Proposed Pine Tree subdivision in Palermo – part 2

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by Jeanne Marquis

(See part 1 of this series here.)

Holden reports that his committee has gathered over 100 signatures to date on a petition against the approval of the proposed Pine Tree subdivision. To participate in the petition, contact Holden at heholden@fairpoint.net.

The proposed Pine Tree subdivision is planned for a 27-acre site on Hostile Valley Road (Tax Map R11, lot 27C) in a sparsely developed Sheepcot River watershed area in Palermo. The Pine Tree subdivision would include 15 buildable lots of varying sizes with each lot required to have separate wells and septic systems.

Holden, an abutting property owner to the proposed Pine Tree subdivision, said, “We are not against development – Palermo must keep up with the rest of the world, but this area is the wrong place.”

Melissa Cote, Sheepscot River Watershed Manager from the Midcoast Conservancy, wrote the following statement concerning the location of the proposed Pine Tree Subdivision in Palermo, Maine:

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There is a right place and a wrong place for most things, and this valuable ecological habitat is the right place to protect the fragile Sheepscot River ecosystem. We are specifically concerned about its proximity to the mainstem of the Sheepscot River. There is a brook that the parcel borders that leads directly into the mainstem Sheepscot River which runs into Sheepscot Lake, so water quality is a concern here. The parcel is currently forested, and forests help keep water clean, especially along streams. Forests filter pollutants from the surrounding landscape and also help to shade rivers and streams which helps to keep water cool in our warming climate. The developer is proposing 15 new lots all with individual septic systems. Septic systems are designed to remove bacteria, which is a human health concern, but not nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which can lead to algal blooms in nearby water bodies.

My understanding from the Sheepscot Lake Association is that the water quality in the Lake is fairly good and this subdevelopment could potentially threaten the water quality of the brook, river, and the lake. If you look at the Beginning With Habitat Map viewer, you can see that the parcel is part of a 1,557 acre undeveloped habitat block, has mapped deer wintering habitat, is less than 500 feet from an aquifer, and is also near federally endangered Atlantic salmon habitat in the mainstem Sheepscot River. It’s also less than a quarter mile from an even larger undeveloped forest block (5,703 acres) which is where Midcoast Conservancy has 1,100+ acres of preserved land with hiking trails. Developing within an undeveloped habitat block leads to habitat fragmentation, which is when large blocks of habitat are cut into smaller pieces and leaves wildlife with less space and freedom to move about their habitat. Overall, there are a lot of environmental concerns here, and something we’d like to communicate to people is that healthy watersheds = healthy communities. Once water quality is impaired it is very difficult and costly to restore. We think there are better places for a subdevelopment to be located than this parcel on Hostile Valley Road.

The board of the Sheepscot Lake Association expressed their concern for the preservation for the lake as well and their trust in the planning board in their statement regarding the proposed Pine Tree Subdivision:

As the board of a lake association, Sheepscot Lake Association’s focus concerns the health and preservation of the lake and watershed. We continue to encourage proper buffers to reduce erosion and restrictions on fertilizers and any runoffs that would affect this, and any water body. And we certainly want development to follow code and work closely with the local regulatory agencies. We support the planning board’s approach to the situation as they are knowledgeable about the requirements, respect the process of controlled development, and base approval on current ordinances.

After the first article on the proposed Pine Tree Subdivision, Cameron Maillet, chairman of the Comprehensive Plan Committee, felt there was confusion as to what documents would govern the approval process of the proposed subdivision. Maillet explained, “The Comprehensive Plan for the town of Palermo was written over 30 years ago and is not a binding document. The ordinance written in 2002 that does pertain to the proposed subdivision is the Subdivision Ordinance of the Town of Palermo.” The Comprehensive Plan is currently being updated. Meeting times and dates for the Comprehensive Plan Committee will be posted on the Town of Palermo website.

