Town of Mount Vernon Community Newsletter

www.mtvernonme.org April 2021 Edition

TOWN OFFICE STAFF TOWN DEPARTMENT STAFF Dr. Shaw Memorial Library 293-2565 Town Office Animal Control Officer Website: drshawlibrary.org Phone: 293-2379 Trish Davis @ 491-0410 Email: [email protected] Fax: 293-3507 Open Saturdays 10am-3pm and [email protected] Cemetery Sexton Wednesdays from 3-6 pm Mondays 9am-5 pm Robert Grenier @ 293-2783 Tue, Wed, & Th 7am-3pm Curbside service available during these hours and also on Monday afternoons & 1st Saturday of Month 9-Noon Code Enforcement Officer and Wednesday mornings. Plumbing Inspector TOWN OFFICE LOBBY Andrew Marble @ 293-2636 Call or email ahead for this service OPENED FOR BUSINESS [email protected] and we will arrange a pickup time. ON TUESDAY, MARCH 2ND. Tuesdays 8am-4pm MASKS MUST BE WORN AND 2 PEOPLE MAY ENTER Fire Chief

LOBBY AT A TIME. Dana Dunn @ 293-2114 (non-emergencies) Mt. Vernon Post Office Hours WE LOOK FORWARD TO Retail Window ASSISTING YOU!! General Assistance Paul Crockett @ 293-2532 Monday-Friday 7-10 am [email protected] Closed from 10-11 am Open from 11am to 1 pm Town Clerk & Tax Collector Health Officer Heather Wheeler @ 293-2379 Daniel K. Onion @ 293-2076 Saturdays from 9-11 am [email protected] Rescue Director Deputy Clerk Pat Rawson @ 293-2597 Amanda Wheeler @ 293-2379 (non-emergencies) Newsletter [email protected] Road Commissioner Treasurer Lee Dunn @ 242-5828 All articles to be submitted by 25th Kerry Casey @ 293-2379 of each month to [email protected] Tax Assessor Mondays & Wednesdays 10-12 Roger Peppard [email protected] 3rd Thursday of each month Select Board [email protected] Paid Business Advertisments  Business Card Size $15/month [email protected] Transfer Station  1/4 page $25/month

Carole O’Connell @ 458-1425  1/2 page $45/month Mac Hardy, Chair @ 293-4646 Sat & Sun 8:30 am –Noon [email protected] May 1st thru September 30th open on Wednesdays from 3-6pm Sherene Gilman @ 293-2388 [email protected] Inside this issue:

Paul Crockett @ 293-3000 From the Mt. Vernon Select Board Desktop 2 [email protected] February Select Board Meeting Highlights 3-5

Select Board Admin. Assistant Message from Mt. Vernon’s Community Ctr. 5 Melanie Gay Knox @ 293-1105 [email protected] Broadband Committee News 6-7 Dr. Shaw Memorial Library News 8-9 Select Board Meetings are held every other Monday at the Town Health Officer Dan Onion, MD, MPH 10-11 Office @ 1997 North Road 30-Mile Watershed News 12

Warrant @ 6:30 pm Community Announcements & Updates 13-18 Regular Town Business @ 7:00 pm Mt. Vernon Boards, Committees & Trustees 19-20 Local Places of Worship 21

From the Mt. Vernon Selectboard Desktop

Greetings and happy SPRING

Hopefully, we will all gradually return to some normalcy over the next few months. Town hall is open again for walk-in business, albeit with the mask mandate still in play. Don’t forget that re-registration for cars can also be done online at https://www1.maine.gov/online/bmv/rapid-renewal

The annual spring election is set for Tuesday June 8th, where town meeting officially starts. Town meeting continues Saturday June 12th with the balance of the warrant articles. We have not yet determined the location and do not know if we can all gather inside. Last year it worked out well meeting outside with the awesome fire department tents. We will sort this out in May, but we plan to hold a “normal” town meeting.

Sadly, our excellent code enforcement officer, Andrew Marble is going to give up his Mount Vernon day as one of his other towns is adding a day to his schedule. Andy has done an excellent job for us and we really appreciate that. So, unless we can get him to change his mind:

Help Wanted:

Code enforcement officer and licensed plumbing inspector While these are jobs usually held by the same person, they have unique licensing and qualifications. The LPI must be State licensed to start, while the CEO can take up to a year to get certified by the State. This

Local contractors: please pass this code enforcement/LPI job info along to anyone you may know who has these skills. Andy is with us through April, but we really don’t want to risk holding up septic installs and so forth because we have no CEO/LPI.

