China local resident expands on community garden plans

by Mary Grow

China select board members heard two presentations at their Dec. 16 meeting. Resident James Hsiang expanded on the plan for a community garden that he presented in November; and Dr. Timothy Pieh, of Rome, Maine, and MaineGeneral Medical Center, summarized the first year of Kennebec County’s MD3 program.

Hsiang proposed locating the garden on the town-owned lot south of the town office complex on Lakeview Drive (see the Nov. 21 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

He presented a $5,600 budget, which does not include a connection to the well on the southern property. The budget includes no money for labor, he pointed out: work will be done entirely by volunteers.

Hsiang listed several possible funding sources for materials, including grants, donations from local businesses and individuals and China’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) fund. Already, he said, the project has volunteers, donations, a discount offer from a town business and 32 people who have signed up for space to raise gardens.

Select board members voted unanimously to approve the idea of the community garden, pending financing.

Pieh explained that the MD3 program provides physicians on call to respond to emergencies, arriving in a vehicle full of medical equipment – “bringing the ER [emergency room] to you.” Having a physician on scene with, or occasionally before, local rescue units or ambulances improves patient outcomes, he said, citing both local statistics and medical reports.

Starting with four doctors, MD3 has eight as it ends its first year of operation this month. They are on call Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., hours chosen based on 2018 state-wide 911 call data.

During the year, they have responded in 29 municipalities, including five outside Kennebec County. Augusta had the most calls, 33; Waterville was second, with 25; China was third, with 18. The types of emergencies varied widely – heart attacks, accidents (mostly but not all vehicle), gunshot wounds, seizures and three described as “pregnancy emergency.”

The program includes teaching. Pieh is pleased that EM3 reached 748 students, in places as varied as Mid-Maine Technical Center, Delta Ambulance and local fire departments.

MD3 costs about $350,000 a year, Pieh said. For 2024, funding came from Kennebec County’s ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) account, which will not be available for 2025.

Pieh estimated the average annual cost per county resident at four to five dollars, though in Rome, he said, it is about eight dollars per person.

He hopes China select board members will consider MD3 valuable and will ask the county budget committee to recommend funding it in 2025. Meanwhile, he is seeking other funding sources; he has received small grants, and tentatively a significant one, already.

Town office holiday hours

China town departments’ holiday schedule is as follows:

— Tuesday, Dec. 24, closing at noon; closed all day Wednesday, Dec. 25, and Thursday, Dec. 26.

— Tuesday, Dec. 31, closing at 2 p.m.; closed all day Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.

The only reaction Dec. 16 came from China board chairman Wayne Chadwick, who disapproves of programs that start with ARPA or other non-taxpayer money and fall onto taxpayers.

“I like what you’re doing, but I don’t like that it was started with an ARPA grant,” Chadwick told Pieh.

In other business Dec. 16, board member Blane Casey reported on the process of seeking prices for building the new storage vault at the town office. Select board members authorized Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood to sign contracts once she, Casey, and Municipal Building Committee chairman Sheldon Goodine choose contractors.

Ronald Morrell, chairman of China’s Emergency Preparedness Committee, said the committee plans to begin meeting again early in 2025 to make sure China’s emergency plan is up to date.

Hapgood reminded everyone that nominations for Spirit of America awards recognizing local volunteers are due. Nomination forms are available on the town website, chinamaine.org, on the town manager’s page, which is under Administration under Departments.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 30.