Worcester Polytechnic Institute announces spring dean’s list

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The following local residents were among 1,292 students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) named to the university’s dean’s list for academic excellence for the spring 2016 semester, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Mikayla Bolduc, of Skowhegan, is a member of the class of 2017 majoring in biomedical engineering.

Madison Michaud, of Vassalboro, is a member of the class of 2019 majoring in biomedical engineering.

Julia Pershken, of Albion, is a member of the class of 2017 majoring in civil engineering.

Vassalboro Days: Saturday, September 10

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Free Bus Transportation along Route 32 between the North and East every half hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The school bus will run between the corner of Canal St. in the North, across from the Olde Mill to the old Red School House on China Lake with stops at the Grange, Town Office, St. Bridget’s, and the Olde Mill.

• VBA Ducky Derby and Raffle tickets on sale at their table !
• Craft Fair at the Olde Mill in the North, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Inflatable Slide and Bounce House and Kid’s Activities, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Maine Savings FCU Bean Toss Tent, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Face Painting by Connie, 1 – 3 p.m.
• Double Dam Ducky Derby, noon!
• Antique & Classic Car Show on the lawn of the Town Office, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Vassalboro Library Book & Food Sale & Silent Auction, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., at Grange. • Historical Society Open Houses, Displays and Fire House Sale in the East near and across from the Grange, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Boy Scout Bottle Drive for Dempsey Challenge-bring returnables!
• Lemieux’s Orchard corn maze, wagon rides, apple picking, noon – 4 p.m., at 210 Priest Hill Rd.
• D.J.Dudley will be at the Olde Mill from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., introducing performers and keeping everyone aware of what is going on!

Performers:

*1 – 2 p.m., Vassalboro’s own Abbie Watson!
* 2 – 3 p.m., The Talented Limberger Family of Vassalboro!
* 3 p.m., Jocelyn Begin, winner of Winslow’s 4th of July Idol Competition!

• St. Bridget’s Lawn Party and 90th Birthday Party from 2 – 4 p.m. Visit and enjoy a cup of lemonade, look over pictures and dreams for the future of the building. Donations gratefully accepted for these dreams.
• 6 – 9 p.m., Street Dance at the Olde Mill. DJ Dudley spinning the tunes. BYO chairs! Rain or shine! 50/50 raffle to benefit VBA causes.
Food Vendors for Saturday include Laurie’s Lunch Wagon and the Vassalboro Boy Scouts.

Sunday, September 11

• Noon, Mutt Strut sponsored by the Historical Society: bring your leashed, friendly mutt for a pet parade/walk. Meet at the Historical Society Red School House on the Lake.
• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Antique & Classic Car Show on the lawn of the Town Office (only if it rained Saturday!)
• 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Vassalboro Library Buck a Bag Book Sale at Grange
• 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Historical Society Open Houses, Displays and Fire House Sale in the East near and across from the Grange.
• Noon – 4 p.m., Lemieux’s Orchard corn maze, wagon rides, apple picking at 210 Priest Hill Rd.
• 2 p.m., Performance by Kennebec Valley Chordsmen at the Historical Society.
• 4 p.m., Second Wind Band, ‘90s Country Cover Band to perform at the Olde Mill (rain or shine) to benefit the Vassalboro Fuel Fund.

BYO Chairs! What a great way to close out a great weekend!

Area students on Husson University’s presidents list

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The following area students have been named to the Spring 2016 presidents list at Husson University, in Bangor.

Lyndsay Weese, of Athens, is a senior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

Shayne Brown, of Augusta,  is a junior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications with a concentration in Marketing Communications program.

Sophia Ramirez, of Augusta, ME is a freshman who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice program.

Tabitha Willman, of Augusta, is a senior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies and Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Health Care Management program.

