China will not receive ConnectMe grant

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by Mary Grow

The China Broadband Committee (CBC) did not get a state ConnectMe grant that members had hoped to use to hire Hawkeye Connections, Inc., of Poland, Maine, to establish the cost of new broadband infrastructure for the town.

Meeting the afternoon of June 23, committee members and consultants who had watched part of the state meeting that morning agreed they had not heard China on the list of towns receiving grants.

CBC members had asked for $7,500, to be matched with $2,500 from town Tax Increment Financing funds. Their goal was to have Hawkeye engineers give them a firm figure for construction costs.

There was consensus no other possible grant could provide funds soon enough so that Hawkeye engineers could survey the town in July and the committee could report costs to the selectboard in August. Other possible sources of an immediate $10,000 were discussed, including asking the selectmen for money from the contingency fund voters approved at the June 8 town meeting.

The China Broadband Committee invites all residents to a public meeting to learn about the proposed broadband expansion in town. The meeting will be at 4 p.m., Sunday, July 11, in the China Middle School gymnasium. Committee members and consultants plan a short presentation followed by a question and answer session.

On June 25, committee member Jamie Pitney emailed that Ronald Breton, Chairman of the China Selectboard, agreed to add a request for $10,000 from contingency to the July 6 selectmen’s agenda, if committee members submit one.

The same day, Mark Ouellette, President of Axiom Technologies, the company CBC members plan to have as internet provider, reported that Hawkeye engineers plan to do a detailed survey that would result in a firm construction-cost estimate; but, he said, the work will take two months, not the one month CBC members had planned on.

CBC members plan to ask selectmen to put a construction bond issue on the Nov. 2 local ballot. Pitney said they should have information to the selectmen by July 29, in preparation for discussion at the Aug. 2 selectmen’s meeting.

The committee has discussed rough estimates of potential construction costs. Given the uncertainty, and, Pitney added, fluctuating costs of materials, members decided they had no “ceiling” figure they could use as they explain their proposal to town residents and officials.

The other major action at the June 23 meeting was a final review of the informational flyer the committee will distribute as widely as possible, to ensure residents are aware of their plan and have opportunities to get more information.

The next CBC meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 1.

China planners spend time on final Solar Energy System ordinance review

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members ignored most of their June 22 agenda to spend time on a final review of the Solar Energy Systems Ordinance they hope selectmen will present to voters on Nov. 2 and voters will approve.

Running out of time to finish, they scheduled a special meeting Monday evening, June 28. At that meeting, they agreed, non-unanimously, on a version to forward to the selectboard.

An early (May 2021) draft of the ordinance is on the town website, www.china.govoffice.com, under the Planning Board. Board members intend to publicize their final draft after they submit it to the selectboard.

Most of the June 22 and June 28 work was grammatical; major substantive issues have been resolved. The exception, discussed June 28 and at several prior meetings, was how to treat solar panels when determining lot coverage by impervious surfaces.

The panels have two parts, the relatively small bases on which the supporting poles stand and the much larger panels themselves. Since the panels are tilted, they cover slightly less ground than their actual size.

To help control erosion, state and town regulations limit the amount of ground area on a lot that can be covered by structures with impervious surfaces. If an ordinance treats a solar panel as a structure, the area covered by panels is limited – in the Town of China, to 20 percent of the lot in rural areas and 15 percent in shoreland zones (the two areas where the draft ordinance would allow rows of solar panels).

The state Department of Environmental Protection and many Maine towns do not call solar panels structures. A solar array that covers a lot almost completely, like the one on Route 3 outside Augusta that was repeatedly referenced by planning board members, is allowed.

China Planning Board members have called a solar panel a structure. They have thereby limited the amount of ground covered by installations they have approved under existing ordinances. Solar developers have asked them to change their approach.

The draft ordinance slightly modifies previous practice by providing that the tilt of the panels be considered in determining the area covered.

