BETHEL — Bethel selectmen, last week, approved the use of $182,360 from the reserve account to make repairs to the town’s 30-year-old domed sand/salt shed.

The inside wall of the shed had been damaged over the years when salt and sand ate away at the concrete and the steel rebar supporting it, town officials said. Several selectmen inspected the damage last week before the regular board meeting Wednesday.

Chairman Michele Varuolo Cole explained that the repair plan calls for cleaning out the wall down to the rebar and then redoing the concrete, to a height of about eight feet.

Public Works Director Scott Sumner said sealant would then be applied to protect the concrete in the future. He said the damage is a common problem of such domes of that age.

Cole and Selectman Frank Del Duca said that in their visit to the public works property they also noted that heavy equipment such as plows and graders must be stored outside, and consideration should be given to building a structure to protect them. Cole suggested perhaps a pole barn, and that any such structure be incorporated into the town’s capital improvement plan.

The board also approved language to move forward with a $650,000 loan toward upgrading the town’s wastewater treatment plant. A special town meeting held just before the board meeting had approved the financial statement for the wastewater plant capital project, which had received initial voter approval in April. Town Manager Sharon Jackson said the financial statement information had not been previously available.

In other business at the meeting Jackson reported that the voter registration page on the town’s website has been updated and absentee applications are now available to request ballots for the upcoming elections. Town staff is also working on updating all sections of the website, and the updated town code book is now available there online.

On the subject of property taxes, she reported that the balance outstanding on property liens not paid is $128,000, and with foreclosures the balance is $159,000. “We are working through the 90-day notice period now required by law to give owners additional time to pay the foreclosed balances,” she said.

The select board next meets Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. at the Town Office.