Cones block the sidewalk next to the Livermore Falls Town Office where a new meter box has been installed and where snow falls from the roof. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal
LIVERMORE FALLS — Town Manager Stephen Gould told selectmen Tuesday that a special town meeting is necessary to cover a $24,500 increase in workers’ compensation insurance.
The premium went from $23,500 to $48,000 because of an extremely expensive injury, he said. Details about the injury are not being made public because Gould wants to confer with the town attorney about the legal implications.
In other business, selectmen voted to put used highway equipment out to bid and to put $8,012 from the recent sale of a loader and sand spreader into a Public Works Department equipment account.
The items for sale include a 2004 John Deere mower with a bad transmission, a 2000 Honda HS 1132 snowblower in poor condition, a John Deere snowblower with snow shield that breaks down, and a Grizzly sand screen that is too narrow for the public works’ needs, Gould said. A new screen was built.
The town manager also informed the board there are Americans with Disabilities Act compliance issues at the Town Office and library. A public bathroom at the Town Office and three bathrooms at the Treat Memorial Library are not big enough for people in wheelchairs to get in and out, he said.
Gould will look into grants and funding and talk with an engineer to see what needs to be done.
Selectman Heather Bronish said it should be a budget discussion.
In another matter, the Town Office will open about an hour later on Dec. 3 so power can be switched from the box next to the outside stairs of the Town Office to a new box on the exterior wall near the public parking lot and walkway to the front door. The Fire Marshal’s Office inspected the box Gould said, and said it must be removed to give more clearance on the stairway used to enter and exit the building.
Orange cones have been set on the sidewalk around the new meter for safety purposes.
“We have trouble with part of the roof creating an unsafe situation in that area,” Gould said, referring to snow dropping onto the walkway and turning to ice. The idea is to remove that part of sidewalk and put some mulch in that area in the spring to remove liability, he said.
Selectmen also voted to appoint Carole Barker to the Planning Board. Her husband, Tom Barker, serves on the board.
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