Co-founder of wildlife rehab center remembered

/0 Comments/in , /by

Carleen Cote with one of her “babies.”

A tribute to a special “mother”

by Lea Davis

One definition of “mother” is “nurturer.” A good mother puts her children’s needs before her own to insure their health and welfare.

Carleen Cote, of Vassalboro, alongside her husband Donald, has, for 53-plus years, rescued thousands of Maine’s abandoned and starving wild animal babies, nurturing them back to health and eventual freedom, all at the couple’s own expense. She wrote a popular monthly column about her “children” for The Town Line and Turner Publishing newspapers, always crediting the help received from faithful volunteers, local veterinarians, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wardens and staff, other rehabbers and the caring people who donated money, food and supplies for the wildlife. Carleen Cote passed away on April 27. Her story is best told through her own words gleaned from 240+ “Critter Chatter” articles, which she wrote over 20 years’ time. Here are a few excerpts:

“The month of April arrives and so do the babies. The raccoons appeared in droves. Containers for them started to fill the living room, formulas were made, the babies would be fed four times a day, the last feeding at midnight. Hundreds of used towels needed to be washed, dried and folded for the next change (after every feeding!). One night in May, Donald decided to count the raccoons as we had lost track – he counted 150! In addition, skunks, mink, weasels, opossums, fawns, foxes, porcupines and woodchucks were arriving. We were overwhelmed and exhausted. However, our dedicated volunteers saved us. God bless them!

“Though raccoons are in the majority, they don’t usually present the challenges that we face with the fawns. One year we received 20 fawns, requiring several trips to the veterinarian with broken bones, open sores and coccidiosis infections. Seven fawns died from their wounds, received either by vehicle hits or predator attacks. Some won’t nurse from the bottle, making it necessary to use a syringe to administer the milk. We carry on.

“Over the spring and summers months the animals, eventually moved to outside pens, grew and got fat. Many were released in late August to their natural habitats. September is the release time for the raccoons. Could we find enough spots to release 150 of them? We did it, at last! The raccoons react differently when taken to the chosen release sites. Some left the carrier, happy to roam, others hesitated, terror showing in their eyes, but, eventually, decided to explore their new surroundings. We are asked, “Are you sad to see them go after spending so much time caring for them?” Yes and no – we do wonder how they are faring, but know they are where they belong, enjoying the things they naturally do in the wild.

“We are frequently asked how we got involved in wildlife rehabilitation. It began when Donald expressed the desire to raise waterfowl. We were fortunate to find land in Vassalboro with a small area of water that could be enlarged. Then, an article about a wildlife rehab facility in Litchfield caught our attention. Would we be interested in doing this also? You guessed it! Our first critter to arrive, even before we had any permits, was a baby black duck. We applied for our state and federal permits and became licensed rehabbers. The rest is history. We gradually expanded our efforts and facilities way beyond the needs of one baby black duck in 1964, to now caring for hundreds of wildlife a year.”

Carleen was fond of a writing she’d come across entitled “I Am An Animal Rescuer,” author unknown. In part, it reads:

“My job is to assist God’s creatures, I was born with the drive to fulfill their needs
I take in helpless, unwanted, homeless creatures without planning or selection
I have bought cat food with my last dime. I have patted a mangy head with a bare hand
I have hugged someone vicious and afraid. I have fallen in love a thousand times
And I have cried into the fur of a lifeless body too many times to count
I am an Animal Rescuer. My work is never done. My home is never quiet.
My wallet is always empty, but my heart is always full.”

Goodbye old friend.

Memorial donations may be made to Kennebec Valley Humane Society, 10 Pet Haven Lane, Augusta, ME 04330.

