KINGFIELD — Selectmen continued Monday to wrestle with decisions about improving Tufts Pond Road and how much it will cost.

Although officials have talked for the past two years about costs for repaving and solving drainage problems on the road, they haven’t decided whether to do it all at once or in sections. They have reviewed options such as saving money over several years, borrowing it or raising $200,000 per year until there’s enough to do all the work.

On Monday, they talked with contractor Bruce Manzer about repaving a 9,100-foot section of the road.

Manzer said he could grind the surface and rebuild the base in sections over the next few years, but he could not estimate a cost until he knew exactly what selectmen decided to spend. Costs for the entire project should be under $1 million, but each solution had to have a budget figure, and he could start working on that if selectmen were ready to move forward, he said.

“If you guys truly want me to pursue this, I’ll spend the time to do it,” Manzer said.

Because sections of the road have serious problems at the base, ignoring poor drainage would not save money in the long run. He estimated that $60,000 to replace culverts without addressing other drainage problems would be a waste of money. Ditching and proper placement of rock barriers could address those issues.

“Gravel is the cheapest part of the whole thing,” he said. “There’s no sense in putting three inches of pavement on it if isn’t going to last.”

Selectmen did decide Monday to ask Public Works employees to inspect the culverts on the road to determine which need to be replaced.

“We just have to figure out where we’re going to get the money and what we’re going to have to do to get it,” Selectman Wade Browne said.

In other matters, selectmen:

• Reviewed a citizen petition requesting to change the day of the annual town meeting from the first Saturday morning in June. It was set several years ago by selectmen because school and county budgets would be set by then and seasonal employees at local ski resorts could attend. They decided Monday to keep the meeting in June, with the option of taking alternative dates and times to voters in 2018;

• Reviewed the Planning Board’s draft ordinance for a moratorium on establishing retail marijuana sales locations and social clubs. They agreed to wait for the Planning Board’s recommendations before taking any action;

• Approved an update on proposed bike trails and access along the Carrabassett River. Bike club members presented a map showing areas they plan to expand and areas they’d like to widen and make more permanent. The group also plans to install a small bridge and establish erosion control methods to help keep the trails intact. They eventually plan to cross Route 27 and travel over Poland Spring Water Co.’s property to get to trails on Freeman Ridge; and

• Agreed to install a sign, a culvert and a boulder near the culvert as deterrents to truckers using the public parking lot at the Sled Shed on Route 27 as a rest stop. Resident Jim Boyce said many of the truckers are Poland Spring Water Co.’s contract carriers. Selectmen will ask Poland Spring management to help solve the problem or pay for damages.

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