SABATTUS — Selectmen said Tuesday evening that they are disappointed that the original design for reconstructing Pleasant Hill Road has changed so it’s higher and more curvy.
“The design is unacceptable, and I’m not happy about it,” Selectman Guy Desjardins said. The grade is too high near the town garage and could cause visibility problems when taking a left turn out of the transfer station, he said.
“‘I’m gonna bark and make noise over something so wrong,” he said.
Noting differences from the original plan, Mark Duquette said he told the project foreman that the town will not accept the work that has been done.
Selectman Michelle Ames said she’s concerned about runoff going into the town garage, because the grade of the road is above the garage and much steeper.
Selectman JP Curran asked who was signing for any changes to plans outlined in the contract.
Town Manager Tony Ward said the state makes decisions for such projects and the town isn’t notified.
The state is paying 90 percent of the cost. The town approved the project and is paying 10 percent, or about $100,000, and has paid about half that amount so far.
Desjardins said he wouldn’t sign the check for the remaining balance unless the design is changed.
Ward said he will speak to the state highway foreman Wednesday about the board’s concerns.
Ames asked the town manager about the cost and need of body work and a paint job on the town’s police truck. The cost is about $5,000.
“While the cost isn’t huge,” Ames said, “I don’t feel comfortable with this decision, having not been told about it, and I don’t feel that the cost is making the most of the town’s money.”
Ward said town policy gives him authority to make decisions on anything costing less than $10,000. He said the board can change the policy if it sees fit.
Ames and Curran asked Ward to tell the board about such expenditures in the future.
In other business, the board:
• Accepted the bid of William Waterman for the foreclosed property at 0 Emily Drive for $5,125. Four other people offered lower bids.
• Accepted the bid of Sharon Knowles for foreclosed property at 65 Depot St. for $4,750.
• Heard a report from auditor Chris Backman of RHR Smith & Co. that the town is very financially healthy.
• Voted to solicit bids for a 2006 Ford Taurus and a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria formerly used by police.
• Heard from Darwin Webster who presented surveys and deeds dating back more than 40 years regarding land in Greene, supposedly owned by Sabattus, but which he bought and is paying taxes on. The matter will be researched further.
The next meeting, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, will address the location of the town’s gazebo and the fate of the aging Webster Rubber Co. plant, formerly the Webster Woolen Mill, on Greene Street.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