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The Subdivision Ordinance, which can be found on the Town of Palermo website here, is also currently being reviewed by the planning Bbard. The board’s next meeting to review this document is scheduled Tuesday, January 28 at 6 pm at the Town Office.

Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: China High Schools – part 1

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Japheth Washburn grave in China Village Cemetery

by Mary Grow

The Town of China had five high schools at various times in the 19th century. The one in China Village lasted into the 20th century; Erskine Academy in South China (next week’s topic) was founded in 1883 and is thriving in 2025.

Your writer summarized histories of these schools in a Sept. 23, 2021, article in this series. Much of the following is reprinted from that issue of “The Town Line,” with additions.

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The earliest high school was China Academy in China Village, in the north end of town, chartered by the Massachusetts legislature in June 1818. Charter language quoted in the China bicentennial history says the school’s purposes were to promote “piety, and virtue,” and to provide instruction “in such languages and in such of the liberal arts and sciences” as the trustees prescribed.

The school initially had five trustees, four China Village residents and Rev. Daniel Lovejoy, from Albion.

(Daniel Lovejoy, one of Albion’s earliest settlers, was the father of abolitionists Elijah Parish Lovejoy, killed by a mob in Alton, Illinois, on Nov. 7, 1837, and Owen Lovejoy, member of the house of Representatives from Illinois from 1857 until his death in March 1864. Elijah and Owen attended China Academy, and Elijah taught there in 1827, after he graduated from Waterville [later Colby] College.)

In 1819, the Academy charter was changed to allow 15 trustees.

The first China Academy building was on the shore of China Lake, in what is now Church Park, across from the China Baptist Church (built in 1814, relocated in 1822). John Brackett donated the land, “in consideration of the love and good will” he had for the trustees; the only condition was that they keep the fence around the lot in repair.

Henry Kingsbury, in his Kennebec County history, credited Japheth C. Washburn, a member of the Massachusetts legislature, with getting China Academy chartered. He added that Washburn “with his own hands felled and prepared for hewing the first stick of timber for the building” that the trustees approved.

The bicentennial history says classes began in or before September 1823. The first two principals were Colby graduates.

In 1825 the Maine legislature approved a land grant for China Academy; Kingsbury valued it at $10,000. In November 1829, the trustees sold the lot in what is now Carroll Plantation (on Route 6, in Penobscot County, east of Lincoln and Lee) for $3,400 (about 30 cents an acre, the bicentennial history says).

With legislative support and “an encouraging student enrollment,” the trustees put up what Kingsbury called a “new and spacious” two-story brick building on the east side of Main Street, in China Village. (Neither the bicentennial history nor the county history dates either the first or second Academy building.)

This building stood across from the Federal-style house, dating from around 1827, that has housed the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library since 1941. The first classes there were in November 1828, with 89 students, the bicentennial history says.

The trustees gave the wooden building by the lake to the Town of China, to be used as a district school.

From 1835 to 1844 China Academy did well, under “able and experienced” Principal Henry Paine. There were 221 students in 1835 and again in 1844, most from China but some from other Maine towns. Teachers, in addition to Paine, included a Colby senior, a Colby graduate and at least one woman, Sarah A. Shearman, in charge of “instruction in the ornamental branches.”

School was held for four 12-week terms, beginning “the first Mondays of March, June, September, and December.” The history quotes advertisements in the weekly China Orb newspaper that said quarterly tuition was $3 for basic English reading and writing; $4 for advanced English courses; and $5 for “Latin, Greek, and French.”

The Academy had no dormitory. The history says it (trustees, teachers or both?) helped students find nearby places to board, at rates ranging from $1.33 to $1.50 a week.

After Waterville Academy was chartered in 1842 and organized successfully by James Hanson (graduate of China Academy and Colby College, profiled in the Nov. 21, 2024, issue of “The Town Line”) and Paine left China in 1844, China Academy’s enrollment dropped. By 1850, average enrollment was around 50 students. The Civil War caused a temporary closure.

