The Buckfield sand and salt shed was under construction in 2010. The 100- by 55-foot building has not been used for more than two years because the foundation is cracked and bowed, Town Manager Joe Roach said this week. Mary Standard file photo
BUCKFIELD — Two of the three selectmen Tuesday authorized Town Manager Joe Roach to ask the low bidder for stabilizing the sand and salt shed if it could be done for less money.
The 100- by 55-foot wood and concrete building was constructed in 2010 for $160,000. It can hold 3,000 cubic yards of material but hasn’t been used for more than two years because it’s unsafe.
The 8-foot high concrete walls have bowed out, mainly in the middle of the long walls and are cracked, Roach wrote in an email Wednesday.
“The repair strategy, which has been designed by a licensed Maine engineering firm, is to install a series of concrete buttresses on the outside of the existing walls to prevent future outward movement,” he wrote. “The plans also call for installing new fasteners to strengthen the connections between the wooden walls and the concrete walls. Any cracks in the concrete walls will be cleaned and filled with high-pressure grout.”
Last June, voters approved spending $100,000, including engineer fees, to fix the shed. To date, between $4,000 and $5,000 has been paid to A.E. Hodsdon Engineers of Waterville, Roach said.
H.E. Callahan Construction of Auburn bid $117,900 for the job; Bancroft Contracting of Paris, $139,628; Hardy Pond Construction of Portland, $154,762; and Complete and Affordable Construction/Excavation of Lewiston, $187,900.
Vice Chairwoman Martha Catevenis asked if Roach had bids for building a new shed.
Roach said he had not and estimated it could be upward of $400,000 or more.
“We’re spending $118,000 to stabilize a $160,000 building,” Catevenis said. “That is not the best return on investment.”
“Not only would you have to build, you would have to demo,” Roach said. “The unfortunate thing is it’s the foundation that’s compromised.”
“That is where my concern is,” Catevenis said. “It’s not just broken trusses. We don’t have a roof that needs to be replaced we have a foundation” issue.
She suggested sand and salt continue being stored outside until money is raised to build a shed.
Roach agreed that if he didn’t get any traction with the low bidder to get the project within budget, it’s worth exploring putting up a new building.
Catevenis and Chairwoman Tina Brooks voted to authorize Roach to speak to Callahan officials. Selectman Cheryl Coffman was absent due to illness.
In other business, selectmen:
- Tabled action on health insurance repayment plans for two employees who haven’t paid as much as they should have for their premiums since 2014. Roach noted this was an oversight and he was directed by selectmen to recheck the payment numbers and run them and policy wording by legal experts;
- Heard from Buckfield Village Corp. officials that they’re requesting a 15% rate increase from the Public Utilities Commission, because the last one was in 2008 and it’s running in the red. The quarterly water payment would increase from $161 to $185.15, or an annual increase of $97.80. A public hearing will be held at a later date; and
- Approved an article on the June town meeting warrant to see if the voters want to vote on the warrant at the polls or at an open meeting.
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