CHELSEA(Second half)
April 8, 2020
(pay all up front or semi-annually)
Friday, September 27
Friday, March 27, 2020
(pay all up front or quarterly)
Monday, September 23
Monday, November 25
Monday, February 24, 2020
Monday, April 27, 2020
(pay all up front or quarterly)
October 11
December 13
March 13, 2020
June 12, 2020
(pay all up front or)
September 30 or
Half on Sept. 30
and half March 31, 2020
Vassalboro Historical Society
Founded in 1963, the Vassalboro Historical Society’s purpose has been to:
“…bring together people interested in history, particularly the history of the Town of Vassalboro…”
“…discover, collect, preserve and make available to the public any material…which may…establish or illustrate the history of that area…”
“…disseminate historical information and…arouse interest in such matters…”
“…cooperate with other historical societies in preserving and making available material of any sort, particularly things of more than local interest.”
We have grown since the inception, both in membership and in acquisitions. We are now at a crossroads financially. Due to the number of large items we currently have, including wagons, farm equipment, boating equipment, etc., we need a large space. As a solution the board of directors has voted to purchase a large (32’x60’x18’) 18-gauge steel storage building which will not only allow us to protect the items, but will enable us to have them viewed by the public. The building will be placed on VHS property behind Betty Taylor’s barn, to the side of the harness shop.
We are asking for your financial help to prepare the site and to pay for the building. The building and site work is estimated at approximately $45,000 total. Please help us to preserve and maintain Vassalboro’s larger artifacts as well as we preserve and maintain the smaller items. Any and all donations will be appreciated. Donors can opt to be named as a supporter in our newsletter and/or our website. Donations will be acknowledged for tax purposes.
Please send your donation to the following: Building Fund, P.O. Box 13, North Vassalboro, ME 04962.
by Mary GrowAt their Jan. 23 meeting, Vassalboro selectmen unanimously approved a request for proposals (RFP) for a solar energy project for the town, including the school department and the Vassalboro Sanitary District. The RFP was prepared by the Solar Energy Project Committee; committee chairman, Selectman John Melrose, said Sanitary District and school officials were consulted.
The schedule for bidders is as follows: notices of intent to bid are due by Feb. 7; a mandatory pre-proposal meeting, RFP review and site visit are scheduled for Feb. 12; town officials must respond to any comments or questions arising from the meeting by Feb. 18; and proposals are due at the town office by 3 p.m. March 9.
The solar installation is to tie into Central Maine Power Company’s service. Bidders have a choice of four sites: Vassalboro Community School land or, with an engineer’s approval, the roof of the building; the town office lot; the North Vassalboro fire station lot; and the Vassalboro Sanitary District’s East Vassalboro property that currently contains a sand filter bed, to be discontinued when the sewer connection to Winslow is finished.
Selectmen also had a request from Michael Vashon, representing the volunteer fire department, to clarify whether town funds approved by voters to match grants the department received are to be used only for state or federal grants, or whether they can match grants from private foundations.
Selectmen voted unanimously that foundation grants can also be matched with tax dollars.
Vashon said with grants and town funds the firefighters have bought and installed new mobile radios and partly funded new portable radios. They’re saving money now for a new fire truck, at an estimated price of about $365,000.
In other business Jan. 23, selectmen renewed the liquor license for Natanis Golf Course, with course owner and Selectman Robert Browne abstaining from discussion and voting.
They told resident Michael Poulin, who would like the town’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) policy amended, that a consultant is reviewing the policy (see The Town Line, Dec. 19, 2019).
Tom Richards, Commander of Vassalboro American Legion Post #126, asked whether town funds might be used if the post helped organize a Memorial Day ceremony. Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus and Sabins said past observances have cost $300 or less. Titus suggested Richards talk with his wife, Linda Titus, head of the Vassalboro Business Association, about past and possible future events.
Sabins said repairs to the utility room and updates to the computer system are in progress, with the computer system nearly done and more time-consuming – and therefore more expensive – than expected. Once that is finished, she said, the Cemetery Committee will be able to install a much-needed cemetery record program and hire an intern to collect information to fill it.
