Select board continues work on spending requests; Focus on Tax Increment Financing

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by Mary Grow

At a special meeting Feb. 21, China select board members continued work on spending requests to be presented to voters at the June 14 town business meeting. Their main focus was on recommendations from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee and from Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood on spending TIF money in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

TIF funds come from taxes paid by Central Maine Power Company on its north-south transmission line through China and its South China substation – about $265,000 this year, select board chair Ronald Breton said.

The money is allocated as prescribed in China’s voter-approved and state-approved TIF document, usually called the TIF Second Amendment. Its full title is “Town of China, Maine, Second Amended Central Maine Power/China Lake Tax Increment Financing District and Development Program.”

Hapgood’s proposed expenditure is for a survey of the South China boat landing to determine the boundaries of the town-owned land, as a first step toward planning and carrying out run-off control measures.

China Region Lakes Alliance (CRLA) Executive Director Scott Pierz commended Hapgood for proposing to start work soon, calling the boat landing a “high-impact site” for phosphorus loading into China Lake that needs prompt attention to protect lake water quality. Select board members unanimously approved recommending the expenditure to voters.

On Feb. 9, TIF Committee members unanimously recommended select board members present to voters requests from four town organizations: $34,600 for the Thurston Park Committee; $55,000 for the CRLA; $30,000 for the China Four Seasons Club (CFSC), for trail work; and $40,000 for the China Broadband Committee (CBC). The fifth request on the select board agenda was for $5,000 for the CFSC and the China Village Volunteer Fire Department for Ice Days fireworks.

Select board members approved all but the CBC request unanimously and with little discussion. Board and audience members argued for half an hour over the CBC request before select board members added it to the town meeting warrant on a 3-2 vote. Breton, Jeanne Marquis and Janet Preston were in favor, Blane Casey and Wayne Chadwick were opposed.

The request is in two parts, $10,000 to cover another year of service from consultants Mission Broadband and $30,000 to start on a broadband expansion project if the town receives an acceptable proposal in the next few months. If the $30,000 is not needed in FY 2022-23, it will carry forward, Hapgood said.

Board member Casey said Governor Janet Mills had promised to provide broadband to everyone in Maine within two years. Why, then, he asked, does China need to use local money for broadband?

Preston pointed out the governor’s promise is not supported by a state plan. Marquis added that the town would need its own plan to apply for state funding. But, Casey said, there’ll be no application – Mills offered a gift.

CBC chairman Robert O’Connor chimed in via Zoom to support Marquis; O’Connor expects state funds to require a town match, for which the $30,000 could be used.

Chadwick questioned the other part of the request: why continue with Mission Broadband, which in his opinion has done “not much?”

O’Connor replied company representatives had explained technical information to the benefit of the China committee members. CBC members plan to use their expertise in a detailed community census of broadband facilities and needs, he added.

Resident (and TIF Committee member) James “JJ” Wentworth, also participating by Zoom, asked why the CBC is still pursuing broadband after China voters rejected it at the polls Nov. 2, 2021.

No, Breton said, China voters did not reject broadband. They rejected a specific plan, refusing to authorize a $5.1 million bond issue to finance expanded infrastructure construction. In theory, user fees would have repaid the bond; should user fees be lower than projected, taxpayers would have been responsible.

After the Nov. 2 vote, Breton said, select board members unanimously asked the CBC to continue seeking options. Personally, he said, he considers quality broadband service “a good investment for the town.”

The Feb. 21 agenda item after the TIF applications was to be a discussion of employee retention, but Breton called it too early in the budget process and, over Preston’s protest, skipped it.

At a Jan. 31 budget discussion, board members approved a three percent pay raise for FY 2022-23. The vote was 3-2, Breton, Casey and Chadwick in favor and Marquis and Preston preferring a more generous increase.

Board members are considering instituting a pay scale that would provide automatic annual raises. Breton said repeatedly that until they have job descriptions (on which Hapgood is working) they cannot consider a pay scale.

When board members turned to 2022-23 budget recommendations, Preston made a motion to add longevity increases for employees, to a total of $7,500. She and Marquis were again outvoted.

