China Select Board awards trail work, backs new truck, tables website choice

The China Select Board voted 5-0 to award most of the park trail maintenance work to Reardon, excluding the deer trail, and agreed to buy a new plow truck from Varney Chevrolet pending a trade-in offer. The board also heard an update on stalled speed limit changes, declined a $7,750 bid for closet removal at the community building, and postponed a decision on a new town website.

Key points

• The board voted 5-0 to award all trail work to Reardon except the deer trail, after members noted Reardon's pricing would allow more work within the budget than the all-or-nothing bids from other contractors.
• Speed limit changes for Duck Road, Danforth Road, and Pleasant View Ridge remain unsigned by the Maine DOT commissioner and State Police since November 2025; the board discussed asking the state to review additional roads, which would require a public hearing.
• The board voted not to award a $7,750 bid for portable wall and closet removal at the community building, with members questioning whether the work was a want or a need and citing ADA concerns.
• The board approved buying a new truck from Varney Chevrolet, the lowest bidder, and directed staff to get a trade-in offer for the old truck before finalizing.
• A decision on a new town website was postponed; staff presented options from Catalyst and Town Cloud, with pricing questions still unresolved.
• The board approved several tax abatements and supplements, including abatements for Luther King, Porcupine Ridge Farm, Wayne Greenlaw, Michelle Solomon, Jacob Solomon, Alexis Guiteau, and Frederick Riva, and supplements for James Larrabee, Nicole Lovering, Jacob Solomon, and Alexis Guiteau.

Next steps

• Staff to return to Reardon to confirm pricing for the four items excluding the deer trail, with a public hearing on speed limits possibly set for October 5 or October 19.
• Staff to obtain a trade-in offer for the old truck and bring the figure back to the board or the chair and manager.
• Staff to get final pricing details from website vendors, including whether payment must be made up front or yearly, and report back within two weeks.
• The public works director to contact the state garage about trimming trees near the school zone sign on the Arnold Road.

Read the full transcript