Vassalboro’s F.A.V.O.R. group will be holding a Window Dressers Build from November 16th – 21st. We are looking for volunteers to assist with measuring, frame building and completing the inserts. Now is also the time to request and purchase frames for your winter insulating needs. Please call the Town Office – Debbie 207 872 2826.
by Roland D. HalleeRecent awareness of several motor vehicle crashes on Route 225, in Rome, has prompted the Maine Department of Transportation to suspend the use of an asphalt sealant that has been used. The investigation will focus on the mixture used in the sealant and whether that is the cause of the slippery road conditions. It has been described as resembling the effects of black ice. It is not exclusive to Maine, but has occurred throughout the United States.
“Fogging,” as it is called, is an inexpensive way of slowing the break down of pavement that is commonly used on certain spots or stretches of road.
The material and its use is normally a light application of a diluted asphalt that gets its name from the way it is applied.
The next step in the investigation will be to see if the sealant was properly applied. The company that did the work is Down East Emulsions LLC and applied by SHOem Roadway Services LLC, under the direction of the MDOT.
Locally, it was noticed this past summer that some sort of sealant was applied along the breakdown lanes on Route 3, as it passes through China, because of its shiny, wet-looking surface during dry conditions.
China Town Manager Dennis Heath said, “I do not believe the sealant is part of the process for our roads.” The town contracted for hot-mix asphalt shim and overlay. Heath continued, “As I understand it, the sealant at issue is ‘fogged’ onto the road surface as a low-cost separate application to extend the life of a road’s pavement until it can be repaved.”
Heath also interjected, “Our friends in Ireland can attest to why it is important to slow down on wet roads. The water alone presents the possibility of lost traction, but when mixed with the build-up of oil and tire residue, you have the makings of an oil slick that is treacherous.”
Vassalboro Town Manager Mary Sabins stated, “I am not aware of this sealant problem in our area. I only became aware of it when I saw the story on the news.”
Fairfield Town Manager Michelle Flewelling confirmed that “nothing like this product has been applied by the town of Fairfield in the town of Fairfield.”
However, MDOT has a project on Rte. 201 that starts in Fairfield and goes to Skowhegan. This project was contracted to Pike Industries. The breakdown lanes do appear to have had a similar application.
Flewelling then added, “My public works director did mention that he spun a bit when he attempted to leave the Good Will-Hinckley campus this morning to go back onto Rte. 201.”
According to the three town managers, the sealant in question has not been used on town roads by their respective road crews.
It seems that only state roads have had the sealant applied in various locations.
An email sent to the Maine Department of Transportation was not returned by press time.
by Mary GrowVassalboro has three large culverts that need repair or replacement, and limited funds for special road projects. Town Manager Mary Sabins and two public works department members therefore went to a program on grants at the end of August. One outcome was a request from a private company to discuss grant application procedures.
Consequently, town selectmen, Sabins, Road Commissioner Eugene Field and crew member James “J.J.” Wentworth met Sept. 26 with Esther Bizier from Main-Land Development Consultants of Livermore Falls. The participating audience included two Vassalboro residents, Nate Gray from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and James Foster, who is with VHB, Inc (Vanasse Hangen Brustlin) of South Portland. The culverts are on Gray Road, Whitehouse Road and Cross Hill Road. For months, Field and selectmen have intermittently discussed options for the Cross Hill Road culvert, which has crumbling concrete and water running under it.
The Sept. 26 discussion focused on which of the three would be most likely to get the most money if town officials applied for a state Stream Crossing Grant. Participants talked about application requirements, an area in which Sabins said neither she nor Field has a lot of expertise; timetables (the deadline for this fall is Nov. 12, but there will be another window in the spring); and criteria for receiving a grant. Bizier said positive effects on fish habitat count for 50 percent, infrastructure improvement and public safety 25 percent and cost efficiency 25 percent.
The maximum grant is $92,000, Sabins said. A municipality can apply for two grants at a time.
After reviewing the potential costs and value of work on each of the three culverts, selectmen voted to retain Main-Land to prepare an application for the Gray Road culvert, for a $4,500 fee, and to hire Foster to work with Field on an application for the one on Cross Hill Road.