The two women argued that in the present job market, China needs to be generous; otherwise, employees will quit and the town will spend more recruiting and training replacements than it would have on higher pay.

Chadwick and Casey have said at past meetings that when benefits are considered, town employees are well treated. Both argue that they have a responsibility to all townspeople, including those on fixed incomes who do not get raises or longevity increases; therefore a goal should be keeping taxes as low as possible.

Select board members made one non-budgetary decision: they unanimously rescinded their Feb. 14 decision to ask voters to approve or reject two ordinance amendments proposed by the planning board (see The Town Line, Feb. 17, p. 3).

Responding to questions raised at the Feb. 14 meeting, Hapgood said the planning board had not held a public hearing as the amendments were developed in the spring of 2021, and some Department of Environmental Protection changes were omitted.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28.

China resident sets out to hike the Appalachian Trail

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Toni Wall with other hikers. (contributed photo)

Submitted by Toni Wall

First installment

Toni Wall, a resident of China, and a member of the planning board, has embarked on a trek along the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine.

The first leg of the journey was the 1,236 mile drive from China, Maine, to Dawsonville, Georgia. Toni Wall and her husband Glen met Rose Silvia and her son, in Concord, New Hampshire, where she said goodbye to Glen and continued the journey to Georgia.

China resident Toni Wall at the beginning of her trek up the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia. (contributed photo)

The rest are notes from Toni’s hike:

We arrived at Amicalola State Park on February 12 where we met Cindy Cote Pickering, fellow Appalachian Trail (AT) hiker, and we recieved our Appalachian Trail hiking credentials. I’m registered as hiker #163.

On February 13 we started the AT at Amicaloa State Park using the approach trail to Spring Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT. At Stover Creek Shelter we met Rad from the Netherlands who is studying to be an English teacher, Just Will, a former Marine, and Mike from, Monson. Total mileage – 11.6.

On February 14 morning the temperature was 19 degrees. Stover Creek Shelter to Gooch Shelter, 12.9 miles. There, we met Matt, from Durham; we nicknamed him Hot Chili Pepper because of his sleeping quilt, Red, from Georgia and several others.

On February 15, we walked from Gooch Shelter to Woods Hole Shelter. At mile 20.5 we met Fresh Ground, from Leap Frog Café, who meets hikers along the trail from Springer Mountain to Maine. He was making eggs, bacon, pancakes and coffee. Yes, we indulged even though we ate breakfast before leaving the shelter. We hope to meet him again at Fontana Dam, North Carolina. I hiked with Bridges, aka Ryan, a former airman who served in Baghdad. At Woods Hole Shelter we ran into Hot Chili Pepper and Red, plus a few others, still trying to remember names. Total mileage that day – 12 miles.

On February 16, the leg was from Woods Hole Shelter to Neel Gap, time for resupply, shower and laundry. Total distance, 39 miles.

China’s Wynn Pooler captures state title in wrestling

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Atop the podium with gold medal.

First Erskine freshman to accomplish feat

by Roland D. Hallee

Wynn in action. Photos taken at the Class B state championships on Saturday, February 19, which were held at Morse High School, in Bath.

Wynn Pooler, a freshman at Erskine Academy, in South China, won a state title in wrestling over last weekend.

According to head coach Tyler Bradbury, he’s the first freshman in Erskine Academy history to do so. Apparently he’s only the second wrestler in Erskine Academy history to win conference, regional, and state titles all in the same season (the first was Jake Peavey, who is now a nationally-ranked NCAA wrestler at the University of Southern Maine).

Erskine Academy competes in Class B, and Wynn wrestles in the 106-pound division. He is the son of Wes and Abby Pooler, of China.

Wynn has been wrestling since he was in kindergarten, and started competing at national tournaments when he was in the fifth grade, when he traveled to New Jersey with Team Maine. Since then, he has wrestled for national club teams based in states such as New Jersey, Georgia, and Maryland, at various national-level tournaments.

In Maine, the largest tournaments typically only have 3 – 4 mats and last a single day. The largest national tournament Wynn has competed at had 58 mats, and lasted three days. While Maine has some great wrestlers, it is rare for two equally-strong wrestlers to meet outside of the state tournament. In order to have great competition consistently, it requires a lot of out-of-state travel.

