Letters to the Editor: Transfer station explanation

To the editor:

In [last week’s] edition of The Town Line there appeared a letter to the editor from Geoff Hargadon, of South China. Mr. Hargadon is aggravated by what he perceived to be a decision by the Town of China to “nearly simultaneously” re-pave Alder Park Road and cut the Transfer Station hours. I would like to offer some clarification for Mr. Hargadon and readers of the Town Line.

First, Alder Park Road is not a town road. It was paved by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) according to their own schedule. The MaineDOT does not coordinate with the Town of China on these projects, except that MaineDOT sends us a notice of their intentions a bit in advance of the start of the work. Then, the hours for the transfer station include a long day on Thursday until 5 p.m,. and it is also open from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturday each week, in recognition that we need to offer the expanded hours for those who are only able to use the transfer station after normal work hours. We realized that this would require some adjustment on the part of users of the transfer station, but the decision was made as a compromise between providing expanded service to the community and enabling our employees to enjoy a more traditional work schedule.

I hope this information clarifies for Mr. Hargadon and The Town Line readers about the paving of Alder Park Road and the operation of the transfer station. As with anyone, I welcome the opportunity for Mr. Hargadon to visit me at the town office with any concerns he may have.

Dennis L. Heath
China Town Manager