Five staff members cited at Vassalboro school

/0 Comments/in , /by

Vassalboro School Principal Dianna Gram, third from right, is flanked by, from left to right, Senora Soifer, Meg Swanson, Megan Allen, Stephanie Roy and Robin Corey. All were presented with certificates from the principal. (Contributed photo)

Corey, Roy, Swanson, Allen and Soifer honored at Portland Seadogs game

Recently, at Vassalboro Community School, principal Dianna Gram recognized five staff members for their contributions to VCS. This recognition comes from the Portland Seadogs baseball team. Each of these staff members has made a difference here at VCS. The staff members are:

Robin Corey for being a role model and leader. Her work on behalf of students with disabilities has made a huge difference! She has also provided much support to the members of the Special Education team. “You are also helpful and kind to the core!” said Gram.

Stephanie Roy for her hard work to become the teacher she is today. Ms. Roy started at VCS as an Ed Tech and has worked in many grade levels. She has worked more than one job at a time putting herself through college to become a teacher. “VCS thanks you and is proud of all you have accomplished,” said Gram.

Meg Swanson has been a great addition to VCS. She has helped teachers and students in many areas. Her focus on mindfulness and kindness has made the school better. She was thanked for helping the students to learn and grow.

Megan Allen is recognized for her leadership and hard work on curriculum. She has also received her doctorate and will be the next principal, following Gram’s retirement in June. VCS is very fortunate to have you on the team.

Finally, recognition goes to Senora Deb Soifer for her work at VCS teaching Spanish. She has brought culture and language learning to many students over the years. Gram stated, “She is retiring this year and we thank her for her work on behalf of kids. Because of her influence students have not only learned a language but have been exposed to another culture. VCS salutes you.”

These staff members were honored at the Portland Seadogs game along with other teachers throughout the state of Maine. Gramm concluded by saying, “Congratulations Mrs. Corey, Ms. Roy, Ms. Swanson, Dr. Allen and Senora Soifer…and know we are all proud of you!”

Vassalboro selectmen work to finalize warrant for town meeting

/0 Comments/in , /by

source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro selectmen have moved their first meeting in May from the usual Thursday evening to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, in the town office meeting room.

A major agenda item needs to be signing the warrant for the June 4 and June 12 annual town meeting, because Town Manager Mary Sabins’ schedule calls for the warrant to go to the printer by Friday, May 4, to be included in the annual town report.

However, selectmen ended their April 19 meeting and the budget committee meeting that followed with nothing resembling a finished warrant. There were three problems:

  • Sabins was waiting to hear from the Alewife Restoration Initiative, or ARI, what question or questions the group wants to put to Vassalboro voters. She had set aside two warrant articles for ARI, but expects only one to be used.

The manager and selectmen are working on two changes to shorten the warrant, which had 70 separate articles (68 for the June 4 open meeting and two more for written-ballot votes June 12) as of April 19. They propose combining social services and related agencies’ requests in a single article, without hindering voters’ chance to discuss each request separately; and they suggest combining separate requests for authorization to apply for grants into one article.

  • The most important problem was the lack of a 2018-19 school budget. Neither the school board nor AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) #92 officials had submitted proposed expenditure figures for the 14 school articles that require a budget committee recommendation.

The school budget makes up the major part of the total expenditures voters will decide on. Selectmen and budget committee members have recommended substantial reductions in amounts Sabins and town department heads initially requested for the municipal budget, and the school board has lowered its original figures; but the projected tax increase is still higher than many budget committee members are comfortable with.

Looking at the potential – but not guaranteed – increase of more than one mil ($1 for each $1,000 of valuation), budget committee member Douglas Phillips opined that “At some point we’ve got to stop raising taxes and live within our means.”

He and other committee members repeatedly said it will be up to voters to decide what they’re willing to pay for. “The bottom line is the people who are going to be affected need to be at the [town] meeting,” Budget Committee Chairman Rick Denico said.

Denico said School Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur said the school board planned to meet April 25. Budget committee members want the school board to further reduce the 2018-19 budget and to have the expected one-time payment from the dissolution of the AOS go toward 2018-19 school revenues, not into surplus.