They made no further commitment at this point. Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus said before Nov. 12 they will decide whether to submit both applications or only one.
An annotated photo of the Dodge property and proposed structure, which was presented at the Board of Appeals hearing on Tuesday. (Annotated by Joshua Dodge)
Rena and Joshua Dodge were great friends with their neighbor, Richard Breton, until he decided to build a lighthouse on the hilltop behind their residence on Priest Hill Road in Vassalboro. On Tuesday, September 24, nearly 30 people crowded into the central meeting room at the Vassalboro town office for a hearing on the dispute before the Board of Appeals.
Thirteen years ago, the Dodges purchased five acres in a secluded area on Priest Hill Road. Breton owns a wide swath of land bordering the Dodges’ property on three sides. The Dodges were attracted to the location because of the property’s isolation and privacy, and with that in mind, built their new home well back from the road.
“It was secluded; it has privacy,” Joshua Dodge said, describing their motivations for purchasing the property.
Three years ago, the Dodges added a swimming pool behind the home for their family and two children, age 6 and 9, to enjoy, far away from prying eyes.
Both parties enjoyed a cordial relationship for more than a decade. At the hearing, Joshua Dodge referenced “many a dinner of pizza with [Breton] and the kids” at a picnic table in the back yard. “Good times there,” said Dodge.
But goodwill between the parties began to collapse a few months ago when Breton brought the Dodge family plans for a three-story structure he was thinking of building on the hill overlooking the backyard of their house.
“The whole reason we filed the administrative appeal,” Dodge said at the hearing, “is because we feel the location is a huge invasion of privacy.”
The planned building was described at the hearing as a three-story structure, approximately 35 feet high, with the third story entirely encased in glass windows and a balcony surrounding the upper floor (hence the term “lighthouse”), which would perch at the top of a small knoll on land owned by Breton but directly behind the Dodges’ residence.
The building would be rented out “three to four months” of the year, according to Breton, as it would be inaccessible during the snowy winter months.
At the hearing, Breton repeatedly insisted the purpose of the building was not to invade the privacy of the Dodge family. “I’m not building this thing to spy on them,” Breton said at one point. “I would die for their kids. They’re great people, great kids, but I’m building this thing to look over my big field.”
The initial building permit was issued by former Codes Enforcement Officer (CEO) Dick Dolby on August 8, but Dolby was not present at the hearing as he has recently taken a position with the Augusta Fire Marshal’s office. However, current acting CEO Paul Mitnik was on hand to answer regulatory questions.
“[Mr. Breton] obtained a septic permit today, and a plumbing permit last week,” Mitnik confirmed.
A number of possible regulatory issues were raised: Was the structure too close to an area designated as a wetland? Not according to the Town Shoreland Zoning map supplied by GIS which the town uses to identify wetlands. Does the structure need a fire access road? No, not for a rental property. Was the structure, as a rental property, considered a new business? No, rental properties are not considered a business as defined by town regulations.
The Vassalboro Board of Appeals, from left to right, Gary Coull, chairman Kathy Lees, John Reuthe and Leon Duff. (Photo by Eric W. Austin)
Appeals Board member John Reuthe stated, “Mr. Breton has followed everything he’s supposed to do. Whether it’s the right thing to do, that’s up to him. That’s the hard part. You can be right, but do you actually win the war?” To which Breton replied, “No, nobody wins the war in this.”
Appeals Board member Leon Duff, who had visited the location of the planned structure, added, “I looked at it, I walked it, I saw the [picnic] table on the crest…I have kinda come to the conclusion in my mind that, with all the acreage available, why would you build such a structure so close to another structure? I don’t understand that. It makes no logic to me. And I read the [submitted correspondence]…I’m kind of puzzled about why Mr. Breton has decided to go ahead and do it. There are so many options available, because of the land that is owned, and so I’m troubled with that.”
In the end, with no regulatory issues identified, the committee could not find a reason to deny Mr. Breton a permit for construction.
Appeals board chairman, Kathy Lees, summed up the meeting: “The appeals committee has been unable to negate the process [of construction] because we don’t have any standings to suggest that there was something inadvertent for malicious intent or [anyone was] misinformed.