The select board and budget committee have been working on finalizing the 2022 budget. It is looking like it will remain fairly flat. We welcome the public’s input. On a related note, the annual RSU 38 budget vote is scheduled for May 19th. You can also view the latest budget documents for the RSU at: https://www.maranacook.org/o/rsu-38/page/fy- 22-budget-documents

On a different note, I want to pass along appreciation to everyone who recycles at the transfer station. We, collective- ly, have been able to keep our zero-sort recycling stream very “clean”. What that means for taxpayers is that we are not being charged additional fees that kick in when there are too many non-recyclable items on the load. So, keep up the good work. As a reminder, things that the ecomaine does not accept include all “Styrofoam”, plastic bags, garden hoses, wax-coated boxes and more. There is a lot of related info that you can look at here: https://www.ecomaine.org/what-can-be-recycled/

On behalf of the Mount Vernon Select Board, Paul Crockett

March Selectboard Minutes Highlights

Selectboard agendas and full minutes can be found @ www.mtvernonme.org

March 1, 2021

 Zoom Meeting with Fire Department cancelled as budget is remaining the same and there were no questions.

 Selectman Crockett will revise Savage Computer contract and bring to Select- board for review.

 Selectman Crocket will collate Spectrum Franchise Contract and present at next Selectboard meeting.

 $116,883.79 from FEMA reimbursement account will be moved to capital improvement roads account.

 Selectman Gilman created an evaluation document for town employees to as- sess their performance. Several positions will be up for review in April.

 Governance Committee met with Town Clerk to let her know that the Town will abide by vote regarding her position for 2021-2022.

 Currently the Emergency Management Leader position is vacant. Chairman Har- dy was informed by Sean Goodwin, Kennebec County EMA Director, that the Homestead Exemption that we receive is dependent on having an Emergency Management Leader. More discussion to come.

 Selectman Crockett and Gilman are drafting a policy on Chairs and Treasurer’s of Committees and Boards.

 Website is in the process of being updated.

 Fuel bidding with the School Collaborative has been put on hold as prices are too high.

 Dan from MTV Heating is cleaning the furnaces and boilers in the town buildings.

 Office was opened to the public again on Tuesday, March 2nd, masks required and 2 visitors at a time.

 Budget discussions with Cemetery Sexton/911, Broadband Committee, Athletic Com- mittee and Transfer Station took place. Treasurer will put money in budget for pur- chasing additional container, which may not be needed, but funds will be available.

 Currently nomination papers are available for 2 and 3 year positions on School Board and 3 year position on Selectboard.

 Modern Pest Control left quote discussion at 3/15 meeting.

March 1, 2021 (Continued)

 Paid Leave Law is expected to impact approximately 13 employees. A letter will be going out to those employees shortly.

 Selectman Crockett will get an estimate to upgrade to Office 365 and bring to next meeting.

 Library Trustees will be holding a fund raiser in Memory of George Smith promoting an outside educational sitting area.

 Selectman Crockett and Mark Gilbert (Channel 7) are exploring ways to stream Select- board meeting on YouTube.

March 15, 2021

 Josh Neptune was approved for a 30-day auto recycling permit

 Modern Pest Control has been hired to address mouse problem at Town Office

 Andrew Marble resigned as Code Enforcement Officer & Plumbing Inspector as of April 26th.

 Town Clerk wishes to remain salaried. If changed to hourly requests compensation for elections and town meetings in addition to 35 1/2 hours weekly. She also requested Deputy Clerk be considered for raise and Gemini be considered for backup on TRIO.

 Scott Herrick gave pros and cons of going cloud based and gave estimates on how we can make our system safer including 2 hard drives for backup and uninterruptable bat- tery pack on server. Scott will donate the 1 license needed. He will contact TRIO and schedule demo for Town Office.

 Sexton Bob Grenier added a few hundred dollars to budget, otherwise stayed same. Requested cemetery and municipal lawns carryover be rolled into capital funds.

 Transfer station doesn’t want overflow container. Discovered that the sensors were shutting the machines down –not due to overload. Budget recommendation was $135,000 with no money carried forward.

 One On-road plowing bid was received and granted to Lee Dunn for $221,030.

 Two Off-road plowing bids were received and contract was granted to John Currier @ $11,100 (year 1), $11,200 (year 2), and $11,300 (year 3).

 CMP will get back to Selectboard with a decision regarding cost of generator hookup and who will be responsible.

 RSU #38 budget increasing by $519,00 a 2.75% increase. Chairman Hardy has asked for information regarding 10 Mt. Vernon students going to school in Readfield, why and whether it effects the student count.

 Town of Mt. Vernon signed Inter-Local Waste Management Agreement with Belgrade.

March 15, 2021 (Continued)

 Treasurer Casey is in the process of collecting $108,000 in FEMA funds and has sent package off to MEMA.

 Town buildings furnaces and boilers have been or are scheduled to be cleaned by MTV Heating.