Samuel Jandreau, of China, is a senior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology – Human Movement Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Zoe Mather, of China, is a sophomore who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology – Human Movement Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Tyler Rollins, of China, is a sophomore who is enrolled in Husson’s Undeclared program.
Courtney Smart, of Cornville, is a sophomore who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences program.

Leah LaBree, of East Vassalboro, is a senior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism program.

Spencer Folsom, of Fairfield, is a freshman who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences program.

Tennyson Martin, of Fairfield, is a sophomore who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences program.

Kyleigh Plourde, of Jefferson, is a sophomore who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician/Community (MHRT/C) Certification program.

Alexis Prescott, of Liberty, is a freshman who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.

Makaela Michonski, of Norridgewock, is a senior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology – Human Movement Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Amanda Saucier, of Norridgewock, is a senior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology – Human Movement Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Darian Hughes, of Oakland, is a junior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Psychology program.

Raina Rauch, of Palermo, is a junior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program.

Kaitlyn Grover, of Skowhegan, is a senior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

Cailee Manzer, of Skowhegan, is a freshman who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program.

Ali York, of Skowhegan, is a junior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Financial Management program.

Christina Belanger, of South China, is a sophomore who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

Meghan Farrell, of Vassalboro, is a junior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies program.

Destiny Silcott, of Windsor, is a senior who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology – Human Movement Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Logan Vashon, of Winslow, is a sophomore who is enrolled in Husson’s Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology – Human Movement Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Board brought up to speed on activities and plans for new school year

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members and AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) 92 and Vassalboro Community School (VCS) administrators spent most of the Aug. 24 board meeting catching each other up on summer activities and plans for the new school year.

While most students were on vacation, school personnel oversaw building repairs and improvements, welcomed new staff members and helped them get settled in and took part in numerous workshops, retreats and other group meetings.

Finance Director Paula Pooler said figures for the fiscal year that ended June 30 will not be final until the annual audit is finished in October, but the school unit “didn’t end the year in the red.”

Fall registration is also not complete, VCS Principal Dianna Gram said – she expects changes for the next two weeks.  AOS staff provided a 10-year enrollment survey which, despite errors and inconsistencies that school board members noted, showed a decline of more than 100 Vassalboro students since 2006.

Gram also reported that VCS’s JMG (Jobs for Maine Graduates) program received a citizenship award for the students’ community service.  AOS Superintendent Eric Haley added that the State of Maine’s JMG program serves as a national model.

School board members unanimously accepted four staff resignations and appointment of seven new staff members – an unusual number of staff changes, Gram said, and Haley said the same had been true in Waterville and Winslow schools.

New staff are: Sarah Leach, fifth-grade teacher; Breeanne Desmond, sixth-grade teacher; John Jefferson, special education teacher; Lisa Arzola, fourth-grade teacher; Destiny Poulin, third-grade teacher; Sheldon Eames, Title I Educational Technician II; and Hilary Martin, Educational Technician II.

Resignations were accepted from fifth-grade teacher William Brooks, Educational Technician II Ashley Gooldrup, fourth-grade teacher Jennifer Isbell and eighth-grade teacher Julie Houston.

The school board’s Sept. 20 meeting will be preceded by an informal gathering with new staff members, scheduled for 5:45 p.m. at the school.  The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Alewife restoration meeting set in Vassalboro

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An information meeting on Alewife Restoration Initiative  will take place on Monday, August 29 at 6 p.m., at the Vassalboro Grange Hall

There will also be an update on the East Vassalboro Water Company pipe relocation work, Masse saw mill and dam dismantling, and stream bank revegetation planning.

Local students on UNH honors list

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The following local students have been named to the honors list at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire:

Highest honors: Kelly McCormac, of South China, Michaela Hinckley-Gordon, of Benton, Kellie Bolduc and Luke Violette, both of Waterville, and Maxwell Kenney, of Fairfield.

High honors: Julie Arbour, of Augusta, Taylor Ferguson, of Sidney, Bayleigh Logan, of Augusta, Sarah Wildes, of Winslow, Samantha Mestieri, of Fairfield and Adam Bovie, of Vassalboro.

