PERU – Three of the town’s five selectmen have resigned, and an election has been set for Aug. 6 to replace them.

The departures come 11 days after a 3-1 vote to reject all bids for a $400,000 road-building contract and award the job to the town highway department.

Acting Chairman Norman DeRoche told board members Monday night he will step down as soon as his replacement is chosen. He was elected about five years ago to fill out the term of one of three selectmen who all resigned at the same time, he said in a telephone interview after the meeting.

Chairman Bill Hine and Andre St. Pierre resigned June 8, the day after the board vote on the road project. Their resignations were formally approved Monday night.

DeRoche said he would stay on until the election so the board could still govern.

“I will be resigning,” he said by phone Monday night. “When the voting is done, I’ll be getting done.”

The reason: “Politics. It’s the way the town is operating. It’s what has gone on in the town,” he said, declining to give specifics.

DeRoche and board members Bill Scott and Rodney Jamison voted June 7 to throw out all bids for the road project and have it done in-house by town workers. Hine voted against the move, and St. Pierre was absent.

Town Road Commissioner David Gammon and Peru contractor Dwayne Vaughn submitted a bid of $418,378.45, the lowest received and done at DeRoche’s request in time for the June 7 meeting, according to the minutes of that session.

It remains unclear how much of the project will be done. Gammon had objected to hiring an outside contractor because of the potential for cost overruns, according to the meeting minutes.

Gammon, who is elected by townspeople, and the board have had run-ins the past few years over his recordkeeping for jobs and hours.

Hine, who questioned Gammon at length at the June 7 meeting, said in his letter of resignation he was thankful to townspeople for allowing him to serve during the last 19 months.

St. Pierre stated in his letter that it was not fair to the board or the citizens of the town that he was unable to attend all the board meetings.

He then said, “I learned last evening that the board decided to award the road capital work to a team comprised of our road commissioner and Von and Sons Trucking. I have always believed that a local contractor should get this work, provided it was earned fairly and ethically. Von and Sons Trucking however had access to inside information from the road commissioner, which contaminated his bid and therefore should not have been considered……”

St. Pierre went on to say he was disappointed at the three members of the board who voted for this award and blamed himself for not being at the meeting June 7.

Monday’s board meeting was packed with contractors who were objecting to the process of awarding the job in-house.

Former Selectman Dennis Thibodeau had several complaints regarding throwing out bids. He asked if Gammon was keeping account of the time he was spending on summer roads and the project.

Gammon said, “Yes.”

Thibodeau wanted to know is there was an inspector or were the selectmen going to be overseeing the capital project.

Gammon said, “No inspector.”

When the bids were all thrown out, Dale Carlton who had been project manager for the capital improvements, was no longer employed by the town.

Gammon said it was going to be tight getting in just three roads with the money because of unforeseen blasting and water problems. He said he was getting Pleasant and Main streets ready.

Thibodeau then said the people had voted on all the projects to be done according to the priorities set by Gammon and the board.

“Now it looks like we’ll be lucky to get two roads done,” Thibodeau said. He noted his road and others need work and asked when they would get done.

Gammon addressed the contractors and asked where they were when the bidding process was done and said they had no right to complain now.

Former Selectman Richard “Dicky” Powell said, “Two selectmen have resigned over this road issue, and I have a feeling you have just turned it over to David. I see a problem unless the board feels responsible to supervise Gammon.”

Dale Sweatt told the board, “You need to put to the town exactly what you intend to do with the $400,000.”

DeRoche said he thought they had done their homework, and Gammon will do the job as best he can.

Jamison said he thought they were organized because they had spent so many meetings on the project.

Carroll Noyes asked why the bids were all thrown out.

DeRoche replied that Gammon said he could do the job cheaper and asked the board to reject all the bids.

Hine had pointed out in the June 7 meeting that if they did reject all the bids, they were unlikely to be able to bid in the future.

Town Clerk Vera Parent said nomination papers for selectmen will be available until July 6; election will be Aug. 6. Absentee ballots will be available.

In other news, the board set the tax rate at $14.30 per thousand, the same as last year.