Denico planned to attend the April 25 school board meeting.

Budget committee members did make recommendations, most but not all unanimous, on municipal warrant articles, agreeing to disagree with the selectmen – at least until May 2 – on minor sums here and there. Both boards abandoned the idea of eliminating the town police department, recommending $69,797 for public safety, including police, animal control and emergency dispatching services. Neither board recommends setting aside money in a reserve fund for a new police vehicle.

June 4 voters will elect six budget committee members instead of the usual five. Denico, Phillips, Richard Phippen and Elizabeth Reuthe are ending their two-year terms, with the option of seeking re-election. John Melrose resigned last fall when he was elected selectman, and Denico said Ed Scholz resigned this month. Whoever is elected to Scholz’s seat will serve for one year, finishing his term.

Town Clerk Cathy Coyne said there will be no contests on the ballot at the June 12 local elections. Unless a write-in candidate declares, Melrose and Jolene Clark Gamage are unopposed for re-election to three-year terms on the board of selectmen and the school board, respectively.

The June 4 open town meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Vassalboro Community School. June 12 voting will be at the town office, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Vassalboro committee continues work on town budget

/0 Comments/in , /by

source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Budget Committee members ran out of time to finish their work at their April 12 meeting, so they will meet again at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in the town office. Selectmen have consequently moved their meeting time to 6 instead of 6:30 that evening.

Budget committee members continued discussion of municipal budget requests April 12, taking one vote and one straw poll and reaching informal consensus on other items. They still need to make recommendations on spending requests in warrant articles for the June 4 town meeting. Selectmen have made their recommendations, but board member Robert Browne said they could be changed.

Selectmen are scheduled to review a draft of the warrant April 19. The preliminary version Town Manager Mary Sabins prepared for the April 12 meeting has 68 articles. Two more articles, confirmation or denial of the school budget approved June 4 and local elections, are be decided by written ballot on June 12.

The one vote was to recommend voters appropriate $10,000 from the alewife reserve fund (money gained from selling alewives each spring) for the China Region Lakes Alliance, currently Art. 51 in the warrant. The vote was 5-2, with Donald Breton, Elizabeth Reuthe, Douglas Phillips, Dick Phippen and Peggy Shaffer in favor, William Browne and Phillip Landry opposed and Chairman Rick Denico abstaining.

The selectmen recommended $5,000; the organization asked for $15,000.

The straw poll was on whether to recommend no funding for a Vassalboro police department, relying instead on state and county law enforcement officers. If committee members so recommend when they make final decisions, Selectman Lauchlin Titus said a separate police department warrant article would be appropriate to clarify the issue for voters. In the preliminary draft warrant, Art. 11 asks for $69,797 for police, animal control and emergency dispatching services.

A majority tentatively favored recommending no funding, at least to create a separate article and give voters a chance to discuss the issue separately.

Committee members revisited requests from Public Works Foreman Eugene Field, First Responders and the volunteer fire department, whose members want a replacement roof on the Riverside fire station.

Public works issues include paving roads and the public works dooryard; equipment rental, especially an excavator for roadside ditching; and Field’s requests for a new generator and a new power washer. Committee members also questioned estimated future fuel costs. A majority favored not recommending $30,000 that would either do the garage area or allow additional road paving. When committee Chairman Rick Denico asked Field what he would cut, Field replied, “It depends on what the board [of selectmen] and residents want for service.” First Responders Chief Dan Mayotte explained what supplies his volunteers need to buy. Committee members reached informal preliminary consensus to support the group’s $13,250 budget request.

Fire department officers had quotes averaging $25,000 for a new metal roof for the Riverside fire station. At the budget committee’s request, they got an estimate of around $12,500 for asphalt shingles, the current roofing material.

Budget committee members talked about recommending $12,500 in 2018-19 and postponing the other half.