 Budget request from Athletic Committee is $3500 for programming. Also requesting rolling the $1,000 stipend into the budget, but that is not possible. Heidi Perez, Chair- man is requesting we split the athletic association fields into capital vs. the programming that is allotted. Selectman Gilman highly recommends we do that.

 Office 365 estimates are being gathered

Message from Mount Vernon’s Community Center I Thought You Should Know

June Cauldwell, Chair of the Board of Trustees, April 2021

With the successful Community Center Take-out Breakfast on March 20th, our Board is eager to satisfy our patrons hungry morning break-fast.

Using CDC guidelines we will continue to ramp up our cafe dates and with the warm weather coming, folks won't mind sitting outdoors or taking home a delicious meal. Remember, even though you may be vaccinated, masks and social distancing is still required in PUBLIC.

The dates of the next take-out will be on April 10th and April 24th. 9- 11 am per usual to allow for late sleepers!

I want to personally thank our Board of Trustees for taking on this new take-out adventure with zest and innovation. If you, our patrons, have any comments or suggestions, please let me know or anyone on the Board.

We exist to serve the community in many ways. Thank you for your past patronage!

-June Cauldwell, Chair MVCC Board of Trustees [email protected]

“High Speed Internet April 2021 should be available to everyone and citizens should MT VERNON BROADBAND COMMITTEE be encouraged to bring this capability into their NEWSLETTER TO OUR NEIGHBORS homes.”

In last month’s newsletter we introduced you to the Mt. Vernon Broadband Committee (MV-BBC) and its work. This month, we start the process of sharing with you what we have learned so far and our possible paths forward. For starters, we wanted to know whether the community’s thinking about broadband was still aligned with the 2018 Com- prehensive Plan recommendation (see above).

Well, 100% of the first 112 respondents to the Mt. Vernon Internet Survey did agree – and over 80% strongly agree – that our internet service needs to be improved. (By the way, the survey is still open for more responses – if you have not already responded, please go to mtvernonme.org).

In upcoming issues of this newsletter, we will report detailed results from the survey but so far, it is pretty clear that the two things most people want to know about the project, which we don’t yet have the answers to are:

1. How much will it cost me?

2. When will we have improved internet?

To get the answers, we will need to hire engineers and contractor(s) to better understand the costs and timing, and it is going to take some time to get at these numbers. What we know is that the benefits of Broadband really pay off when every resident has access to a “future proof” network i.e., one that will serve us well over the next 20 years. For this to happen, the cost must be affordable and the benefits worthwhile to both the community as a whole and to each individual property owner in the community. That way all of us are willing and able to make this critical invest- ment in our future. We will also be sure that low-income assistance will be part of any potential roll out. What we can say for now, is that you will know when we know – and more importantly – you will first need to approve the project before a shovel touches the ground.

What do you use the internet for? Until we know “how much” and “when,” future Gaming 15% MV-BBC newsletter articles will focus on the benefits that improved broadband will bring to Schoolwork or homework 29% individuals and to our community. These benefits range from concrete cost savings for Telehealth or telemedicine 41% households compared to what they currently spend on internet and related technologies Working from home or running a business 62% (e.g., cable TV, cell phones and land lines), to Listening to music or podcasts 70% less-tangible benefits such as how improved internet will affect economic development, real Social media, keeping up with friends 72% estate values, etc.

Video meetings and work collaboration 75%

TV or video streaming, including movies 81%

Reading the news, getting weather… 98%

Email 99%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%

To better understand what residents might see as the benefits, in the survey we asked residents what they currently use the internet for (see above). And when we asked, “What would you like us to know about internet access in Mt. Vernon?” the responses revealed some of the benefits individuals would like to see for themselves:

 Better, cheaper service – for example, as is emerging in Islesboro and Calais;

 Support for individuals’ real estate values;

 More choice of service providers; and

 Reduced reliance on cable TV (“cutting the cord”).

Responses to the same question – “What would you like us to know?” – also provided insights into the types of community-wide benefits that can grow from improved internet:

 Necessary infrastructure to support education, telecommuting, virtual medical visits & home-businesses;

 Support for community’s overall property valuations; and

 Economic development – a McKinsey & Co. report recommended that rural areas, “expand digital infrastructure and teach digital skills to enable remote work”.

