BETHEL — Republican State Representative Frances M. Head attended the Bethel Board of Selectmen meeting on November 8 to give notice regarding the roads in Bethel.
“Can I just tell you something else that might be coming your way as [the number of] discontinued roads grows?” Head asked. “We’ve taken that up on our committee in Augusta, and if you have a list of discontinued roads, they’re going to ask you for them and then the follow up is coming after that. Just be ready, because it’s like I won’t say confusing, but it’s a lot of research in finding out how it was discontinued, who petitioned to have it dismissed … . So if you have time, that might be something you start to think about when you’re doing the planning and when you do new road work and things like that, you might want to start looking at that.
“I’m sorry, it’s been a long drawn out procedure in Augusta. I just thought I’d bring that up so that you folks look ahead with the big glasses on.”
In similar news, John M. Sykora, project manager at Weston & Sampson, came before the Bethel Selectman to address replacing the sewer in the Mill Hill Pump Station Site and Mayville Road (Route 2) as the sewer is overdue in its replacement. It will cost Bethel $69, 759 for the majority of the work.
“Well, that’s part of it,” explained Skyora. “They have to hire the contractors to do that work. Then then after they get this stuff, they have to interpret the results, and then they can start doing their preliminary design work. So this is an intermediate step of this long process.”
“Then there’s all sorts of snags … the sidewalk project has been extended down Mayville now and that’s going in 2023,” Skyora continued. “There will be a big problem with D O T If we have not replaced our sewer by then. It’s possible, if we approve this tonight, we could be doing that job next summer, doing the work there.
“So then we can be out of the way of the paving the sidewalk and all that stuff for joining the pipe replacements next summer, the whole sewer replacement job. And that will be our oldest roughest piece of pipe really left in the system.”
Skyora stated that they don’t have the preliminary plans so they can’t ask for government money yet to assist them.
Selectwoman Lori T. Swain motioned to approved the estimated $69, 759.00 for the engineering scope. She then asked for permission to sign the paper, and if anyone on the board have any further questions regarding the board funds.
It was stated there was $35,000 in their CIP, and the town of Bethel can be fully reimbursable. For now, the Town of Bethel will be fronting the money to fix the sewage system.
The Valentine’s Day Project is looking for empty space to use for storage. It is a nonprofit that was started six years ago, run by Deirdre Fournier and Willow Octera. It collects clothing and warm winter gear, hand-warmers, and backpacks and distributes them to homeless shelters.
Town Manager Loretta Powers did ask the town’s insurance company if the town could store the clothes in the upstairs at Town Hall. She asked because there was no heat up there. The insurance company, however, does not want anyone upstairs. The board needed to know if the Valentine Day Project had insurance, but this was unclear.
“I guess … we’d have to pass on it. Maybe if they did have insurance and agreement. Yeah, we could look at it again,” said Selectwoman Michele Varuolo Cole.
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