MINOT – With the town’s summer road paving program in gear, selectmen awarded this year’s culvert bid to Ferguson Waterworks of South Portland whose bid of $9,519 was the lowest of the three received.

Town Administrator Arlan Saunders told selectmen Monday night that he expects delivery “right away” as the road crew has already begun work on Pottle Hill Road in preparation for paving that is tentatively scheduled for three weeks from now.

Saunders said that by starting the paving program early, the town was able to get some favorable bids, enabling the town to do a little more than was originally planned.

The road crew, he said, had responded well to the call for an early start and it really hustled to get Harris Road prepared for R.C. & Sons, which was awarded the bid two weeks ago.

“R.C. & Sons was paving on Harris Road today and should be done tonight,” Saunders said.

Selectmen also authorized Saunders to put out to bid the job of stumping and leveling the 3 acre expansion to the Center Minot Hill Cemetery.

Dwight Nichols of D.R. Nichols Excavation in Minot, who a month ago complained when L & L Timber of Livermore had been given the job of clearing the 3 acres after a rebid of the project, restated his grievance that he had been the second low bidder when the project was bid out in December and that the town should have approached him to do the project before it rebid the work in April.

In the April rebid, Nichols was the seventh lowest bidder of the 11 who responded.

Selectmen explained that it hadn’t been their intent to mistreat Nichols.

“What’s done is done. We didn’t try to mistreat you. Why don’t you put in a bid for the stumping,” Selectmen Dan Gilpatric said.

In other business, selectmen agreed to close the town office on Wednesday, June 10 – with June 17 as a backup – for a software upgrade of computers at the town office. Town officials and Northern Data Services have sought a time that would cause the least inconvenience and mid-week in June was about as good as they could find. The plan is for the main frame to be removed at the close of office hours on Tuesday and return for Thursday’s regular delayed 2 p.m. opening.

Selectmen also reviewed the map and legal description of the school lot that the town is going to deed to the newly organized RSU 16. Selectmen were satisfied with the documents and expect transfer of the Minot Consolidated School and the 7.47 acre parcel on which it sits to be complete before the end of June.