by Mary Grow

China selectmen made three major decisions at their April 13 virtual meeting. All were by unanimous vote of the four board members participating; Irene Belanger was absent.

The action voters need to know about first is that the annual town business meeting, initially scheduled for early April, is postponed for the second time. The new date is Saturday, June 6.

Planned informational meetings to answer voters’ questions about warrant articles are also rescheduled, to Sunday, May 31, and Wednesday, June 3.

China’s fiscal year ends June 30, and the budget approved at the 2019 town business meeting expires. Town Manager Dennis Heath said if town voters have not approved a new budget by July 1, the current budget continues in effect until voters act on a new one.

Voters could approve the 2020-21 municipal budget any time after June 30, Heath said, adding the words “retroactive to July 1” to spending authorizations.

That information led to a discussion of China’s open town meeting with a quorum of 118 registered voters needed to begin it. On the theory that people may continue to be reluctant to assemble in large groups, board members talked about trying again to eliminate the quorum requirement and about former Selectman Neil Farrington’s petition to hold future town meetings by referendum (written ballot, with polls open all day).

When voters were asked in November 2018 to eliminate the quorum requirement, they rejected the idea by a more than two-to-one margin, 505 in favor to 1,241 opposed.

Heath said he will find out whether Farrington’s petition has been submitted with enough signatures to put it on a local ballot.

The selectmen’s second decision was to authorize Heath to spend up to $25,000 from the equipment reserve fund to upgrade the telephone and computer systems at the town office complex, including the office building and two former portable classrooms behind it, one in use and one to be moved in.

Heath and Scott Fossett, president of Gardiner-based API Technology, explained the improvements, the ways they will simplify interconnections (and, Heath said, make working from home easier) and the ways the new system will save money. For example, the men said, the current system requires paying for upgrades when needed; the new system charges a monthly fee ($12.50 per user per month; Heath has signed up 17 town employees) that includes updates as Microsoft introduces them.

The third decision was to authorize an appeal of a Superior Court decision against the town regarding the former Gilman property and the abutting LaMarre property on Lakeview Drive. To summarize Heath’s summary, in 2018 former China codes officer Paul Mitnik approved what he considered a recreational vehicle on the former Gilman lot; the LaMarres appealed; Superior Court Justice William Stokes ruled the item was not a recreational vehicle and should be removed.

Heath said the decision was made without hearing oral arguments from China’s attorneys. He believes had they been heard, Justice Stokes might have interpreted the definition of “recreational vehicle” in China’s land use ordinance differently.

The manager reported town employees are working near-normal hours during the shutdown, but working together as little as possible. Town office staff take turns working in the office; public works employees do as much as they can alone, like checking road conditions and working on equipment; no more than two people are on duty together at the transfer station.

Residents who need town services, or who want to participate in one of the selectmen’s virtual meetings, should send advance requests to the town office at 445-2014 or info@chinamaine.org. Anyone can observe the meetings, in real time or afterward, on the live stream on the town website.

The next regular China selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 27.

by Mary Grow

Demonstrating their increasing comfort with virtual meetings, Vassalboro selectmen resolved several issues and consulted with their consultant the evening of April 2.

The three board members made decisions on work on two big culverts, on Cross Hill and Gray roads; on adding solar power to Vassalboro’s energy mix; and on use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) money in the next few weeks. With Town Manager Mary Sabins and consultant Garvan Donegan, of Central Maine Growth Council, they discussed future changes in the town’s TIF program.

Selectman John Melrose received board approval to proceed with applications for state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) grants for the culverts – $80,000 toward the estimated $116,000 cost of the Cross Hill Road replacement and $95,000 toward the Gray Road work.

Selectmen further voted to waive the bid process for the Cross Hill Road work and authorized Sabins to contract with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB), a Massachusetts-based engineering firm with Maine offices, to do the work for $17,000. They plan to have the culvert replaced this summer.

The Gray Road project is more complicated, Melrose said. Right now the culvert is a six-foot pipe. Red Brook that runs through it is potential alewife habitat when the Alewife Restoration Project (ARI) lets the small fish migrate from the Sebasticook River into China Lake. Therefore the DEP is involved, and so is the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and the federal Army Corps of Engineers (ACE).

The out-of-town agencies want the replacement culvert to meet various criteria which, Melrose said, could require a bridge 20 feet or more wide, with an earlier cost estimate of up to $400,000.

