SABATTUS — Road foreman Gary Labonte told selectmen Tuesday night that it will cost about $15,000 to seal sections of Pine Ridge, Deerfield, Fawn and Woodside roads.
That prompted Selectman Michelle Ames to call for a study of all roads to determine where best to allocate money.
Labonte said the roads should be sealed before fall to prevent further deterioration.
“We’ve ignored our roads for a long time and we are paying the price now,” Town Manager Tony Ward said.
He recommended using the money set aside for road upkeep.
Labonte will conduct a study and report back to the board.
Ward announced construction on Pleasant Hill Road should be completed by July 31. He recently inspected the project with the Maine Department of Transportation and Crooker Construction and it was decided that a catch basin would be installed by the DOT at the Public Works property because of water pooling in the area.
In regard to the pitch of the roadway, Ward said it’s not perfect, but it meets expectations.
Ward announced an estimate from a local vendor to demolish Webster Mill was about $300,000, including removal of a small amount of asbestos, the catwalk and the small white building on the 2.3-acre property.
Ward said he said is uncertain about what the Department of Environmental Protection’s decision would be about the section of the river that runs under the mill. If this area is manmade and the DEP would permit damming it, the cost shouldn’t increase too much. If this area is not manmade, the cost for this project is expected to rise significantly because of water purity controls.
In other business:
• The Androscoggin County Budget Committee will elect members Wednesday, July 20, at the county courthouse at 2 Turner St. in Auburn. Board Chairman Mark Duquette and Selectman JP Curran will represent the district and caucus for Selectmen Guy Desjardins and Nick Gayton to be elected.
• Detective Sgt. Sheila Wetherbee has been promoted to lieutenant.
• Officer Ralph Destefano will officially retire Aug. 31 after 14 years on the force.
• Ward announced Officer Richard Stanton was hired for the force a month ago. He is academy-trained and has 16 years of experience working for the city of Lewiston.
• Town Clerk Suzanne Adams announced offices to be filled in November: Two selectmen for three years; two Budget Committee members for three years; one Regional School Unit 4 committee member for three years; and one Sanitation District trustee for one year. Nomination papers will be available Aug. 15.
• The Gazebo Committee reported that $5,000 was appropriated in May and another $5,000 in donations is expected. It will be on the Town Hall property and a local volunteer has offered to pour the concrete floor.
• The board signed the RSU 4 school budget warrant, which will go to voters from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, at the Town Hall.
• Police vehicles going to auction are a 2011 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor with 130,962 miles for a minimum bid of $1,500; and a 2006 Ford Taurus SE with 133,462 miles for a minimum bid of $800.
The vehicles can be viewed from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 18-28 at 26 Pleasant Hill Road. Bids will be accepted until 1 p.m. July 29 and the vehicles will be awarded on Aug. 2.
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