Snow removal contract with state continues

NORWAY — The town will continue to remove snow and ice on portions of state roads for the Maine Department of Transportation this winter and be paid $13,047.50 for its effort.

The town is in its second year of a 20-year contract to do snow plowing and ice control on a portion of Route 26 from the Oxford town line to the Paris town line, a total of 2.22 miles for a payment of $4,717.50

The town also plows a portion of Route 117 from the intersection of Route 26 and Alpine Street to the intersection of Route 117 and Crockett Ridge Road for a total of 3.32 miles and a payment of $7,055.

Additionally, the town does winter maintenance work on part of Main Street from the intersection of Route 26 and Main Street to the intersection of Route 117 and Main Street for a total of 0.60 lane miles and a payment of $1,275.

Although the contract states that either party can cancel the agreement or negotiate a revised one for the next winter season, Town Manager David Holt said there really are no negotiations.

"It's always been what they decided," he said of the state's offer.

Holt said for years the town plowed the state portions of the road for free before it was offered any money, because the state would plow the snow to the side of the street and onto sidewalks and the town would have to replow.

With an effort to keep the downtown businesses accessible to shoppers after a storm, Norway has plowed to the middle of Main Street for many years, removing the snow as quickly as possible to keep both the streets and sidewalks open.

The decision to take any payment offered by the state for something the town has done for years anyway was not a difficult decision, he said.

"My attitude is to take the money," Holt said.

ldixon@sunjournal.com