ROXBURY — Residents voted Monday evening to allow the town to raise and appropriate $58,650 in engineering work.

The money is for a new salt and sand shed, $16,400; a new retaining wall at Ellis Pond, $6,650; a new bridge on Main Street, $19,000; and dry hydrants, $16,600.

Several residents voiced dissatisfaction with how much money the selectmen were requesting for engineering costs. One resident said the town could forgo doing engineering work for the Main Street bridge and construct a new one for $30,000.

Chairman John Sutton told residents, “Just because we’re recommending a certain amount of money doesn’t mean that we’re going to spend all of it. It’s just an estimate.”

He later added that if the engineering work for any project comes in under the amount estimated, the town could roll the money into a construction fund or put it back into the town’s general fund.

Fire Chief Ray Carver told residents that the engineering cost for dry hydrants was for those on Horseshoe Valley Road and near Roxbury Pond.

Dry hydrants are permanently installed pipes within a pond, stream, river or holding tank that provide firefighters with a water source.

“I did a lot of research, and it showed that engineering work for dry hydrants would be $5,300 for the first one, and an additional $3,700 for each site after that,” Carver said. “A house was lost in Carthage last week because they didn’t have a water supply. We don’t want to end up in that situation.”

Residents overwhelmingly voted down an article that asked for $14,400 to be raised and/or appropriated for protection services as offered from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.

Sutton said several residents approached selectmen last year about people speeding, fireworks being ignited on public property and people drinking alcohol on the beach at Roxbury Pond.

“We agreed to put this article on the warrant and see what the town decided to do,” Sutton said. The town would still receive coverage from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office if residents decided to vote against the article, he said.

“This article would approve additional coverage to address those specific problems,” Sutton said.

The $14,400 would have provided 10 weeks of extra coverage at six details per week.

All 15 initiated article requests on the warrant were approved by residents, including $738 for Safe Voices.

Roy Hodsdon, the police chief for Mexico and a board member with Safe Voices, said the agency offers a 17-bed emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence, a transitional program for people leaving the program and a 24-hour help line.

“I deal with domestic violence issues on a daily basis, and this is a great program to help victims,” Hodsdon said.

Residents also voted to elect Rodney Cross to a three-year term on the Board of Selectmen.

Cross, who ran unopposed for the seat, replaced Selectman Mike Worthley, who decided against running for another term.

Doreen Stinson was elected to a three-year term as town clerk, replacing Nina Hodgkins, who decided not to run for another term.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net