Honors: Myrilla Hartkopf, of Albion, Andrew Marden, of Bingham, and Kyle McLain, of Fairfield.

Have you seen the signs?

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If you drive through Vassalboro proper or on the Dunham, Oak Grove or Bog roads, you may see a sign with the Vassalboro Historical Society logo advertising an Audio Tour stop, with a name, stop number, a QR code (like a barcode only square), and a phone number.Vassalboro Historical Society

If you call the phone number and at the prompt enter the stop number, you will hear a short description of the history of the stop. Using the QR scanner on a smart phone will link to the same site, but in a different way. The first of at least seven stops have been entered. Can you find them all?

Using OnCell technology which “is the leading digital storytelling platform for cultural destinations and other interesting places,” the historical society joins the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Denver Botanic Gardens, and the National Park Service in providing a technology-based way to reach out.

It is hoped this is a first step in connecting the technology savvy with the wonderfully rich history of Vassalboro. For more information about how you can be a part of the Vassalboro Historical Society, call the museum at 207-923-3505 or by e-mail at vhspresident@hotmail.com.

Fun in the sun, with chocolate help

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Mathis Washburn

Left photo, Mathis Washburn, of Canaan, makes his way down the Chocolate Slip ‘n Slide, at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, at Yonderhill Campground, in Madison, on July 30.
Photo by Mark Huard, Central Maine Photography

 

Riley Landry, of Vassalboro, Tate Jewell, Adam Fitzgerald and Landon Nunn, all of Skowhegan

Right, from left to right, Riley Landry, of Vassalboro, Tate Jewell, Adam Fitzgerald and Landon Nunn, all of Skowhegan, get set to join in the slide.
Photo by Mark Huard, Central Maine Photography

Dry conditions continue to plague central Maine lakes

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by Roland D. Hallee

Dry conditions throughout the state have brought on low water levels in central Maine lakes.

Webber Pond, in Vassalboro, has experienced water levels twice as low as is normal for this time of year. The water remains four inches below the spillway at the dam off the Webber Pond Road, when normally, it is kept at two inches during summer months.

Similar conditions exist on China Lake, according to lake association president Scott Pierz. He deferred to Matt Zetterman, of the Kennebec Water District, which monitors water quality on China Lake and maintains the water levels based on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s lake level order. It is all part of KWD’s mission of improving water quality for China Lake.

Zetterman said that China Lake is experiencing a similar situation as Webber Pond.

“We started the year with a low amount of snowfall which led to a low volume of spring runoff,” he said. Continuing, Zetterman emphasized, “we had planned for it so we actually started the summer with a surplus of water in the lake.

“Fast forward to today, and we’re now an inch or so below our summer target, and without rain, the lake will continue to drop.”

Zetterman went on to point out the lake experienced a similar situation last summer and ended up six inches below the target by Labor Day.

Zetterman concluded with, “As much as rain ruins plans for the summer time, we desperately could use the rain to help build up the lake level.”

Selectmen approve funding for new fire truck

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro selectmen approved the financing for the new fire truck voters authorized at the June town meeting, after Town Attorney Alton Stevens reviewed the financing contract and proposed changes.

Authorizing Town Manager Mary Sabins to sign the necessary paperwork and approving the initial $63,000 payment were the major business items at a mostly-routine July 13 selectmen’s meeting.  Sabins said volunteer firefighters can now prepare specifications for the new truck.

Selectmen approved the rest of the bills ready for payment, some from the fiscal year that ended June 30 and others for the new fiscal year.

Sabins expects tax bills for the 2016-17 fiscal year will go out in mid-August.  By town meeting vote, the first quarterly payment is due Sept. 26.

The next regular selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Aug. 11.  One item likely to be on the agenda is proposed sidewalks in East Vassalboro, a project that has been under consideration for years.