FARMINGTON — Absentee ballots for the Regional School Unit 9 budget validation vote will need to be completed by Friday, Town Manager Richard Davis told selectmen Tuesday.
The ballots will not be available until after Tuesday’s vote, depending on when the town clerk receives them on Wednesday.
The town has received some questions from people concerned about having the opportunity to vote absentee for the Aug. 3 school budget vote, Davis said.
The absentee ballots need to be in three days before the election leaving just this week to complete them, he said.
For more information, call the Town Office.
In other business, selectmen awarded a contract for construction of the Farmington Falls Road-Main Street sidewalk project to lowest bidder, J. Pratt Construction Inc. of Hebron, for $129,132.
Six bids, ranging from $195,040 down to $129,132, were opened on July 17.
The town has previous experience with the company through their sidewalk work on Pleasant and Front streets, Davis said. Their references were also good, he said.
The construction budget for the estimated six-week project is $147,000, he said. The construction period is August to October.
The project creates a sidewalk on Route 2, also known as the Farmington Falls Road, from Maple Avenue to Routes 4 and 27 and through Hippach Field to Prescott Street.
The project received approval for federal funding through the Maine Department of Transportation in 2014. The funding will pay 80 percent of the estimated construction costs. The town’s 20 percent share will be covered by a sidewalk reserve account.
Earlier this month, selectmen approved spending $27,327 to include the work of an inspector on site everyday throughout the project, as required by MDOT.
Selectmen agreed to change the scope of work done by Wright-Pierce engineering consultants to cover the needed inspection. Since then, Davis learned the company is not on the MDOT-qualified list for the work. Davis is currently seeking someone to fill the slot, he said.
Selectmen also awarded a bid for a new 10-wheel dump truck for the Public Works Department.
O’Connor Truck submitted the lowest bid of $177,693 for a Western Star 4700SF with a five-year warranty. HP Fairfield is expected to have the truck equipped and ready to plow by November.
Three other bids were received, all within the $190,000 range.
Voters approved appropriating $250,000 for a new truck at the March town meeting.
