LIVERMORE – It was not on their agenda, so selectpersons refused Monday night to get into yet another debate over Batten Road.

Bob Pulsifer questioned the status of the road, noting that the rocks blocking the way were taken out but were put back in.

Selectwoman Brenda Merrill said the board would be waiting for a decision on the status of the town’s legal fund before taking further steps.

That subject may be taken to the people soon as the board agreed to discuss holding a special town meeting at its Jan. 5 meeting.

The special session may be needed to authorize additional spending for legal matters since that account is in danger of being overdrawn.

The $5,000 appropriated at the June town meeting, which is nearly gone, has been used to fight the Diaz shoreland zoning matter, secure the truck loan and deal with Batten Road issues.

Other bills are pending, explained Kurt Schaud, administrative assistant and treasurer, who added that the account is “getting pretty thin, with six more months to go.”

Petitions seeking to have the Batten Road issue returned to the town for further action will also be discussed at the Jan. 5 meeting. Adequate signatures have been certified but the board is concerned that the wording of the petition is too vague on act on.

Another matter that might be discussed at a special town meeting could be taking $50,000 from undesignated funds to begin the 2004 capital road improvement projects.

“If we wait until June (regular town meeting), we’ll lose three months of the season,” said Selectman Tom Berry. “We could be ditching by May but there’s not enough money to get started.”

Road Commissioner Bert Bryant said his crew had been busy with washouts caused by the heavy rains on top of deep snow. Berry explained that pavement has been undercut and predicted more heavy rain would result in damage.

Bryant also told the board he had hit an artesian well on Hyde Road but it didn’t appear to be damaged. The well location has not been flagged.

He was given the go-ahead to use calcium and salt on Crash Road and Route 108 because they work better there than the sand/salt combination.

Bryant and Schaub were scheduled to fill out the forms Tuesday for FEMA relative to damage done in the recent storms. Even if Androscoggin County is not declared a disaster area, the town might receive some funds by being adjacent to Oxford County where the damage was heavy.

The town office will close at noon Wednesday and reopen Monday, Dec. 29. It will also close at noon on Dec. 31 for calendar year closing of the books, and reopen on Friday, Jan. 2.

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