The top four place-winners from Class A and the top four place-winners from Class B for each weight-class will now compete at the New England Qualifier, otherwise known as “All-States”, at the end of this week. The top three place-winners for each weight from that tournament will then compete at the “New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championship”, being held in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 5. Then the weekend of March 25-27, Wynn will be competing at the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) High School Nationals, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where many of the best high school wrestlers in the country will be competing.

Wynn “enjoys the fact that while wrestling is a team sport, the actual competition is individual, and you don’t have to rely on others to be successful. The sport requires grit, toughness, and discipline. If you fail, you can’t blame others; you just need to learn from your mistakes, stay positive, and work on improving.”

Wynn does want to wrestle in college, but hasn’t yet begun to consider where that might be. If he maintains his straight-A average in school, he should have some options.

China committee approves four TIF requests

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by Mary Grow

At a brief meeting Feb. 9, members of China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee unanimously approved four requests for TIF funds for the 2022-23 fiscal year. Their recommendations go next to the select board; voters at the June 14 town business meeting will make the final decision.

The approved applications were from the Thurston Park Committee, for $34,600; from the China Region Lakes Alliance, for $50,000; from the Four Seasons Club, for $30,000; and from the China Broadband Committee, for $40,000.

The requests do not exceed the limits in the different accounts from which the funds are to be allocated, Town Manager and TIF (and town) Treasurer Rebecca Hapgood said.

In reply to a question left over from the previous TIF meeting (see The Town Line, Feb. 3, p. 3), whether money appropriated for the current fiscal year (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022) but not spent by June 30 can be carried forward, Hapgood reported town attorney Amanda Meader said the answer appears to be yes.

Committee member Jamie Pitney said that answer makes sense. Some of the accounts need time to accumulate, he pointed out, and without carrying unspent funds forward from year to year, accumulation is impossible.

With their major task for the 2022-23 budget accomplished, committee members did not schedule another meeting. They intend to skip March; late April is a possibility.

LETTERS: Supports Tuminaro for House

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To the editor:

My name is Tim Theriault, and I am currently the House Republican for District #79, which is comprised of Albion, Benton, China and Unity Plantation. With the new redistricting that occurred, China, Windsor, Palermo, Somerville and Hibberts Gore are now House District #62. It’s been a pleasure serving the good citizens of his district, but I will be termed out this year, and I want to leave it in good hands. That is why my endorsement for my vacating seat for House Representative of District #62 is for Jennifer Tuminaro.

I have known Jen and her family for many years. Her husband, Michael, and I worked together when he was with the Sheriff’s Office and I was with the China Fire Department. Since then, I have had the opportunity to spend many hours talking to Jennifer and have encouraged her to seek this position. I know she will represent the district well.

Jennifer embodies all of the ideals that make up a good representative. She is a hard-working, resourceful, driven leader who supports those around her. She grew up in the New York area but moved to Maine over 20 years ago, to seek a better quality of life for her and her family. Her first language is Spanish, as her parents immigrated to America in the ‘70s. She loves Maine, and she’s looking to keep it the great state that it is currently.

Jennifer has a master of business administration degree from the University of Maine and currently works for the CDC as a finance manager. She and her husband manage two small businesses in town, a private investigations firm, BlackRock Investigations and Consulting, and a guide service, Maine Upland Guide Service. With her business experience and her passion for education, I know that she will represent and lead our community well.

A resident of China for over 20 years, Jen has volunteered at China Primary School teaching Spanish to our youngsters, has coached soccer in the China Rec program for years, and has substituted at Erskine Academy.

I wholeheartedly support Jennifer Tuminaro for the House seat of District #62. I hope you will, too.

Tim Theriault
China

 

 

 

 

 

CHINA: Committee discusses out-of-town disposal options

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by Mary Grow

At their Feb. 8 meeting, China Transfer Station Committee members continued discussion of out-of-town disposal options and possible changes at the local disposal facility (see The Town Line, Jan. 20, p. 3). They again reached no conclusions.

