Wayne Randall picks up a pail of sand Monday from the town sand shed in Greene. “It’s for my 81-year-old mother,” he said. “I came here yesterday and there was nothing.” Town Manager Darlene Beaulieu said someone stole the sand over the weekend. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
GREENE — Selectmen held an emergency meeting Monday night to discuss recent thefts at the public works sand and salt shed, as well as problems with two plow trucks.
In the past two weeks, the town’s entire supply of residential-use sand has been stolen twice, according to town officials. They believe the sand, which is mixed with salt, was taken to be used for commercial purposes.
Town Manager Darlene Beaulieu said a new pile of sand was left in the shed Thursday but it was gone by Sunday.
She estimated the 60 cubic yards taken was worth $600 and was enough to treat the town’s roads twice.
The salt mixed in would have been an additional cost to the town, she said.
“I feel bad for our taxpayers,” she said at the meeting. “People are stealing from our taxpayers.”
“People are abusing it,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Anthony Reny agreed.
The sand used to treat roads was not affected.
Residents are allowed to take a maximum of two buckets of sand at a time to treat slippery driveways and walkways.
Beaulieu said one person thought to be involved with the thefts was spoken to by an officer of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, but the town does not plan to pursue disciplinary actions.
Craig Libby carries a pail of sand Monday from the sand shed in Greene to his pickup truck. Libby said he has a long dirt driveway and he picks up free sand once a week during the winter. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
At their meeting Monday, selectmen voted to use American Rescue Act Funds to purchase a couple of concrete barriers, commonly referred to as Jersey barriers, to protect the sand from future thefts. People will be able to reach the pile but vehicles will not.
Selectmen also asked Beaulieu to verify whether there is electricity near the shed. The town plans to install security cameras to monitor the pile.
Selectmen declined to share whether they suspected a single person or multiple people involved with the thefts.
In other business, Beaulieu expressed concerns that two of the town’s five plow trucks are not operational.
Ultimately, the board voted to purchase a used 2015 plow truck for $85,000 to replace a 2006 truck, which would need $20,000 worth of repairs.
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