Weston board eyes road paving, inventory

By Bruce Frauman
©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Roads were the main topic of discussion at the Tuesday, March 12 Weston Select Board meeting.

Vice Chair Jim Linville said there are a “ton of moving parts” when it comes to plans to repave parts of Lawrence Hill and Landgrove roads. Road Foreman Almon Crandall said he heard a paving contractor estimate that it costs about $500,000 to repave 1 mile.

Given that, Linville estimated a total cost of $300,000 to repave Lawrence Hill Road between Route 100 and Landgrove Road and 3/10 of a mile of Landgrove Road.

Resident Donald Hart said the state could help pay for repaving Class 2 roads, but not Class 3. Benson said the board might want to consider putting more money in the town budget every year designated for paving projects.  Linville said no state money might be available this year, but may be available in the future. He will meet with Marc Pickering of the Department of Transportation to discuss all the town’s options.

Resident Barry Hart submitted a document that he felt complies with the town’s policy on Class 4 roads. Hart was asking for permission to use a portion of Class 4 Holbrook Road as an access to a driveway and house he expects to build. Since the town does not plow or maintain Class 4 roads, Hart would agree to plow and maintain the road. Board member Charles Goodwin said he would like the board to come to an agreement on “what we could consider compliance on Barry’s part” to comply with the town’s Class 4 road policy.

Board member Ann Fuji’i asked if it, as state in the town policy, that the road foreman would “annually inspect a Class 4 town highway and inspect them and perform minimal maintenance.” Linville said he believes the board should re-address the policy.

Hart said he plans to create a 14-foot-wide driveway from the existing Class 4 road, with some extra gravel, ditching, smoothing, tree cutting and addition of culverts, while consulting with Road Foreman Almon Crandall. Linville said he liked these plans, as does the rest of the board, but they would need to run Hart’s document by the town attorney before they could vote. Board Chair Denis Benson agreed. Hart asked for access to the road by June.

Linville said the Windham Regional Commission will conduct a road inventory at a cost of $8,000 while the town will contribute $1,600 in in-kind service and in cash. Board Administrator Cheryl Barker said the in-kind service might be that a member of the road crew would walk all the town’s roads.

The Select Board also signed a letter from by the Weston Community Association approving the removal of the breached lower dam on Cold Spring Brook that will be attached to grant requests.

As the board reorganized following Town Meeting Day and elections, the board voted to retain Denis Benson as chair and Jim Linville as vice-chair.

The Weston Select Board made the following appointments:

• Jeff Yrsha for Road Commissioner
• Denis Benson as Forest Fire Warden
• Almon Crandall as Animal Control Officer
• Matt Lynch and David Ruess for the Planning Commission
• Alan Knapp as an alternate on the Planning Commission after resigning from full time post
• Deborah Lyneis, Deborah Granquist, and Ann Fuji’i on the Zoning Board of Adjustment
• Ann Fuji’i and Deborah Hennessey on the Conservation Commission
• Barbara Lloyd as the Vendor Ordinance Administrator
• Charles Goodwin as a Windham Regional Commission Representative (one position is vacant)
• Ray Mara as Tree Warden
• Susan Meyers for the Council of Aging
• Jon Bliss as the Emergency Fuel coordinator
• Mark Falango as the Civil Defense chairman and the Regional Technology Team on the WRC
• Cheryl Barker will continue as Assistant Emergency Management director
• Dan Degan as Emergency Management director
• The Green-Up coordinator remains vacant.