JAY – The town is back to square one with a wood boiler that was estimated initially at about $23,692 to heat a large recycling building. But it turned out there was a supplier’s error and the cost was more than $10,000 higher.

Bob Sanders, the town’s recycling and transfer station coordinator, delivered the bad news to selectmen Monday.

Sanders said he had contacted heating contractors in the area and only one submitted a written estimate, which its supplier gave them the price for the wrong boiler.

Resident and contractor Tom Goding said he has honored estimates he has given out despite them sometimes being underestimated.

The indoor wood boiler to heat the building where workers tend to cardboard, cans and other recyclables and also have their breaks is expected to cut down on heating oil costs.

Sanders said 3,780 gallons of oil was used to heat the building last year.

Selectman Steve McCourt suggested a monitor heater to heat the break room and the rest of the building remain unheated.

“I just think it is a waste of money,” McCourt said.

Sanders said there are water pipes in the building and the employees work in it daily.

Resident Hyla Friedman said the building is very cold.

McCourt said its cold in the woods where he works as well.

Selectman Rick Simoneau suggested Sanders go out and ask those businesses not submitting a bid to submit one.

“We’re locked into indoor boiler because the (Maine Department of Environmental Protection) and American Lung Association are coming down hard,” Sanders said, on the emissions of outdoor wood boilers.

Selectman’s Chairman Bill Harlow suggested Sanders go to manufacturers to see what price he could get for that particular boiler.

In other business, selectmen took no action on a resident’s complaint that the town’s sewer ordinance doesn’t treat everybody the same.

Jim Leclerc of Jewell Street said it was estimated to cost $700 from a private contractor to replace a sewer line at his home but it ended up costing about $3,600 because his line did not connect with the main until it went across Route 133 and there was a mess of connections.

His line across his yard to the edge of the road was clear, Leclerc said.

The town’s ordinance requires property owners to take care of their own lines until it hooks onto a town sewer line.

Most towns take care of the roads, Leclerc said.

His neighbor across the street would only have to pay $700 because the sewer main was on that side of the road, he said.

“I’m on the wrong side of the street,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair to me to pay that amount.”

Leclerc asked the board to help him out or at the least look at the policy so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

Town Manager Ruth Marden said she called the town’s insurance company and they said if the town changed its policy they would look more closely at the town’s deductible because the change would open a lot of liability.

“We would have to have a much higher deductible,” Marden said.

Sewer Department Supervisor Mark Holt said a policy change would open a can of worms.