What you wanted us to know … [Potential Benefits to Individuals] [Potential Benefits to Community]

• “Bad service and high rates. Need a cheaper provider.” • “People are limited in their home schooling and [Better service, lower cost] working at home options that are available elsewhere.” • My service runs in on 1/2 mile of very old lines. The [Education, telecommuting] poles are deteriorating and it won't be long until they fail. Getting Consolidated in to do any kind of work is impossible. [Better service] • “Lack of reliable internet service with acceptable • “We have property in town and would like to build a speeds has become a detriment when trying to sell a year-round residence there, but we can't consider it home.” [Improved reliability; support for real estate until there is reliable internet service. [Attractive place values] to live] • “There are basically only two choices. Some people only • “Our neighbors have school-age children and educating

have one choice or no access. The town should explore them through this pandemic has been close to getting broadband on a town wide basis by looking at impossible because of the sketchy internet statewide or regional initiatives or if those are not connectivity.” [Education] possible, on a town wide basis.” [Choice of service provider] • Our internet access through spectrum cable has been • “Broadband access is critical for thriving rural good and we use internet for virtually everything from communities.” [Economic Development] tv streaming, radio, business and social media [Lower

cost alternative to cable TV]

As you can see in the direct quotes above, from the Mt. Vernon Internet Survey, broadband cuts across virtually all as- pects of our lives – a fact made even more apparent over the course of the pandemic. And the “new normal” post- pandemic is not likely to reverse this trend. Over the coming months, your MV-BBC will continue to explore these many issues, respond to your questions, and provide more details on potential broadband options, including recently an- nounced increases in available grant funding.

We would also like to continue to hear from you, so if there are particular topics of interest that we are not covering please do let us know by dropping a note to: Mt. Vernon Broadband Committee, 1664 North Rd., Mt. Vernon ME 04352; or by email to: [email protected]. Thank you.

Dr. Shaw Memorial Library April 2021 Submitted by Mary Anne Libby

“A library is a place that is a repository of information and gives every citizen equal access to it...It’s a community space. It’s a place of safety, a haven from the world. It’s a place with librarians in it. What the libraries of the future will be like is something we should be imagining now.” Neil Gaiman

We are attending various zoom sessions with Maine State Library and other Maine public libraries, to see how they will handle any re-opening strategies as the summer progresses. We will let you know if there are any changes to our current hours, as we move forward. As a reminder, currently we are open to 5 people at a time on Saturdays 10-3, and Wednesday afternoons from 3-6. We can arrange an appointment for you to come in on Mondays 3-5 and Wednesdays 9-12. Remember to always wear a mask when you are inside the building, and keep physical distance from other folks.

Hoopla: Remember, with your library card, you can sign up for the streaming service we subscribe to, Hoop- la. They provide access to many TV series and movies, audio and e books – and they even feature each month’s Library Reads on their website, along with graphic novels and comics, music, and more. Call us to see how to sign up. Personally, I have been drawn into the old Father Brown cozy British mystery series on Hoopla.

It’s gardening season! We have lots of how-to books on gardening in our 635 nonfiction section, come check them out. Some favorite Mainers who write about gardening are Elliot Coleman (basics of gardening), Will Bonsall (seed saving), and Deb Soule (growing medicinals). One of my lifetime favorite books on the subject is Katherine White’s Onward and Upward In the Garden – her reflections on being a gardener. There are also some great fiction & nonfiction children’s books on gardening – a good way to introduce them to this lifelong, gratifying, healthful activity. Our young readers could try some of these: Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden. This classic fiction is about so much more than gardening, but the garden is essential to the story. J BUR Juanita Haville, I Heard it From Alice Zucchini: Poems About the Garden J 811 HAV Kevin Henkes, My Garden PB F HEN Andrew Larsen, The Imaginary Garden PB F LAR Kate Messner, Up In the Garden and Down In the Dirt PB F MES Charlotte Zolotow, In My Garden PB F ZOL

Also, the Maine Cooperative Extension service https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/ and the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA) https://www.mofga.org/trainings/gardening/ offer lots of information via their websites, Facebook pages, and through various webinars and workshops. They have supported agriculture and gardening education for many years, and their people have a wealth of experience.

Dr. Shaw Memorial Library (Continued ) April 2021 Submitted by Mary Anne Libby

We recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, which brought to mind two wonderful movies associated with Ire- land: “Waking Ned Devine” and “Once” – put them on your watch list. We have them both on DVD in our collection. We have a new book order that will come soon, but meanwhile, we recently cataloged a memoir by Shaun Bythell, entitled Confessions of a Bookseller – it is actually his journal entries over the course of the year, detailing his interactions with customers and staff at his used bookstore in Scotland, as well as various other community members. We also just added Mary Alice Monroe’s Swimming Lessons, and Beth Morrey’s The Love Story of Missy Carmichael, about a lonely elder woman who reluctantly (at first) admits a community of new friends into her life and finally opens up about the difficulties and conflicts she has expe- rienced.

Meanwhile, I am reading Narrowboat Summer, by Anne Youngson, and am enjoying it very much. We also have her novel Meet Me At the Museum. Both are good reads. What are you reading as the snow disap- pears and you consider new possibilities within the garden or orchard?

THE GIRL SCOUTS WILL BE HOSTING AN EARTH DAY CLEANUP AT THE TOWN BEACH ON SUNDAY, APRIL 18TH FROM 9-11AM AND WILL ASLO BE HOSTING A COOKIE BOOTH. COME ON DOWN AND HELP WITH CLEANUP AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GIRLSCOUTS! PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR MASKS!!

