Issue for August 25, 2022
WPA members approve revised bylaws
By a split vote, members in attendance at the Webber Pond Association annual meeting passed the new, revised bylaws, as was recommended by the board of directors. Highlights of the revised bylaws include the establishment of proxy voting, the forming of a water quality and water level management committee, adjustment in membership requirements, disqualification and termination criteria for directors and officers, and an indemnification clause… by Roland D. Hallee
South China Library: Every bit helps
Construction on the new South China Library is coming along nicely. Thanks to a generous donor, all donations received in August will be matched up to $10,000. There is one week left for this great fundraiser. Donate today to double your impact!…
Your Local News
School board hears upbeat reports
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro School Board members heard a series of upbeat reports and appointed an unusual number of new staff members at their Aug. 16 meeting, the last one before classes at Vassalboro Community School (VCS) start again Sept. 1…
Vassalboro select board calls special meeting
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro select board members have scheduled a special meeting at 5:15 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the town office. The meeting will be in executive session, meaning the public is excluded, as allowed by state law for specified topics…
Seven substantive questions to appear on Nov. 8 ballot
CHINA – At their Aug. 22 special meeting, China select board members approved seven substantive questions to be submitted to voters on Nov. 8. They postponed deciding whether to add an eighth question until their next regular meeting on Aug. 29…
An open letter to our readers
BECOME A MEMBER: With the advent of the internet in the 1990s, advertising is no longer controlled by publications, but by social networking websites and search engines. As the internet has grown and gained more influence in our daily lives, the advertising power of the internet has grown as well. Over the years, the revenue from advertising that used to support local newspapers has shifted to global search engines and huge social networking websites instead. This change in who benefits from advertising has been a death blow to many local papers…
China Four Seasons helps at Bomazeen
CHINA – This summer two large boxes of life jackets and PFDs were donated by the China Four Seasons Club to the Camp Bomazeen Old Timers…
Courtesy boat inspectors busy
PALERMO – The Sheepscot Lake Association Courtesy Boat Inspectors have been having a busy season at Palermo’s new boat launch! They have inspected over 100 boats for invasive species during their weekend shifts, and also educated boaters on the importance of self-inspections, both before entering and when leaving the lake…
PHOTO: Winner
WATERVILLE – Eben Haviland, 10, of Waterville, captured the state championship in the boys 9/10 800 meters race walk at the USATF State Track Meet, held on Saturday, August 13, at Cony High School, in Augusta. (Central Maine Photography photo)…
Waterville H.S. class of ‘66 holds 56th reunion
WATERVILLE – On August 3, the Waterville High School class of 1966 held its belated 55th (actual 56th) class reunion, at the Forrest J. Pare VFW #1285, in Waterville…
Efficiency Maine announces funding to expand electric vehicle charging
CENTRAL ME – A new initiative from Efficiency Maine will further expand the coverage of the state’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure by supporting installation of public EV chargers in rural communities. This is the first of a series of planned EV charging infrastructure incentives from Efficiency Maine using $8 million allocated by Governor Mills’ Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan…
LETTERS: Electric heat the best
from Frank Slason (Somerville) – In response to my extolling the advantages of electric heat and the writer saying it needs lots of insulation, those days are over. With the new super types of insulation the homes don’t even need to be [retro-fitted] to accept base board electric heating. Remember electric heat is safe, clean and quiet…
Local residents named to dean’s list for Spring 2022 semester
CENTRAL ME – Saint Anselm College, in Manchester, New Hampshire, has released the dean’s list of high academic achievers for the second semester of the 2021-2022 school year. Julia Bard, of Sidney, class of 2025, English. Christopher King, of Sidney, class of 2024, natural sciences. Garrett Grant, of Windsor, class of 2022, economics. Christine Quirion, of Winslow, class of 2022, business…
Volunteers needed for Window Dressers workshop
CHINA – There is a great need for local community volunteers to make this a successful Window Dressers workshop. It is requested (but not required) that anyone ordering frames also commit to a four-hour shift on one of the workshop days. The committee is also looking for anyone who can supply food to the teams participating in the workshop…
Name that film!