Board member Scott Rollins proposed a further compromise: count only one-half of the area of the panels as structures or impervious. The change would let a developer cover up to 40 percent of a lot, board member James Wilkens quickly calculated.

Rollins made three main points:

— The ground under solar panels is covered with grass and other low plants that absorb water dripping from the panels, rather than letting it run off. A solar array thus does not cause erosion.
— Since China’s lot coverage limit is one of the lowest around (to help protect the town’s lakes, people have said at previous meetings), making solar panels follow structure regulations is an unnecessarily restrictive provision that discourages solar development in town.
— Solar is a form of renewable energy that should be encouraged.

Wilkens and board Chairman Randall Downer were primarily concerned about the appearance of a field of panels like the one on Route 3, having heard multiple negative comments.

Downer fears too little restriction on lot coverage would lead China voters to reject the ordinance. He wants it approved Nov. 2; his goal is “never [again] to have to make it up as we go along on solar applications” to match them to ordinances written for buildings.

Wilkens added that even with the restrictions, China has attracted solar projects.

Rollins’ motion to include the 50 percent rule in the draft ordinance was rejected on a vote of one in favor (Rollins) to three opposed (Downer, Wilkens and Natale Tripodi).

Downer proposed a different compromise: ask selectmen to put a second question to voters about how limited the size of solar arrays should be. Rollins did not object. He and Downer intend to work on the wording of such a question before the planning board’s July 12 meeting.

As the June 28 meeting ended, board members voted 3-0-1 to forward the ordinance to the selectboard, with Rollins abstaining.

The only other issue covered on the June 22 agenda was resident Brent Chesley’s request for a clarification of a section of the minutes from the Feb. 23 planning board meeting. Codes Officer Jaime Hanson recommended adding Chesley’s suggested explanation, and board members approved unanimously.

Scouts help dispose of flags

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Boy Scout Troop #479, of China.

Boy Scout Troop #479, of China, was asked to help with the flag retirement ceremony at the American Legion. Thanks to all the Scouts and leaders for participating on Flag Day,” said Troop Advancement Chairman Ron Emery. According to the U.S. Flag Code, “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.” While this is the preferred way to dispose a flag, it can be dangerous and so it was asked that the Scouts cut the flags into strips of cloth. Once cut those strips are no longer considered a US flag and the strips can be disposed.

Text and photos courtesy of Neil Farrington

Camp Bomazeen prepares for season with help from Scouts

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The LaBonte family, of Oakland, made the work day a family event: Scott, Garrett, Ruby and Rebecca LaBonte. (contributed photo)

The weather was ideal at Camp Bomazeen on Saturday, May 15, for a great Beaver Day-camp work day. Everyone who attended will get a commemorative patch of a beaver wielding a chain saw. Scott Adams, of China, organized the event.

“The pandemic prevented us from opening last summer so we have two years worth of work to get done before camp opens for the season at the end of June,” Adams said. “We rely on people coming into camp and lending a hand. We are so grateful.”

Along with removing leaves and brush from fields, the health lodge was also cleaned. Thanks to those who helped: Willie and Parker LeHay, Scott, Garrett, Ruby and Rebecca LaBonte. Scott Vernier, Chuck Mahaleris, Scott Martin, Susan and Russ Shoberg, Steve Craig, and, of course, Scott Adams and Henry. Lunch was provided courtesy of the Bomazeen Old Timers.

Scouts help Scott Adams, of China, toss brush onto the trailer for removal and later burning. (contributed photo)

China planners to hold special workshop

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by Mary Grow

The China Planning Board will hold a special workshop meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 28, to continue editing the draft Solar Energy Systems Ordinance. The meeting will be in person in the portable building behind the town office, with virtual participation also available.

China planners continue work on two draft ordinances

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members continued to work on two draft ordinances at their June 15 meeting. The proposed new Solar Energy Systems Ordinance they decided is almost in final form. The proposed additional section of the shoreland ordinance, governing shoreline stabilization projects, is barely started.