After years of sending trash to the Penobscot Energy Recovery Corporation (PERC) incinerator, China and more than 100 other Maine towns and cities joined the proposed trash-to-energy facility at Hampden. One component of the deal was creation of the Municipal Review Committee (MRC), which represents member towns.

The facility has been closed since May 2020, and attempts to reopen it or to find a buyer who would reopen it have failed. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood described MRC’s executive director, Michael Carroll, and committee members as “super-frustrated.”

Hapgood said an executive-session MRC meeting is scheduled for the week of Feb. 14, after which there might be additional information.

Mark Davis, acting chairman of the China committee, is also super-frustrated. He wants China to get out of the project, and suggested hiring another attorney to find a legal way if town attorney Amanda Meader doesn’t have time to explore options.

With the Hampden plant not operating, some towns’ waste is going again to PERC and some is being landfilled. Davis is indignant that China’s trash is landfilled. His preferred option is an incinerator at the China transfer station.

Palermo representative Robert Kurek said the multi-town project was a sound idea, and members signed up because PERC was about to raise its fees. But the Hampden facility was too ambitious.

Hapgood reminded Davis that legal advice costs money.

Committee members returned to discussion of other topics from their previous meeting.

There is no information from contractors on building a cover for the crusher box.

Hagood had not analyzed results of her just-completed survey of residents and therefore was not ready to make a recommendation on new transfer station hours.

China select board members are in favor of replacing the current radio frequency identification (RFID) tags with stickers. Kurek is unenthusiastic. There is no consensus among committee members on whether there should be a charge for stickers and if there is, how much it should be.

Kurek again explained how the contract between China and Palermo sets requirements for changing the price Palermo residents pay for their special trash bags. He planned to repeat the explanation for China select board members at their Feb. 14 meeting.

Hapgood said select board members are open to the idea of adding a guard shack at the transfer station entrance. They assigned the proposal to board member and contractor Blane Casey.

The next Transfer Station Committee meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 8.

An article in the Dec. 30, 2021, Mt. Desert Islander newspaper said that the technology planned for the closed Hampden plant is being used successfully in similar-sized plants in Massachusetts and Utah.

The process separates saleable recyclables from mixed waste and uses the mixed waste to produce biogas, described as “a renewable energy byproduct.”

The article further said that MRC Executive Director Michael Carroll said some towns’ waste must be landfilled because the PERC incinerator at Orrington is not big enough to accommodate all of MRC’s member towns.

China select board hears from Palermo rep on transfer station fees

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by Mary Grow

At their Feb. 14 meeting, China selectmen dealt with three issues before continuing review of the proposed 2022-23 budget.

Lacking complete information on a few budget items, they scheduled a special meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21, despite the town office being closed that day for the Presidents’ Day holiday.

The longest pre-budget discussion was with Palermo select board chairman Robert Kurek, about the price Palermo residents pay for trash bags under the contract that lets them use China’s transfer station.

The contract sets four parameters affecting changes in bag costs: the cost of living, transportation and disposal costs, state mandates (which so far have been irrelevant) and the price China pays to buy the bags. It requires China officials to give Palermo six months’ notice of any increase.

Kurek has developed formulas for translating words into dollars. For example, he defines the cost of living increase as the change between Dec. 31, 2016 (the day before the contract came into force), and Aug. 31, 2021 (when China officials proposed upping Palermo residents’ price).

Kurek asked China select board members to appoint someone to review his formula with him and make sure it is acceptable. They appointed Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood.

Hapgood reminded them that the long-discussed revised charge is scheduled to take effect April 1. “Give me some direction,” she asked select board members.

The second issue was improved security cameras at the transfer station to make it easy to identify people who enter when the facility is closed. Hapgood presented a figure of $3,194.99, of which $1,750 is on hand as a carry-forward from last year.

She recommended taking the remaining $1,444.99 from the transfer station budget. Select board members unanimously approved the total.

The third issue was the planning board’s request to put proposed amendments to Chapters 2 and 11 of the Land Use Ordinance on the warrant for the June 14 town business meeting.

