North loop closed at China School Forest

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China school teachers get the China School’s Forest ready for students. (photo by Anita Smith)

The North Loop at the China School Forest is closed until fallen trees can be cleared, but all other trails are open, according to the China Connected newsletter.

There is orange flagging tape around the South Loop and along the far end of the main trail by the power line since that area was part of the harvest and it is more open, and trails are not as obvious. The trails are open during daylight hours, including during school days.

People can park at China Primary School or the north end of China Middle School and access the trails.

Also, the story walk from the Primary School bus circle to the open areas past the pond is now open.

Trail brochures are available at the start of that loop.

Northern Light begins Covid-19 community vaccinations

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Connie and Ray Winship, a retired Waterville couple, were among the first to be vaccinated at the January 26 clinic. photo courtesy of Northern Light Inland Hospital

Northern Light Inland Hospital kicked off its first community vaccination clinic on January 26 for community healthcare workers and people age 70 and older in collaboration with Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) in Fairfield. 92 doses were administered on the first day at the KVCC vaccination site. Ongoing clinics will be added as the hospital learns of its vaccine allotment from the state each week.

“We are very excited to be moving into this phase of community vaccinations,” said Terri Vieira, hospital president. “We have started dose two of the vaccine with our own staff, and we’re pleased to be moving onward to vaccinate more people in the communities we serve. It’s progress, it’s hope. At the same time, we have to be patient as the vaccine supply is still significantly lower than we had hoped.”

To be able to make these mass vaccination clinics a reality, Inland Hospital needed a community partner to provide a large space, and KVCC stepped up to the plate in a big way.

“We are very grateful that KVCC is giving Inland, and our community, the support that is needed for these clinics,” noted Vieira. “They have long been our partner in healthcare, training many of our staff who work at the hospital and our medical practices.”

The college has opened its Carter Hall Multi-Purpose Center for the location of the community clinics.

“KVCC is so pleased to become part of the solution to the pandemic in our region,” stated Richard Hopper, KVCC president. “Besides providing the space, we are looking at how our students and faculty can play a role in helping at future vaccination clinics for second-round doses and the expansion of Northern Light’s program. Northern Light has been and continues to be a trusted partner of KVCC.”

Connie and Ray Winship, a retired Waterville couple, were among the first to be vaccinated at the January 26 clinic. Connie said, “We’re getting vaccinated because we want to be able to visit our kids and grandkids this summer – it’s been more than a year since we were together.” Ray commented, “Getting the vaccine gives us hope and makes us feel good that we are doing our part to get things back to normal.”

Vaccine Registration

Individuals must pre-register to take part in a vaccination clinic. Due to the high demand as well as the logistics around handling the vaccines, walk-ins cannot be accommodated. Community members should not show up at the KVCC site without an appointment. Each week, after receiving their vaccine allotment from the Maine CDC, Inland will open new clinics at KVCC based on that availability. The hope is to hold at least one clinic each week, but vaccine availability will determine how they can proceed.

Registration is available at covid.northernlighthealth.org/publicvaccine. For those who do not have internet access, call 207.204.8551 to reach the Vaccine Registration and Information line seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm. Due to the strong community interest and very low vaccine supply, slots are few and filling up very quickly.

Preparing for Registration

When preparing to register, whether by phone or online, people are asked to have their insurance or Medicare information ready, and the name and phone number for an emergency contact person. The vaccine itself is free but a small charge to cover the cost of administration will be billed to people’s insurance.

At this time, community clinics will be for those 70 or over and community healthcare workers only per Maine CDC guidance.

For More Information

Community members are encouraged to visit covid.northernlighthealth.org/publicvaccine each Monday to learn about clinics that may be scheduled for the week. Or visit the Maine CDC website (www.Maine.gov) to see all vaccination sites across the state and any open appointments.

Inland Hospital leaders are asking individuals to please not call their primary care office or the hospital to try to register. The two options for registering at this time are on the website or the special registration phone line.

Submitted by Sara Barry, Director, Regional Marketing and Communications

China, Vassalboro get good news about trash disposal

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by Mary Grow

China and Vassalboro town managers shared good news with their respective selectboards at Jan. 19 (China) and Jan. 21 (Vassalboro) meetings: the trash recycling facility in Hampden appears ready to reopen this summer.

A company called Delta Thermo Energy, Inc. (DTE) has agreed to buy the Fiberight facility to which China, Vassalboro and 113 other Maine municipalities sent waste.

Fiberight was previously owned by Coastal Resources of Maine, which closed it for financial reasons at the end of May 2020. DTE is based in Feasterville Trevose, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia.