Board members reversed an earlier decision to have the Solar Energy Systems Ordinance include its own definitions. Instead, definitions specific to the ordinance will be added to Chapter 11, on definitions, in China’s Land Use Ordinance.

Kevin Corbett and Scott Anderson, of SunRaise Investments, the New Hampshire solar development company with two recent projects in South China, asked planners to reconsider their decision to count solar panels as impervious surfaces for the purpose of calculating lot coverage.

China’s ordinances limit lot coverage, as one part of controlling run-off from developments. The draft ordinance counts solar panels as impervious, but allows adjustments for their tilt.

Corbett and Anderson argued that the rainwater that drips off the lower edge of each panel is not like the sheet of water that runs off a building roof or a paved driveway; run-off from solar panels falls onto the grass below and is absorbed on site.

The state Department of Environmental Protection does not count solar panels as structures, nor do most other Maine towns, Anderson and Corbett said.

Planning board members were not sympathetic, though they agreed to rediscuss the question at their June 22 meeting.

Toni Wall said the vegetation under the panels might take a long time to grow after they were installed. Chairman Randy Downer said counting panels as structures limited the area that could become mostly panels; he has heard many comments about the large solar array off Route 3 east, of August.

Board member James Wilkens said China’s lakes that are vulnerable to run-off and residents’ concern about the appearance of the landscape justify regulations that are more stringent than the state’s.

The proposed shoreline stabilization ordinance will also be on the agenda for the June 22 board meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., in the portable building behind the town office.

The only non-ordinance issue presented June 15 was a question from Codes Officer Jaime Hanson: do Mike Marchetti and Iris Savernik need planning board review of their proposed changes on Fire Road 19? Planning Board members said yes; the lots are part of a subdivision, and board approval is needed to change a subdivision.

China Broadband Committee discusses ways to distribute fact sheet

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members spent most of their June 17 meeting discussing ways to distribute a flyer publicizing their plans for expanded and improved broadband service in town.

The draft one-page handout introduces the proposal and invites interested residents to sign up for follow-up information via email.

Board members scheduled a public informational meeting for 4 p.m., Sunday, July 11, at a location to be determined. They hope it will be both an in-person and a virtual meeting, to allow everyone interested to participate one way or the other.

Before and after July 11 they plan to make the flyer available everywhere they can think of – as part of the informational mailings from the town office, included with the tax bills, as an insert in The Town Line, distributed at any organization meeting, church or fire department or community event that will accept copies, perhaps handed out at local businesses if allowed.

Committee members’ schedule calls for presenting a proposed referendum question asking selectmen to approve a bond issue to one of the first two August selectboard meetings, which should be Aug. 2 and Aug. 16. If selectmen approve putting the question on the Nov. 2 local ballot, voters will decide whether to borrow funds to build new internet infrastructure.

The amount to be borrowed is not yet known. Committee members applied for a state planning grant to hire Hawkeye Connections, of Poland, Maine, to evaluate existing infrastructure — telephone poles, for example — and determine construction costs.

Marc Ouellette, President of Axiom Technologies, the CBC members’ choice to provide broadband service, expects grant awards will be announced Wednesday morning, June 23. After discussion of members’ conflicting commitments, the next CBC meeting was scheduled for 3 p.m., Wednesday, June 23. It will be virtual, live-streamed.

CBC members applied for a $7,500 state grant, to be matched by $2,500 in local funds. The local funds are expected to come from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund, which as of the June 8 town meeting includes expanded broadband service as an allowable expenditure.

China selectmen decide to maintain inactive local police department

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by Mary Grow

Much of the China selectmen’s June 21 business was following up on voters’ decisions at the June 8 town meeting. All but one selectboard vote was unanimous; two items were postponed.

Police services generated the longest discussion. Voters approved a $34,000 police budget for 2021-22, to fund a contract that would provide 10 extra hours a week of service from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office (KSO), in addition to China’s share of county policing.