COVID-19 Shots, Getting Scheduled Dan Onion, MD, MPH Mt. Vernon/Vienna/Fayette Health Officer 293-2076; [email protected] April 2021

We’ve made impressively fast progress in Maine over this last month in getting people vaccinated against COVID, despite some reluctance expressed by some. Dr. Shah, the physician head of the Maine Center for Com- municable Diseases (CDC), reported the last week in March that 70% of those over 70 and 50% of those over 60 have already been vaccinated or have at least received their first shots. That’s incredible, given that those over 60 could only start getting them beginning March 1, and 50-year-olds on March 23. The Mt Vernon Aging-in- Place committee, chaired by Tom Ward, recently started contacting elder community members, many living alone or with impaired spouses, to offer them help in getting vaccinated, if they needed it. Pat and I checked with 8 people; we reached 7, of whom 6 (85%) were fully immunized or in the process of completing full immunization. Tom Ward reported that as of March 28, 36 of the 40 individuals (90%) contacted had been fully vaccinated or were scheduled to be so. Most said they were vaccinated in order to reduce their chances of catching COVID and getting sick or dying from it. Plus, just as importantly, the vaccinated felt more confident and safer getting out of the house and resuming more normal lives, including seeing grandchildren, as were many of their family and friends. Such groups, all with fully vaccinated adults, can, by the governor’s new orders, now meet indoors and out. Since it’s not yet clear how easily those vaccinated might still be able to transmit asymptomatic COVID infections without knowing it, the “3 Ws” (Wear a mask/Wash your hands/Watch your distance) should still be practiced when vaccinated people mix or otherwise interact in-person, any more than very briefly, with the unvaccinated. Encour- agingly, preliminary studies released the end of March suggest that such transmissibility is very low. Vaccine supplies have almost doubled to nearly 50,000 weekly first shots during March in Maine, despite fluctu- ating weekly, to well over 600,000 total doses since vaccinations began. By the end of March, close to 50% of the adult population had gotten at least one shot or their final shots. Additionally, as of April 1, the weekly 23,000 federal allotments to pharmacy chains which had been going to teachers, will now be opened up to all comers in the permissible age tiers! And by mid-April that will include all adult age groups. That’s nearly 75,000 shots coming to Maine weekly!! Fortunately, recent national surveys show that 70% of the adult population plan to be immunized, and I bet Maine will do even better than that.

The addition of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine now coming into the state means that people receiving it need only that one shot, which gives them almost as much protection as Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, without the storage complexities and the 3-4 week wait between first and second shots. Adverse reactions, beyond sore arms and sometimes muscle aches and pains, have been few and far between, less frequent than with vaccines for most other diseases. There have been only a handful of severe reactions and no deaths. Out of well over half a million shots, that’s pretty good, and far better than getting sick and sometimes dying from COVID. As of mid-April, all adults over 16 will be eligible to get vaccinated. But the last hurdle is how to get scheduled to get a shot. Fortunately, a new Maine-wide registration and scheduling system was introduced on March 23 and has begun helping any willing COVID vaccinating clinic in the state by registering vaccine seekers and scheduling them when and where they can get shots. Right now, the three biggest hospital systems, Maine Health, Northern Light Health, and Central Maine Healthcare, run their own registering and scheduling systems, for all their sites/ hospitals, as do many of the smaller hospitals led by Maine General and will probably continue to do so. Howev- er, many of the smaller places, hospitals, health centers, practice groups as well as the pop-up sites run by various ambulances, fire/rescue services and service organizations, have already or will soon probably move their registering/scheduling to this new state system

Unfortunately for the near-term, this means to find a place and time to receive a shot when your age group’s turn comes, will be complicated. It may be best to register at several places and then schedule when invited. You can always take a better offer (closer, sooner, better time) if you get called after registering with one site, though cancelling an appointment isn’t easy sometimes. I paste at the end of this article, the current phone numbers and websites to use, starting with the state-wide system and followed by those for other current hospital or practice system access. Don’t sign up at more than 2-4 at most but include at least a couple of the big hospital systems. I’m sorry, if this is complicated, but there are several organizations committed to helping those who have trouble navigating it, starting with the Area Agencies on Aging (Senior Spectrum is the local one in Augusta; see phone below)

Remember that once you get the first Moderna or Pfizer, you are automatically scheduled by the same place that administered that one, for your second one 4 (Moderna) or 3 (Pfizer) weeks later. As I said above, J+J is a single shot. Two weeks after your last shot, you are fully vaccinated and can cross state lines and come back without quarantine, mix with vaccinated friends and family, and your world may move toward normal again. Go get ‘em; here’s hoping it all works for you! We discuss these issues almost weekly at my town Zoom meetings Saturday mornings; send me a request to join those along with your phone and town, and I will send you an invitation.

