffer on the side of the road. The regular wear and tear to the road is evident, and because of the isolated aspect of this entry point, there is no surveilling boats for milfoil or other invasive species. The shallow waters also make large boat access problematic and create disturbance to the bottom of the lake.

It is certainly worth further discussion in order to protect this precious natural resource, China Lake.

Katy McCormac
South China

China selectmen expect long budget meeting on January 27

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen will start their Monday, Jan. 27, special meeting at 5 p.m. in the town office meeting room. The purpose of the meeting is to review and make recommendations on the 2020-2021 municipal budget; members chose the early starting time because they expect a long meeting.

The budget committee is scheduled to review the selectmen’s recommendations on Thursday, Jan. 30, beginning at 7 p.m., in the town office meeting room.