GREENE – With numerous issues revolving around road conditions and an update on the town grader, selectmen plowed through the meeting Monday night.
Unsatisfied with the state road maintenance of Route 202 during snowstorms, selectmen have asked Town Manager Charlie Noonan to write to the state to see if any efforts can be put forth to remedy the problem.
Selectman Kevin Mower said he has not seen the road in such poor condition in years and would like to see it made safer to travel during snowstorms. “This is a main drag in our town,” he said. “I would like to see something done.”
Fellow Selectman Mark Christman said he “was not ready to throw in the towel and say its not working” but did agree with the board to send a letter of concern.
The majority of the board feels that state plows and sanders are away from the town too long during heavy snowstorms because of the long trip they take from Winthrop to Lewiston and back again. Mower wants to know if the state has taken on more than it can handle.
Chairman Ron Grant said road conditions are not as good as they have been in the past, and said this may be due to the amount of snowfall this year.
“When the snow is coming down at 2 inches an hour, there is not a lot they can do,” Grant said. However, he did commend the local plowing force on its efforts, and said Road Foreman Bruce Tufts and his team are doing a great job.
The town has also listed its posted roads for the season, which can be obtained at the town office. The postings are effective today. Noonan said that as a result of a long conversation during the annual town meeting, the board decided to trade in the town’s road grader for $15,000, which will go toward the down payment of the new John Deere grader.
Come August, the town will put down 50 percent on the new grader, about $80,000, and pay off the rest in a five-year lease plan with payments between $15,000 and $18,000, depending on the type of extended warranty the board wants to adopt. Tufts said the grader should be in the town’s possession within 45 days.
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