China to conduct survey for a Lifetime Committee

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by China Lifetime Committee members
China community friends, we, the members of the China for a Lifetime Committee, want you to know that The Town Line next week will include a survey that we have developed. We hope you will take and return the survey. In the survey, we have asked a number of questions, the answers to which we think will assist us, with your support and participation, to facilitate China becoming even more a community that allows all of our citizens to have more of their needs met and to develop a greater feeling of community and acceptance. Our goal is to really live up to our name and transform our town so that you want to live in China “for a Lifetime”.

All information in the survey will be anonymous so please feel free to answer the questions accurately. If you choose to fill out the page offering to volunteer in the community or want to participate in the raffle discussed below, that page is submitted separately and will not be linked to any of your answers.

In addition to the version of the survey that will be included in The Town Line next week, the town website and Facebook page will have the survey posted. Some of you will receive a copy in the mail and the survey can be picked up at the transfer station. Our goal is to have all the surveys returned by the 30th of November. Surveys can be returned to: the town office, the transfer station, in the mail to the town office or by either of the electronic means referenced above.

To encourage you to return the survey we will have a raffle drawn from those that are returned. The following list makes up the prizes, one of which you may win if you choose to participate:

1st prize — one $150 gift card from Hannaford,
2nd prize — one $100 gift card from Tobey’s Grocery. There will be three.
3rd prizes — one $25 gas card from Fieldstone Quickstop. There will be two.
4th prizes — one $25 gift card to be redeemed at the 32 General Store. And finally,
5th to 36th prize will be your choice of a $25 Gift Card to one of the following (Choice dependent on drawing order and quantity of each): 32 General Store, Tobey’s Grocery, Fieldstone Quickstop, Hannaford.

We hope you will find the survey thought provoking and will see the value it can offer to all of us who live in China.

Post-harvest tour to be held at Thurston Park

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This post-harvest tour of Thurston Park in China is being held as a follow-up to a June pre-harvest tour. It is co-sponsored by the Thurston Park Committee and the Two Rivers chapter of Maine Woodland Owners. The park is a 400-acre, town-owned forest with waterfalls, hiking trails and cultural and historical landmarks.

Directions: From Rte. 202 at the head of China Lake, turn onto Pleasant View Ridge Road. Travel 0.4 miles, veer right, then another 0.3 miles, and left on Dutton Road, which becomes Libby Hill Rd, one mile. Right onto York Town Rd., one mile to parking. 

For more information, contact Jeanne at jeanne@mainewoodlandowners.org.

CHINA: Beauty salon gets OK from planners

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members unanimously approved the only application on their Sept. 26 agenda, giving Randy Pottle permission to open a two-chair beauty salon in part of an existing garage at 650 Route 3. Approval comes with two conditions, both of which Pottle said he will meet: the wall separating the beauty salon from the garage must meet the state fire code, and the septic system is to be upgraded.

Pottle told board members there are no residences close enough to the building for people to be disturbed by the minimal changes the project will create, like slightly increased traffic.

In other business, board members and Codes Officer Paul Mitnik briefly continued their ongoing discussions of potential ordinance amendments and board procedures, but with only three board members present, they postponed decisions.

The next planning board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Oct. 10.

Transfer station presents five year plan

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by Mary Grow

China’s Transfer Station Committee presented a five-year plan for transfer station improvements to the board of selectmen at the Oct. 2 selectmen’s meeting.

Committee Chairman Frank Soares said the committee recommends one major expenditure to be proposed to voters at the March 2018 town business meeting, a request for about $32,000 for a new forklift. The forklift now in use is old – Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux said the town bought it used five or six years ago – and getting decrepit, Soares said. The committee recommends buying a new, larger one. For 2019, the committee plan suggests buying a second hopper to be used primarily to compact demolition debris and large items like mattresses and a new tractor to be shared with the Public Works Department for snowblowing, mowing and sweeping. Committee members further recommend an addition on the main transfer station building to create more recycling space.

Soares said the plan will be revised annually, so after the first year or two it should be considered tentative.

The Oct. 2 selectmen’s meeting included two public hearings. The first, on three local ballot questions, drew a small audience and a few questions; the second, on amendments to the maximum amounts allowed as general assistance, brought no comments.

The Nov. 7 local ballot questions ask voters to:

  • Appropriate up to $8,500 from surplus to build a fire pond on Neck Road;
  • Approve a requirement that non-profit organizations requesting town funds provide current financial statements for the selectmen and budget committee to review; and
  • Authorize selectmen to rent out space on the town’s communications tower at the town office.

In response to questions about the fire pond, Codes Officer Paul Mitnik said it does not need approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection, and Selectman Neil Farrington said willing landowners are cooperating; the town is not using eminent domain.

The town’s tower might be competing with privately-owned towers in the area, but, Farrington said, usually location is a major consideration when companies seek to rent tower space; if the town’s provides coverage where they need coverage, it would be preferred, but not otherwise.

Selectmen have not discussed what to charge or other details, since they need voter approval to proceed.

