PHILLIPS — Selectmen on Tuesday were informed that a culvert at the intersection of Reeds Mill and Toothaker Pond roads needs to be repaired or replaced.
The three sections of old culvert at Bragg’s Corner have come unstrapped, allowing water to seep out and erode the gravel and asphalt above and around it, road commissioner Ward Bredeau told the board.
The Maine Department of Transportation has jurisdiction over culvert lengths more than 20 feet and may require permits for certain types of reconstruction work. Although it has oversight, the MDOT does not have funding available to help finance the project.
Bredeau said he plans to meet with MDOT representatives Thursday to discuss the situation. The culvert is 200 yards from the Sandy River, so he hopes for some state assistance because of the resource protection concerns, he said.
In other business, selectmen signed the annual agreement with the Franklin County Commission for services to the unorganized territories. One of those contracts was with the Franklin County Animal Shelter.
The Farmington-based facility services area towns and unorganized territories and houses animals brought to it. Each town is obligated to have a contract based on population. The town contracts with animal control officer Josh Bachelder, who brings stray, abandoned and injured animals to the shelter for care, identification, adoption and, if necessary, euthanization.
Town Manager Elaine Hubbard explained that the 2013-14 bill for $1,850.40 is based on 2010 census data and averages $1.80 per capita for the 1,028 residents.
One problem the shelter hopes to address is the feral cat population. Shelter manager Heidi Jordan notified Hubbard that due to the support of area animal control officers, she was able to secure grant funding to buy several traps to capture feral cats humanely for spaying and neutering.
“I was pleased that (Josh Bachelder) attended our February meeting for local animal control officers,” she wrote to Hubbard and selectmen.
Jordan explained that, based on the officers’ feedback, she applied for a grant and will receive $3,000 to purchase animal traps. With more traps to share among the towns, residents may be able to gain some measure of control over the number of wild cats that roam the area.
Selectmen also signed annual contracts with county commissioners for fire protection and for use of the Phillips transfer station.
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