Selectmen agreed they should de-activate, but not eliminate, the China police department, which currently consists of five part-time officers, four with full-time jobs with other departments.

Town Manager Becky Hapgood explained that a China police officer will need to submit a report in January 2022; and if selectmen disbanded the local department and later wanted it back again, starting over would require paperwork.

She estimated the cost of maintaining the department on paper, with the men doing nothing but filing the required report, should be less than $1,000. Selectmen agreed having the local force remain an option while they tried the KSO arrangement was a good idea.

They voted unanimously for the additional deputy sheriffs’ work, 10 hours a week (on average) at $60 an hour, plus maintaining an inactive local department. Later, they re-appointed three local police officers, Jordan Gaudet from KSO and Michael Tracy and Jerry Haynes from the Oakland Police Department.

On a related issue, they signed the two-year dispatching contract with the State Police postponed from their previous meeting (see the June 17 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

On June 8, voters approved the revised Tax Increment Financing (TIF) document, called the Second Amendment. Hapgood reported that town office staff are finishing paperwork to send it to the state for approval.

Selectmen authorized six disbursements from TIF funds, some made possible by the June 8 revisions, all within the budgeted amounts that were part of the approval, all recommended by the TIF Committee (see the June 17 issue of The Town Line, p. 9).

The appropriations are as follows: $37,500 for the China Region Lakes Alliance; $12,500 for the China Lake Association; $30,000 for the China Four Seasons Club; $10,000 for the China Broadband Committee to contract with its consultant; $30,000 for Maine Rivers for the Alewife Restoration Initiative (ARI); and $35,000 for the Thurston Park Committee.

Votes were unanimous except for the Broadband Committee appropriation, which Selectman Wayne Chadwick opposed. Hapgood said the consultants’ contract has been revised so that any expenditures over the $10,000 will need separate written approval. The selectmen’s vote included authorization for her to sign the contract.

In two other town meeting follow-ups, selectmen authorized Hapgood to sell the old grader by sealed bid – probably in July, she said. For the sale of the about 40-acre lot on the east side of Lakeview Drive, they approved her plan to solicit expressions of interest from real estate agents in town.

Agenda items postponed, on Hapgood’s recommendation, were discussion of FirstPark and an appointment to the Board of Appeals.

After voters rejected funding for FirstPark for 2021-22 (thereby returning it to the higher 2020-21 amount), selectmen agreed to investigate withdrawing from the Oakland business park. Hapgood said she has a copy of an attorney’s letter on the complexity of withdrawal, and advice from China town attorney Amanda Meader. She recommends waiting to see what the town of Rome does.

There are vacancies or pending vacancies on several town boards, Hapgood said. She plans to advertise all of them and therefore asked selectmen to postpone action until she presents a group of new nominees.

The manager reminded selectmen of their special end-of-year meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 30. The town office will close at noon June 30 so staff can complete paperwork.

The town office and transfer station will be closed Saturday, July 3, and Monday, July 5, for the Independence Day holiday. The next regular selectmen’s meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, instead of the usual Monday evening.

China Lake Association; Protecting the Lake and Land Owners: Nonprofit Spotlight

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Some of the attendees at the Invasive Plant 101 workshop, held in China on August 24, were, from left to right, Sonny Pierce, of Rangeley Lake Heritage Trust, Peter Caldwell and Marie Michaud, China Lake Association, and Spencer Harriman, of Lake Stewards of Maine. (contributed photo)

by Steve Ball

“The quality of China Lake has improved noticeably over the past five years. I can remember algae so thick on the surface that when I ran my boat I would leave a wake of algae behind me.”

Larry Sikora, China Lake property owner

Imagine the impact a polluted lake would have on the town of China and its residents. There was a day, in the late 1980s, when there was justifiable concern with the cleanliness of the lake. Many China residents likely remember the algae blooms resulting in low fish counts, few lake birds, limited lakeside wildlife, and sparse or distorted shore plant life. All these are indications that the health of the lake is failing.

