It was agreed that using the salt, with pretreatment, is a learning process.
LIVERMORE FALLS – The town will continue with its salt priority program this winter, selectmen decided at a special meeting Monday night.
Board members agreed that a decision on what to use was needed before snow falls, to avoid the many discussions on the subject during the last snow season.
“We debated it all winter long last year,” noted Selectman Clayton Putnam. “Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page and go with it.”
It was agreed that using the salt, with pretreatment, is a learning process and that giving it another year’s experience was only fair, said Selectman Bernal Lake.
Although some selectmen admitted they hate the slippery feeling on the roads at the beginning of a storm, they agreed the roads were in better condition and there was no big sweep needed in the spring due to the use of sand.
“I’ve never seen the road as good in my 40 years on Munsey Avenue,” said Roger Ouellette, who was attending on behalf of the library. He noted that there had been no sand to clean up either.
After the decision, the board still had to address the matters of when to call in, whether to use salt-priority on all roads and how to make overtime fair.
“Pretreatment is the key, get it down before the storm, that forms a barrier,” said Road Foreman Denis Castonguay.
He agreed, however, that not all roads need the same treatment and that all five workers don’t need to be in to pretreat at the same time.
He will work with the crew to devise an equitable method of call-ins, perhaps using a rotation system.
Selectmen stressed that all five men should be familiar with all five routes, not just their own.
The board agreed to have Ted Berry Co. do selected catch basins this fall and agreed to purchase a ground speed control from Howard P. Fairfield for $3,985, minus $2,500 trade-in allowance on a used 9-foot dump and sander.
They decided to delay action on replacing or repairing the custodian’s pickup until it has been determined if it could be repaired in-house.
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