Voters will also elect town officials on Nov. 7, selectmen and planning board and budget committee members. There are contests for three openings on the Board of Selectmen and for the District 1 Planning Board seat (northwestern quarter of town). Mitnik attended the Oct. 2 selectmen’s meeting to present three enforcement issues to the board. Selectmen accepted his recommendations on two, granting an extension of time to finish cleaning up a Route 32 North property and approving a consent agreement, with fine, concerning a garage foundation on Fire Road 4 that was put in without the required inspection. They postponed action on the third, on Dirigo Road, because it has been referred to the Board of Appeals.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Oct. 16.

MAJEK Seafood opens new dining room

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Mike and Aundrea, of MAJEK Seafood, will be welcoming patrons to come inside and enjoy great seafood no matter how windy, snowy or cold it is outside. Mike will also be updating his menu when the colder weather arrives to include some warm, homemade Mexican dishes. They have been at their present location, on Rte. 202, in South China, since 2011, and recently built an addition so customers can enjoy their seafood in a comfortable dining room, year round. Outdoor dining is still available, weather permitting.

Photo by Kathy Duhnoski

Erskine homecoming schedule 2017

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Erskine Academy, in South China has released the schedule of events for this year’s homecoming:

  • Wednesday, September 27, Cross Country – Girls 4 p.m., Boys 4:30 p.m.
  • Friday, September 29, Pep rally 1 p.m.; Girls JV Soccer vs. Lincoln Academy 3:30 p.m.; Boys JV Soccer vs. Lincoln Academy, 5 p.m.; Parade (meet at South China Detailing shop) 6:30 – 6:45 p.m.; Tailgating event—bring a donation for HOPE (music, games, food, etc.) 6:45 – 8 p.m.; FBLA Movie Night (*for students only*) 8 – 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, September 30, Varsity Field Hockey vs. Lincoln Academy, 9 a.m.; Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Lincoln Academy, 10 a.m.; Leo Club Car Wash 10 a.m. – noon; Girls JV Field Hockey vs. Lincoln Academy, 10:15 a.m.; Varsity Boys Soccer vs. Lincoln Academy, 11:30 a.m.

EA Boosters will be selling concessions and Erskine apparel throughout the day.

Join them on the EA Campus to support our students, enjoy the activities, and share memories of your experiences at Erskine Academy!

As a follow up to their successful efforts to raise food and funds for the community through the participation in WGME’s School Spirit Challenge last fall, the goal is to help those within their own school community this year. The Helping Others Persevere at Erskine (HOPE) Club at EA assists students with food and other basic needs through their backpack program. Donations for HOPE will be accepted during lunches on Thursday, September 28, and Friday, September 29, as well as allow entrance to the tailgating party on Friday night.

Most items currently needed are canned tuna or chicken, peanut butter and jelly, canned vegetables or fruit, macaroni, spaghetti sauce, shampoo, soap, toothpaste and tooth brushes.

Erskine Academy parent/teacher conferences Fall 2017

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All parents of Erskine Academy students are invited to attend fall Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 4 and 5, from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Progress reports will be emailed to parents by October 3.

For those parents who have not yet submitted a primary email address, please stop by the Guidance Office for a printed copy of your student’s progress report. No appointments are necessary as teachers will be available to speak with parents in their respective classrooms. However, to avoid long waiting lines, two separate evenings have been scheduled:

  • Wednesday, October 4, for students whose last names begin with A through I; and
  • Thursday, October 5, for students whose last names begin with J through Z.

The sports boosters will also have items available to purchase on both evenings.

Contact the Guidance Office at 445-2964 with any questions or concerns.

CHINA: Eight vie for three seats on board of selectmen

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by Mary Grow

China voters have three contests and four vacancies on the Nov. 7 local election ballot.

There are a total of eight candidates for three seats on the Board of Selectmen. For the two-year terms currently held by Irene Belanger and Ronald Breton, Belanger and Breton are running for re-election and Frederick Glidden and former Selectman Robert MacFarland are also on the ballot.

For a one-year position to finish Joann Austin’s term there are four candidates, Wayne Chadwick, Randall Downer, Ralph Howe and Donna Mills-Stevens.

For the planning board, Steven Hadsell and Kevin Michaud seek the District 1 seat for which Board Chairman James Wilkens did not file nomination papers.

There are no candidates on the ballot for the Planning Board District 3 seat (currently held by Milton Dudley; Town Clerk Rebecca Hapgood said his nomination papers did not have enough valid signatures for his name to be on the ballot) or the alternate at-large position (currently held by Ralph Howe).

For the Budget Committee, Robert Batteese and Kevin Maroon are unopposed for re-election as chairman and District 1 representative, respectively. There is no candidate for the District 3 seat currently held by Sheryl Peavey.

China voters also have three local referendum questions asking if they want to pay up to $8,500 for a new fire pond on Neck Road; require nonprofit organizations seeking town funds to provide current financial statements; and authorize town officials to rent space on the communications tower by the town office.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7 in the former portable classroom beside the town office.

