MEXICO — Selectmen learned at Wednesday night’s board meeting that the town must buy several new fire extinguishers and check even more town-owned extinguishers for leaks and structural flaws.

According to fire Chief Gary Wentzell, 16 extinguishers need to be replaced, 18 others must be tested using a pressurized water system, and four are needed in areas that should have them but don’t. Additionally, several highway garage trucks lack fire extinguishers.

The assessment was done by the Maine Fire Equipment Co. Inc. of Skowhegan, which the town hired to inspect its extinguishers as required annually by the town’s workmen’s compensation insurance provider.

The majority of those that need to be replaced are in the Fire Department.

Wentzell said that of their 13 extinguishers, nine need to be replaced, and four need to be hydro tested.

Although fire extinguishers should be replaced after 10 years — whether they need to be or not — he appeared embarrassed to learn that the department still has one from 1972 in service.

Additionally, no fire extinguisher was found upstairs, and the department had no carbon dioxide fire extinguishers.

According to the Skowhegan company’s Web site, carbon dioxide extinguishers discharge a white cloud of “snow” that smothers a fire by eliminating oxygen. They are electrically non-conductive and effective on flammable liquids, gases and greases.

Wentzell said that although nine have to be replaced, he doesn’t believe the department needs 13 extinguishers.

In other business, Selectman Reggie Arsenault suggested that to help stop the spread of H1N1 (swine flu), the town should buy three or four battery-operated, non-alcohol hand sanitizers for use by town employees who deal with the public on a daily basis.

The dispensers cost $98 each and he recommended placing one in the town office, another in the library, and a third in the recreation department.

One selectman suggested getting a fourth one for use at the Nov. 3 election polling station.

Selectmen unanimously agreed with Arsenault’s idea and OK’d purchase and placement of four dispensers.

The board also heard a presentation on municipal roads by Phillip A. Curtis, a consultant with the state transportation department’s Local Roads Center.

The center assists municipalities with public works-related issues.

One of two referendum questions on Mexico’s Nov. 3 ballot asks if voters want to borrow up to $2.9 million to reconstruct 12 roads, or five miles of Mexico’s 29 miles of roads.

“It’s the town’s responsibility to take care of its roads, and we haven’t been doing a good job of it,” Town Manager John Madigan said prior to Curtis’s presentation. “We’ve done whatever we can within our means, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

“You’re no different in Mexico than the other 485 municipalities in the state of Maine,” Curtis said. “We all have been caught with less money to work with, to keep the obligation we have to maintain the roads we have as municipal roads. We all have bad roads.”

He then explained why Mexico and other Maine towns must borrow money to keep their road assets intact as required by law.

“It’s tough to borrow money, but think about the rate of deterioration that your roads go through,” Curtis said. “Roads deteriorate over time, regardless of whether you have 10 cars or 10,000 cars.”

Freeze-thaw cycles from Maine winters are especially harsh on roads. Additionally, he said that because towns don’t adequately fund routine road maintenance, roads deteriorate quicker, resulting in higher costs to rehabilitate roadways.

From a very good road, it only takes 12 to 15 years to get a very poor road without routine and preventative maintenance, Curtis said.

“We have to keep the potholes filled,” he added. “We’re under obligation by law to keep our road system passable for the motoring public.”

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Mexico Selectmen Richie Philbrick, left, and Chairman Barbara Laramee listen Wednesday night to a presentation on municipal roads by Phillip A. Curtis, a consultant with the state Department of  Transportation’s Local Roads Center. Selectmen invited Curtis to speak.