MINOT – Road Manager Arlan Saunders advised selectmen Monday night that the town could expect a substantial increase in the price of salt for winter roads.

“Last year, road salt was $32.15 a ton, but the letter from Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments said we can expect an increase of $6 to $12 a ton,” Saunders said.

The letter from AVCOG, sent out to local participants in the agency’s group salt purchase program, cites several factors for the increase: high fuel costs, fewer ships due to increased China trade, the Iraq war, port security, and the overall increase in American imports.

In other business, selectmen approved Arthur’s Way, a short dead-end road off Harris Road that will provide frontage for two house lots.

Selectmen took the action after reviewing an engineer’s report and receiving assurances from Saunders that developer Ben Pratt had constructed the road in accordance with town standards.

Pratt told selectmen he intends to apply the final paving during the first part of October and, with the road thus completed, to ask that townspeople formally accept it at March town meeting.

The selectmen’s vote of approval stipulated that Pratt could apply for a building permit for his lot on the road once the town had received $1,700 in escrow toward completing the road paving.

Saunders told selectmen that the School Committee had contacted Rick Nichols to clear stumps from land next to the school, and that he had completed the work over the weekend. Selectman Eda Tripp said she received five calls remarking how good the area looked.

Saunders also said he was responding to West Minot resident John Flaherty’s formal complaint, complete with pictures, showing what the town plow did in December when it hit a stone wall on his property at 1366 Woodman Hill Road.

Saunders said the wall was clearly within the road’s right of way, and the town bears no responsibility. He said the wall should be moved for safety reasons.

Regarding the status of Old Buckfield and York roads, selectmen reported that as far as they know, all the legal depositions have been completed and they asked the town administrator, Gregory Gill, to request the town’s lawyers to forward the results to them as soon as possible.

Selectmen said they intended to review what the lawyers had determined and expect to hold a public hearing regarding the status of these roads soon.