WILTON — The Board of Selectpersons voted Tuesday to remove the weight-limit postings for Davis Court only to allow construction materials and equipment into the waste treatment plant renovation project.
Although other towns are removing road postings for weight limits of vehicles this week, according to Road Foreman Dale Roberts, some board members felt the roads were not ready.
They decided the town should wait, check when the state plans to remove postings and do it then. The state usually pulls the postings in May.
But the board considered the risk of a potential breakdown of another rotating biological contactor at the sewer plant with a potential $200,000 replacement cost against the risk of wear and tear on Davis Court, the road into the plant.
After an rotating biological contactor failed in December, the unit was given a Band-Aid fix, but the architects and town requested that the contractor, Penta Corp., put a push on replacement of the rotating biological contactor building, a representative from the construction firm told the board.
A fast-track plan was devised that jumped the work up six months, he said. The work could start now but trucks hauling gravel, stone and fill need to use the posted road to get to the treatment plant.
There is some risk to the road, but there is also the risk of another unit failing, board Chairman Tiffany Maiuri said.
According to Public Works records, Davis Court was last paved in 1989, Roberts said. It apparently has a good base and normally does not have heavy traffic.
If trucks carry lighter loads and with most of the frost out of the ground, Roberts thought the road would be OK.
The board also considered devising a road posting ordinance to set rules in place for postings and for waivers when people request them.
If police stopped someone for being over the limit, a town ordinance to go along with the state ordinance would hold up better in court, Town Manager Rhonda Irish said.
People also ask for waivers for special circumstances. If something was in place, it would provide more consistency and direction for town officials to decide on, she said.
The board agreed to discuss it again before the next posting season.
Nomination papers available
In other business, Irish announced that nomination papers are available for two seats on the Board of Selectpersons and one Regional School Unit 9 director.
The terms of Selectpersons Maiuri and Scott Taylor are up, as is that of school director Cherianne Harrison, she said. Harrison completed a one-year term for James Black who resigned.
The three seats are each three-year terms. Anyone interested in running must take out and return nomination papers to the Town Office by April 29 with at least 25 and no more than 75 signatures of Wilton voters.
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