After the war, the Academy reopened and, the history says, in 1872, “had a staff of five who were teaching 40 to 60 students a term.” Terms were “shortened to ten weeks,” and tuition increased to $3.50 a term for basic English, $4.50 for advanced English and $5.50 for foreign languages or bookkeeping. Music was added, 20 lessons for $10; the history does not specify vocal, instrumental or both.

The history says that students’ records “included the number of words misspelled, the number of times tardy, and the number of days they were caught whispering in class.”

As previously mentioned, in 1873 the Maine legislature required towns to provide high schools. According to the bicentennial history, after 1880 amendments to the law China Academy apparently became a hybrid – the brick Academy building was used to teach free high school classes, but “This institution still called itself China Academy and was supervised by a board of trustees.”

Kingsbury wrote that the group he called “stockholders” “held their annual elections and meetings until 1887.”

Enrollment rose – “54 students in the spring of 1883, 70 in the fall of 1884, and 88 in the spring of 1885,” the history says. More girls than boys enrolled in each of those terms, after years when male students had been more numerous.

The history lists courses offered, in a “four-year course sequence” in 1884-85: “English, math, geography, history, bookkeeping, sciences, and philosophy,” plus Greek and Latin “if requested.” There were two or three terms a year, and financial support came from the local school district, other nearby China districts and one district in Albion.

In 1887 the brick building was deemed unsafe and was blown up, scattering fragments of brick onto adjoining properties. The trustees sold the lot to the local school district.

The history says that “Willis R. Ward built a wooden schoolhouse at a cost of $1,000 which served as both high school and elementary school from 1888 to 1909.”

In 1897, China voters appropriated no money for high schools. The history says China Village residents funded one anyway, with state aid. By 1899 village residents also relied on “contributions and subscriptions” to keep high school classes going.

Courses included “advanced English, mathematics,…science… and a five-student Latin class.”

The China Village free high school gradually lost students early in the 20th century and closed in 1908. Many students transferred to China’s other private high school, Erskine Academy.

The wooden building remained an elementary school until the consolidated China Elementary School opened in 1949. It was sold and became a two-story chicken house. The building was demolished in 1969 and replaced by a house.

A China Village high school was re-established from the fall of 1914 through the spring of 1916 – the bicentennial history gives no reason. Classes met in the second floor of a no-longer-existing wooden building (later the American Legion Hall) on the southeast corner of the intersection of Main Street, Neck Road.

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The China bicentennial history provides partial information on three other nineteenth-century China high schools, in Branch Mills Village, in South China Village and at Dirigo.

The earliest, the East China high school in Branch Mills, “was established about 1851 in a building constructed for that purpose by Mr. Barzillai Harrington.” The building was on the south side of the village main street, west of the bridge across the West Branch of the Sheepscot River. It appears as a large rectangle on the town map in the 1856 Maine atlas, labeled “B. H. Academy.”

In 1852, the history says, elementary classes met in “Mr. Harrington’s high school building” because the district schoolhouse was “in such poor condition.”

An 1856 advertisement for the school listed Claudius B. Grant as the principal for an 11-week term beginning Sept. 1. Tuition was $3 per term for basic English, $3.50 for advanced English and $4 for “languages,” unspecified.

The bicentennial history cites China town reports saying high school classes were provided in Branch Mills in 1857 for one term; in 1865 for one term, taught by Stephen A. Jones, of China; in 1882, for two terms, taught by Thomas W. Bridgham, of Palermo; and in 1883 for one term, taught by J. A. Jones. The writer found no evidence of continuous classes, and locations were not specified.

Though classes were listed in 1882 and 1883, the Branch Mills map in the 1879 Maine atlas identifies the building by a name, indicating it was a private home. The China history says the Academy building was sold in the 1880s. Kingsbury’s history says it was in 1892 the Good Templars Hall.

A footnote in the bicentennial history adds: “In 1894 the school committee recommended a term of high school at Branch Mills, but the town records provide no evidence that it was held.”

