MINOT — Selectmen on Tuesday awarded the contract for road paving to Allstate Paving Co. of Auburn.

Formerly named Rampart, the company bid $72.40 per ton, in place, shimmed and tacked.

Town Administrator Arlan Saunders said it was the lowest of five bids.

“Town meeting voters approved $185,000 for paving,” Saunders said. “It looks as if we’ll have enough to do (Hersey Hill, Bailey and Holbrook roads) with a bit left over.”

Selectmen also approved the sale of some of the highway department’s excess equipment. Four local contractors submitted bids for the three pieces of equipment put up for sale by Scott Parker, Highway Department supervisor.

Maynard & Sons Trucking of Sumner purchased an 11-foot dustpan plow in good condition for $800. D.A. Wilson of Bethel was awarded the 11-foot dustpan plow, which is in very good condition, for $1,250.

D.A. Wilson also purchased the 1993 International bus, previously transferred from the School Department to the Highway Department, for $1,552.

Money from the sale will go into the town’s equipment reserve account.

Selectmen advised Parker to delay restoring water to the old Memorial Park ball fields until May 1. 

Parker noted that while the new athletic fields and the road leading to them appear to be frost-free, the road to the old fields is still quite muddy, and there is still frost along the waterline route.

Parker also reported that several town roads still have frost and remain posted to heavy traffic.

In other business, selectmen approved a request seeking proposals from local banks interested in handling town accounts. They also approved paying the bill from Smith Reuter Lull Architects for design work for the proposed Central Fire Station expansion with money collected from development impact fees.

Selectmen also responded to a letter from John Conway of Linnell, Choate & Webber, asking what the town wanted to do with pre-2005 case records, requesting that they be returned to the town for storage.

Selectmen received copies of letters from state Sen. Garret Mason, R-Lisbon Falls, in response to correspondence he received from municipal leaders concerned with the effect of the temporary suspension of revenue sharing, as contained in Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed two-year budget.

Mason noted there is no easy answer to solving Maine’s fiscal problems and asked selectmen to pass on any suggestions with viable alternatives to what the governor has proposed.

Minot stands to lose about $165,000 in revenue sharing each year.