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “Medulla oblongata.” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is September 8, 2022…
EVENTS: Bryan Bielanski to perform in Warren Aug. 30
WARREN – Bryan will be performing Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at Saint George River Café, in Warren..
EVENTS: Celebrate Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District’s 75th Anniversary on August 30
JEFFERSON – The community is invited to Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District’s 75th anniversary and annual banquet celebration on Tuesday, August 30, from 4:30 pm – 7:30 p.m. The banquet will be held at the beautifully-renovated Jewell Lodge, overlooking Damariscotta Lake, at Camp Wavus, in Jefferson..
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville historic district – Part 2 (new)
WATERVILLE HISTORY — This week’s description of Waterville’s Main Street Historic District begins where last week’s left off, with the Common Street buildings on the south side of Castonguay Square, and continues down the east side of Main Street. It adds a summary of the separate Lockwood Mill Historic District, across the intersection of Spring and Bridge streets at the north end of Water Street… by Mary Grow [1780 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Waterville historic district – Part 1
WATERVILLE HISTORY — As sources cited in this and the following articles say, Waterville’s downtown business district was in the 19th and 20th centuries (and still is in the 21st century) an important regional commercial center. Buildings from the 1830s still stand; the majority of the commercial buildings lining Main Street date from the last quarter of the 19th century. Hence the interest in recognizing and protecting the area’s historic value by listing it on the National Register of Historic Places… by Mary Grow [1581 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Kingsbury’s people
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — This article is for people who enjoy an occasional glimpse into someone else’s life – nothing scandalous or earth-shaking, just odds and ends about the ordinary lives of people in another time. The main source is Henry D. Kingsbury’s Kennebec County history… by Mary Grow [2006 words]
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Natural resources – Part 5
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Gold is unusual in Maine but not completely lacking. The Maine Geological Survey has on its website a list of streams, all but one in Franklin, Oxford or Somerset county, worth panning for gold. (The outlier is the St. Croix River, separating the United States and Canada; gold has been found in Baileyville, in Washington County)… by Mary Grow [1845 words]
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Cub Scout uniform drive
KENNEBEC VALLEY — The Kennebec Valley Scouting Uniform Bank and Goodwill Industries of Maine will be hosting a Uniform Drive/Food Drive September 21, at the Waterville Goodwill from 6:30 – 8 p.m…. and many other local events!
Webber’s Pond
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…
Obituaries
ALBION – Paulette A. Corson, 77, from Albion, passed away on Monday, August 15, 2022. She was born in Belleville, Illinois, on October 15, 1944, daughter of Paul E. and Zita S. (Imming) Hartmann… and remembering 7 others.
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Hannaford Supermarket! Email your answer to townline@townline.org or through our Contact page. Include your name and address with your answer. Use “Common Ground” in the subject!
Previous winner: John Stevens, Whitefield
Town Line Original Columnists
CRITTER CHATTER
by Jayne Winters | As I sat on our back deck the other day, watching one of “my” chippies fill his cheeks with peanuts, it dawned on me that I had only seen one or two chipmunks at Duck Pond Wildlife Center since I started writing this column about three years ago. Don confirmed they’ve had a few over the years, but more often deal with squirrels that have been injured by predators or cars or dislodged from their nests, usually needing bottle feeding until they transition to a diet of sunflower seeds, nuts, and fruit…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | The musical genius Leonard Bernstein was born August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He would achieve fame as the composer of West Side Story, as the first native-born conductor of the New York Philharmonic, as a teacher with his televised Young People’s Concerts and as a pianist with immense sight reading ability…
VETERANS CORNER
by Gary Kennedy | I mentioned the hardship of the past couple of years. Well, nothing in my opinion has improved. Veterans are still having a very hard time with medical help and especially claims. Currently they most have to rely upon the assistance of VBA at Togus…
GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
by Dan Beaulieu | If you have not figured this out yet, you’d better get on board and do it fast. If you have been known to treat your people poorly and get away with it, you are about to get a rude awakening, and I mean a really rude awakening…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI) | Back to School presents parents and students with opportunities to have important discussions about life choices. One thing to connect on before the first bell rings is understanding and avoiding tobacco, including electronic cigarettes. An increasing number of school-aged children have either used an e-cigarette or know someone who does…