The results of this condition can be devastating for a community like China and its surrounding towns that rely so heavily on its lake for its drinking water and attracting tourism and recreation, and, thus, growing economic activity.

In mid-1990s the University of Maine conducted an extended study of the connection between the health of Maine’s lakes, as measured in nutrient and cleanliness levels, and local economic growth. In the 1996 study, “Water Quality Affects Property Prices: A Case Study of Selected Maine Lakes,” the authors found what many lake residents have known for years, there is direct link between healthy waters and good economic viability. Everything from the direct economic impact resulting from lake usage, to the price of lakeside homes and camps and the town’s tax revenue generated from waterfront properties is either positively or negatively impacted by the cleanliness of the local lake. China Lake was one of the 34 lakes in Maine included in the study.

The other reality of addressing the health of lake waters is that remediating, or cleaning up a problem like algae bloom, or an overheated lake is far more expensive than preventing the problem.

It is for these reasons that the China Lake Association was formed in 1987. Their mission is simple: Through education, fund raising and other proper activities, to guard the waters of China Lake against pollution, to preserve the environmental health of the China Lake watershed and to protect and enhance the beauty of the Lake and its adjacent area.

The CLA has made a difference in this community through active and persistent action to help keep China Lake the clean, fresh lake that people in this community and our visitors have grown to expect. But that work needs people committed to rolling up their sleeves and doing everything from replanting lakeside vegetation to help minimize the effects of erosion and runoff, to managing the Boat Inspection Program, to studying the ways the lake is polluted and finding solutions, to educating youth and adults about the importance of having a clean and healthy lake.

Several people since the organization’s founding have helped to make this organization effective. Scott Pierz, the current president of the CLA is not only an avid champion for China Lake, he has become a student of what it takes to steward a healthy lake in Maine. Pierz, the former Codes Enforcement Officer for China, knows the area well and appreciates the impact China Lake has on nearly every household in the community.

A revegetation project China Lake Association supports working with fifth grade students in both Vassalboro and China schools. This project is organized by Matt Streeter from the Alewife Restoration Project. Nate Gray, from the Department of Marine Resources, is always present and Anita Smith, of China, presents the information on native plants. (contributed photo)

Of all the things CLA is involved in, the education aspect is one that seems to appeal to Pierz’s talents. He believes that if we can educate our middle schoolers about the value of keeping a clean and healthy lake our future is bright. The CLA has taught classes on loons, how a lake becomes polluted, and they’ve hosted a poster contest. In Pierz’s mind, “We are building a youth of informed citizens” who will know what it means to have a clean lake and, more specifically, what it means to the town of China to have a clean lake.

In addition to education and the Boat Inspection Program, the CLA has been actively involved in the China Lake Alewife Restoration Initiative, ARI. Knowing the value of a natural alewife population on cleansing fresh waters, the CLA has been a part of a program to restore passage for 950,000 alewives migrating from the Sebasticook River to China Lake. With the goal to remove obsolete dams that had obstructed the passage of alewives and construct fishways where necessary, the ARI has successfully restored an alewife population to China Lake. The results to the lake’s waters have been remarkable; noticeably cleaner water, higher bird counts and more lake plant life. The fish count is harder to determine, but some attest the fishing has been better.

Another undertaking started by the CLA has been the Gravel Road Rehabilitation Program. This was the brainchild of Pierz who saw that runoff from some gravel roads surrounding the lake was bringing damaging pollutants into the water. The project involves getting an engineering plan and then bringing together the manpower to assist with either diverting the runoff, or planting buffer plants, or re-grading of the roads; whatever it takes to prevent damaging runoff from entering the lake.

In addition, the CLA assists the state of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection in running the Lake Smart Program for China Lake property owners. Lake Smart, an education and reward program, provides assistance to lakefront homeowners to better manage landscapes in ways that protect water quality. Through the program property owners can receive a technical inspection with a proposed improvement plan by a DEP certified Soil and Water Conservation Engineer that can ultimately be enacted through CLA help and volunteer labor.

