Auburn: Drugs out of open spaces

Drug use in parks, recreation areas and open spaces will carry stiffer fines, councilors agreed Monday.

City Councilors designated 26 recreation areas as drug-free “Safe Zones” Monday night based on new state rules. People arrested for drug dealing or use in those zones face increased fines or penalties. The zone extends 1,000 feet around each area.

The spaces now posted include Festival Plaza, the downtown Riverwalk, Roy’s Golf Center on Center Street, Lost Valley Ski Area and all city parks and athletic fields.

– Scott Taylor
Lewiston: City leasing gravel pit

The city will lease a 25-acre plot along the Maine Turnpike to provide road sand and gravel for the next decade.

Public Works Director Paul Boudreau said city crews have just finished using the supply of road sand from an old municipal gravel mine. The city moved off that mine in 2002 to make room for the Wal-Mart distribution center.

“We had to purchase about 300 cubic yards of sand just to keep our supply up and make it through the winter,” Boudreau said.

The city typically uses between 8,000 and 10,000 cubic yards of sand on winter roads.

According to the deal, the city will pay the turnpike authority $1 per yard to mine gravel from the site. The city will contract to mine 10,000 yards each year, and Boudreau estimated the site has about 200,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel available.

The going price for road sand is $6.50 per cubic yard.

– Scott Taylor
Auburn: City fills three boards

Councilors filled open slots on three boards Monday. They appointed Judy Webber to the Community Forest Board until March 2009. They also reappointed Stephen Ness and Joseph DeFilipp to the Sewer District until 2010 and Roy Farnsworth and K.C. Geiger to the Water District until 2010.

– Scott Taylor

Copy the Story Link