Covid Vaccine availability, phone numbers and websites

First go to these state-wide information and sign-up lists of smaller operations or pop-ups: COVID-19 Vaccination in Maine and COVID-19 Vaccine Sites. The chain pharmacy sites may list themselves here as well in the near future.

Then go to these larger systems (note that I mention the closest sites to your/our towns).  MaineHealth on-line sign-up2. Phone: 877-780-7545 or 661-3300; https://www.mainehealth.org/Coronavirus- COVID-19/Vaccine Ask to use the Franklin Memorial Hospital site if available. Their big clinic is at Scar- borough Downs

 MaineGeneral’s site; scheduling vaccination appts: Augusta site: 621-6419; Waterville site: 861-6419. Infor- mation needed on the clinics is live on website www.mainegeneral.org/covid and this page will be updated frequently. https://www.mainegeneral.org/about-us/mainegenerals-covid-19-response/ and include the Augus- ta Civic Center clinics.

 Northern Lights3, Fairfield KVTI site closest: covid.northernlighthealth.org/publicvaccine; or COVID.northernlighthealth.org/public. But others report success at these other sites there: https:// covid.northernlighthealth.org/Vaccination/Request/1/5676bb23-6bca-481e-a713-05462eeb081b/ AND https:// covid.northernlighthealth.org/COVID-19-Vaccine/6b8a21fd-f4ad-4f0a-9c8d-30a5337e5544

 Cross Insurance Center in Bangor mass clinics. All age categories. By phone 207-204-8551 or at covid.northernlighthealth.org

 Pharmacy sign-up: • Walmart, including all Maine Walmarts and 2 Sam’s Clubs (no need for membership): www.walmart.com/COVIDvaccine and www.samsclub.com/covid.

• Hannafords, Walgreens, and Shaws have or likely soon will have on-line scheduling or phone numbers; they all may list on the state-wide website listed at the top of this list.

For help navigating all these systems for you, contact Spectrum Generations (the local Area Agency on Aging) at: 1-800-639-1553.

30 Mile River Watershed Association is hiring! We are currently seeking applicants for year-round and summer positions. Work outdoors on beautiful lakes! Visit http://30mileriver.org/get-involved/employment/ for full job descriptions.

Program manager:

Oversee and implement our core erosion-control and water quality programs. Must be passionate about protecting our lakes while having the technical and project management skills and experience to support our extensive programming, such as water quality monitoring, the Youth Conservation Corps, LakeSmart, and more. Full-time, year-round. Application review begins April 5th.

Courtesy Boat Inspectors:

Be part of the “first line of defense” against invasive aquatic plants, animals that hitch rides on boats and trailers, spreading from lake to lake. CBIs work at public boat launches checking incoming and outgoing boats and educating the public about invasive species. CBIs serve a vital role in protecting our lakes from the devastating impacts of invasives, while spending time at beautiful, lakeside locations. Memorial Day weekend to mid- September. Application review begins April 12th.

Invasive aquatic plant survey team member:

Conduct field surveys for invasive aquatic plants and support the volunteer survey effort across the watershed. The position requires knowledge of or a passion for learning about aquatic ecosystems, aquatic plant identification and volunteer management. June-August, 25-30 hrs/week. Application review begins April 12th.

30 Mile is a non-profit organization with the mission to work together as a community for clean and healthy lakes, ponds and streams in the watershed. Watershed towns include Chesterville, Fayette, Leeds, Mt. Vernon, Readfield, Vienna, and Wayne. To learn more, visit www.30mileriver.org.

MESSAGES FROM THE TOWN CLERK & DEPUTY CLERK Heather and Amanda would like you to know:

• The Town Office is now open for business. Two people in the lobby at a time

and masks to be worn at all times

• Dog Licenses will be extended until June due to COVID

• ATV Registrations will be available as of May 15th

• Boat Registrations are now available

• Election Day is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8th from 8am to 8 pm at the Community Center

• Town Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 12th starting at 9 am at the School

• The Town Office will be closing at 1 pm on Wednesday, April 14 and on Wednesday, April 28th so that Heather and Amanda can participate in manda- tory training on vital statistics.

ATTENTION Neighbors Driving Neighbors

 Are you looking for a ride to get your vaccine?  Are you fully vaccinated and need a ride to the doctor or grocery store?  Do you need food delivered to you from the food pantry?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, Neighbors Driving Neighbors is here for you! If you live in Fayette, Mt. Vernon, Belgrade , Vienna or Rome, please give us a call for FREE, confidential and safe transportation.

