PERU — Repairs to the playground and construction of the new fire station are well underway.
At their meeting Oct. 2, selectmen also discussed the upcoming election ballot, and the contract with Friends of Peru Elementary School.
The playground, behind the Town Office, was shut down in May because of safety concerns. Since then, volunteers and town officials have been making repairs.
The swing set was straightened and cemented into the ground, structural posts were added to the wooden playhouse, and Selectman John Witherell received some mill felt to place beneath the wood chips, which will cost the town an estimated $2,000.
Other planned maintenance includes welding the basketball post, and adding a base to the slide. Selectmen are not sure when the project will be complete.
The new fire station is coming along nicely, with the help of Region 9 students, who were at the construction site Oct. 4 and assisted in tearing down the old fire station. The entire school chipped in and Region 9 fire science instructor Jon Longley said the school plans continuous involvement. He said he expects the building to be completed by Halloween.
The Friends of Peru Elementary School may be getting a top-to-bottom inspection to assess needed repairs, but selectmen aren’t sure if they want to proceed. The inspection, through a company called AnnRuel, would cost between $5,000 and $8,000, and the town would receive a report of about 200 pages.
Selectmen plan to solicit bids for the inspection, and will plan a town meeting, with the date still being determined, to discuss it.
On the November town ballot, two ordinances on noise will be voted on: one regulating fireworks and the other for “unnecessary noise.”
The fireworks ordinance would prohibit the use of fireworks between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m, with the exception of holidays such as July 4 and New Year’s Eve, when fireworks would be allowed until 12:30 a.m.
The unnecessary noise ordinance would prohibit noises from such things as construction and recreational vehicles from 10 p.m and 6 a.m.
There will be a public meeting to discuss the proposed ordinances, and a possible article on permit fees, at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Town Office.
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