The Municipal Review Committee (MRC) that represents the 115 Maine towns and cities has been searching for a new owner for the facility. MRC members considered several other firms before reaching agreement with DTE in late December.

DTE founder and chief executive officer Robert van Naarden participated in a Jan. 19 virtual meeting with MRC members. Van Naarden estimated reaching final agreement will take another two months, and after that DTE will need another four to six months to re-start operations. He plans to rehire former staff who are available, to run three shifts with 30 to 35 employees per shift and temporarily to follow Fiberight procedures.

After the first six months, he said, DTE intends to start improving the facility and the process. He also proposed setting up a citizen advisory board to work with MRC and member towns and cities.

Van Naarden said he does not intend to increase the tipping fees charged under current contracts with member municipalities.

During the time the facility was closed, much of former Fiberight users’ trash was landfilled in existing large landfills in Norridgewock and Alton. The MRC made sure the Hampden plant was monitored and maintained, Vassalboro Town Manager Mary Sabins said.

DTE’s website and van Naarden’s remarks emphasize DTE’s commitment to environmental protection. The company’s stated goal is to produce energy in a way that is sustainable, renewable and environmentally harmless.

Its process, trademarked as Green Waste to Fuel, converts municipal waste into fuel in a way that is “sustainable, clean and safe,” and its plants produce near-zero emissions. The company website says the patented/patent pending process uses a technology called hydrothermal decomposition.

According to information from the selectboard meetings and from websites, DTE already has facilities in Pennsylvania and in multiple foreign countries, including Germany, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

China selectmen hold special meeting

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by Mary Grow

Ronald Breton, Chairman of the China Selectboard, led board members through continued review of the draft 2021-22 budget at a special budget workshop Jan. 25.

The meeting lasted almost three hours, and the review covered major town functions: administration, public safety, waste disposal and public works.

Selectmen began by agreeing to continue Town Manager Becky Hapgood’s contract, her probationary six months having been satisfactory.

They postponed action on her proposal for an across-the-board three percent pay increase for town employees. They did discuss principles for employee pay, like step increases, which Breton advocated; merit pay; and increases for additional skills, for example if a public works employee earns a higher class driver’s license.

They discussed the idea of an addition to the town office building to provide more storage space for documents Maine municipalities are required to keep. “We need it yesterday,” Hapgood said.

They discussed the request for funds for a building in the town forest behind China Middle School and decided to leave it in the budget. The request covers only the building; proponents plan to ask for more money to add heat and lights in the following year. Selectmen emphasized that if they and voters put up the building, approval of second-year funding for amenities is not guaranteed.

The selectmen’s meeting began with a virtual meeting with Kennebec County Sheriff Ken Mason and Lieutenant Chris Read to talk about providing additional law enforcement services by contracting with a sheriff’s deputy for 40-hour-a-week coverage. Breton also plans a private discussion with current part-time town Police Chief Craig Johnson to see whether he could provide additional coverage.

Review of transfer station operations included consideration of whether the 2020 increase in demolition debris, assumed to be a result of people having time for home repair and renovation projects, is likely to continue in 2021-22.

Breton and board member Blane Casey would like to get rid of the town-owned 1981 grader, and Public Works Director Shawn Reed agreed. With only one gravel road in town, the grader is seldom used; contracting grader work would save money, he believes.

Reed was less content with selectmen’s inclination to cut back on road paving for the second year in a row. He said early in the century, town roads were repaved, on average, on a seven- or eight-year cycle. By 2015, the average repaving came after 10 or 11 years; and doing only four miles in 2020 extended the cycle to an average of 12 years.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, and will include additional budget discussion. Another special meeting could be held Monday evening, Feb. 8, if needed. Hapgood’s goal is to have the final budget, approved by the budget committee and the selectboard, ready by March 15.

The sound quality for the Jan. 21 meeting was much improved over previous in-person selectmen’s meetings. Hapgood credited Jeremy Mahns from API Technologies, in Gardiner, for suggesting and implementing changes.

The meeting record is available on the town website, china.govoffice.com, under Live Stream.

China selectmen review proposed budget; OK five appointments

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by Mary Grow

At their Jan. 19 meeting, China selectmen began review of the proposed 2021-22 town budget and made five committee appointments.

Town Manager Becky Hapgood summarized the town’s current financial position and she and selectmen discussed future expenditures. Board members deliberately made no decisions, postponing their recommendations until the end of the review.

