Buckfield Board of Selectmen

Sept. 18, 2018

Buckfield Municipal Center

Bridge award

What happened: Selectmen voted unanimously to accept the $423,000 bid from C.H. Stevenson Inc. for the Shed Hollow Road bridge project. The culvert in Darnit Brook washed out during the October 2017 storm and the road has been closed since.

What it means: The bridge won’t be built this year because the opportunity to work in the brook is nearly closed for the season. The $145,000 in grants the town secured to help pay for the project have been extended. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse some of the cost. The town will pay between $30,000 and $40,000 for the project, according to Town Manager Joe Roach.

What’s next: The work will begin in July 2019, a condition of accepting the bid, and be completed in August 2019.

Planning Board Ordinance

What happened: Selectmen accepted proposed changes to the Planning Board Ordinance in hopes of getting members to join and stay.

What it means: Major changes, which were reviewed by the town’s attorney, John Conway, include lowering the required number of members from seven to five and reducing the term of office from five to three years, and staggering terms. 

What’s next: A public hearing will be held Oct. 2 and voting on the changes will be Nov. 6. Absentee ballots will be available Oct. 5. 

Salt bid

What happened: Selectmen accepted the winter sand bid of $9.75 per cubic yard from W.A. Lucas.

What it means: All sand must pass the town’s three-eighths of an inch requirement and not have a lot of clay, Roach said.

What’s next: Roach and Town Clerk Cindy Dunn will research the town’s sand policy for residents to see how much they can take from the pile at the Public Works facility.