OTISFIELD — The Board of Selectmen said Wednesday night that despite the recent ice storm, there still is plenty of sand available to residents who want to use it on slippery driveways and steps.
Selectman Rick Micklon said people were lined up at the town garage this past weekend to get buckets of the sand and salt mixture that Road Commissioner Richard Bean leaves outside the shed for residential use.
“Our policy is if you live or pay taxes in Otisfield, you’re welcome to the sand,” Micklon said.
The board also said contractors are welcome to use some of the mixture on private roads in town, as long as they don’t charge property owners for the sand.
The board said the town does not foresee any shortages of sand.
Selectman Len Adler said Road Commissioner Richard Bean “says we’re not going to run out.”
Selectmen said Bean thought the ice storm was worse than that of 1998 in terms of travel on roads and sidewalks. Some area town trucks reportedly slid off roads while trying to sand. Some Otisfield highway trucks were reportedly sanding backward at times to avoid sliding.
In other news, the board said the interior staircase that connects the Annex to the upstairs Town Office room is off limits to anyone other than staff.
Their announcement was in response to a concern raised about society members working in the Annex this week who had to walk around the outside of the building to access the upstairs.
Micklon said the restriction is based on law.
“It’s the state’s position and we’re abiding by it,” Micklon said. He and other selectmen said it may not make sense always but it follows guidelines of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
In other action, the board voted to appoint Mike Hooker as fire chief for another year; agreed to accept donations at the Town Office for people who may need heating assistance but do not meet low-income guidelines; and heard an update on the Town Office renovation project.
ldixon@sunjournal.com
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- David Hyer of Hyer Results in Otisfield speaks to Otisfield selectmen Wednesday night about installing a phone in their meeting room at the Town Office. Hyer is the town’s computer consultant and is hooking up the phone system as part of the Town Office renovations. Selectmen Len Adler, left, and Hal Ferguson, right, listen.
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