Firefighter and budget committee member Donald Breton said the department’s board of directors do not want to redo asphalt shingles; if voters approve $12,500, they will either reroof half the building with metal or hold the money hoping for more in 2019.

Several people said the price of metal is rising rapidly, because of national tariffs. Titus gave an example of the price of steel doubling since February and wondered whether the companies would be able to honor the quotes they gave the fire department.

The prolonged discussions are part of budget committee members’ effort to limit the 2018-19 tax increase. They also met with the school board on April 10, but did not have final school budget figures.

As the meeting wound down, Denico proposed future meetings after “the pre-town meeting crunch” that would give committee members time to consider major money-saving changes, like limiting school choice. Other committee members seemed to approve. Selectman Browne reminded them, as Titus had done during discussion of the police department, that setting policy was the selectmen’s responsibility, not the budget committee’s.

Vassalboro town school officials work to lower school budget

/0 Comments/in , /by

source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro town and school and AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) #92 officials are working to bring down the 2018-19 municipal and school budgets to avert a large tax increase.

Budget committee members talked about both school and municipal budget requests at their April 5 meeting, which followed a short selectmen’s meeting. They had future meetings scheduled and therefore made no formal recommendations.

The current tax rate, Town Manager Mary Sabins said, is 14.5 mils, or $14.50 for each $1,000 of valuation. The preliminary budgets as of April 5 – which everyone emphasized are subject to change – would require a 2018-19 rate of 16.22 mils, or $16.22 for each $1,000 of valuation.

To reduce the new rate to 15.22 mils would require cutting 2018-19 expenditures by around $300,000, Sabins said.

At their previous meeting with the school board, budget committee members learned of $63,000 in savings on insurance costs that had not been figured in the school budget. They hope for additional education savings.

Sabins’ calculations did include an increase in state revenue sharing, bringing that source of non-local-tax income to $170,000 instead of the $160,000 she had expected. Going through the municipal budget and considering a variety of options, budget committee members came up with about $86,000 in cuts they might recommend.

One proposal discussed was to eliminate Police Chief Mark Brown’s position and rely entirely on the State Police and Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office for police coverage. The rationale was not dissatisfaction with Brown, but the possibility of saving more than $27,000, plus the cost of a new police car in the fairly near future. Sabins warned part of the savings might be offset by the need to pay Brown unemployment compensation.

Other items that might be proposed for reduction when the committee makes its formal recommendations include several public works department requests and the increase requested by Vassalboro First Responders.

After an April 10 meeting with the school board, the budget committee was scheduled to hold its final meeting to make recommendations at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at the town office. A week later, selectmen are scheduled to review the draft warrant for the June 4 annual town meeting, where voters will make final spending decisions.

At the short April 5 selectmen’s meeting preceding the budget committee meeting, selectmen unanimously approved new contracts with Sabins and with alewife harvester Ronald Weeks.

Vassalboro JMG students are pages for a day at State House

/0 Comments/in , /by

From left to right, Rep. Richard Bradstreet, Liberty Massie, Alyssa Trainor, Hailey Fonjemei, Sen. Roger Katz, Lucas Haskell, Jadon Callahan, JMG Director Victor Esposito, and Rep. Matt Pouliot. (Contributed photo)

Students involved with the Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) at Vassalboro Community School visited the State House on April 3 to serve as honorary pages in the Maine Senate. During their visit, they met with their local legislators, Senator Roger Katz, and representatives Matt Pouliot and Richard Bradstreet. The students, chaperoned by JMG Director Victor Esposito, were Liberty Massie, Alyssa Trainor, Hailey Fonjemei, Lucas Haskell and Jadon Callahan. The honorary page program provides an opportunity for students from third grade through high school to participate in the legislative process for one day’s session in either the House of Senate. For more information about the program, please contact Sen­ator Katz’ office at 287-1505.