After discussion of the relationship between the two elected boards, select board members voted unanimously to present the amendments to voters.

The planning board is working on a new Chapter 8, which would set rules for future solar developments. Hapgood said that document is not yet in final form.

Information on the proposed changes is on the town website, china.govoffice.com, the manager said. In reply to resident Scott Pierz’s question about whether the planning board held a public hearing during development of the amendments, she reminded the audience that discussions were in the spring of 2021 and said she would look for a record of a hearing.

Budget discussion took more than an hour. Board members accepted Hapgood’s recommendations, which are based on requests from heads of town departments and the current year’s budget adjusted for expected changes, on most items.

The only split vote was on the proposal to reduce the amount for 2022-23 road paving from Hapgood’s recommended $600,000 to Road Foreman Shawn Reed’s requested $560,000.

Everyone who spoke expects paving to be more expensive this summer than last; the question is how much more. Hapgood recommended the higher appropriation because of the uncertainty. If prices are lower than she anticipates, roads skipped in past years could get resurfaced, she said.

Board members Wayne Chadwick and Blane Casey made and seconded the motion for $560,000, and were supported by Janet Preston. Chairman Ronald Breton and member Jeanne Marquis were opposed.

After the Feb. 21 special budget meeting, the next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28.

China Lake ice fishing derby grows into all-community winter weekend

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Folks enjoying last year’s event. (photo by Sandra Isaac)

February 18 – 20, 2022

by Jeanne Marquis

When I went out to interview Tom Rumpf, president of China Four Seasons Club, I wanted to find out more about the China Lakes Ice Fishing Derby and how this event become our town’s biggest annual event so quickly? Here’s what I found out:

Tom Rumpf, president of China Four Seasons Club

“About three years ago–because this is the third one coming up–the four seasons club and myself got talking and we wanted to start the ice tourney back up. It hadn’t been run in 20 years. So we got a plan together and brought it to Tim [Fire Chief Tim Theriault] and everybody at the fire station because they are the ones that originally did this whole thing way back. They were all fully on board. So, it’s a joint venture between China’s 4 Seasons Club and the China Village Fire Department.”

Tom went on to explain they only had about two months to plan and implement the ice derby. The two organizations felt it went well and were encouraged to immediately start planning their next year’s derby for February 2021 with monthly meetings all year. Many events were closed in the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic including our town’s China Days. By the winter, it was considered safe to host outdoors events. Tom Rumpf met with Becky Hapgood, China Town Manager, to get approval to use the fireworks that were purchased for China Days for the Ice Derby. Tom felt that adding the fireworks turned the derby from a day event into a town-wide, weekend celebration, something the residents of China, Maine, needed after a tough, isolating year.

“It really hit me last year when the fireworks hit and I saw the amount of people. I hadn’t seen that many people enjoying the outdoors in, I don’t know, in 20 years on that lake.”

The 2nd annual China Lakes Ice Derby was a success in boosting residents’ spirits, bringing visitors to town and raising funds for the China’s 4 Seasons Club and the China Village Fire Department. Tom estimates between 600-800 people participated, including all ages and genders. The ticket sales raised $5,675.18, after expenses, providing China’s 4 Season Club and the China Village Fire department each with $2,837.60.

Energized by the success of the second derby, the monthly planning meetings went to work in March 2021 to turn the third derby into a weekend event including more organizations and adding more ways to enjoy the outdoors in winter. Tom brought out the oversized sheets of white paper his team used for brainstorming to show the creativity behind the scenes to include something for everyone in the next year’s derby weekend. Tom and his team went out to recruit involvement with regional businesses to donate prizes and showcase their products with demos. He also saw the potential in this winter weekend event to galvanize the town at a time when we need to get to know our neighbors better.

[See also: Annual China Lake Ice Fishing Derby to culminate weekend town-wide festivities]

“So that was the big thing to me was bringing in all the nonprofits and all the different entities in town. Bring them all together to share and a whole weekend event. I think it will bring a lot of people out around town. Winter is a hard time. We’re praying for a good weekend, obviously. We have a lot of events for everybody.

