CANTON — Selectmen voted 3-0 Thursday night to have Administrator Scotty Kilbreth look into prices for two gates to be placed at either end of Meadowview Road.
There are places along that road that have been proverbial party spots for young people from the Jay, Livermore Falls and Canton areas for many decades. Additionally, people are wrecking the road as the frost is leaving by driving pickup trucks with overly large tires that rut it all up.
“We’ve got a big issue out in Meadowview,” Kilbreth said. “People are coming in from the Livermore side and they’re tearing the ever-loving hell out of our road. We’ve really got to do something. They’re bringing in tons of trash and they did have one bonfire out there.”
Selectman Brian Keene verified it, saying he was called by Joe Timberlake. “He was very concerned because there was a bunch of wooden crates taken down in there and trash to put a big bonfire in and a couple of large barrels of oil also.”
Board of Selectmen Chairman Donny Hutchins asked if the Maine Forest Service rangers have been notified of the illegal dumping. Keene said he didn’t know, but he did say Timberlake told him that Maine State Police troopers have been down there, photographed license plates of offending vehicles and are investigating.
Keene said Timberlake asked him if the board could resume their previous conversation from a year ago about gating or shutting down the road to prevent this type of behavior. Hutchins then asked Kilbreth if he could look into prices for a gate.
Keene wanted to take the money out of the roads reserve account. “We’ve got to get a gate in there, because they’re going to destroy it,” he said.
Hutchins said they could also install a game camera. Keene suggested leaving one side of the gate open enough to enable all-terrain vehicles to pass through, but not pickup trucks.
“You’re going to have to open the gate for Memorial Day weekend when people are trying to get into the cemeteries, rather than making people walk all the way down,” Keene said.
“Well, we should do that but we’re not obligated to,” Hutchins said.
“I went down there and looked at it and they’re really tearing the hell out of that road down there,” Kilbreth said. “They’ve really done a number on it.”
“Joe said it’s a big mess in there,” Keene said. “Trucks with big, mudding tires have been in there.”
Kilbreth said he was concerned with Ray Hamilton and The Ancient Ones, a group of living-history re-enactors who depict life in the pre-1840 era. They rendezvous in the spring and fall on Hamilton’s Meadowview Road property.
Keene, however, said he had spoken with Hamilton who told him they are OK with it so long as they get a key to the gate.
“We would have to make sure landowners were involved and give them a key,” Hutchins said. “We’ve talked about this for a few years now. It’s something that we’ve had issues with and haven’t resolved it.”
Keene said Timberlake is worried about the upcoming forest fire season with big drums of oil and trash and wood crates in there.
The board then motioned to buy two gates and place them on either end of the road. It was approved.
In other business, the board agreed to put the folling items out to bid:
* A 1989 Stoystown 200-psi compressor.
* A new, 300-gallon, double-wall tank that the town bought for $2,600. The minimum bid is $1,000.
* Three 275-gallon tanks.
* A fuel pump.
* A set of stairs that are 10 feet high.
The board then voted 3-0 to place the money made from selling these items into the account for the new mowing machine for cemeteries.
The first selectmen meeting in May will be held on Thursday, May 7, instead of the usual second Thursday of the month.
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