Vassalboro School board reviews unfinished 2018-19 budget

/0 Comments/in , /by

source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro School Board members reviewed an unfinished 2018-19 budget and discussed it with budget committee members at two sequential meetings March 29. The preliminary $7.9 million budget at the beginning of the meetings would require an increase in local taxes of more than $495,000, which Town Manager Mary Sabins said would amount to somewhere around $1.30 for each $1,000 of valuation (about one and one-third mil).

However, that figure is already obsolete, according to AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) #92 Superintendent Eric Haley and Finance Director Paula Pooler. For example, they had projected a nine percent increase in insurance costs, and had learned earlier that day that the increase will be zero, cutting about $63,000 in projected expenditures.

Haley and Pooler emphasized the number of expensive unknowns in each annual school budget. For example, when a special education student who needs a full-time educational technician moves into or out of Vassalboro, budget needs can increase or decrease by thousands of dollars.

Tuition costs are also hard to predict. The state does not set its figures until late in the calendar year, and the cost varies among the different high schools Vassalboro students attend, with Waterville the least expensive and Erskine Academy the most. If the state figures are higher than expected, or if more Vassalboro eighth-graders choose Erskine, or if more high-school sophomores choose the vocational schools as an option, tuition will be underfunded.

Special education is one reason the 2018-19 budget is projected to increase, Haley said. Another is teachers’ and educational technicians’ salaries, which have been negotiated. He shared results of a survey showing that Vassalboro pays most of its teachers and educational technicians less than they would get in comparable jobs in nearby school systems like Fairfield, Oakland or Madison.

Budget committee and school board members have another joint meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, after the school board meeting at 6 p.m. that evening (a week earlier than usual because of April school vacation).

The budget committee will also meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 5, in the town office. That evening’s selectmen’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m., also in the town office.

In addition to the budget, school board and budget committee members briefly discussed consequences of dissolving AOS #92. Vassalboro Community School will have its own part-time superintendent; school board members intend to contract with Waterville and Winslow to get the same central office services they have been getting, delivered by many of the same people, with costs determined by the same formula that has divided AOS central office costs among Vassalboro, Waterville and Winslow.

While Haley and most school board members favor a three-year contract, several budget committee members and selectmen advised starting with a one-year contract. Haley said he plans to provide enough staff members, replacements and two new hires, to serve all three former AOS schools; but he needs a three-year commitment to justify staffing. He doubts Vassalboro would find less expensive services elsewhere; Pooler warned Vassalboro might end up with none.

School Board Chairman Kevin Levasseur agreed, saying no other agency “has been beating down my door” to offer a competing proposal.

School board member Susan Tuthill said a three-year contract would allow a year to adjust, not only to the new arrangement but also to a new superintendent and principal; the second year would allow evaluation; and if problems developed, the third year could be used to explore alternatives.

Selectman John Melrose has talked with people in two other towns where go-it-alone schools have moved to in-house services. Lauchlin Titus, chairman of the selectmen, compared the proposed contract for school services with Vassalboro’s alewife harvesting contract, which started as annual and when the arrangement proved satisfactory went to three and now five years.

Pooler and Vassalboro Community School Principal Dianna Gram said the comparison is inaccurate, because Vassalboro is not “jumping into the unknown”; the school has had nine years of satisfactory service from the AOS office.

Gram was accompanied at the School board and budget committee meetings by her successor, Dr. Megan Allen, who will become principal when Gram retires at the end of June.

Vassalboro department heads submit requests to budget committee

/0 Comments/in , /by

source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Transfer Station George Hamar would like a new “can,” a 40-cubic-yard bin to hold rubbish.

Police Chief Mark Brown wants to replace his cruiser with almost 90,000 miles on it while it has trade-in value and before it starts “nickel and diming the town” for repairs.

Fire Chief Eric Rowe wants a metal roof on the Riverside Fire Station, and he’d like town voters to allocate $3,300 to hire annual hose and ladder testing done, instead of asking volunteer firefighters to spend six or seven week-nights on the tedious but vital jobs.

