WEST PARIS – As officials prepare a proposed 2007 budget, selectmen heard a report from Town Manager Donald Woodbury Thursday regarding a study into a possible road project for next summer.

Woodbury and Road Foreman Bill Keach are eyeing three projects they consider urgent based on traffic flow and deteriorating road conditions.

“We are considering getting estimates on work that needs to be done on the Tuell Town, Stearns Hill and Curtis Hill roads. We both feel these are roads that need the most work now and are projects that should go before the voters at the March town meeting for the voter’s approval,” Woodbury said.

He said Tuell Town Road needs grading and paving the dirt section and culvert replacements. On Stearns Hill the same is true. On Curtis Hill the road surface needs to be reclaimed with new gravel, new paving and new culverts.

“We have picked the worst and most needy places in town,” he said, “and as a rough estimate, they would range from $80,000 to $160,000 to complete.”

Selectmen agree the projects need doing and asked Woodbury to get estimates from contractors to present to the Budget Committee when budget negotiations begin after Christmas.

In another matter, fire Chief Norman St. Pierre told the board he has a rough estimate on the price of a new fire truck.

“A ballpark figure as I have been able to determine would be around $240,000 for a truck with a custom cab, 2,000-gallon tank and central pump. This would be from American LaFrance in New Hampshire and is the closest company to Maine that I have found builds what we need at this time,” St. Pierre said.