MINOT — The Shaw Hill Road culvert project may go forward this summer, as planned, Town Administrator Arlan Saunders told selectmen Monday.

 

Two weeks ago Saunders learned that the Army Corps of Engineers had determined Indian Brook was classified as a tributary for migrating salmon and the town needed to apply for a permit certifying that the project would not cause undue harm.

 

Saunders reported that he has received the permit application, which didn’t appear to be too daunting.

 

“Only four pages, but it does require an attachment of the scope of work we did for the grant,” Saunders said.

 

Saunders said that if all goes well — and he expects some help from the Maine Emergency Management Agency’s mitigation officer JoAnne Mooney — the town may be able to complete the project on schedule.

 

In recent years Indian Brook has flooded Shaw Hill Road repeatedly, causing considerable damage. The project, it is hoped, will fix the problem once and for all.

 

In January, the town was awarded a hazard mitigation grant that covered $38,507 of the project’s total $51,343 cost to replace the culvert system with a 50-foot by 6-foot by 8-foot box culvert that’s open on the bottom to allow natural stream flow.

 

In other business, Code Enforcement Officer Ken Pratt reported that the dilapidated trailer on Lillian’s Way is down and is being cleaned up. He also said he expects that Dwight Nichols will address the illegal dump that he is responsible for at the end of Hillside Avenue.

 

Selectman Eda Tripp noted that the town is having problems locating the owner of a third eyesore, the rundown house on Minot Avenue at the Auburn town line, that the town is trying to clear up.

 

Also, selectmen refused to sign the warrant for RSU 16 for the budget validation referendum vote prior to the public budget approval meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 1.

 

Saunders said their signatures had been requested with the intent of speeding up the process, but selectmen said they would prefer to wait until the district budget meeting had actually voted on the budget.

 

Saunders said he would get the individual signatures of selectmen once the vote to proceed to the May 15 referendum had been taken.

 

Selectmen also turned down an invitation to join in the Maine Department of Transportation’s bid for winter road salt, stating their intent to join the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments’ bid. Selectmen noted that the prices AVCOG has managed to lock in over the years have been lower than what MDOT has been paying for salt.