PERU – Rainfall on nearly every day the past couple of weeks has left Road Commissioner Joe Roach scrambling.

“I’m trying to keep up with the rain,” he said at Monday’s selectmen’s meeting.

Washouts have taken place on Lovejoy Hill, Ridge, Gammon, Mineral Springs and Old Valley roads. Roach said emergency measures were taken to plug the washouts, such as filling them with riprap and stone.

“They’re not beautiful. They’re kind of emergency measures,” he noted.

Roach is receiving help with road issues from a temporary road worker. “I can’t do it all by myself,” he pointed out.

The town is seeking a full-time road employee. Applications for the position are due in the town office by 6 p.m. Aug. 25.

“I think it’s going to be a pretty competitive process. I think a lot of people are interested in this job,” Chairman James Pulsifer said.

Roach said resident Art Allen informed him that pine limbs were obstructing the view of motorists on East Shore Road near Honey Run Beach and Campground. The town will trim them.

Additionally, Roach requested Internet access in his road commissioner’s office “so I can correspond with the outside world.” Selectmen approved the Internet capability, and Pulsifer said he would examine what kind of setup was needed to allow for online access.

The board tabled a request from resident Paul Bickford to add a porch, stairs, and a garage with attic storage to his home on East Shore Road pending Planning Board review. Code Enforcement Officer John Plumley had already approved the additions.

Ordinarily, this would not have been an issue. However, Bickford and the town were involved in a legal battle over alleged violations of the town’s shoreland zoning ordinance that was recently settled out of court, and the Planning Board asked selectmen for guidance with regard to Bickford’s recent proposed home improvements.

“We just wanted to make sure there were no prior restrictions on this property,” said Roach, a Planning Board member.

Earlier this year, voters approved the use of the old Peru school as a town office. The board discussed the costs of heating the larger structure, and noted that while there would be increased fuel expenses, the town needs more space to conduct business.

A tour of the new SAD 21 elementary school in Peru will take place at 6 p.m. Aug. 19. The school, which will house prekindergarten through grade four students starting this fall, was recently completed.


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