“The opinion of many sounds like this is unattractive, this is going to deter from the natural space, and that you find it unattractive, unpleasant and it has become an emotional hardship due to failed efforts to communicate and come to common ground…But our committee cannot rule that this has become an issue of pure safety or something we can stand to offer a stop, a solid stop, on the project. But I’m afraid that the efforts for communication have fallen on deaf ears, and opinions will continue to fly.”
CORRECTION: The building permit for Breton’s proposed structure was issued on August 8, not August 18. The article has been updated.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that the Dodges initially purchased their property from Mr. Breton. That was incorrect and has been removed from the article.
EDIT: The previous photo, created by the author of the article, has been replaced with the annotated photo presented at the hearing on Tuesday. The original photo used with the article can be seen below.
The original annotated photo of the site. Google maps photo.
Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)
At the Sept. 17 Vassalboro School Board meeting, Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer shared a list of more than 200 educational bureaucracy acronyms he obtained at a recent conference.
Some have become familiar, like ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
Some seem confusing. HR might mean either House Resolution or Human Resources, and SFA stands for either student financial assistance or School Food Authority. FY is fiscal year; FFY is federal fiscal year; PFY is preceding fiscal year; SY is school year; there is no SFY for state fiscal year.
There are long acronyms, like AEFFA (Association of Educational Federal Finance Administrators), CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) and FPLPE (Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension). There are a minority of two-letter ones, including MC for Montana Compact and PS, which does not mean an addition to a letter or an email – it means postsecondary.
Easy to pronounce acronyms include GAPS, the Grant Administration and Payment System; HELP, the U. S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; LEARN, Literacy for All, Results for the Nation; and PLOP, present level of performance.
Vassalboro Community School. (source: jmg.org)
Vassalboro School Board members applauded when they heard at their Sept. 17 meeting that students at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) are in line for a joint project with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, commonly called NASA.
“Wicked awesome,” was Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer’s reaction.
Michelle Lake, instructional specialist for the now-dissolved Alternative Educational Structure (AOS) #92, and VCS science teacher Breanne Desmond reported that their application has been approved to try out for a Cubesat launch. A Cubesat is “a little tiny satellite” that carries experiments into earth orbit, Lake explained.
The next step is for NASA to help assemble a team of engineers and other experts who will work with students to build the solar-powered satellite. It will be tested by going up with a weather balloon and if it works, will hitch a ride into space.
The timetable is indefinite, starting this fall. The project is supposed to take two years. Desmond expects to start with sixth-graders; the curriculum team hasn’t decided whether the second year will continue with the same students in seventh grade or hand over to the new sixth-graders.
The question the students will try to answer is whether the frequency or location of lightning strikes is changed by global warming. Sub-questions include whether the northeastern United States can expect more frequent or severe lightning strikes; if that answer is yes, what negative (like more forest fires) and positive (like more nitrogen fixing to improve soils) consequences might occur; whether energy could be captured from the lightning; and whether, if lightning is more frequent, housing codes should be adapted.
The other good-news report Sept. 17 was that changes to the school meals program are leading more students to eat school-provided breakfast or lunch or both. In addition to potential improvements in nutrition, more use of the meals program means an increased federal subsidy.
A third issue discussed was whether to allow a Vassalboro school bus to transport eight VCS students attending Happy Days Childcare and Learning Center on Augusta Road (Route 201), in Winslow, an estimated 70 yards from the Vassalboro town line. The usual policy is that Vassalboro buses operate only inside the town.
However, Pfeiffer said he gave Happy Days conditional approval, if the childcare manager will let its yard be used as a school bus turn-around. Driver Clayton Rice called the plan “doable,” Pfeiffer said. School Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur said Happy Days employees’ vehicles are not in the way.
Board members approved the proposal without opposition, as long as the turnaround is plowed adequately and not blocked in any other way. Pfeiffer emphasized this action does not set a precedent for automatically allowing buses to cross the town boundary; anyone else wanting the same service needs to follow procedure, starting with a written application.
The next regular Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Oct. 15.