(207) 860-0677

RSU #38 Board Addresses District Achievements in a Changing World

I am honored to serve as board chair for RSU 38, representing the towns of Manchester, Mount Vernon, Readfield, and Wayne. Working closely with Vice Chair Wendy Brotherlin, Superintendent Jay Charette, and the Administrative Team, we realized many accomplishments during a year full of COVID regulations. These regulations are continually changing from the Maine CDC and federal government. The projects which were included in the construction bond have enhanced our school buildings and local education. All school rooms have been equipped with a filter ionization system so COVID19 cannot be spread to others. Students are social distancing, and face masks are being adhered to for the protection of all.

A big thank you goes out to all our teachers and support staff who have worked during this pandemic. There have been many challenges educating our students during these times, and the teachers have enabled us to provide for our students successfully. We will continue to work with teachers and staff to provide safe environments for our students to succeed. Starting in March, we are proposing to increase class time for in-person learning for the elementary schools, improve teacher remote Wednesdays for the middle school, and alternate in-person learning on Wednesday at the high school. Our goal continues to be optimizing our students’ education and mental health.

The nurses have been wholly involved in all COVID19 cases. They have been busy tracing reported cases and reporting to the CDC. The nurses have also been involved with our students’ mental health and made sure they received proper care. Thanks goes out to all nurses for their efforts to improve student education and mental health. Snow days will be a thing of the past, since everyone has learned from the remote days of this pandemic. Now, the last school day does not need to be moved to a later date. Playgrounds will be opened during elementary school recess and was approved at the February 24, 2021 board meeting. Another item approved was the Arts and Drama Curriculum enabling students to express themselves.

Shawn Drinkwater, facilities, and transportation director has completed all school bond projects under last year’s budget. Some of this was accomplished by the Maranacook staff. The money saved by Mr. Drinkwater will be used to reduce this year’s budget. Upcoming projects include an elevator lift at Wayne Elementary, boiler work at the high school and a genie lift for maintenance. The High School roof was completed during the summer of last year.

With the help of the COVID funds, we were able to achieve many safety goals. However, an increase in state and federal government spending may result in significant long-term consequences to the taxpay- er. We shall continue to remain diligent and continue to advocate for our schools at the state and federal levels to guarantee our schools have the resources they need to succeed. Our goals are to develop long-term maintenance and operational plans and look at all possible options to improve our school’s efficiency and effectiveness. For this fiscal budget session and in the future, we may include a 10-to-20- year capital improvement plans for our buildings, a review of the RSU-38 organizational plan, and a continued look at our elementary schools’ consolidation.

It has been a privilege to be involved on the RSU38 School Board for the past seven years and as board chair for the past three years. Our dedication to our students’ success and mental health continues to be at the forefront of our discussions at the school board. We will continue to strive for excellence for our community and remain fiscally responsible to the taxpayers.

RSU 38 Maranacook Adult Ed News Lots of new classes starting soon!! HISET/Diploma Classes Ongoing Year-round

Class Name Start Date HISET/Diploma Prep Ongoing Intro to iPhone Basics Ongoing Intro to Mac Basics Ongoing Taking Awesome Photos with your iPhone/iPad Ongoing Fantastic Photo Finishes-Organize & Edit Images Ongoing Easy Chinese Cooking Ongoing Introduction to Zoom Basics Ongoing Create & Deliver Online Zoom Classes Ongoing Hidden Gems Lurking in your iPhone & iPad Ongoing

Take Fabulous Photos of Flora and Fauna Ongoing STARTING SOON: Ukulele for Beginners, Part 2 Weather for Outdoor Enthusiasts Reiki Level One

Malaga Island History

To register, or for more details and to view all classes,

go to:

https://maranacook.maineadulted.org/course/

Or call the Adult Ed Office at 685-4923 X1065

RSU #38

Manchester-Mount Vernon-Readfield-Wayne

FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR

PRE-K & KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

RSU #38 is seeking all Pre-K and Kindergarten students for the 2021-2022 school year.

Please call your local elementary school to add you name to the list for further information. Town of Wayne Pre-K parents please call Readfield Elementary School.

• Manchester Elementary—622-2949

• Mt. Vernon Elementary—293-2261

• Readfield Elementary—685-4406

• Wayne Elementary—685-3634 (Pre-K parents call Readfield Elementary)

Age requirements by October 15, 2021:

Pre-K—4 years old

Kindergarten—5 years old

HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS OF WATERVILLE AREA RESALE SHOP IS NOW OPEN!!! The newly revamped Hospice Resale Shop is now open Tuesday—Friday from 10 am to 2 pm 304 Main Street, Waterville

Clothes, kitchenware, small furniture, medical supplies & more New items all the time Proceeds from the shop go toward the many services Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area provides.