“We’re starting Friday night. The Masons are having dinner at the Masonic Hall in China. They’re putting on a lasagna dinner. They keep all the proceeds. After the dinner we’re going to do a snowmobile ride from the Masonic Hall because the trail goes right by there. Out to Tobey’s around town back here for a fire down on the shore.”

The Masonic Hall Central Lodge is asking that if you wish to attend, please send them an RSVP to centrallodge45@gmail.com and let them know how many people will be in your group.

Tickets to participate in the China Lake Ice Fishing Derby are available at China Variety and Redemption, Greg’s Restaurant, Harvest Time Bait, in Winslow, Lakeview Lumber, Maritime Farms (formally Fieldstones), North Country Harley Davidson, Tobey’s Grocery and through any member of the China Four Seasons Club or the China Village Fire Department. Tickets will also be available at tents at the entrance points to the lake in Vassalboro, China and South China.

Sandra Boyce Isaac, a member of both the China Village Fire Department and China Four Seasons Club, created a Facebook page and website for updated information on the weekend’s schedule. She plans to run a live stream of events as they happen and results of the raffle.

In keeping with Tom’s vision of an all-community winter weekend, Saturday will offer activities on and off the lake sponsored by area nonprofit organizations. All day on Saturday, there will be skating at the new rink at the China School grounds with events organized by Martha Wentworth, of the China Recreation Committee. At the skate rink, Martha also has plans for a snow sculpting contest and food vendors. At 10 a.m., on Saturday, there will be corn hole contests run by the Women’s Veterans Glamping group inside the China Four Seasons Clubhouse.

There’s plenty for kids this year as well. The China Baptist Conference Center will be the site again for the cardboard sled race and creativity contest at noon on Saturday. From 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., the Conference Center hill is open for sledding. Take a break and stop into the Conference Center from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., for lunch donated by Big G’s Deli, of Winslow. Members from China For A Lifetime will be helping serve at this event.

What’s a winter celebration without an adventure in the woods? On Saturday starting at 2 p.m., the China School Forest and the China Lakes Association will be hosting a scavenger hunt for loons. Anita Smith, director of the China School Forest, tells us, “The trails are a great asset to our town because almost everyone can enjoy them. At the event, we will have extra child and adult snowshoes for people to borrow if they don’t have their own. This gives people a chance to try a new winter activity.” If no snow is on the trail this weekend, this event will continue on as planned as a hike.

Elaine Philbrook, who helped to organize the loon scavenger hunt, feels that “this is an opportunity for the China Lake Association to build connections with other organizations in the community. I hope this is just the beginning of our connections and maybe start a trend where groups in China work together on other projects. Working together seems to have worked out well for the Four Seasons Club and the Fire Department and it is working out well for the China School Forest and China Lake Association.”

Sunday, February 20, is the day of the fishing derby beginning before the first lights of dawn at 5 a.m. The kids can pick up buckets donated by Bar Harbor Bank and Trust at the China Village Fire Department. There are only 50 buckets, so the first kids to arrive, get them.

For those kids who do not know how to ice fish, Central Church will have members located by The Landing ready to help kids get started. Tom said, “They’ll be teaching kids to fish. So if your kid does not have traps or you don’t have any idea of how to fish, you go see them and they’re gonna set you up.”

When the adults need to take a break from fishing, two regional businesses, Central Maine Powersports and North Country Harley-Davidson, will be on hand with product displays. Tom was quick to point out, “Craig Anderson, from Central Maine Powersports, lives right here in China.”

Tom reminds us, “You have to bring your fish before 4 p.m., hopefully well before because we’re gonna be weighing the fish and counting the perch for the kids category. The tickets stop selling at noon time because at 1 o’clock we will start drawing door prizes. It’s gonna be Facebook live, so if you win, you can just come down and pick up your prize.”

At 6 p.m., on Sunday, the all-community, winter weekend celebration of the China Lake Ice Fishing Derby concludes with the spectacle of fireworks at the head of the lake. This will be the same sight that impressed Tom Rumpf by seeing so many people out enjoying the winter and encouraged him and his team to expand the event to more groups, businesses and ages.

