GREENE – The town will hold a special meeting Nov. 28 to see if residents will accept Deer Run Road as a town way.
Selectmen are backing the move after residents of the road placed $14,000 in escrow to help pay for the needed work to make the road meet town standards. If the measure passes, the deed to the road will need to be given to the town before work can be done.
Selectmen expressed concerns regarding snow plowing and spring ditch work. “Some residents have stone walls right up to the road,” Chairman Ron Grant said. “This will need to be addressed before the first plow of the year for safety matters.”
In addition to the road issue, voters will have the opportunity to decide on purchasing an excavator the town has been leasing this summer.
The 1993 Caterpillar has helped speed up the ditching process this year, Town Manager Charlie Noonan said. “It is in great shape and I recommend that we move forward on this purchase.”
In December, the town will owe $13,000 on the lease. For $22,000 more, the private owner is willing to sell the Caterpillar with the agreement that he will tend to the pump and motor maintenance issues that need to be addressed.
“We can pull from federal emergency and the road maintenance funds so that taxpayers will not need to expend any additional funding,” Noonan said.
After reviewing the amount of ditching the town was able to accomplish this year using the excavator, compared to the limited backhoe workload in the past, all selectmen were in favor of backing the purchase.
“This piece of equipment is well worth more than it is going for,” Grant said. “I don’t think it is a wise thing not to do it.”
The budget committee also supports the vote, selectmen said. “We have been pointed at for the lack of ditching in the past,” Grant said. “This would increase productivity and we would be equipping our crew with the tools needed to do the job right.”
The town meeting being held at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 at the Greene Volunteer Fire Department.
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