VOLUNTEER NEEDED

We are looking for a volunteer to put flags up and lower when appropriate. If this is something you would like to commit to for the Town of Mount Vernon, please contact [email protected]

What a great opportunity for a Girl Scout, Boy Scout or Eagle Scout to earn a badge or a community service project for a troop of young people . . .

COMMITTEES, BOARDS, AND TRUSTEES

Aging In Place Appeals Board Athletic Committee

Tom Ward, Chair Carl Rogers, Chair Heidi Perez, Chair

Karla Arceneaux David Fuller, Asst Chair Kerry Casey Scott Herrick Carole Fuller Patricia Jackson Mary Anne Libby Randall Oakley Alice Olson Heather Roberts Dan Onion Kenneth Scheno Pat Rawson Gerhard Von Hauenschild Jane Rogers Donna Williams Sandy Wright

Beach Committee Belgrade Area Dams Broadband Committee Committee Gerhard Von Bill Rosenberg, Chair Hauenschild, Chair Matthew Zeh, Rep. Mark Gilbert Kelly O’Neal Larry Liebling, Alternate Scott Herrick Frank Nocito

Carl Rogers Chuck Wright

Budget Committee Community Center Dr. Shaw Memorial Committee Library Trustees Katie Farrin, Chair June Cauldwell, Chair Dorcas Riley, Chair Tyler Dunn Lucas Rumler Kathy Booth Sherene Gilman Daphne Sanders Anna Libby, Secretary Shari Hamilton Andie Zuniga Murch Fred Webber Zeph Peterson Pat Rawson Jane Rogers Daphne Sanders Linda Stanton, Calendar Cherie Wenzel Donna Williams

Economic Development Governance Committee Ordinance Review Committee Committee Susan Herman, Chair David Fuller, Chair Susan Herman, Chair Katie Farrin William Brown Anna Libby Ron LaRue Carl Rogers Barbara Skapa Michelle Pino Sandra Wright Heather Roberts Quimby Robinson Fred Webber

Planning Board RSU #38 School Board Representatives Greg Cauldwell, Chair Catherine Jacobs Chad Dwelley Melissa Tobin Ronald LaRue Alexander Wright Garrett Murch Fred Webber

Volunteers Needed to Serve on Committees

 Athletic Committee has only 1 member

 Beach Committee has only 2 members

 Community Center has an opening for a Treasurer

 Economic Development Committee has only 2 members

 Planning Board has 2 vacancies

 School Board will have a vacancy as of 7/1/21

Of course we’d love to have you serve on any committee that interests you. If you’d like to find out more, please contact

Our Churches

Belgrade First Baptist Church Union Church of Belgrade Lakes Route 41, Mount Vernon Village Readfield Church Office: 293-2141 Main St, Belgrade Lakes Rev. Jay Wilson (United Methodist) United Methodist Church 10 a.m. Sunday worship service Church Office: 495-3599 1564 Main St., Route 17 Coffee and Refreshments follow Rev. Bill Meyer Pastor Myung Eun Park

Church Office: 685-4211

9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship [email protected] (nursery care provided) North Vienna “…extending God’s open arms in fellowship and Children’s Sunday School during United Methodist Church mission.” Worship 572 Tower Road, North Vienna 10 a.m. Sunday Worship Laura Church, Pastor 10 a.m. Sunday School/Nursery Care Wednesday — Adult Bible Study Church Office: 293-3710

Mt. Vernon 9:00 a.m. Sunday Worship Vienna Sunday School Dunn’s Corner Baptist Church Vienna Baptist Church

Wings Mills Road, Mt. Vernon 116 Main Street, Vienna Creation Station, an after-school, Church Office: 320-5902 faith-based, arts-intensive program Pastor Daniel Johnston 9:30 a.m. Sunday School for any children in grades K- 9:30 a.m. Sunday School classes 10:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 6. Meets on Wed. afternoons from toddler to adult Pastor Everrett Maxim 3:30-5:00 following the MSAD #9 10:30 a.m. Worship service, 293-3061 school calendar. Nursery is available Jr. Church for children up to age 10 Youth Group for any youth grades 6 Winthrop during worship service. & up meets the 1st & 3rd Sundays of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

each month. Friends Meeting House Wednesday, 7 p.m. Prayer meeting 219 Winthrop Center Rd. (Rt 135S) - the HOUR OF POWER Winthrop Youth group Young Adults 4 North Wayne Rev. Susan Berry Taylor, Vicar Christ both Jr. & Sr. groups North Wayne Church [email protected] meet 2 p.m. every Sun. at the (non-denominational) Church Office: 395-2015 church, Sept. to June 10 Church St., Wayne Sunday Eucharist 10:30 a.m. Jr. ages 8-12; Sr. ages 13-18 coffee hour fellowship afterwards Pastor Jon Olson

Church Office: 293-2502

[email protected] 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship; Coffee, refreshments & conversation follow each service