Board: Paris selectmen

Met: Monday, Jan. 9

Frost Hill fees

Issue: The cost of grinding wood into chips has risen at the Frost Hill Landfill in Norway and the landfill is being paid less for chips than before. Rather than asking for a bigger tax commitment from Norway and Paris residents, Vern Maxfield of Norway-Paris Solid Waste said the NPSW board opted to raise fees. Brush disposal, which was free, will now cost $2 per load.

The scoop: Selectmen unanimously approved higher fees for demolition wood and brush disposal at the landfill. For demolition wood disposal, small pickup truck loads have increased from $10 to $15. Large pickup loads rose from $17 to $20. A pickup with sides rose from $22 to $25. The fee for dump trucks up to eight cubic yards and double axle trailers is now $60, and $90 for dump trucks over 10 cubic yards. Maxfield said people will still have the option of paying by the pound instead.

Up next: The changes were effective Tuesday, Jan. 10.

Heating donation

Issue: Kevin and Terri Carlton of Paris Hill donated $1,000 to help a family pay for heating fuel.

The scoop: Selectmen voted to accept the check.

Up next: Town Manager Phil Tarr said the money likely would go to a family that doesn’t qualify for General Assistance.

Road improvements

Issue: Selectman Ted Kurtz said road repair plans are shortsighted, with a focus on visible damage like frost heaves rather than structural problems like ditching. He said the town should know the right of way on all town roads to figure out how much space is left by the roadside for ditching.

The scoop: The board recently appointed a Road Advisory Committee to make a recommendation on how the town should structure road repairs. Chairman Robert Kirchherr said that in many cases, the road isn’t centered on the right of way. He said the only way to figure out where the town could build additional ditches would be an expensive, townwide surveying project. Better-built roads would save the town a lot of money in the long run because roads wouldn’t deteriorate so quickly, Kurtz said.

Up next: Townspeople will vote on road repair funding at the June town meeting.

Selectmen workshop

The scoop: A workshop meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday was moved back to 1 p.m., because the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will leave selectmen free to come in during the afternoon. The workshop is not an official meeting and no decisions will be made. The public is welcome to watch the meeting, which will take place at the Paris Town Office.

treaves@sunjournal.com

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