The high school in South China Village started in the 1860s and ran at least intermittently through the spring of 1881, according to the bicentennial history.

In 1865, former primary school teacher T. W. Bridgham taught a spring high school term. In 1877-78, A. W. Warren was teacher for a seven-week term. F. E. Jones taught 51 students in the fall of 1880. The next spring, J. E. Jones taught what was apparently the final term, “with the expenses being borne by three adjacent school districts.”

The writer of the bicentennial history found only a single reference to the high school at Dirigo (or Dirigo Corner), where Alder Park Road and Dirigo Road intersect what is now Route 3 (Belfast Road). In 1877 and 1878, the town report described two China free high schools, South China “and a 20-week term at Dirigo.”

Fred D. Jones was the teacher at Dirigo, “and the supervisor of schools commended the residents of this quite small school district for supporting so long a term.”

(Attentive readers will have noticed numerous teachers named Jones. They were probably related, at least distantly, and were probably members of the Society of Friends. The genealogical section of the China history has 25 pages of Joneses, several identified as teachers. One of them will receive more attention next week.)

Main sources

Grow, Mary M., China Maine Bicentennial History including 1984 revisions (1984)
Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892)

Websites, miscellaneous

Winslow council repeals public safety department

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by Jonathan Strieff

In a first reading of the ordinance at the January 13, Winslow town council meeting, council members voted 4-3 to repeal the Winslow Public Safety Department adopted on November 21, 2022, and reinstate the previously separated Police Department and Fire and Rescue Department.

The ordinance, sponsored by the newly-appointed Council Chairman, Fran Hudson, seeks to address staffing shortages, high rates of overtime pay, and the lack of cross training of officers promised by transitioning to the public safety model adopted in 2022.

“Since adopting the Public Safety Department, Winslow has lost six police officers and eight firefighters,” Hudson cited for pursuing the restructuring. “If I were a new graduate from the police academy or the firefighters academy, I would be looking for a job at a Police or Fire Department, not a Public Safety Department.”

Hudson also referenced other Maine municipalities like Gardiner and Old Town that transitioned to Public Safety Departments only to revert back to more traditional models after a few years.

Council members in favor of preserving the Public Safety Department, like Second District Council Member Dale Macklin and Councilor-at-Large Jeffery West, noted that overtime pay was on pace with what the council had budgeted for the fiscal year and that personnel disputes, common when the Police and Fire Departments had been managed separately, seemed to have disappeared since adopting the unified Public Safety Department’.

Public Safety Director, Leonard McDaid, and Deputy Fire Chief, Michael Murphy, both spoke favorable about the operations of the Public Safety Department, but both acknowledged that they, “serve at the will of the council,” and will run organize the departments accordingly.

The council also heard a presentation from Winslow Town Sexton, Jason Fitch, about the potential to expand McClintock Cemetery. Fitch shared that an abutting landowner has offered to sell the town up to two acres of land for new burial and cremation plots, but the Sexton needed to receive council approval to even sit down to negotiations with him. Fitch estimated the additional land would meet the towns needs for 10 years of burials and pointed out that there is currently no inventory available for burial or cremation plots in Winslow.

At the council meeting, Deputy Fire Chief Murphy also awarded Captain Adam Burgess with the award of Firefighter of the Year for 2024 and recognized retiring firefighter Paul DuCett for 28 years of service.

Vassalboro school board discusses major work at school

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Vassalboro Community School (contributed photo)

by Mary Grow

The Jan. 14 Vassalboro School Board workshop and meeting included more discussion of plans for major work on the Vassalboro Community School (VCS) building, a presentation on the Gifted and Talented Program and a discussion of board members’ stipends.

The official meeting was preceded by a workshop presentation by engineer Erik Rodstrom, of Portland-based Energy Management Consultants (EMC). EMC representatives have attended prior meetings to talk about updating the building, which opened in 1990.

