HARTFORD – Selectmen on Monday awarded David Bragg of Sumner the contract to replace the Stillwater Brook multi-plate culvert under Town Farm Road.

The state Department of Transportation determined that the old culvert was unsafe and recommended its replacement. Two bidders responded to the town’s request for estimates.

The low bidder was A. E. Woods Excavating, LLC for $60,000. No representative of the company was there to explain details of the proposal.

Bragg’s bid was $62,900. He pointed out that there were several extras included in his bid that would save the town more than the difference is price. Bragg said that he would furnish $14,000 worth of barriers, since the ones the town had proposed using did not meet the latest DOT requirements, and that he would finish the road so it was ready to be paved.

He also explained the steps he would take to protect the environment during the project. He indicated that nearby towns are well pleased with similar projects he has done over the past several years.

Selectman David Bowen, who was absent, joined Selectmen Lee Holman and Hope McCabe to discuss the bids by speaker phone. Road Commissioner Cathy Lowe said that either contractor would suit her. Road Committee Chairman Arthur Calawa, who had been instrumental in writing the specification, recommended Bragg, saying, “We have seen his work.”

McCabe pointed out that it would be necessary to take $13,355 from the summer road account to pay for the project. A 5-year $70,000 loan at 2 percent interest was obtained from the DOT’s State Infrastructure Bank. Of this, $20,455 was used to purchase easements, tree work, and the culvert. The loan will be repaid by deducting $3,686 from each quarterly payment due the town under the Urban-Rural Initiative Program.


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