by Mary Grow

China selectmen have scheduled a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, to continue work on the warrant for the March 24 town business meeting.

At their Jan. 22 meeting, board members spent almost two hours going over the draft warrant Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux prepared. Major items they did not discuss, or did not decide on, include:

• Almost $340,000 for transfer station operations, more than $30,000 higher than the current year’s appropriation. L’Heureux said the increase was mostly due to more demolition and debris; costs offset by demo and debris fees that are not reflected in the fund request.
• Two other transfer station requests, recommended by the Transfer Station Committee: more than $56,000 for a pre-crusher and compactor, and more than $24,000 for a new forklift.
• About $50,000 to reconstruct the north end of Dirigo Road and about $150,000 to replace a culvert on Bog Road.
• Up to $20,000 for a water system and septic system – but not a toilet — at the former Weeks Mills school house. Selectmen were not sure whether the building could be connected to Weeks Mills Water Company’s line or whether a well would be needed. (ep)

Potential expenditures not yet presented as warrant articles include: (ep)

• Possible purchase of the Bailey property at the head of China Lake as part of the Tax Increment Finance Committee’s plan to expand recreational opportunities there, a question on which TIF Committee member Ronald Breton said he intends to seek a vote when the committee meets at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29. The landowner is asking $120,000 for the land; Breton proposed offering $110,000, with the purchase conditional on the land being found suitable for a parking lot.
• A request from the Planning Board to appropriate funds — $20,000 and $24,000 have been suggested – for a consultant to update China’s comprehensive plan, an item tentatively scheduled on the selectmen’s Feb. 5 agenda.
• Possible purchase of land around the new fire pond on Neck Road, with no cost estimate. (ep)

The fire pond was the other major topic at the Jan. 22 meeting. China Village Fire Chief Tim Theriault and others involved described it as 10 or 12 feet from the shoulder of Neck Road; about 35 by 75 feet; and about 20 feet deep, with steep sides so that a person, animal or vehicle that went into it would not be able to get out.

Selectmen agreed they should have given more thought to safety before asking voters to appropriate up to $8,500 for the pond, money that has been spent digging it. They debated various options for half an hour – temporary fencing until the ground thaws? Permanent fencing now? Snow fence, guard rails, Jersey barriers, chain-link fencing?

A related issue was how much liability would be the town’s and how much the landowner’s if there were an accident. L’Heureux said so far there is no easement or other document defining respective rights and responsibilities.

Ultimately, selectmen voted 4-1 to direct L’Heureux to get bids on buying and promptly installing steel guardrails, with a maximum cost of $6,000 to be taken from the $55,000 contingency fund voters granted selectmen in March 2017. Donna Mills-Stevens voted against the motion on the ground that the cost was too high, especially since voters had been asked for $8,500 on the assumption that amount would cover the project.

A majority of the board informally recommended redesigning the interior of the pond to add a way for a person or animal to get out.

In other business Jan. 22, selectmen made three appointments: Milton Dudley as Planning Board member from District 2, until November 2019; Bill Van Wickler as chief of the Weeks Mills Volunteer Fire Department; and Linda O’Connor as a member of the Transfer Station Committee.

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro selectmen spent most of their Dec. 14 meeting planning ahead, including proposing multiple events in which town voters will – or should – take part.

One of the longer discussions was over the Christmas holiday schedule. State employees have been given holiday time from Friday, Dec. 22, through Tuesday, Dec. 26, and some municipalities follow the state schedule.

For Vassalboro, selectmen eventually agreed on what they consider fair treatment for town office and transfer station staff. The town office will be open until noon Friday, Dec. 22, and closed through Monday, Dec. 25. The transfer station will be open as usual Saturday, Dec. 23; on Sunday, Dec. 24, it will close at noon. Both facilities will open as usual Tuesday, Dec. 26, the transfer station at 6:30 a.m. and the town office at 8 a.m., and will be open all day.

Town Manager Mary Sabins presented a draft schedule of 2018 selectmen’s and budget committee meetings leading up to the annual town meeting. In 2018 the open town meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, June 4, with local elections and any other written-ballot items to be decided Tuesday, June 12.

As requested by selectmen, Sabins had a cost estimate for mailing a postcard reminder of the town meeting to each voter: about $1,000. Considering the expense is not in the current year’s budget, and doubting the cards would influence many voters, selectmen agreed by consensus not to do a mailing.

Also on the Dec. 14 agenda was the selectmen’s schedule of their own meetings. They agreed not to meet Thursday, Dec. 28, and to schedule their normal 2018 meetings, beginning Thursday, Jan. 11, at 6:30 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.

Not included in Sabins’ draft 2018 schedule are two other major items, one definite and one possible.

Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) #92 officials asked Vassalboro officials to hold a Tuesday, March 13, referendum on dissolving the AOS. Sabins had a ballot question prepared by the AOS’s attorney. She said polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the vote; she believes state law now requires that absentee ballots be available 60 days before the vote, instead of 45 days.

Selectmen were reluctant to schedule the referendum without a request from and discussion with the Vassalboro School Board, but given the absentee ballot timeline went ahead. Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus commented that either the school board or the selectmen should hold a public informational session before the vote.

Vassalboro voters might have an amended ordinance and a new ordinance to approve or reject either June 4 or June 12. If the planning board and selectmen agree to present one or both, public hearings will be required.

Codes Officer Richard Dolby gave selectmen drafts of the ordinances at the Dec. 14 meeting, an amended Building Permit Ordinance and a suggested new Tiny House Ordinance.

Dolby and planning board members have discussed the need to update the Building Permit Ordinance. Major changes are additions of references to relevant sections of the International Building Code, the International Existing Building Code and the International Residential Code. The codes are in a stack of books more than six inches high; Dolby showed selectmen a more reasonably sized summary that he said covers most local situations.

Dolby got a draft Tiny House Ordinance at a recent conference. Tiny houses, defined in the draft he has as residential buildings with less than 400 square feet of floor area, excluding lofts, are becoming more common, he said, and do not necessarily fit under building codes designed for larger residences.

Dolby also discussed with selectmen two ongoing land use violations, and board members mentioned other properties in town that appear not to conform to local regulations. Since the town attorney has not had time to address the violations, Dolby said he intended to find out procedures for beginning court action under his authority as Codes Officer. Selectmen did not object.

In other business Dec. 14, Sabins and Titus reported complaints and queries from residents visited by assessors asking to inspect their properties, part of Vassalboro’s routine quarterly reviews. Sabins said in addition to the sign on the vehicle door, assessing agents carry an identifying letter from her. Anyone uneasy about admitting them can ask them to return at another time, for example when more family members will be at home, or can refuse admission and let the assessors estimate the value of the property.

Board members approved Sabins’ draft request for bids for a new contract for solid waste hauling, with one addition. Sabins has a list of waste haulers who will be invited to bid; bids are due at the town office by noon Monday, Jan. 22.

Cemetery Committee member Jody Kundreskas asked selectmen to waive the town procurement requirement that says any purchase of goods or services over $2,500 needs to be bid out, in order to spend $3,500 plus expenses for an expert from New York State to do five days’ worth of stone repairs in Cross Hill Cemetery. Selectmen unanimously approved the waiver and asked for a more specific figure before they decide on the actual expenditure, which Sabins said would come from the Cross Hill Cemetery account.

The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11.