Rodstrom shared a spreadsheet that helps board members establish priorities, consider what projects might be combined and estimate costs.

He discussed criteria for selecting items to be done first. One is obsolescence: if an operating unit is so old neither replacement parts nor skilled technicians are available if it breaks down, it should be high on the list.

The amount of a project’s energy savings is another consideration; work that saves more money should be prioritized when practical. And the importance of the unit is a consideration: for example, Rodstrom said the VCS boiler is only about 12 years old, but if it should break down, the school would have to close.

Board members intend to review EMC’s multi-page report and make priority recommendations to be discussed at their February meeting.

When the school board meeting convened after Rodstrom’s presentation, Gifted and Talented (GT) teacher Rod Robilliard talked about his program, which has 40 VCS students enrolled. The purpose, he said, is to provide individualized learning that emphasizes each student’s talents and strengths.

“They want to stretch. They feel proud when they take on a challenge and succeed,” Robilliard said of his students.

When board member Jessica Clark asked if Robilliard needed anything, he said he might need minor funding, for example for transportation – but perhaps parents or the Parent-Teacher Organization will step up.

Robilliard’s half-time position is new and has expanded the GT program. Principal Ira Michaud praised Robilliard’s work, calling him a “phenomenal asset” to VCS.

A survey of GT students brought two main responses, Michaud reported: some said the program is perfect, others wanted longer and/or more frequent G/T classes.

Board chairman Jolene Gamage proposed discussion of board members’ stipends, for the first time in the dozen years she has been on the board. Given the lack of people willing to run for this and other town boards, she wondered if more money would help.

Probably not, she and other board members concluded; people serve on the school board because they want Vassalboro to have an excellent school, not for $400 a year. Several members did not know there was a stipend until the first check arrived.

Gamage did recommend that the board chairman – starting with her successor – be given extra money for extra time. Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer agreed; he communicates with the board through the chairman, he said, and frequently calls Gamage.

The issue was tabled for more information, including about other Maine school boards: how many members do they have, and how much are members paid?

In other business, Pfeiffer reported several pieces of good news, like ongoing cooperation with the town’s public works department under new director Brian Lajoie and a sound financial report from Director of Finance Paula Pooler.

Pooler was too busy preparing 2025-26 budgets for Vassalboro, Waterville and Winslow schools to attend the meeting, Pfeiffer said. He plans to present some parts of Vassalboro’s proposed budget at the board’s February meeting.

Board members accepted the resignation of special education teacher Kathleen Cole, effective at the end of the school year. Pfeiffer said Cole is retiring, after teaching at VCS since 2000.

The next Vassalboro school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, preceded by another 4:30 p.m. workshop discussion of building work.

Thurston Park group continues talks on south entrance

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Hikers on Bridge in Thurston Park (Photo courtesy: Town of China)

by Mary Grow

China’s Thurston Park Committee members spent part of their Jan. 16 meeting talking again about the possibility of opening a southern entrance to the 400-acre park in northeastern China.

The unpaved Yorktown Road runs north from the Mann Road, in China, through the park and across the Albion town line. Town voters discontinued the road in March 1956, but they kept an easement allowing public use.

The current entrance to the park from the north is down a steep hill, partly in Albion, that needs frequent repair. Albion does not maintain it; committee chairman Jeanette Smith explained that China money can’t be used outside town limits.

The southern end of Yorktown Road is Maurice “Steve” and Dawn Haskell’s driveway. The Haskells prefer not to have the road repaired and maintained for park access.

When Smith proposed last fall that committee members confer with the Haskells, Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood recommended they first consult select board members. At the Dec. 20, 2024, select board meeting, board members unanimously approved committee members reaching out to all landowners near the Yorktown Road at the south end of the park (see the Jan. 2 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

Two of those landowners, Jerry Smith and Kathryn Kellison, came to the Jan. 16 meeting. They said they are reluctant to have access to their property improved, fearing trespassers and vandalism.

