FARMINGTON — Snow removal downtown, which appeared to hamper business after Monday’s storm, raised concerns and Public Works Director Denis Castonguay addressed them Tuesday with selectmen.

A couple of selectmen said they had received calls about the timeliness of removing snow from the front of downtown businesses and the lack of parking because of the snow. Broadway was nearly a one-lane road, Selectman Ryan Morgan said.

Castonguay responded that after his crew was on the road from 9 p.m. Sunday to 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, removal of plowed snow from sidewalks and town parking areas had to wait till the night after. He said he planned to have a crew remove snow Tuesday night from the downtown area. Part-time workers are used to help clear roads throughout that 38-hour period. They take turns getting a few hours sleep but they’re tired, he said.

When Morgan suggested hiring E.L. Vining to help with snow removal downtown during a major storm while the town crew is working on the roads, Castonguay said the private company was hired to help during one storm last year but it was expensive. Removal of snow from Broadway and Main downtown cost $3,500.

Castonguay agreed to check on estimates for future help with clearing the downtown area.

There’s just not enough crew to do it all in one night, he said.

One of the biggest problems is “we’re all spoiled,” Selectman Nancy Porter said about winter snow removal.

“People need to realize … they don’t want their taxes to go up … they don’t want to be inconvenienced … we need to split the difference and be more tolerant,” she said.

The downtown businessmen want snow removed as timely as possible but supervisors can’t push the crew to the point of accident or injury, board Chairman Stephan Bunker said.

The Town Farm Road was also an issue voiced to selectmen.

Owned by the state but plowed by the town, the narrow road  has new, soft, non-paved shoulders which Castonguay feels create an issue. When drivers get one wheel off on the shoulder they tend to over-correct and go into the opposite lane, he said. The solution is for Maine Department of Transportation to reconstruct the road and shoulders, he said.

With more than 40 years of experience, Castonguay has seen winter road maintenance change over the years, he said. Years ago, fewer people were on the roads. After a few inches of snow a plow would go out with sand but the roads would be covered with snow and ice until spring.

Now there’s traffic on the roads all the time. He described a new method being tried, where roads are treated with salt before the snow falls, creating a slush that is moved by plows.

It’s used in other states and countries, but is new to this area, he told the board.

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