HARTFORD – Approximately 60 voters approved spending $220,000 for a sand and salt shed Thursday night at a special town meeting.
John Cleveland from Community Dynamics presented a project summary of the laminated wood arch structure while fielding questions for 40 minutes. Cleveland gave voters a summary sheet of the project but many people had additional questions.
Dale McNeil asked how a structure of this magnitude could be built on a site that was mostly fill from the rebuilding of Route 219. Cleveland said his engineer Eric Grondahl had overseen two test pits and found part of the site was ledge but that a large portion is on fill. He said the 60-by-120 foot building will be built to state specifications and guaranteed not to move. Someone pointed out that Road Commissioner Alan McNeil had sold the property to the town for a salt and sand facility and knew what was under the site.
Cleveland said the life span of the facility should be 40 years with proper maintenance, such as coating the outside and inside every few years and keeping the facility clean.
Selectman Chairman David Bowen agreed with a voter that the present sand area has been a problem because trees were dying down the bank from the present site.
McNeil asked whether the present pile could be moved to the new site and covered with a tarp. Selectman Lee Holman said the Department of Environmental Protection wouldn’t allow the pile to be moved unless it were going into a shed.
Cleveland said the impact on voters would probably amount to $18 additional tax dollars a year as long as the loan is active. The state will be reimbursing the town 52 percent as soon as funds are available.
Another article that caused a lot of discussion was whether to allow funds allocated for paving Town Farm Road to be used for other roads as well.
Selectmen said they wanted to complete the entire Town Farm Road and needed to get a new culvert in place before this was done. Pratt Hill Road was ready to be retarred and could be done first.
The town approved the remaining four articles in less than five minutes. Voters approved spending:
• $6,800 from the fund balance to buy additional salt.
• $3,750 from the fund balance for assessing.
• $700 from the fund balance to match a grant for a flagpole at the Town Office. Bunny Maddax insisted this was not enough money, but no one amended the amount.
• donated funds for supplies relating to the monthly suppers.
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