NORWAY – A tentative agreement has been reached between state and Norway officials to provide the town with limited financial support if locals take over the maintenance of the Route 118 picnic area.

Norm Higgins, regional supervisor of the Department of Transportation’s Dixfield office, said he is willing to provide Norway with $1,500 to help pay for cutting the lawn and other maintenance costs. Additionally, the state would continue maintaining pavement at the site, and would leave the picnic tables, restroom, grills and other amenities that attract people to the site annually.

The tentative agreement was reached after an hour of discussion between state and local officials, including Department of Transportation Commissioner David Cole, state Rep. H. Sawin Millett Jr., R-Waterford, residents and representatives of local organizations.

The DOT offered to let Norway take over site maintenance rather than remove the amenities and turn it into a scenic turnout. But while locals want to preserve the picnic area, they have balked at annual maintenance costs that state officials estimate run between $6,000 to $7,000.

Instead, Town Manager David Holt proposed sharing costs with area organizations and the state to save the picnic area.

The move to downgrade the facility to a scenic turnout is part of a state effort to reduce costs by turning rest stops into scenic turnouts by taking out amenities or closing them outright.

“We think we can do it more efficiently,” said Holt, referring to cost estimates that Recreation Director Deb Patridge presented at the meeting showing a dramatic drop in the amount of money it would take Norway to maintain the site versus the state doing the job.

Patridge said the numbers show, for example, that it would cost the town as little as $400 to keep the area mowed as opposed to the $1,500 it takes the state to do the job. About half of the state’s charges are for travel time for the two men who drive to Norway from Dixfield twice a week to do things like clean the toilet, pick up trash and mow the lawn, Higgins said.

Millett said it would be useless to try to get a bill passed in the Legislature to get money diverted from highway funds to Norway for maintenance cost. “We’ll get nowhere. It’s a question of sharing resources.”

Rotary Club officials said they are willing to help financially support the maintenance. That type of pledge coupled with offers to help financially or physically maintain the site – along with state assistance – is expected to culminate in a viable plan to keep the area open.

“We understand how you feel. It’s a nice piece of property. But it’s very, very tough right now. We have a huge challenge ahead of us,” said Cole of the inability to divert a lot of funding from highway and bridge projects to help maintain rest areas.

“We understand why it’s important to the community,” Cole said. “But our priority is travel assistance.”

Local officials are expected to meet with Higgins again to discuss specific costs estimates on both sides and work out details before a final agreement is reached.