PERU – Tensions ran high Monday night as Selectman Dennis Thibodeau disagreed that the sand and salt shed be built 30 inches below the level of Route 108.
“I can’t see putting a $250,000 building in a hole,” he said.
Contractor David Trask and engineer Bill Whited explained why the building plans had to be changed.
“This is the worst site I have ever had to work with, and when I first saw it, my comment was, We can’t put a building here,'” Whited said. If the 70-by-90-foot building were brought up to road level, he said, “we’d have to do extensive work in the rear by Route 108. However, I believe Trask has solved most of the problems, and I can assure you there will be no water in the building.”
Thibodeau disagreed and insisted they would have a water problem.
“I’m against it, and I want to know who gave the go-ahead to start excavation,” he said.
Bill Hine, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said the site had been chosen, and the board had approved it and the plan before he was on board.
“If we can get Peter Coughlan from the Department of Transportation to agree that water will not go into the building, I have no problem with it,” he said.
The approval from the DOT is necessary for getting a grant to help pay for it.
Thibodeau countered that everything had been changed and said he would not go along with the building.
Hine asked Trask if town Road Commissioner David Gammon needed to check on the site and construction.
Trask said it was not necessary.
Further disagreements came over Hine questioning why Gammon was serving as a go-between with the contractor and the board.
Thibodeau said they voted last week to have Gammon on site for a few minutes each day, and it was a horror show all week as the blasting and filling was taking place.
Gammon had one of his employees, John Moro, look at the problems on the site, and Hine questioned a bill for Moro’s work.
The board agreed that Gammon was the only one approved to bill for visiting the site, but finally voted to pay Moro out of the sand and salt shed fund this one time.
Hine voted against the move.
After the contractor and engineer left, Gammon explained, “I owe it to this town to keep an eye on what is going on at the site. I’ll only be there until the building gets started. My time is only a few minutes, but I am going to be there.”
Thibodeau asked Town Clerk Vera Parent for a resignation form, and she told him he’d have to write his own.
Before Thibodeau left the meeting, approval of the tax rate was committed at $14.30 per thousand dollars of assessed property value. Thibodeau wanted to postpone the commitment because there were only three of the five selectmen present.
Parent said it had to be done now in order for her to mail the bills later this week.
The meeting could not be officially adjourned because Thibodeau left and only Hine and Selectman Rodney Jamison remained, which meant there was no quorum.
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