Selectmen voted unanimously to contract with Calderwood Engineering, of Richmond, a firm that Melrose said specializes in bridge engineering and with which DEP staff are “comfortable,” to negotiate a design that would satisfy the state and federal agencies and the fish, and that the town could afford.

In June 2019, town meeting voters authorized selectmen to arrange installation of a solar array on town land. Melrose said the original 20 interested companies dwindled to two bidders, one of whom recommended no in-town solar development because, Melrose said, Central Maine Power Company’s substation capacity is inadequate.

Consequently, the Solar Committee he chairs recommends instead contracting with Maine-based ReVision Energy to buy power from one of their existing solar developments in CMP’s territory.

Board members decided buying power and choosing a supplier was an administrative decision that did not need a new town meeting mandate. They unanimously authorized Sabins to negotiate a power purchase agreement with ReVision Energy that would save money for the town. The agreement is to be reviewed by the Solar Committee before submission to the selectmen.

Sabins said Vassalboro’s TIF fund stands currently at $166,930. The next income will come from taxes paid on the natural gas pipeline in the new fiscal year that begins July 1. There are two requests for the money: the Vassalboro Sanitary District (VSD) needs $72, 265 by July for a loan payment, and ARI has asked for $143,000 for continued work to let alewives get over dams on Outlet Stream.

VSD officials have also requested money to help new customers hook onto the expanded sewer system. Sabins said they estimated the need at $150,000, for 16 potential customers; they have $100,000 saved from an earlier TIF grant.

The manager obtained two legal opinions on using TIF money to help private individuals, she said. One attorney saw no problem, a second “said ‘Wait a minute,'” implying a possible legal roadblock.

Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus added that Donegan’s consulting fee comes from TIF funds.

Sabins said spending TIF money requires a public hearing in advance. There has been no hearing on the VSD request and she has no way to do a virtual public hearing, so board members cannot yet approve any money for the VSD.

Selectmen held a Feb. 11 public hearing on the ARI request.

After discussion, selectmen unanimously approved an immediate TIF grant of $83,000 to ARI, so the group can sign contracts for work this summer, with the remaining $60,000 promised in August or September. They plan to consider the VSD request after circumstances allow a public hearing.

The discussion with Donegan focused on whether Vassalboro’s TIF program should be amended to allow more and different sorts of projects in different parts of town, within state TIF guidelines. By consensus, selectmen authorized Donegan to recommend changes.

The next Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is currently scheduled for Thursday evening, April 16.

from Dennis L. Heath, CMM
China Town Manager

In light of the Governor’s latest order, I am informing you of actions we are taking to comply.  I have discussed this with our department heads first thing this morning, coordinated with the Chairman of the Select Board, then informed the entire staff via a Zoom meeting.

Here is your daily summary for April Fool’s Day, 2020:

• Implementation of the Governor’s “Stay Healthy at Home” order is complete and takes effect tomorrow, with the exception of the Transfer Station, when it will take effect next Tuesday
• New secure dropbox is mounted and ready for business; small white lock-box with mail slot at the top under a lid; non-sensitive items may still be placed in the mailbox if desired
• Mail retrieval and bank deposits will be done daily; rotating between Becky and Julie
• We are working with Consolidated to automatically forward the phones each day, but if necessary, we will manually forward them; we are also changing the outgoing message to reflect the current scenario

Transfer Station: Open Tuesday 7 am – 3 pm; Thursday 9 am to 5 pm; and Saturday 6:30 am to 1 pm; only two on duty at any given time

Public Works: Standby only; stay at home; unposting roads today; delaying install of docks until after Apr 30

Town Office: On call at home; main number forwarded to Becky and she will assign work; if a call-back is necessary, the individual requested will make the call; appointments for essential business only; no drive-through service; most have remote access capability; Becky will check mail daily; packages will be redirected to where they can be received and then brought to the Town Office

Code Enforcement: Continue working remote from home; appointments will be for essential services only; permits will be given a full 30-day review (per ordinance) prior to issuing

Public Notification: Sending out direct mail information sheet today to ensure everyone is notified

Meetings: We will continue to host Zoom meetings, so if there is a need, please let me know a day and time and we will work out the details; participants without a computer/smart phone can join with a regular phone; we have the ability to broadcast these meetings over LiveStream for those who just want to watch and listen

by Mary Grow

China selectmen held their first virtual meeting March 30, with three members joining Town Manager Dennis Heath at the town office and two calling in.

