Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting canceled
The Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting scheduled for Thursday evening, Nov. 2, has been canceled due to lack of agenda items. The next regular selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16.
Window inserts offer available for residents
by Mary Grow
Vassalboro and area residents tired of drafty windows or interested in lower fuel bills – or both – are invited to sign up for energy-saving, draft-blocking window inserts provided through a Vassalboro organization.
Leaders of FAVOR (Friends Advocating for Vassalboro Older Residents) decided at an Oct. 11 meeting they will enroll with Window Dressers, a Rockland-based non-profit organization. The organization helps local residents build and install custom-fitted window inserts, clear plastic with wooden frames, to add a layer of insulation.
FAVOR’s primary target is Vassalboro residents, but people in nearby towns are welcome to join. The program offers financial assistance to low-income homeowners and tenants, but is not a welfare program — any homeowner, any renter who pays his or her own fuel bills or any landlord who pays tenants’ fuel bills is welcome.
Churches and businesses are also eligible for the program, Window Dressers representative Laura Seaton said at the Oct. 11 meeting.
Those interested need to get in touch with Town Manager Mary Sabins, who volunteered to be the local program coordinator, by Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the latest. The date was chosen to give people one more chance to learn about Window Dressers at the polls on Nov. 7.
The other volunteers needed are a volunteer coordinator to work on scheduling and related issues; two two-person measuring teams who will go to houses and apartments and measure windows, starting with initial sign-ups and continuing through mid-November; and many more people to put the inserts together at in-town workshops scheduled to start Friday, Dec. 15, and continue through the weekend and if necessary into the next week.
Seaton said people from Window Dressers will train the Vassalboro measuring teams, who will use laser measuring tools (borrowed from Window Dressers) and enter results into a computer. Once Rockland headquarters people get Vassalboro’s list of windows, they cut the wooden frames to size and may, depending on the size of the order, put them together.
Just before Dec. 15 someone from Vassalboro brings the pre-cut wood and other materials to Vassalboro for a community build, the name given to the assembly process. Seaton said usually the transporter rents a U-Haul van, for which Window Dressers pays. Volunteers, including but not limited to people getting inserts, put the frames together if necessary, stretch the plastic tightly over them and add an outside foam gasket that makes them fit snugly.
The place for the December community build is not firm. Sabins said possibilities include a room in Ray Breton’s mill in North Vassalboro, the East Vassalboro Grange Hall or the town office meeting room.
The volunteer assemblers usually work four-hour shifts with a meal break. The not-yet-named volunteer coordinator is responsible for scheduling and for soliciting donated food.
Seaton said residents usually prioritize windows, doing north and west ones, for example. The inserts are removable and reusable. Vassalboro resident Holly Weidner, who participated in a build some years ago, said the inserts are so clear that she leaves some in year-round.
The price of a window insert varies with the choice of finish, pine or white-painted, and with the size of each window. Seaton estimated eight feet as the maximum length or width available.
She said this year Window Dressers has led 27 community builds and provided between 5,000 and 6,000 inserts.
In addition to making houses more comfortable, Seaton said a study by University of Maine at Orono economists and customer feedback find an average 20 percent reduction in fuel use.
FAVOR meeting rescheduled
The Vassalboro FAVOR (Friends Advocating for Vassalboro Older Residents) meeting scheduled for Oct. 2 was canceled. The representative of Window Dressers who was to talk to the group about low-cost window inserts to save heat was unable to attend.
The meeting will be rescheduled, tentatively for Wednesday morning, Oct. 11. Residents interested in helping with the project, which involves measuring applicants’ windows and building the inserts, and those interested in learning about the program should check with the town office for a firm date and time.
Vassalboro voters to fill vacant selectmen’s position
by Mary Grow
Vassalboro voters will choose a new member of the Board of Selectmen at the polls on Nov. 7.
Following the death of Board Chairman Philip Haines, Lauchlin Titus and Robert Browne met in special session Sept. 27 and agreed on a shortened nomination process and a Nov. 7 election.
Nomination papers were available Monday morning, Oct. 2, and signed papers are due at the town office by 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, for candidates’ names to appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Whoever is elected will serve the remainder of Haines’ term, until the June 2018 elections.
Town Manager Mary Sabins told selectmen they had three options, under state law:
- The special shorter nomination process that she recommended and board members chose;
- A special election, probably in December, after a normal nomination process; or • A two-man board until regular elections in June 2018.