The discussion covered town administration, including Hapgood’s recommended salary increases; repairs the town office building needs; town committees’ fund requests; dues for organizations to which the Town of China belongs; and other topics.

The draft budget includes a proposal to increase local law enforcement resources by making an agreement with the Kennebec Sheriff’s Office. Proposals to hire a full-time town policeman or to contract with the sheriff’s department were deleted from the 2020 warrant for the town business meeting when Covid-19 forced a change from an April open meeting to a July written ballot.

The committee appointments were:

  • To the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee, former Selectman Robert MacFarland as a member and former TIF Committee secretary Trishea Story as an alternate.
  • To the Revolving Loan Fund Committee, Thomas Rumpf, Robert Batteese and Janet Lully.

After an executive session discussion of Hapgood’s position, selectmen took no action.

Board members scheduled a special meeting for continued budget review for Monday evening, Jan. 25. Their next regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1.

A recording of the Jan. 19 meeting is available on the town website, www.china.govoffice.com. To watch it, open Live Stream (bottom left of the home page) and under Recent Events click on January and then on the meeting. The variable sound quality makes it difficult to follow some of the discussion.

Local Town Meetings Schedule 2021

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Town meetings 2021

VASSALBORO

Town Meeting
Mon., June 7
Vassalboro Community School
1116 Webber Pond Road
Municipal Election
Tues., June 8, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Location TBA

*   *   *

To be included in this list, visit our Contact Us page or send an email to The Town Line at townline@townline.org.

Second annual ice fishing derby set for China Lake on February 14

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by Sandra Isaac

The China Four Seasons Club and the China Village Fire Department will be holding the 2nd annual China Lake Ice Fishing Derby on Sunday, February 14. This year’s event will feature catches from China Lake only, a change from last year where it was opened to all state waters.

“We are hoping that by 2022, we can make this a weekend festival event similar to China Days in the summer,” said China Four Seasons Club President Tom Rumpf. “Weigh-in time is the same as last year, 4 p.m. Entries must be in the Fire Station Building [on Causeway Road] by that time to qualify for a prize.”  Last year’s biggest catch of the day was a largemouth bass weighing over five pounds. “This year we added a prize for the largest fish of the day. The Lunker of the Day will win $200 for top prize.”

Prizes will be awarded in the following fish categories: large and smallmouth bass, brown trout, brook trout, and pickerel. The children’s category will be perch. Kids prizes will be awarded to the top five winners with the most perch caught.

Each child who participates in the derby will receive special takeaway gifts courtesy of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, in South China. These items will be given out at the fire station starting at 7 a.m. on the day of the derby.  In addition, Central Church will be set up in front of the Landing Restaurant on Causeway Road to work with kids who are new to fishing and will supply those kids with traps and bait.

“We will also be giving away over 15 door prizes including a new auger from Buckshot Powersports, 100 gallons of heating fuel from AFC, plus many gift certificates from local businesses,” said Rumpf.

Rumpf continued, “The China Lake Ice Fishing Derby is a great way for individuals and families to come out and enjoy the outdoors and be part of a China area tradition. Plus, this is also Maine’s free fishing weekend. We will be following all state-mandated guidelines, including social distancing and we will be requiring all participants to wear a face-covering when inside a building or if social distancing is not possible.”

Tickets are available for $5 a piece or three for $10 at many local stores including KC Auto, in Vassalboro, Tobey’s Grocery, Greg’s Place, Buckshot Powersports, China Variety & Redemption, Lakeview Lumber, Joseph’s Market, in Waterville, and Harvest Time Baits, in Winslow. You can also purchase tickets from members of the China Four Seasons Club and the China Village Fire Department.

The organizers have set up a Facebook page to share information on door prizes, sponsors, ticket information, and for sharing photos. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/China-Lake-Ice-Fishing-Derby.

China Village library to bring wintertime cheer with nostalgic programs

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Albert Church Brown Memorial Library in China Village (photo courtesy of library Facebook page)

by Carla Gade
Albert Church Brown librarian

To help ward off the wintertime blues, the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library in China Village announces some programs to bring a little laughter and cheer to the community in January and February. The nostalgic themes include little known and unusual facts about Maine, reminiscing over yesterday’s sitcoms, Valentine’s Day cards for shut-ins, and an upcoming President’s Day trivia contest.

Now until February 11, the library encourages people of all ages to make or purchase Valentine’s Day Cards to help bring smiles to the hearts of elderly shut-ins in our community. To participate, please drop your card off at the library. You may bring it inside or place it in the book drop box. Donate as many as you wish and they will be distributed in time for Valentine’s Day. If you know someone who you would like to receive a card, please email the library with your request at chinalibraryacb.org.