Schedule of Events

Friday Night:

Mason Lodge Lasagna Dinner: at 6 p.m., at the Lodge, located at 50 Main Street, in China Village. Dinners will be $15 and dinners for children under 12 will be $5. Seating will be limited to the first 100 people.

In order to plan for the event, Central Lodge is asking that if you wish to attend, please send them an RSVP to centrallodge45@gmail.com and let them know how many people will be in your group.

Following the Mason’s dinner, there will be a Guided Nighttime Snowmobile Trail Ride finishing up with a bon fire at the China Four Season Club Beach.

Saturday:

All Day: Ice skating with a food truck on site selling refreshments presented by the China Recreational Committee.

All Day: Central Maine Power Sport Set-up and Demonstrations by the China Four Seasons Clubhouse.

10 a.m.: Cornhole Games at The China Four Seasons Clubhouse. Food and drinks will also be available for purchase. The event will be presented by (and all proceeds going to) Women Veterans Glamping.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Sledding at the China Conference Center.

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Lunch at the China Conference Center with all of the food donated by Big G’s Deli, in Winslow.

Noon: Cardboard Box Sledding Race at the China Conference Center

2 p.m.: Snow Shoeing (or hiking if there is no snow) and Scavenger Hunt presented by the China Lake Association and the China School Forest.

Sunday:

5 a.m. – 4 p.m.: China Lake Ice Fishing Derby!

5 p.m.: Ice Fishing Derby Awards Ceremony

6 p.m.: Fireworks Display over China Lake.

A Valentine story: What makes a marriage last for over 50 years

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Linda and Ron Morrell today.

by Jeanne Marquis

When I popped over to the China Baptist Church to ask Pastor Ron Morrell if he was willing to do an interview, there he was having lunch with his wife Linda in his book-filled office, enjoying each others’ company and taking a pause on a busy day to be together. That scene alone spoke volumes. The three of us sat down for an interview two days later to hear about their journey of a 58-year marriage and what they felt makes it successful.

Ron and Linda’s journey began when they met at Owosso College, a small Christian college in Owosso, Michigan. Linda says, “The girls were whispering because here’s a guy from California with dark curly hair and a little red ‘sporty’ car.” Ron added it was a red 1959 Studebaker and not exactly a sports car.

They met in November 1963. They were with a group of students who gathered to play parlor games. That evening the game was Password. Linda was seated on the floor near Ron’s chair as it was an informal setting. At one point, Linda nudged Ron’s leg in a friendly way and said he must be cheating since he was doing so well. She got Ron’s attention because he remembers it vividly.

After that evening, Linda surmises other people finagled to bring them together. She waitressed in the dining hall and somehow Ron always was seated at her table. It didn’t take long for a spark to develop and they started dating. On New Year’s Day, 1964, Ron asked Linda to marry him. Ron’s father officiated the ceremony on August 21, 1964.

When asked how they knew they had the right type of love for a strong marriage, Linda confidently said, “You marry your best friend. That’s what it’s all about, and yes, he still is my best friend.”

Money was tight for the young couple. Ron continued his classes at Owosso College and worked for Montgomery Ward in the electrical and paint departments. Linda worked multiple jobs as a nurses’ aid at Riverview Hospital and in factories assembling electrical motors and making sandpaper.

The next year, they decided to move closer to Ron’s family in San Fernando, California. They rented a four-by-six U-Haul trailer and towed it with their 1963 Chevrolet Corvair all the way from Michigan to California. They enrolled in Azusa Pacific University. Ron got rehired on with Montgomery Ward, held a job on campus as coordinator of public information and as a printer for Air Cold Sales to pay for tuition and their living expenses.

Ron and Linda Morrell, in Bell, California.

With a degree in hand and experience at other churches, Ron became a youth pastor at Bell Friends Church, in Bell, California. Linda worked at the Los Angeles county probation Department in East Los Angeles. They welcomed Ron Jr., their first child, into the world on January 2, 1970.

In 1971, Ron received a challenging position at Pico Rivera Friends Church as pastor and to oversee the building of their new church. The congregation was primarily Hispanic with many of the older members speaking only Spanish, so services were regularly translated. Ron explained, “We had a little side room, like a nursery with a glass window and somebody would translate the sermon.”