Jeanette Smith said road improvements would consist of adding gravel, ditching and where necessary installing culverts. The road would not be paved.

Opening a south entrance would not create through traffic on Yorktown Road. As at the north end, there would be a parking lot and a gate just inside the park boundary, she said.

Park hours are dawn to dusk, Smith said. There are no plans to plow the south entrance in the winter.

An alternative to improving the Yorktown Road as a southern entrance has been discussed: making a new right-of-way. Smith said that would be a complicated and costly undertaking.

She assured Jerry Smith and Kellison she would keep them informed of developments that might affect them

Jerry Smith and another guest, China Historical Society member Tim Hatch, mentioned other former roads, no longer maintained or even traceable, that might have run into the park, including one from Palermo. Smith concluded she needs to talk with more people.

The meeting included Hatch’s presentation on the history of the park, which opened formally on May 31, 2014. The town had owned much of the land since the 1950s.

The first parcel was a gift from Everett Thurston, because, Jeanette Smith said, when he and his family were down on their luck, town officials helped them out. More land was acquired through tax foreclosures, Hatch said, and one small piece was purchased.

Some of the landowners in what is now the park were members of China’s Black population. The Talbot cemetery, one of two identified Black cemeteries in China, is just outside the eastern end of the southern park boundary, at the Palermo town line.

Voters who responded to a pre-2014 survey and then approved the park did not want it to increase taxes, Smith said. Consequently, funding has come from grants, occasional fund-raising efforts and China’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money. Much of the labor of creating and maintaining trails and other facilities has been volunteer, including Eagle Scout projects.

Smith is waiting to find out whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approves funds for repairs after the December 2023 storms, before she proposes a 2025 TIF fund request.

She is researching other funding sources, including the new $30 million trail fund Maine voters approved in November 2024.

A top priority project is designing and building a handicapped trail near the north end of the park and adding a handicapped toilet. Smith has approached the builder of the park’s other toilet facilities about taking on the new project.

On another topic, committee members briefly discussed plans for China’s Ice Days, Feb. 14 through 16. Smith said the park will host an Owl Prowl the evening of Friday, Feb. 14, and, if snow conditions permit, sledding the morning of Saturday, Feb. 15.

The next Thurston Park Committee meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20, in the portable building behind the China town office on Lakeview Drive.

China planners approve permits for retail store, rebuilding boat landing

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members approved both applications on their Jan. 14 agenda, the one from the town after an unusually complex discussion.

The meeting began with a short public hearing on a proposed retail store at 363 Route 3. There were no comments from anyone present or on line, and codes officer Nicholas French, attending virtually due to illness, said he had received none.

After action on the town’s application, board members reviewed the Route 3 application, presented by engineer Steven Govoni, president of Skowhegan-based Wentworth Partners & Associates. Govoni was speaking for the developer, Calito Development Group, of Torrington, Connecticut.

Govoni made an initial presentation at the board’s November 2024 meeting. The public hearing was first scheduled for Dec. 10, but a snowstorm led board chairman Toni Wall to cancel the meeting. Govoni thanked her, saying driving had been dangerous Dec. 10.

Board members compared plans for the store with the 15 criteria in China’s ordinance, found that the criteria were met and unanimously approved a permit, with the usual reminder that there is a 30-day appeal period.

The single-story, 9,100-square-foot steel building will replace the two-story wooden building that most recently housed Grace Academy Learning Center (closed in June 2022). Govoni said the store will use the existing septic system and a new well, which requires state approval.

There will be two bathrooms, one for staff and one for the public.

Planners asked if town would support homeless veterans housing

At the Jan. 14 China Planning Board meeting, resident and former select board member Robert McFarland and his business partner, Darren Desveaux, of Waterville, asked whether board members think the town would support a housing project for homeless veterans, including a vocational rehabilitation facility.

