PERU – Road Commissioner David Gammon said major road projects should be basically completed this week.

Peru issued $400,000 in bonds to pay for several roads to be improved this year.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Bill Scott said he thought Gammon saved the town lots of money by taking over the management of the projects and doing much of the work with the town crew. The other selectmen agreed.

Resident Tracy Arsenault recommended to selectmen that if the town had another large road project, that it should be contracted out so Gammon could concentrate on road maintenance.

Selectman James Pulsifer said the road construction projects have taken too much of Gammon’s time, leaving the rest of the roads in very bad shape.

Gammon said he has hopes of grading all of the dirt roads by the end of September. Many of these roads need additional material to be properly graded.

Scott asked Gammon if he should hire outside help to complete the needed maintenance.

Gammon said he thought hiring an additional worker for his crew would be sufficient. He said he does not believe they will be in bad shape by the time the first snow comes. He hopes to have most work done by the end of October.

Gammon said he intends to screen and add salt to the remainder of the old town sand pile. The new sand-salt shed is about half full. After adding the old sand to it, he will decide whether or not to order more sand and salt.

Selectman Rodney Jamison said he wants selectmen’s secretary Kathy Hussey to write to the University of Maine Augusta to follow up on its interest in leasing the old Peru school building for a satellite campus. A meeting of the School Sale Committee will be called when it is known how much room the university wants and what they will pay for it.

Selectmen considered a letter from Lawrence P. Greenlaw Jr., co-chairman of the Deer Isle-Stonington School Committee, asking about the desirability of initiating a citizens referendum to repeal the school consolidation law.

Greenlaw has sent letters to all school committee chairmen and chairwomen in the state, and chief town officials. He has scheduled a meeting of those interested in helping for 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Ramada Inn on Odlin Road in Bangor, he said.

He may be contacted at [email protected].

The board agreed they would rather the initiative come from the school board than the selectmen. They also expressed the opinion that consolidation would end up costing more money.

Selectmen spent considerable time discussing interpretation of the town setback ordinance. It requires that buildings be at least 20 feet back from the edge of the road right of way. Pulsifer said that there has been a lack of consistency in interpreting this ordinance over the years because of the uncertainty over the actual right-of-way width of many roads. He suggests that the selectmen offer an amendment to the ordinance specifying the setback from the centerline of the existing road.

This amendment could be considered at the December Town Meeting when the town will adopt a six months budget to cover expenses until the start of the next fiscal year on July 1, 2008.