LIVERMORE — Monday, August 17, selectpersons agreed by consensus to erect a white board listing current disposal fees at the transfer station.
Resident Palmer Hebert expressed concern about the prices.
“There’s no list of prices on anything, no set fees,” he said.
“Juanita (Jordan-Bryant, transfer station supervisor) is doing an excellent job, but the price per yard for lumber is kind of steep,” Hebert said.
“You’re charging too much for stuff. I understand you have to pay to get rid of it, but wouldn’t it be better to charge a little bit, get a little bit for it rather than people leaving it on the side of the road?”, he asked.
“When I sold my house, I paid $50 to get rid of a twin mattress. That’s ridiculous. I paid $8 at another dump,” Selectperson Tracey Martin said.
“My career is as a landfill engineer. Mattresses don’t compact. They’re huge, they get wrapped up in equipment. They’re expensive to dispose of,” Selectman Brett Deyling said.
Select Board Chairman Mark Chretien said the town tries to recoup its costs.
“We’re not trying to make money on it, just trying to get enough to get rid of it all,” Selectperson Scott Richmond added.
“Would we be able to post a list,” Martin asked.
“That way we don’t get surprised when we get down there,” Hebert said.
“In the 5 years I’ve been here we’ve talked this around. It keeps coming back to the prices on some items change so frequently that people get irritated if they have a list, get to the transfer station and the prices have changed,” interim administrative assistant, Amy Byron, said.
There is a list posted monthly at the transfer station, she added.
Posting a laminated price list on the wall that could be changed was suggested by Richmond.
A white board could erase numbers when they change, Deyling said.
“That could be big enough for people to see without getting out of their car,” deputy town clerk, Jean Tardif, said.
Later, selectpersons were tied on a vote to purchase a truck to replace the 2008 GMC plowtruck.
Highway Foreman Roger Ferland said O’Connor GMC of Augusta was asking $64,500 for a truck cab and chassis.
Between O’Connor and HP Fairfield (of Skowhegan, to outfit the truck) we’re looking at $127,500 already, Ferland said.
At the August 11 Town Meeting referendum vote, by a vote of 69-64, borrowing $125,000 for the truck was approved.
“The town voted on $125,000. We need to meet $125,000,” Deyling said.
Bids aren’t being given by other dealerships, Ferland said.
“We need to order by tomorrow or we’re going to be waiting until the 2021 (model)s come in,” he said.
Richmond moved to order the truck.
Martin wanted to compare what other dealerships could offer before committing.
“We’ve got until tomorrow to order the truck. If not, we’ll have to put $10,000 in that GMC. I can’t see putting more money in a truck we’re just getting rid of,” Chretien said.
Selectpersons Chretien and Richmond voted for the purchase while Deyling and Martin were opposed. Selectperson Benjamin Guild was absent.
In other business, Alexa Harmatys was selected as the winner of the $1,000 Pollard Scholarship. Harmatys is a junior at the University of Maine at Augusta. She is studying nursing with a minor in early childhood services.
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