Lukas Blais, 6, of Vassalboro, trained with Nunchucks at the Huard’s Martial Arts boot camp in August. (photo by Carolyn Blais)
by Mary GrowVassalboro selectmen hosted representatives of the Central Maine Growth Council (CMGC) at their Sept. 5 meeting to hear about potential advantages of CMGC help with town projects.
Senior Economic Development Specialist Garvan Donegan, accompanied by Development Coordinator Elaine Theriault-Currier, explained that CMGC is a Waterville-based public-private regional economic development organization funded by area municipalities – it serves as the economic development department for Waterville, Winslow, Fairfield and Oakland – and more than 90 colleges, hospitals and businesses.
The organization helps members attract and site new businesses, expand existing businesses, develop a workforce, implement solar power, do land use planning (including recreational trails), and apply for grants – all items of interest to Vassalboro selectmen.
Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus commented that the town is so much a bedroom community that, “You can’t buy a drop of gasoline in Vassalboro,” to fill your lawnmower.
Membership in CMGC would cost Vassalboro about $14,000, Donegan estimated. Membership fees are based on a formula that combines population and state property valuation. Vassalboro officials could also use CMGC services on an hourly-fee basis.
Donegan gave selectmen figures on grants received by CMGC members that substantially exceeded membership fees. New businesses would increase tax revenue, Titus added.
Board members postponed decisions to a future meeting. Residents’ comments and suggestions are welcome before and at the next discussion.
The other major topic Sept. 5 was whether, and if so, how to redesign the Vassalboro transfer station to make it safer. Board members decided they want to continue to use the present compacter-plus-roll-off-containers disposal system, instead of changing to, for example, large open-top tractor-trailers; and they probably want to move the entrance off Lombard Dam Road farther east, to gain more sight distance.
Town Manager Mary Sabins is in touch with the companies that made and sold the town’s compacter in 1988 and plans to schedule an inspection, with an eye to replacing the aged machinery. Selectmen asked her to ask Road Commissioner Eugene Field to develop a plan and a cost estimate for a new entrance.
Rather than redesign the interior traffic pattern, they proposed using cones and other barriers to create temporary patterns for station Manager George Hamar to experiment with.
In other business, selectmen unanimously approved Recreation Director Danielle Sullivan’s request to add a cheerleading program for third- through sixth-graders to the Vassalboro recreation program. Sullivan said she has a coach lined up and permission to practice in the school gym; registration fees will cover the cost of uniforms.
By another unanimous vote, selectmen added school board member Jessica Clark to the Solar Energy Project Committee.
Sabins reported two former town officials have returned. Paul Mitnik is the codes officer after Richard Dolby resigned and Peter A. Nerber is animal control officer after Christina LeBlanc resigned. Mitnik’s town office hours are scheduled to end at 3:30 p.m., half an hour earlier than closing time, Sabins said.
Titus commented, a propos of residents’ complaints about lack of law enforcement, that he saw state police blue-lighting speeders in two different parts of town on two consecutive days.
The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Sept. 19. Board members voted unanimously to cancel an Oct. 3 meeting, due to conflicts for Sabins and Selectman Robert Browne. Should early-October decisions be needed, they can schedule a special meeting.
by Mary GrowThe pre-kindergarten (preK) students at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) now have their own playground sized for four-year-olds, thanks to the Southern Kennebec Regional Development Corporation’s Head Start program.
The new playground, funded entirely by Head Start and designed with input from Vassalboro’s preK staff, is close enough to the older students’ area so siblings can wave to each other, but each group has its own facilities. For the preK group, there are a climbing castle and a swing set on a circle of wood-chip-covered ground.
The youngsters have a 40-minute daily recess to use the new playground. “They love it,” VCS Principal Megan Allen said.
The Head Start grant that provided the playground has been extended to December, Allen said. Additional funds will buy four tricycles, plus safety helmets, for preK students.
Vassalboro’s preK program is in its fifth year, runs five full days a week and has 18 students, its highest enrollment so far. There are three full-time staff: veteran VCS preK teachers Jessica Field and Sarah Page and educational technician Danielle Plossay. Page is a Head Start employee and spends part of her time providing the in-home services that are part of Head Start programs; Field and Plossay are VCS employees.
