RANGELEY – Officials defended improvements to the Dodge Pond Road in the face of residents’ concerns at Tuesday night’s selectmen’s meeting.
“Why such a massive undertaking?” resident Bill Booker asked. He wanted to know why so much work was being done on a road used by only three year-round residents. “Who approved this? Who pays?” he asked.
Town Manager Perry Ellsworth explained that no federal money was involved in the $150,000 project, which was “part of the budgetary process started last year before I came here.”
Explaining why the construction was taking place, Road Foreman Everett Quimby said, “There are environmental concerns with spring washouts going into the pond. This project will improve the drainage, put proper ditching in place, straighten a dangerous curve and remove a hill. It’s a safety thing,” he said.
Residents voiced their hopes that the road will remain gravel and that trees lost or damaged will be replaced by the town. Ellsworth said the paving decision has not yet been made.
Scott Millbury complained that his company, M&H Construction, the second-largest employer in Rangeley, was not given the chance to bid on the Dodge Pond Road project.
“Why use an out-of-town company?” he asked. “We would have liked to bid on the project but were not given the chance. It was not bid out, it was given out.”
Bruce A. Manzer Inc., a paving company from North Anson, was hired to do the work.
“This smacks of backroom cronyism and politics,” said Kenny Haley, general manager of M&H Construction, which employs about 44 people.
“This was not done behind closed doors,” Quimby insisted.
“We will do competitive bidding in the future,” Ellsworth promised. “I can’t fix what was yesterday. I can help fix what will happen in the future.”
In other business, the board voted unanimously to allow Ellsworth to enter into negotiations with Marianne Tedesco, owner of Four Seasons Cafe, regarding land that Tedesco donated to the town for an existing park that abuts her property.
Selectmen tabled the issue of turning a portion of Rangeley Avenue into a snowmobile trail until further studies can be conducted, and they discussed possible uses for the old fire station.
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