Voters appropriated $28,000 this year for the town’s share in the maintenance of cemeteries and public grounds and for Memorial Day expenses.
The next regular selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6. They plan an initial work session on the 2020-21 budget at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Vassalboro Fishing Derby will take place on Sunday, February 9, from 1-5 p.m., at the Olde Mill, 934 Main St., North Vassalboro.
The prizes! You don’t have to fish to win. There are over $600 in cash prizes from $50 to $300, plus a $256 Natanis Golf package, a voucher for two round trip Amtrak Downeaster tickets, Huhtamaki plates, Framed Pictures, Baskets of Goodies, and many other great gifts from very generous area businesses!
Family Fishing Fun! There’s $940 in cash prizes for 12 categories of fishing. In each category First prize is $40, Second is $20, and Third is $10. There is a kids (12 and under) category, PLUS each youngster who fishes earns a “Vassalboro Fishing Derby” ball cap! There is a trophy and $100 prize for the largest fish (not including pike). The categories include salmon, togue, brown trout, brook trout, white perch, splake, pickerel, pike, large mouth bass, black crappie and small mouth bass. In order to enter the fishing derby you must have one raffle ticket (purchased before 1 PM on 2/9/2020) per fish entered.
Support of Vassalboro Business Association projects! Proceeds from the event help sponsor the Flags along Main Street, the Welcome to Vassalboro Signs, Vassalboro Days, Scholarships for Vassalboro Students, the Color Me Too Fun Run, Halloween at the Olde Mill, the Community Tree Lighting, the Easter Festival, Bikes for Books, the fight against VCS Food Insecurity, and new this year—the Eighth Grade “Maine Event” project.
Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5 and available from Ray Breton (877-2005), Jim Maloy (441-0378), Linda Titus (631-3303) and Bernie Fortin as well as at Maine Savings FCU, the Olde Mill Store, Rte. 201 Battery & Tire, and the Vassalboro Library.
So the real question is how many books of 6 tickets would you like?
The drawings will begin promptly at 5 p.m., on February 9, at the Olde Mill. You do not have to be present to win! Your purchase will make a difference in our community.
*Here’s a tip — save address labels to speed your ability to fill out those tickets! Or make your own and include your phone number so we can notify you!
by Mary GrowVassalboro School Board members got a first look at parts of the proposed 2020-2021 budget at their Jan. 14 meeting.
Technology Coordinator Will Backman said his preliminary budget includes an estimated $50,000 to replace the telephone system at Vassalboro Community School. Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said the current system is 10 to 15 years old and has started breaking down – an inconvenience and potentially a safety issue.
Board members did not discuss, at this stage, whether to act, and if they do whether to buy or lease a system.
The preliminary transportation budget has a 20 percent increase over the current year, according to figures shared at the meeting. Transportation Coordinator Lisa Gadway recommends asking state approval to buy two new buses, to stay on schedule and, she hopes, save money on maintenance. There is also a bookkeeping correction that would move $35,000 to the transportation account from the special education account, she said.
REMINDER: School board survey deadline approaching
Friday, Jan. 24, is the last day to respond to the Vassalboro School Board’s survey seeking Vassalboro residents’ opinions as part of the development of a five-year strategic plan. The survey is on the school website, www.vcsvikings.org.
Gadway said Vassalboro, like most of the rest of the state, has a shortage of bus drivers; there are no substitutes available. She suggested other school personnel, including teachers, be encouraged to qualify as bus drivers.
School officials have barely started budget work; the two accounts they saw Jan. 14 add up to less than three-quarters of a million dollars. The 2019-2020 voter-approved school budget totals more than $7.5 million.
In other business, board members heard a report on plans to join with town officials in seeking solar power in town; reviewed proposed updated policies; and appointed Heather Bassett an educational technician.
The next regular Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Feb. 11.
by Mary GrowVassalboro selectmen started the new calendar year with a short Jan. 9 meeting that left them satisfied with most items discussed.