The main purpose of the meeting was to pay the usual two weeks’ worth of bills. At Board Chairman Ronald Breton’s request, Heath provided updates on coronavirus response and town finances.

The manager said so far the town office has received no individual requests for help. Apparently, he said, China residents are “hunkered down” and have enough to get by. Town office staff have ordered supplies, including toilet paper, paper towels and Lysol, to keep on hand should things gets worse.

People planning to come to the town office are asked to call ahead and to use the drive-up so their business can be done quickly and safely.

Until further notice, the transfer station will take only household waste that goes into the hopper. Demolition debris, brush and compost will join the list of unacceptable items. The goal is to limit the number of people at the facility.

One more change Heath listed is that the town office and the transfer station will close from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily, so staff can take a lunch break and when necessary catch up on cleaning.

In response to Breton’s query about extending the local tax due date, Heath said since town meeting voters set the date, he is not sure selectmen have authority to change it. He will investigate the question.

The manager said property tax collection is at about the same level as it was at the end of March 2020, suggesting most people have made their payments on schedule and people who needed reminders in 2019 will need them again this year.

Heath and board members expect China’s 2020 income will be lower than expected. Lower state revenue will likely reduce state aid to municipal governments and schools; and, for example, if people postpone buying new cars, excise tax revenue to the town will decrease.

Until the situation is clearer, the manager plans to keep spending controlled, but not to stop using appropriated funds for necessary purposes. After all, he said, China’s unassigned fund balance (informally called surplus) is intended for emergencies like the pandemic.

China selectmen plan their next virtual meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 13. As with the March 30 meeting, they intend to livestream it on the town website, china.govoffice.com.

by Mary Grow

At China’s March 26 Broadband Committee’s virtual meeting, Town Manager Dennis Heath and committee members explained how virtual meetings are temporarily considered public and therefore legal.

The difference is Governor Janet Mills’ declaration of an emergency, committee member Jamie Pitney said. Normally, only a few state agencies were allowed to hold some of their meetings without gathering in person. Now and until 30 days after the emergency is declared over, municipal boards and committees can do the same, provided that they give public notice.

Heath added that the declaration allows members not physically present at a meeting to vote, another change from past procedure. The recording of the meeting legally serves as minutes.

China has subscribed to a virtual meeting system that allows meeting participants to see and talk with each other and signed-in non-participants to watch and listen via computer and/or cellphone, depending on audience members’ computer capabilities. Heath said he paid $150 for a year’s service.

The March 26 meeting was not streamed on the China’s live stream and therefore was available only to those who signed in. Heath plans to have future virtual board and committee meetings live-streamed so they can be seen on the town website.

People seeking information on future meetings may visit the website, email the town office at info@chinamaine.org or call the town office at 445-2014 during office hours.

Broadband Committee members, joined virtually by two representatives of Mission Broadband Inc., discussed two main topics: the previously-planned broadband census to find out how many China residents need better service and why they don’t already have it, and ways to expand service.

Mike Reed and John Dougherty, of Mission Broadband, a national company promoting increased broadband service, said the company is planning a state-wide survey or census, simpler than the one originally proposed for China. Their version is currently on-line only and has alternatives – that is, a person’s answer to one question determines which question appears next.

Heath would like a paper census as well, to reach people who cannot or will not reply by computer or cell phone. Reed plans to review Mission Broadband’s draft to see if it can be adjusted for paper. Heath hopes to send a direct mailing to China residents by the end of March.

Committee members continued discussion of ways to increase the reach of existing broadband in town, suggesting more questions for Heath to ask Peter Hussey, of Hussey Communications, in Winslow, with whom town officials are working.

Committee member Tod Detre said there is not yet enough equipment to cover the town. The tower at the town office and the repeater at the China Village fire station offer limited service.

Heath said Hussey installed an omnidirectional antenna at the town office to reach the town garage and transfer station. The downside is a shorter range, he said. After census results more accurately define town-wide needs, he intends to explore more options.

Committee members scheduled their next, presumably-virtual meeting for 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 8. One agenda item will be a proposal to ask the Maine legislature to study the possibility of continuing to allow virtual meetings after the coronavirus emergency ends.

Heath feared virtual meetings would limit public participation. Pitney suggested the town office could be opened so people could go there to watch virtual meetings just as they could attend person-to-person meetings before the emergency.