A special election would be a special town meeting, whether it is on Nov. 7 or in December, and under a local regulation would require a quorum of at least 125 voters. Sabins was not sure 125 people would come to the polls only to elect a selectman, especially in December; she thought it more likely that the requirement could be met Nov. 7.
As long as there are only two selectmen, neither can miss a meeting, since a majority of the three-person board must be present to conduct business.
The regular selectmen’s meeting Oct. 5 has been canceled. The next selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Oct. 19.
Possible school reorganization topic at meeting in Vassalboro
by Mary Grow
The possibility of another school reorganization that will affect Vassalboro was again a major topic of discussion at the Sept. 19 school board meeting.
Years ago Vassalboro was a separate school entity. Then it became part of School Union #52 with China and Winslow. School Union #52 dissolved after a state-wide reorganization under 2007 legislation; Vassalboro, Winslow and Waterville became AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) #92, with headquarters in Waterville, while China joined the Oakland-based Messalonskee group in RSU (Regional School Unit) #18.
At the Vassalboro board’s August and September meetings, Superintendent Eric Haley explained that Governor Paul LePage wants to create School Management and Leadership Centers (SMLCs) that would take over business management for significant numbers of schools. The new centers would assume responsibility for such services as payroll, accounts receivable, transportation coordination and professional development.
To encourage schools to create the consolidated centers, Haley said, the governor’s budget cuts state reimbursement to central offices like AOS #92’s, planning to reduce it annually until in 2021 members of RSUs and AOSs pay the entire administrative cost with local funds.
Between the August and September Vassalboro meetings, Haley and other AOS #92 officials went to a conference on SMLCs sponsored by the Maine School Management Association and the Portland-based law firm Drummond Woodsum.
Haley told the Vassalboro board that most attendees went to the conference eager to compete to set up as SMLCs. They left saying “no way,” primarily because the conference sponsors advised caution and waiting to see what happens.
“It was just amazing how everyone flipped on this,” Haley commented.
He pointed out that so far there is no detailed plan for SMLCs. He doubts any school group will be able to create an SMLC by the current July 1, 2018, deadline. Any organizational change would require a plan that gained approval from the state Department of Education and from local voters, Haley said.
As in August, board members tried with limited success to foresee what effect potential changes could have on the quality of education in Vassalboro and the cost to taxpayers.
For example, Haley said state officials see the SMLC heads more as business executives than as educators. Schools like Vassalboro would need their own superintendent, either one person doubling as principal and superintendent or a part-time superintendent in addition to the principal.
Vassalboro Community School Principal Dianna Gram doubts one person could be both principal and superintendent. There’s too much for the principal to do daily in the school for him or her to have other responsibilities, in her opinion.
Another issue is what, if anything, SMLCs would do to correct what Haley and Finance Director Paula Pooler see as too many burdens on central office staff. Haley said that they often cannot meet all the requests from three municipalities as fast as local officials would like; an SMLC office would presumably serve 10 or more municipalities.
The reorganization issue will continue to appear on Vassalboro School Board agendas.
In other business Sept. 19, board members unanimously approved a list of appointments that included Jasmine Estes as a first-grade teacher, Katie Esancy and Melissa LeHay as educational technicians and James Pinkham as a bus driver.
The next Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Oct. 17.
Vassalboro Selectmen deal with variety of topics
by Mary Grow
Vassalboro selectmen dealt with a miscellany of business at their Sept. 21 meeting, most of it presented by Town Manager Mary Sabins.
Sabins reported on various upcoming events, including tentative plans for FAVOR (Friends Advocating for Vassalboro Older Residents) to provide help with drafty windows through a nonprofit organization called Window Dressers.
Sabins said the Rockland-based program helps local residents learn how to measure windows and make inserts to stop drafts and save heat. The inserts are sold to homeowners able to pay for them; Window Dressers’ website lists prices varying with window size and materials. Subsidies are likely to be available for low-income residents, Sabins said.
FAVOR committee members plan to discuss the idea at their next meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, in the town office. Interested residents and potential volunteers are welcome to attend.
Vassalboro’s website says town residents are invited to participate in a household hazardous waste drop-off Saturday, Oct. 21, in Winslow. Interested people should call Transfer Station Manager George Hamar at 923-3051 for information and to register. (ep)
Two events are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28, one for cat and dog owners and one for people needing safe disposal for private documents.
