PERU – “We are just wasting money on patching roads,” said Selectman Norman DeRoche in reference to some of the badly deteriorated roads in Peru.

Selectman Andre St. Pierre suggested that the board investigate how much the town could borrow on a 10-year bond with $85,000 per year payments. That large a road bond can be taken out without raising taxes since the new sand/salt shed will no longer be in the budget, according to board Chairman Bill Hine.

Selectman Rodney Jamison indicated that some of the roads were so bad that the patches didn’t hold. Road Commissioner David Gammon pointed out that even if the patches held, new problems developed near by.

Gammon will furnish a list of roads most urgently needing attention and the voters will be given an opportunity to fund them in the next budget. Selectmen expressed their opinion that voters will approve rebuilding the roads when they see that it is the most cost effective solution to the problem and that it can be done without raising taxes.

Hine said that the salt/sand shed contractor had agreed to come back in the spring and patch the leaking cracks in the shed walls. The work could not be finished this year as the town needed to fill the shed before winter hits. DeRoche said that the external drains installed at the shed should be sufficient to prevent water problems.

The owner of property on Worthley Pond wrote questioning the valuation of the small plot he owns next to the pond. He also owns a camp across the road from the pond. Hine said that unbuildable lots on the pond are eligible for a 50 percent discount, yet all such lots were not given the discount by the firm hired to assess town property. Selectmen’s secretary Kathy Hussey said the firm had an explanation for the apparent discrepancy. It was agreed to discuss the matter with the firm before taking any action.

For some time the town has been concerned about apparent code violations on the Bickford property. The town obtained a court warrant authorizing Code Enforcement Officer Jack Plumley to inspect the property. Hine said that Plumley inspected the property and found several code violations. Plumley is writing a formal letter to the property owner citing the violations and recommended corrections.

Hine said that Darrell Brown designed a septic system for a home on East Shore Road. The system was paid for by the state through the Small Community Grant Septic Replacement Program. The state required the town to accept the low bid for the project, even though several persons voiced concern about the contractor’s ability to do the project.

The system is inadequate and was found to be installed 30 inches lower than the design called for. The town plumbing inspector was on vacation when the project was done and a substitute was used. So far, he has failed to respond to the town’s correspondence or return calls.

Other selectmen agreed to consider Jamison’s proposal to start a lending library in the Grange hall. He says that the only expense will be a little increase in fuel use since volunteers will build shelves, furnish the books and operate the library one day a week. He said the library would also be eligible for grants.