Two lighthearted online events are coming your way from the convenience of your own device, via ZOOM. Log in on Sunday, January 30, at 2 p.m. to hear author Tim Caverly’s program, “So You Think You Know Maine!” Discover the birthplace of Bambi, ice caves, ghost railroads, pictographs, oceanic whirlpools, and tales which can only be described as classic Maine. On February 21, at 2 p.m., author Martin Gitlin brings you “A Funny Program About Funny Programs: The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time.” He will show funny snippets from beloved sitcoms, challenge patrons with sitcom trivia, and more. To attend these ZOOM events please visit chinalibrary.org for login information or email for details. Be sure to download ZOOM at https://zoom.us in advance of the program date.

The Presidents Day Trivia Contest will run from February 1 – 15. You may stop in at the library, email, or visit the website to participate. To learn more about our services and programs, please stop in, visit us at chinalibrary.org, email chinalibraracb@gmail.com, or call (207) 968-2926.

The library is open on Tuesday and Thursday, from 2 – 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

China TIF committee satisfied with proposed amended wording to document

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by Mary Grow

China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee members decided on Jan. 14 they are satisfied with their proposed amended wording to China’s TIF document. They began deciding what amounts of money to recommend voters appropriate for each of the various TIF projects.

The Second Amendment (to the original 2015 TIF plan; the first was in 2017) includes three new categories for which TIF funds can be used, if voters approve the revised document. They are:

  • “Costs of funding environmental improvement projects developed by the Town,” with specific references to funding China Lake Association and China Region Lakes Alliance projects. With advice from resident Scott Pierz, president of both associations, the committee recommended appropriating $50,000 for this category for each of the next two years.
  • “Costs associated with the development of fisheries and wildlife or marine resources projects,” specifically contributing TIF money toward building a fishway at the China Lake outlet Dam, in East Vassalboro, to allow alewives to migrate into and out of China Lake. The Jan. 14 meeting ended before committee members discussed funding for this and the next new category.
  • “Costs related to broadband service development, expansion and improvement, including connecting to broadband service outside the District….”

The Jan. 14 draft TIF document is on the town website, china.govoffice.com. Go to Officials, Boards and Committees at the top of the page, scroll down to and open Tax Increment Financing Committee and the third document from the bottom of a long list is Second Amended TIF Draft Jan. 2021 China, followed by two related documents.

Specific proposed TIF projects are listed on pages 8 through 13 of the document. Committee members discussed the new ones and a few of the already-listed ones.

For example, the South China boat landing remains on the list, with a double focus: a boundary survey to find out exactly how much land the town owns, and erosion control measures. Committee members discussed potential costs and recommended $15,000 over the next two years.

Expenditures with a time limit are to be reviewed before the limit expires.

Committee members talked in late 2020 about possibly having Amendment Two ready for voters’ action at the May town business meeting. They made no commitment.

The next TIF Committee meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, and is expected to be a virtual meeting.

CHINA: Three solar projects get planners’ approval

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by Mary Grow

At their Jan. 12 meeting, China Planning Board members worked on a proposed solar ordinance that will establish rules for evaluating future applications for solar developments.

The board has approved three solar projects so far, on Route 32 North (Vassalboro Road), off Route 32 South (Windsor Road) and on Route 3 (Belfast Road). They used standards in the land use ordinance that are not completely appropriate.

Board Vice-Chairman Toni Wall adapted a template prepared by Maine Audubon Society into a draft solar ordinance. Board members discussed a few changes, like eliminating references to land use districts and to a town engineer. China has minimal districting and no engineer on staff.

As of Jan 18, the draft ordinance is not available for public review. Board Chairman Randy Downer intends to prepare two on-line versions, one for board members (which they will be able to edit) and another for interested residents, who may make comments through the town office.

Planning board members do not expect to have a solar ordinance ready for voters’ approval or rejection at the May 18 annual town business meeting. They might ask for a vote in June with the school budget validation vote, or in November with local elections.

Downer said town officials plan a May 18 vote on the revised China Comprehensive Plan, drafted by the town’s Comprehensive Planning Committee with assistance from the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments. The final version is on the town website, china.govoffice.org, under Elections, one of the headings in the left-hand column.

Downer and board members welcomed Scott Rollins, the new District 4 representative. Rollins served on the board in the past; alternate member Jim Wilkens remembered the two overlapped briefly.

The next China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, and is expected to be a virtual meeting.