The two have organized a nonprofit organization, yet to be named, and are considering buying land on Pleasant View Ridge Road, at the McCaslin Road intersection. MacFarland said their project would replicate one near the Togus Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Codes Officer Nicholas French said more than three individual housing units would constitute a subdivision, even if the land were not divided into lots.

Govoni said the Central Maine Power line across the back of the property limits placement of buffers from neighboring properties, so they will be the existing lawns, not the trees often required. Because the neighbors are also commercial establishments, board members were satisfied.

In reply to the criterion about hazardous materials, Govoni said there will not be enough to require preventive measures under state law.

He said the store is part of a “national brand” that has its own safety standards and protocols, sometimes stricter than state laws.

He did not name the “national brand.”

The application from the Town of China was to move more than 100 cubic yards of earth. The earth-moving is part of rebuilding Town Landing Road in South China.

The plan select board members have endorsed involves paving the short road that runs to the boat landing on China Lake, with the paving sloped to send run-off into ditches with check-dams, and at the lake a buffer strip and an improved launching area.

As directed by the town manager, codes officer French had filled out the application, because, he said, he was the most knowledgeable person except for those who will do the work. At the Jan. 14 meeting, he answered planning board members’ questions virtually. The application asked for evidence that the project met the same 15 criteria applicable to the Route 3 retail store.

Rebuilding the road is intended to minimize run-off into China Lake. French reminded planning board members the town has been legally required to take action for 20 years. Selectboard members have discussed the landing at several meetings in the last couple years.

French had left blank the reply to the first criterion, whether the project meets all applicable laws and rules. He said the town has a state Department of Environmental Protection permit by rule, and the project meets town requirements.

Board member Michael Brown objected to leaving an answer blank, leading to a 15-minute discussion of whether the application should have been presented by the town manager or a select board member, instead of the codes officer.

Replies to other criteria included references to the proposed check-dams in the proposed ditches and other planned work beyond moving more than 100 cubic feet of earth. For example, French wrote that the project would enhance the value of neighboring properties, and in discussion mentioned the paved road – not part of the work applied for, protested board member Dwaine Drummond.

In another answer, French referred to crushed rock to be placed near the lake. Again, not relevant, Drummond said. With French’s approval, Wall deleted the reference from her copy of the application.

After almost an hour, the permit was approved, conditional on a required flood hazard application that French said he needs to create. The ordinance requires a flood hazard document only for structures, not for road improvements, he explained.

During the public comment period at the end of the Jan. 14 meeting, several abutters who had watched on line objected to some of the board’s conclusions. They reminded planning board members of the requirement to prepare detailed written findings supporting their decision.

At previous meetings and hearings, neighbors have urged select board members to limit the landing to hand-carried canoes and kayaks, minimize signage and otherwise try to keep their neighborhood quiet.

The next regular China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, in the town office meeting room.

EVENTS: Vassalboro church to hold benefit for California fire victims

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A benefit supper will be held by members of the Vassalboro Methodist Church on January 25th to benefit the southern California fire victims. Pictured here are some members of the planning committee, from left to right, Dale Potter-Clark, Nancy Adams, Linda Millay, Cindy Shorey and Simone Antworth all of Vassalboro. (photo courtesy of Dale Clark)

by Dale Potter-Clark

Members of the Vassalboro United Methodist Church (VUMC) are holding a public supper on Saturday, January 25, to benefit the southern California fire victims. The menu will include baked beans, salads, casseroles, breads and desserts.

Thousands of homes and businesses have been destroyed in the southern California fires, as well as local schools and churches. Preliminary assessments of the damage are underway and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has already awarded two solidarity grants to the California-Pacific Annual Methodist Conference to undergird their immediate relief efforts. This includes evacuee support like food and essential supplies as well as support for volunteer efforts and other relief activities. Proceeds from the VUMC public supper will assist the fire victims through the efforts of UMCOR.