Windsor Veterinary Clinic will hold a low-cost rabies clinic from noon to 1 p.m. at the North Vassalboro fire station on Route 32. Cats and dogs can get rabies shots for $15. Dog licenses will be available for people whose dogs are not yet licensed for 2017; the cost is $6 for dogs who have been spayed or neutered and $11 for those who have not.
On Oct. 28 from 8 a.m. to noon, China will host a shredding on site program at the China Public Works garage, on Alder Park Road. Vassalboro selectmen agreed by consensus to pay the requested $100 to let Vassalboro residents participate.
In other business Sept. 21, selectmen held a very short unattended public hearing on amendments to the General Assistance Ordinance appendices and afterward approved the changes.
After Sabins explained new software and training needed to do the bookkeeping required by the town’s auditors, selectmen voted unanimously to authorize the expenditures. Sabins estimated the software will cost $1,500, plus $600 annual maintenance and about $800 for training.
She said two auditors had spent the week reviewing town records. The final report will not be available until school figures, audited by a different company, are available. Selectmen authorized Codes Officer Richard Dolby to institute legal action against the owner of a medical marijuana operation close to Vassalboro Community School. Sabins said Dolby reported the owner has not cooperated with his attempts to determine whether the facility conforms to state requirements.
Selectmen approved an application from a catering service to serve liquor at an Oct. 14 event in North Vassalboro.
Sabins reported the Vassalboro Historical Society declined the town’s offer to sell the former East Vassalboro School to the society for $1. Society officials prefer to continue to lease the building. Sabins will draft a revised lease to clarify maintenance responsibilities.
The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Oct. 5.
Phil Haines, Vassalboro selectman succumbs to illness at 72 years old
Phil Haines
1945 – 2017
VASSALBORO – Dr. Philip “Phil” Wills Haines, 72, passed away Saturday, September 23, 2017, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, in Augusta. He was born July 19, 1945, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the son of Bernard S. and Elizabeth S. (Matlack) Haines.
Phil grew up in Maple Shade, New Jersey, attended Moorestown Friends School (New Jersey) and graduated from Westtown School (Westtown, Pennsylvania) in 1963. Phil then graduated from Union College with a bachelor of science degree in 1967, and earned a master’s degree in chemistry from Purdue University in 1969. Later, in 1982, Phil earned a Doctorate of Public Health from the University of North Carolina.
While working in a chemistry lab at Yale University, Phil met Susan Pitcher, and they married in New Haven in 1970. Phil and Sue moved together to Vassalboro in 1972, buying the home on Bog Road where they raised a family, tended a large vegetable garden, and enjoyed the woods on foot and on crosscountry skis.
Phil was a kind, caring, dedicated leader in the workplace who strove to ensure that his colleagues and associates received the support and recognition they deserved. He worked tirelessly in support of public health across Maine. He was employed by the Maine Bureau of Health in 1972 as a chemist in the Laboratory of Public Health, then promoted to assistant director after earning his doctorate degree, and eventually to Director of the Laboratory of Public Health. He was later promoted to Deputy Director of the Bureau of Public Health and served as acting director for the bureau for periods of time. Dr. Dora Mills, director of the Bureau of Health and a colleague of Phil’s for a number of years remarked that “Dr. Haines was an authentic, thoughtful leader who was dedicated to ensuring everyone received the support they needed to succeed. He worked tirelessly for public health in Maine, including these last few months to protect public health nursing. He also was gifted with a wonderful and contagious smile and laughter that cheered everyone around him.”
Throughout his life, Phil was devoted to both family and community. He energetically supported community and town functions, serving in numerous capacities throughout his life in Maine including: 16 years on the Vassalboro Board of Selectmen, many years on the budget committee and sanitation district trustees; more than 30 years as fireman and as treasurer of the Vassalboro Fire Department; treasurer of the Vassalboro Friends Meeting, Webber Pond Association and Tilton Lane Association; and ten years on Delta Ambulance Board of Directors (including time as President).
Another of Phil’s passions was enjoyment of the outdoors with loved ones. This began with childhood trips to Maine, hiking, canoeing and sailing. Later, Phil and Sue enjoyed introducing these activities to their children, exploring the forest behind their home as well as woods, streams, and mountains across Maine and elsewhere. Particular highlights included numerous trips paddling down the Allagash River, hiking up Mt. Katahdin, camping at Acadia National Park, and sailing on Webber Pond and Penobscot Bay.