Board unanimously approves library move

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members have unanimously approved the first steps in the South China Library’s plan to open a new building in a new location.

Jean Dempster, president of the library Board of Trustees, explained the project at the board’s Sept. 12 meeting.

The library, currently located on a very small lot on Village Street opposite the South China church, will be moved to a 4.75-acre lot on Jones Road, sharing it with the 1815 Rufus Jones birth-place, one of several China buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Downhill from the Jones house, Dempster said, library trustees plan to create a new driveway and parking lot; put the former portable classroom acquired from the Town of China on a cement slab; build an addition on the portable building; and move part of the existing library building to the new site. Planning board members voted unanimously to waive a public hearing. Reviewing the town’s criteria for such a project, they found the application met them all and approved it after half an hour’s review.

Dempster said water will come from the existing drilled well and an appropriate septic system will be installed so the library will finally have plumbing. The new parking lot will accommodate 16 vehicles, including two handicapped spaces. The building will have a permit from the state fire marshal and will meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

She told board members the trustees hope to do the driveway and site preparation this fall; the slab might be postponed to spring, depending on workers’ availability and weather.

In the future, she said, trustees hope to revive the Jones house as a historic site.

A second applicant on the Sept. 12 planning board agenda did not attend the meeting, so the application was not reviewed. In the absence of Chairman Jim Wilkens, board members postponed decisions on the ordinance amendments and procedural issues they have been discussing.

Codes Officer Paul Mitnik said he received an exploratory phone call about possible construction of a Dollar General store at the intersection of Route 3 and Windsor Road, near the South China Hannaford. He emphasized there is no definite proposal.

The next China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Sept. 26.

Selectmen reduce ballot questions to three

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by Mary Grow

China selectmen cut the Nov. 7 local ballot from four questions to three at their Sept. 18 meeting, postponing the proposed Local Food Safety Ordinance to the March 2018 town business meet-ing.

Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux expects the state legislature will amend the state law on which the local ordinance is to be based. He therefore recommended waiting until the state law is final so the local ordinance will conform.

In addition to local elections, China voters will decide at the polls whether to:

  • approve a statement requiring nonprofit organizations seeking town funds to provide financial statements;
  • expend up to $8,500 from sur-plus for a fire pond on Neck Road;
  • authorize selectmen to lease space on the town-owned com-munications tower behind the town office building; and
  • approve a Regional School Unit (RSU) #18 bond issue for building improvements and repairs.

Candidates for positions on the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board and Budget Committee have until 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, to return signed nomination papers to the town office to get their names on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The selectmen’s Oct. 2 meeting will be preceded by two public hearings. The first, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the town office meeting room, will be on the three local ballot questions. The second, tentatively scheduled for 6:55 p.m. and expected to be brief, will be the annual public hearing on amendments to the General Assistance Ordinance.

RSU #18 officials will hold public hearings on the bond issue in four of the five member towns. China’s hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 23, at China Middle School.

Also likely to be on the China selectmen’s Oct. 2 agenda are a presentation from Transfer Station Committee Chairman Frank Soares on the committee’s five-year capital plan and two code enforcement issues.

In other business Sept. 18, selectmen unanimous approved the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee’s recommenda-tion to hire Wright-Pierce Engineering for preliminary work on a new causeway bridge at the head of China Lake’s east basin and authorized L’Heureux to sign an agreement with the firm.

Selectman and TIF Committee member Irene Belanger said the committee authorized re-estab-lishing a temporary committee to look for a site for a China Lake public beach. Volunteers for that committee and for the China Bicentennial Committee should contact the town office.

Selectmen made two committee appointments, approving Jean Conway as secretary of the budget committee until November 2018 elections and Tom Rumpf as a member of the Revolving Loan Fund Committee. The latter group reviews applications for the revolving loan fund for town businesses set up by the TIF Committee.

Belanger announced two upcoming special waste disposal options for China residents. On Saturday, Oct. 21, Winslow holds its annual household hazardous waste disposal day at the Public Works Department on Halifax Street. Pre-registration is required through the China trans-fer station; information on acceptable waste will be avail-able there and at the town office.

On Saturday, Oct. 28, China will host Shredding on Site, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the public works garage just west of the transfer station and a drug take-back program from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the transfer station.

L’Heureux reported representa-tives of The Town Line newspa-per inspected the old town house basement and found it potentially suitable for a relocated office. Selectmen and contractor Robert MacFarland discussed work still to be done to prepare the base-ment for renting.

Selectman Ronald Breton expressed his disappointment that no one from RSU #18 reported to the town on the recent water back-up that closed China Middle School for a few days, or on other school issues.

“We never hear from them,” he said of China’s RSU board representatives, Dawn Castner and Charles Clark.

After the selectmen’s meeting, board members reconvened in their capacity as assessors to act on recommendations from town assessor William Van Tuinen. The Oct. 2 meeting will probably be followed by another assessors’ meeting, as board members found they lacked information on one request for a change in valu-ation and want to hear from Van Tuinen and the property owner.