Rescue Director Dan Mayotte thinks his volunteers deserve a $5 reimbursement for each call to help cover fuel costs. In 2017, he said, rescue responded to 342 calls, 52 more than in 2016; there are six volunteers on the roster and two more people completing training who, he hopes, will join.

Public Works Director Eugene Field recommends replacing one of his trucks, using arguments similar to Chief Brown’s about trade-in value and future repair costs. He’d also like a new generator and a power washer at the town garage.

Town Manager Mary Sabins says if Vassalboro Community School is to become the town’s emergency shelter, a big generator will be needed there, too. Even if the town could get a federal emergency grant to cover some of the cost, a local match would be required.

These wish list items, how much road repaving should and can be done annually, and similar municipal expenditure issues took up the budget committee’s March 20 meeting. No recommendations were made, because the committee, the selectmen and Sabins still need to see the proposed 2018-19 school budget to get a complete view of future needs.

The March 13 decision to dissolve Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) #92 and let Vassalboro hire its own part-time superintendent and contract for other central office services is expected to save money in the administration section of the school budget next year. However, administration is a small part of the whole budget.

The schedule distributed at the March 20 meeting calls for the budget committee to review the proposed school budget at a 7 p.m. meeting Thursday, March 29, at Vassalboro Community School (following a special school board meeting to discuss the budget, according to Sabins). Future budget committee meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at the school for continued school budget discussion and Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m. at the town office to make recommendations on the town meeting warrant (the list of items voters will be asked to accept, amend or reject).

Selectmen have scheduled a special meeting for 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, for their annual review of Sabins’ job performance. The meeting will be entirely in executive session (not open to the public), as state law allows.

The next regular selectmen’s meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, to review the warrant and Thursday, May 3, to sign it so it can go to the printer the next day.

Vassalboro voters will make final spending decisions at the annual town meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 4, at Vassalboro Community School. Local elections and any other written-ballot measured will be decided Tuesday, June 12, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the town office.

During discussion of paving work March 20, Selectman Lauchlin Titus said the state’s planned rebuilding of Route 32 through East and North Vassalboro has been postponed to the 2020 construction season, so that the Vassalboro Sanitary District can get its new lines laid along the road before the road is widened and repaved. The sewer work connecting Vassalboro to Winslow is scheduled for 2019, he said.

Alewife restoration project to receive grant award

/0 Comments/in , /by

Kennebec River (source Maine Rivers)

Maine Rivers, as part of the Alewife Restoration Initiative, has been awarded $200,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundations’ (NFWF) New England Forests and Rivers grant program. The New England Forests and Rivers Fund strives to restore and sustain healthy forests and rivers that provide habitat for diverse native birds populations, as well as freshwater and diadromous fish populations. Since its founding in 1984, NFWF has supported more than 16,000 projects that protect and restore our nation’s fish and wildlife species and the habitats they need to thrive.

The goal of the Alewife Restoration Initiative is to remove impediments or install fish passages at the barriers that prevent native alewives from accessing China Lake’s spawning habitat. The project will improve the connectivity between China Lake, the Sebasticook River and the ocean, and is expected to restore an annual run of between 800,000 and 950,000 adult alewives. The restoration of the Vassalboro’s nearby Webber Pond alewife run already provides revenue to the town of Vassalboro, in 2017 this totaled more than $18,000. The China Lake run is expected to be at least twice the size of the Webber pond alewife run.

For more information about the Alewife Restoration Initiative: Landis Hudson, landis@mainerivers.org phone: 207-847-9277.

Vassalboro selectmen change meeting time

/0 Comments/in , /by

source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

Vassalboro selectmen have changed the starting time of their Thursday, March 22, meeting to 5:30 p.m., in order to accommodate a long agenda, including a 6 p.m. public hearing on building permit ordinance amendments, before they meet with the budget committee at 7 p.m. The meetings and hearing will be held in the town office meeting room.