Allen said the playground project involved working with two “fantastic” women from the Regional Development Corporation, Agency Director Cristina Salois and Program Manager Melissa Savage.
The larger playground is limited during school hours to students five years old and older, probably, Allen surmised, to meet insurance regulations. Both areas are used by families after school and on weekends, she said.
The PreK program began almost entirely separate from the rest of the VCS community, Allen said, but preK students are getting involved in more and more school experiences. The plan is to have the youngest students “integrated into the school environment as much as possible.”
They’re sharing the cafeteria; a few minutes after the preK children sit down to eat the kindergartners join them and after a few more minutes the first-graders. Classes are small enough so the space is neither too noisy nor too crowded, Allen commented.
Beginning in October, the preK students will have a turn at music, gym time, library visits, computer work and other additions to classroom teaching, just as the older students do.
Pillows created by Sew for a Cause for foster children to decorate and give to their siblings at Camp to Belong. (photo by Jeanne Marquis)
In talented hands, fabric and thread can help improve lives of many individuals, both locally and in a distant continent. This is the motivation of a group called Sew for a Cause, established by Rachel Kilbride. Sew for a Cause reconvened after their short summer break to work on projects on September 5, at the St. Bridget Center, in Vassalboro. Future sewing sessions will be September 19 and October 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sew for a Cause began in November 2018 and now has over 20 passionate, highly productive members. Their love for sewing is surpassed only by their love of giving what they have made to comfort others: newborn infants, elderly, foster children, veterans, families in shelters and the infirmed. Among the items these skilled ladies sew are comfort caps for cancer patients, baby quilts, pillowcases, lap and full-size quilts.
Rachel Kilbride says that 90 percent of their material and batting is donated. Oftentimes, fabric and unfinished sewing projects are presented to the group when neighbors are cleaning out a parent’s home. Sew for a Cause graciously accepts most sewing materials and volunteer hours. Sometimes fabric donations come in just when the materials are needed the most. In this first year, the group had a project that required an enormous amount of fleece. No sooner had they discovered the need, Rachel had received a phone call from a donor who had the correct yardage.
Sew for a Cause also produces unique fabric items for special needs. For example, they create fidget quilts for Alzheimer’s patients to help simulate memories. These are lap size quilts with touchable symbols of what may have been important to the individual in their younger years, such as small toy baseball bat or a small fuzzy dog sewn into the quilt. Touching these symbols helps to open a dialogue between Alzheimer’s patient and their caregivers.
Another special need was fulfilled by Bunnie Picher who sewed over 200 washable feminine hygiene pads for young girls in Uganda. These items of necessity help prevent girls from missing a week of school each month, so girls can build a brighter future for themselves and their families.
(photo by Jeanne Marquis)
Sew for a Cause sews pillows and quilts designed for foster children to write messages on and give to their siblings to commemorate their week together. Camp To Belong is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reuniting brothers and sisters who have become separated in foster care with a week of camp.
The Camp Director for Camp to Belong Maine, Adrian Phair explains, “These kids have been through so much and lost so much during their short lives – including living and growing up without their siblings, something most people with siblings take for granted. For these kids to have something to take home with them, from their siblings with each other’s writing on them – with their messages and thoughts to each other, gives them all something to hold on to, physically, and emotionally. It’s a reminder that their sibling is with them always, as a friend, as a family member, as someone who will be there for them as the years go by. The fact that these pillows were made by such an amazing group of sewers, who want to give back whatever they can is an act that has an amazing ripple effect.”
The ripple effect has touched many other organizations throughout Central Maine as well, including a women’s shelter, Togus VA Medical Center, assisted living homes and other institutions. The women of Sew for a Cause put their heart and soul in their projects.
Both their altruistic spirit and camaraderie of these talented women is evident when you attend one of their sewing sessions within the walls of the St. Bridget Center. Laughter and conversation rise above the hum of the machines and sewing shears. They encourage others to join and make it clear that there is plenty of work for non-sewers as well. For more information on how to get involved or to donate sewing materials, call Rachel Kilbride at 207-604-9339.