The main dissatisfaction is with residents who ignore the state law requiring payment of personal property taxes on business equipment, from bulldozers to computers. Town Manager Mary Sabins is investigating the merits of taking scofflaws to small claims court.
Town Manager Mary Sabins is investigating the merits of taking scofflaws to small claims court.
She learned that claims must be filed within six years. On her recommendation, selectmen wrote off almost $6,000 in older unpaid taxes.
They made no decision on whether taking people to court would be worth the time and cost. A dozen people are on the overdue list, including two whose older taxes were written off as uncollectible.
Sabins said she reminds people who owe personal property tax at intervals. Some, she said, appreciate the reminder and pay the tax; others she suspects throw away her notices.
Selectmen met in a meeting room lined with file cabinets and supplies moved from the utility room, which was flooded by a boiler malfunction just before the Christmas holiday. Repairs are expected to take another month.
Sabins explained that plumbing and electrical work are needed, as well as replacement of an unknown area of sheetrock. The town office will be closed Friday, Jan. 17, for computer system maintenance and Monday, Jan. 20, for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; Sabins expects some of the work to be done those days.
In other business, the two selectmen present unanimously accepted Sabins’ suggestion that she apply for a bank credit card in the town’s name.
They unanimously approved two junkyard permits recommended by Codes Enforcement Officer Paul Mitnik, for Olin C. and Olin J. Charette, of Weeks Mills Garage, and Roger Pomerleau, of RAP, both on Riverside Drive.
Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus commented that with the new LED streetlights installed last fall, “We’ve got some nice savings.”
Board member John Melrose reported the Solar Array Committee plans to have a request for proposals for installing solar power in Vassalboro ready for selectmen’s review at their next meeting, scheduled for Thursday evening, Jan. 23.
Front row, from left to right:, Jennifer Lizotte, administrative assistant, and Tiffany Carrigan, director of programming. Back row, Jim Fortunato, and Samantha Bernatchez, director of operations. (contributed photo)
Jim Fortunato, Let’s Go! Northern Kennebec County Coordinator, Northern Light Inland Hospital, has awarded the Winslow and Vassalboro Before/After School Programs with a Gold Recognition for the 2018-19 school year. This is the highest level of recognition for sites that have achieved all five priority strategies of the 5210 Let’s Go! Program.
The 5210 Let’s Go!, introduced in 2012, is committed to promoting policy and environmental changes at childcare programs, schools, out-of-school programs, health care practices, and workplaces. The program’s multi-setting approach, daily 5-2-1-0 message (five or more fruits and vegetables, two hours or less of screen time, one hour or more of physical activity and zero sugary drinks) and 10 evidence-based strategies are used to effect change across the state of Maine. Strong leadership from The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center and collaboration across health systems and community health coalitions contribute to the program’s success.
The 5210 Let’s Go! awards bronze, silver and gold awards to programs who support and collaborate with them around healthy eating and increased physical activity. A Bronze award reflects a site’s implementing the program’s five evidence-based priority strategies. Silver acknowledges a site that has communicated these changes to parents and family members. Gold, the highest level of recognition, is reserved for sites that have written all five priority strategies into policy or have school staff participate on the district’s wellness committee.
by Mary GrowAt their Dec. 17 meeting, Superintendent Alan Pfeiffer said, Vassalboro School Board members unanimously approved two motions to cooperate with the selectmen in developing solar power in town.
The selectmen, on recommendations from the Solar Array Committee, previously agreed to invite the school department to join them in creating a solar project and sharing the electricity it produces. Their list of possible sites included the Vassalboro Community School grounds (see The Town Line, Dec. 19).
The first motion on the school board agenda approved participating in the solar project, as authorized by town meeting vote and conditional on the school sharing cost savings.
The second approved leaving the VCS campus on the list of sites to be considered, with the school board to have final approval if the VCS land is selected.
Pfeiffer said the next step is for selectmen to choose an expert to study proposed sites and recommend the one or ones most suitable.