At this time Linda also began a challenge of working while going back to college at Cal State LA. Linda was working on a degree in corrections with plans of becoming a probation officer. At night she worked at Los Padrinos juvenile hall in Downey, California.

Ron spoke proudly of Linda, “And in the process of all that and working on her degree, she had two babies. Yes, we already had our son. He was born before that time, but the girls were both born while she was working and working on her degree.”

Linda and Ron Morrell and son.

Ron and Linda kept this pace up for nine years. He had raised the money and acted as the general contractor for the building. The church was built and it was time for a change.

From 1980 to 1983, Ron was the Minister of Christian Education for Whittier First Friends Church, which is a campus church for Whittier College, in Whittier, California.

Linda and Ron Morrell as a young couple.

They were also looking for a bigger, geographical change as well. Dear friends of theirs, Lee and Ann Austin, had recently sold their home in California to move to a town called China, Maine. In March 1980, Ron went out to Maine to visit the Austins.

Ron said, “It was March and I was never so cold in all my life. We spent Saturday night at Myrtle and Ralph Austin’s house, in South China, and they had a big cook stove. That’s the house that Ron Maxwell lives in now. There were beans and cinnamon rolls on the stove. I sat in the corner, warming my feet on the stove and decided then that Maine was the place.”

History shows that Linda agreed. Ron and Linda took a leap of faith that moving their family across the entire continent would be a good future. They have been in China, Maine for nearly 40 years in which time they raised three children, welcomed five grandchildren and guided the many members of China Baptist Church. Ron and Linda have shown us that there are many leaps of faith in every marriage and it is best to take those leaps with your best friend, as Linda has advised us.

In his roles as Pastor, Ron has counseled couples on what makes a strong marriage. Here are some of his words of wisdom on the subject:

  • Make time in your week for date time to get away from the kids and work obligations.
  • Be intentional to maintain the relationship by finding common interests and talking.
  • Clear the air when a disagreement comes up.
  • Having a religious faith helps.
  • Be careful of how you talk about your spouse in front of others.

Good advice from a couple married for 58 years.

CHINA: Solar company may expand array onto another lot

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by Mary Grow

At their Jan. 25 meeting, China Planning Board members continued discussion of two of their Jan. 11 topics (see The Town Line, Jan. 20, p. 3).

Since Jan. 11, they learned, China’s town attorney, Amanda Meader, has agreed that if SunRaise Investments leases more land adjoining the planned solar farm on the south side of Route 3, the company may enlarge the solar array.

The previously-approved array met lot coverage limits in China’s ordinance; a larger one would require more land. When SunRaise proposed the additional lease, Meader’s first reaction was that a 2016 Maine Law Court decision meant the new area could not count as part of the original lot.

However, SunRaise spokesman Scott Anderson said Jan. 25, he convinced Meader that the two situations are not comparable, and she withdrew her objection. SunRaise therefore was ready to submit an application for an enlarged project at the next planning board meeting.

The next question was whether the expanded project needed a new application or a revision of the previous one. A majority of board members asked for a new application, citing their and neighbors’ concerns about run-off, the small amount of tree-cutting that is planned and other possible effects.

The second left-over issue was ordinance amendments that board members hope select board members will put on the June 14 town business meeting ballot. At the Jan. 11 meeting, board member Toni Wall volunteered to prepare the documents selectmen requested: for each proposed change, the original, the marked-up copy and the final copy. She had them ready Jan. 25.

After another discussion about whether board members needed to re-review the documents, they authorized Chairman Scott Rollins to send them to the Town Manager and to the chairman of the select board. If select board members send them back with recommendations for changes, planning board members can re-review them then.

The proposed changes are amendments to two sections of the current ordinance and addition of a Solar Energy Systems Ordinance to regulate future applications like SunRaises’s. For SunRaise and other solar-farm applicants, planning board members have adapted other sections of the ordinance.

Codes Officer Jaime Hanson said the new SunRaise application is, so far, the only item on the board’s Feb. 8 agenda. The planning board normally meets at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, recently in the town office meeting room.