All of these programs and initiatives have two goals in mind; improve the quality of China Lake’s water and build a sustainable system to assure its quality in years to come. It is this relentless commitment to finding and carrying out ways to keep China Lake clean and healthy that has come to define the China Lake Association. The community may not see everything they do, and some residents may not remember what it was like when the lake was suffering from damaging algae blooms, but everyone should appreciate there is a nonprofit working in the community for the benefit of every citizen.

The Town Line will continue with a series on local nonprofit groups and their work in their respective communities. To include your group, contact The Town Line at townline@townline.org.

China TIF committee receives half dozen requests for funds

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by Mary Grow

Members of China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee reviewed half a dozen requests for TIF funds at their June 14 meeting and forwarded all to the Board of Selectmen with recommendations that the funds be disbursed.

China selectmen are scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 21.

The longest discussion was over appropriations for trail work in town. The total allocated for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is $65,000. The Four Seasons Club asked for $30,000; the Thurston Park Committee asked for $57,582.

Jeanette Smith, speaking for the Thurston Park Committee, listed three priorities that would use most of the money. The committee would like to do ditching and install culverts on two existing trails; to build a storage building for equipment and supplies; and to add a carry-in boat launch area with a small parking lot.

The need for an equipment building is urgent, Smith said; but the $22,000 cost estimate is almost a year old, and neither she nor committee members consider it realistic any more.

Trail work is also urgent, to prevent damage to trails in which Thurston Park committee members and volunteers have already invested money and time. The estimated cost is $17,600.

Committee members decided to recommend a $30,000 allotment to the Four Seasons Club and $35,000 to the Thurston Park Committee. They expect the committee to have the trails improved as needed; to spend the rest of the appropriation on less expensive items listed in the application for TIF funds; and to postpone the building for a year.

The other recommended expenditures are as follows.

— For the China Region Lakes Alliance, $37,500 and for the China Lake Association, $12,500, for a total of $50,000. Both organizations will use the funds for projects that contribute to better water quality in town lakes, including the LakeSmart Program and improvements to control run-off from gravel roads.
— For the China Broadband Committee, $10,000, to fund a contract with consultants Mission Broadband that will run through Nov. 12, 2021. Committee Chairman Robert O’Connor said if the CBC receives a $7,500 state grant to plan expanded broadband service, committee members will ask for another $2,500 in July as a match for the grant.
— For the Alewife Restoration Initiative (ARI), aimed at opening passage for alewives from the Sebasticook River into China Lake, $30,000 (in addition to $20,000 voters approved June 8 as part of the 2021-22 town budget). Landis Hudson, of Maine Rivers, leader of the seven-year project, said this summer will see it finished, with the construction of a fishway at Outlet Dam in East Vassalboro.

There was no opposition to any of the recommendations. On several votes, a committee member abstained to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.

In other business June 14, Town Manager (and China and TIF Treasurer) Becky Hapgood and committee Chairman Tom Michaud summarized additional work to complete the causeway project at the head of China Lake’s east basin.

Hapgood explained work will include $35,460 for more paving, to benefit ongoing maintenance, and $12,400 to complete the wall between the boat ramp and the existing wall, to enhance safety. The public works budget will cover these expenditures. The remaining funds needed for the project ($112,882.91) will come from TIF money, she said.

Some of the committee actions were possible because China voters on June 8 approved the Second Amendment to China’s TIF document. For example, the revised document adds expanded broadband service as a new category eligible for TIF funds. Committee member Jamie Pitney said the Second Amendment needs approval by the relevant office in the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

The next TIF Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, July 12. One agenda item will be election of new officers.

Michaud is stepping down as chairman and James Wilkens as vice-chairman, though both will remain on the committee if selectmen reappoint them; and Michaud’s wife Marie is un-volunteering as committee secretary.