School board members also continued review of school policies and discussed contract negotiations with school employees.
The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Seniors of the Trimester, front row, from left to right, Julia Basham and Summer Hotham. Back row, Lucy Allen, Jacob Sutter, Ben Reed and Dominic Smith. (contributed photo)
On Friday, December 13, Erskine Academy students and staff attended a Renaissance Assembly to honor their peers with Renaissance Awards.
Left, Faculty of the Trimester, Jennifer Tibbetts, left, and Eileen McNeff. (contributed photo)
Recognition Awards were presented to the following students: Jack Allen, Lily Bray, Nathan Million, Sydni Plummer, Hanna Spitzer, Benjamin Lavoie, Alyssha Gil, and Eleena Lee.
In addition to Recognition Awards, Senior of the Trimester Awards were also presented to six members of the senior class: Lucy Allen, daughter of Patrick and Shirley Allen, of Windsor; Julia Basham, daughter of Tim and Catherine Basham, of China; Dominic Smith, son of Katrina and Dan Jackson, of Whitefield; Ben Reed, son of Kevin and Jennifer Reed, of Vassalboro; Summer Hotham, daughter of Charles and Heide Hotham, of Palmero; and Jacob Sutter, son of Richard and Jenny Sutter, of Palermo. Seniors of the Trimester are recognized as individuals who have gone above and beyond in all aspects of their high school careers.
In appreciation of their dedication and service to Erskine Academy, Faculty of the Trimester awards were also presented to Jennifer Tibbetts, mathematics instructor; and Eileen McNeff, business office bookkeeper.
by Mary GrowVassalboro selectmen had a variety of ideas on their Dec. 12 agenda, and their reactions were similarly varied.
They unanimously approved a request from Maine Rivers (leading the Alewife Restoration Project [ARI]), represented by Matt Streeter, to sign an access and construction license agreement allowing construction of a fishway at the town-owned China Lake Outlet Dam in East Vassalboro.
Streeter said the work will be on the east bank of Outlet Stream below the dam. The Cates family has allowed access over their property.
Streeter met with representatives of several engineering firms and asked for bids on the work by Jan. 21. He expects to have a near-final design for selectmen’s review in March and a final design by the end of April to submit to the state agencies whose approval is needed.
Resident Michael Poulin asked selectmen to amend Vassalboro’s Tax Increment Financing (TF) program to allow additional uses for TIF funds. Selectmen turned the request into a unanimous decision to hire the Central Maine Growth Council to advise on amendments to the TIF that would provide wider benefits.
The TIF fund is financed by taxes paid on the gas pipeline running through Vassalboro. In recent years most available TIF funds have gone to the Vassalboro Sanitary District’s sewer extension project and ARI.
Selectmen voted unanimously to table – effectively deny – a request from resident Arthur Kingdon to endorse a proposed resolution supporting LD 1431, a Resolve to Support Municipal Recycling Programs by requiring producers of packaging to share costs of recycling it. Selectmen appreciated Kingdon’s involvement in the effort but Board Chairman Lauchlin Titus believes it would add to Maine’s reputation as a state unfriendly to business.
Turning to solar power, Selectman John Melrose reported the town’s Solar Array Committee recommends four possible sites for solar panels: behind the North Vassalboro fire station, the Vassalboro Community School grounds, the Vassalboro Sanitary District site in East Vassalboro and the town office lot west and north of the building.
Committee members suggested asking the school board to join the town in developing solar power; the school board had the item on its Dec. 17 agenda. The Vassalboro Sanitary District is also to be invited to participate.
In other business Dec. 12, selectmen unanimously approved a BYOB event at St. Bridget Center on Jan. 11.
They listed several examples of cooperative community events. Titus commended Raymond Breton and Donald Breton for their work preparing for the annual Christmas tree lighting. Melrose reported the Trails Committee is working with a rejuvenated snowmobile club. Titus added that the Vassalboro Business Association is working with multiple other town groups including the library, the Masons and the Recreation Committee.
The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Jan. 9.