HARRISON – Town Manager Michael Thorne presented a five-year plan for capital road improvement to selectman Monday. The board approved the plan, which puts the roads most in need of repair at the top of the list.

Roads scheduled to be tarred in 2005 are 1.4 miles of Summit Hill Road, 3.4 miles of Maple Ridge Road, and the Carsley Road. In 2006, the town plans to ditch, gravel and pave sections of Scribner’s Mill Road, Rich Road and Kimball Road.

At their Aug. 3 meeting, selectmen met with residents of Summit Hill Road and members of the crew working on the road after putting a temporary halt to the ditching project. Residents were concerned about the safety of their stonewalls. At that time, selectmen decided the project would go on and assured residents that the crew would not take out any stone walls, Thorne said.

Selectman Don Woolley, who was not at the Aug. 3 meeting, asked Monday about the width requirements for a town road.

Thorne said he believed that a road needed to have a 20-foot wide driving surface.

Selectman Scott Andrews estimated that Summit Hill Road is about 18 feet wide.

“Obviously, a road like that we can’t meet that criteria,” Thorne said. “It’s such an old road.” The stonewalls on either side of the road prevent widening to 20 feet.

“We’re not going to go imminent domain and taking stuff out,” said Selectman Susan Searles-Gazza.

Woolley responded “I like the look of a stonewall, but if it’s a problem they can move it back.”

Wooley asked if cracks in the road were sealed before the road was paved, noting that sections of Carsley Road have grass growing up through the cracks.

“Wouldn’t it be wise to seal those cracks so moisture doesn’t get in?” he asked. “If water gets up in there, that could cause a pocket and break it down.”

Searles-Gazza agreed that this was something to ask the pavers.

In other business, the board discussed the cost of disposing of clean brush. Thorne said that since the Department of Environmental Protection has prevented the town from burning its own brush, “it’s no longer free to get rid of clean brush.”

Thorne reported that the town is able to take brush to the Frost Hill site at a cost of $100 per pulp truck load. So far this fiscal year, the town has spent $1,700 for disposal of brush. Andrews suggested chipping the brush to resell as mulch. Thorne will look into the cost of chipping brush as well as a possible fee for brush disposal.