LIVERMORE – Selectpersons recently approved putting a new 40-foot culvert across the road to correct a problem on River Road near the LaMontagne residence.

Road Commissioner Bert Bryant reported last week that Botka Hill is almost done and that the winter sand is in place.

The board has also approved junk yard/automobile graveyard permits for Richard N. Damon, 573 Boothby Road; Delbert Walton, 1971 Federal Road; Benjamin Clardy, 123 Crash Road and Rodney Newman, 9 Newman Road.

Administrator Kurt Schaub reported that the employee health insurance coverage will increase 2.21 percent next year, a moderate increase. The town covers only its full-time employees, not families. Employees may extend coverage to family members by paying the additional cost.

Referring to a news item about the plight of the family of a Massachusetts volunteer firefighter, Schaub announced that Maine’s system provides death benefits for both employees and volunteer firefighters whose lives are lost while on the job or in the line of duty.

He said Maine’s workers compensation program mandates a death benefit equal to 500 weeks of earnings from all sources to the family of an employee or firefighter earning $500 a week would receive a $250,000 death benefit.

Schaub also announced that Doug Merrill wishes not to do the bridge sidewalk clearing this winter so Jamie Roy will do it for $45 per storm.

A draft of the annual audit is expected in a few weeks but Schaub is concerned about an equitable solution to the ambulance situation. A new contract figure with the hospital must be in by Dec. 17, the deadline for budget requests for the town of Jay.