FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to have a Madison company build a temporary bridge over Orbeton Stream on Reeds Mill Road in Madrid Township.
The steel in the bridge is deteriorating, county Administrator Amy Bernard said. The Maine Department of Transportation posted the bridge for three tons, which means a firetruck or loaded oil truck could not use it.
With a temporary bridge, the weight limit could be increased, Bernard said.
The county had an option of renting a bridge for $75,000 for a year, plus $20,000 for delivery.
Dirigo Bridge Co. in Madison is able to make a temporary bridge for the site. That would give the county officials time to determine what they want to do for a permanent fix on the bridge. Once the bridge is repaired, the county could sell the temporary bridge.
The temporary bridge is estimated to cost about $100,000.
In other business, commissioners voted to give $10,000 from an opioid settlement to Kennebec Behavioral Health to pay for two drug addiction recovery coaches for Franklin County and gas cards related to recovery. The service has an office in Farmington.
The county anticipates receiving $777,000 over the next 18 years from the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical settlement. Money from other settlements is expected. The county set up a committee to consider requests for funding.
This is the first appropriation the county has made from the settlement money.
Commissioners also voted to spend $3,951.69 from its allotment of America Recovery Plan Act money to install an air handling system unit on the ground level of the courthouse where several county government offices are located.
Commissioners previously appropriated money for heat pumps and associated equipment for the courthouse. One unit was not installed. The money would be from the existing appropriation, county ARPA program coordinator Sue Pratt said.
Commissioners voted in May to award the contract for heat pumps for the courthouse to Dave’s World in Windham for $96,201.91.
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