By Mary Standard,Special to the Sun Journal

HARTFORD – Finishing Bear Mountain Road will eliminate the biggest polluter to the Bear Pond and Little Bear Pond watershed, according to Jeff Sterns from the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation.

Part of the road was done as a phase I grant project and this would be phase II. He said it was a good project for grant-matching funds, and he is currently putting together such a grant. The Board of Selectmen gave its approval for the project to move forward at their Thursday night meeting.

Roads dominated the first part of the meeting. Road Commissioner Alan McNeil said Perry Road had large holes, but he hesitates to repair the holes as Perry and Pratt Hill are the next roads to be ground up and resurfaced.

McNeil said Mahoney Road was almost impassable and tore up one of his plow trucks. He asked the selectmen what they wanted him to do. They agreed to have him put up the orange “bump” signs.

Selectman Lee Holman said Labrador Pond road had a culvert that sank and a small car could literally fall into the hole. McNeil agreed the road needed work, but he wanted to know how much the town wanted to spend on this road.

In other business, Code Enforcement Officer Jack Plumley said he had given three building permits for two dwellings and one garage. He also questioned the town’s $25 fee for people to cut hazardous trees in the Shoreland Zone.

Selectman David Bowen reminded Plumley that he had to go and inspect the site and that probably took him an hour of his time, which cost the town half the fee alone.

Plumley also said there was a problem in Apple Hill Estates subdivision where in 1982 a single dwelling allowed two families to reside. Now that the parents have passed on, residents in the rest of the subdivision want the dwelling to go back to a single dwelling. Bowen asked him to find out the conditions of approval for the subdivision, which is the only way the town can become involved.

Holman, as acting animal control officer, told the board she was sending dog owners notices of a $25 late fee if the animals were not registered. The deadline was April 1. The board will be interviewing two applicants for ACO before its next meeting.

Four mowing bids were opened and a decision was made to table them until the length of the contract could be verified by all bidders.

William Bragg was awarded the plowing contract at $1,934 per mile. Hartford has 47.93 miles.

Maynard Farrar was awarded the sand bid for $5 per yard per the selectmen’s specifications.

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