The supper will take place at the VUMC, at 614 Main Street, Vassalboro, from 4 to 6 p.m., for a $10. donation. FMI email info.vumc@gmail.com or phone (207) 873-5564 and/or visit the Vassalboro United Methodist Church facebook page.

EVENTS: Vassalboro scouts to be honored on Scout Sunday

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The Vassalboro Boy Scouts of America Scouting Troop #410 and Pack# 410 will be honored at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church on Scouts Sunday, February 2. Front row, from left to right, Declan McLaughlin, Lila Reynolds, Boone McLaughlin, Metcalf, and Beckett Metcalf. Back, Cubmaster Chris Reynolds, Lux Reynolds, Cole Stufflebeam, William Vincent, Christopher Santiago, Hunter Brown, and Scoutmaster Christopher Santiago. (contributed photo)

by Dale Potter-Clark

Members of the Vassalboro United Methodist Church (VUMC) will honor the Vassalboro BSA Scouting Troop #410 and Pack #410 and their Scoutmasters at 10 a.m., on Scouts Sunday, February 2. “We want to commend our Vassalboro Scouts for their outstanding community service and good deeds,” said VUMC’s Pastor Karen Merrill. “We hope that former Scouts and leaders will also plan to attend.” A reception will follow in the VUMC fellowship hall. Family members are also invited and encouraged to attend.

The event will take place at the Vassalboro United Methodist Church, at 614 Main Street, from 10 a.m. to noon. FMI email Pastor Merrill info.VUMC@gmail.com or Chris Santiago vassalborocubscoutpack410@gmail.com.

Northern Light Health recognizes National Blood Donor Month

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National Blood Donor Month is a time to recognize and celebrate blood donors, and to remind people of the importance of donating blood. During National Blood Donor Month Northern Light Health would like to extend gratitude to those who have generously donated in the past, saving countless lives, and making a profound difference in our community.

Throughout this special month, we reflect on the significance of blood donation and its vital role in ensuring a stable and sufficient blood supply for patients in need. Every pint donated has the potential to save up to three lives, making each donor a true hero.

Our trauma surgeons care for patients who’ve had accidents every day. When you give blood, you help our surgeons deliver the care our patients deserve. “As a trauma surgeon, I witness firsthand the critical importance of blood donations on our patients’
lives,” says Amy Fenwick, MD, Trauma Medical Director, Northern Light Surgery and Trauma. “During National Blood Donor Month, I urge everyone to consider donating blood; it truly is a lifesaving resource that can mean the difference between life and death for those in need, especially during emergencies and crucial medical procedures.”

PALERMO: Community foundation receives two grants

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The Living Communities Foundation has received two grants, so there will be some improvements on Turner Ridge Road. The first, in the amount of $3,700, came from the Governor’s Cabinet on Aging through the Community Connections Program. This grant is to replace the lighted sign that was destroyed during the December 2024 storm. This grant covers materials, so volunteers will be needed to prepare footings and raise the sign. Materials are being ordered now, as some work can be done inside the Community Center before the ground thaws.

The second grant is from SeedMoney.org, a Maine nonprofit, for the Community Garden. The amount received was $2,150. This was a crowdfunding grant, so generous members of our community kindly pitched in and won us some bonus funds from SeedMoney.org. We highly appreciate this opportunity to become more involved in our community and support those with food insecurity. We have already ripped out the overgrown (20-foot high) thorny blackberry canes, and will be replacing them with gentler, thornless berry bushes. The juicy, sweet berries will be available for any family that needs them during the fruiting season. We also will be replacing several fruit trees with nut trees to create a food forest. The balance of the grant money will go toward maintenance of the back gardens and purchase of seeds, some of which will be shared with the neighbors who come to the Tuesday Food Pantry. The UMaine County Extension is also donating seeds for this purpose. We look forward to a great growing season and an abundance of food to share.

To volunteer or ask questions, please contact Connie Bellet, MGV, at 993-2294 or email pwhitehawk@fairpoint.net.