Phil is survived by his wife of 47 years, Susan (Pitcher) Haines, of Vassalboro; two sons, Josh Haines and wife Heather, of Acton, Massachusetts, and Seth Haines, of Boulder, Colorado; grandsons, Henry and William Haines, of Acton, Massachusetts.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 30, 2017 from 1 – 2 p.m., at the Vassalboro Community School, under the care of the Vassalboro Friends Meeting. A reception will follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Lung Association of Maine, 122 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04330-5689 or the Kennebec Land Trust, PO Box 261, Winthrop, ME 04364.
Vassalboro recognized for supreme annual town report
The municipalities of Caribou, Vassalboro, Mount Desert, Carrabassett Valley and Cranberry Isles were recognized for producing the highest-quality Annual Reports, during recent judging held at Maine Municipal Association.
MMA’s Annual Report Competition, which has been held for 50 years, recognizes municipalities for producing reports for their citizens that have excellent content, are well organized and visually appealing. More than 240 municipalities entered reports this year.
Judges for MMA rate the reports in five population categories: 5,000 and over; 2,500 to 4,999; 1,000 to 2,499; 500 to 999; and, under 500. Awards are named Supreme (first place), Superior (second place) and Excellence (third place) in each category.
Winning municipalities were notified by letter earlier this month. They will be recognized and the reports will be displayed at MMA’s Annual Convention, Oct. 4-5 at the Augusta Civic Center.
Winners by population category were:
- 5,000 and over: Caribou, Supreme; Freeport, Superior; South Portland, Excellence.
- 2,500 to 4,999: Vassalboro, Supreme; Mapleton, Castle Hill & Chapman, Superior; Rockport, Excellence.
- 1,000 to 2,499: Mount Desert, Supreme; Hope and Newcastle (tie), Superior; Easton and Owls Head (tie), Excellence.
- 500 to 999: Carrabassett Valley, Supreme; Alna, Superior; Southport, Excellence.
Webber Pond residents gear up for Sept. 18 drawdown
by Roland Hallee
In what was the least controversial vote in recent memory, members of the Webber Pond Association voted overwhelmingly for a Monday, September 18, drawdown.
Nearly three dozen lake association members were present at the August 19 meeting, held at the Vassalboro Community School.
Among the highlights of the meeting were:
- Bob Nadeau, the association’s representative with the China Region Lakes Alliance, proposed the establishment of a LakeSmart committee, similar to the one now operating on China Lake. He asked for volunteers.
- Members voted to donate $1,500 to the China Region Lakes Alliance to aid with complimentary boat inspections, meant to identify invasive plants on boats and trailers entering the pond.
- Discussion about the effects, good and bad, of the alewives entering the lake through the fish ladder.
Jim Hart presented how alewife presence in the lake may have exceeded the tipping point in the lake. The alewife count in 2010 was 83,905, and 2016 was estimated at 353,470. Charles Backenstose, association vice president, questioned how many alewives were too many. “Over population could affect water quality,” he suggested. It is believed that with the number of alewives entering the pond, they may be bringing in more nutrients to contribute to algae blooms than they are taking out in the fall. It was the consensus of many present that the answer may probably be to increase the alewife harvest in the spring.
Backenstose also reported that water quality has improved over the years, and the Secchi disk readings as of early August was at 7.3 feet of water clarity.
Regarding the drawdown, it was reported by Frank Richards, association president, that four boards will be removed at the same time. More boards cannot be removed because of hydraulic pressures. The ideal water level is two inches below the spillway. As of mid-August, the lake level was five inches below the spillway, due mostly to evaporation and seepage at the fish ladder. Also, a certain level of water must be maintained in the stream to allow for the egress of alewives.
The current slate of officers and board of directors was re-elected by the body.
Richards, president; Backenstose, vice president; Phil Haines, treasurer; Rebecca Lamey, recording secretary.
Those wishing to be added to the email list should contact Frank Richards at Frank04989@gmail.com.
Vassalboro Historical society to hold annual meeting, potluck supper
The Vassalboro Historical Society will hold its annual meeting and potluck supper at the Grange Hall on Main Street in East Vassalboro, on Thursday September 21, at 6 p.m. The program will feature Pearley Lachance of Winslow, speaking on real-life superheroes – World War II Veterans from Vassalboro and Central Maine.