Commissioners to meet with Shirley and Willimantic selectmen on road problems

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    PARKMAN — The Piscataquis County Commissioners have received petitions from several unhappy residents about the condition of the Shirley-Blanchard Road and potholes that keep cropping up on the Elliottsville Road in Willimantic.

    But the commissioners agreed not to take any action until they get more information from the towns’ elected officials.
    At the Sept 3 meeting held at the Parkman town office, County Manager Marilyn Tourtelotte outlined the problems to the commissioners. An early-summer rainstorm washed away part of the Shirley Road “but it hasn’t been repaired yet,” Tourtelotte said. “After talking to the selectmen, they said it was caused by water coming off a landowner’s property. So they’re concerned that every time there’s a big rainstorm, they’ll have the same problem again.”
    Tourtelotte said that the Shirley selectmen have tried to talk to the landowner “but he’s unwilling to do his part to fix the problem. So some residents of Shirley and Blanchard have brought a petition to us.”
    The county has some authority to intervene in local road matters, but they must hold a public hearing on the issue before they take any action. “Before we do anything, we need to meet with the Shirley selectmen,” said Commissioner Chairman Fred Trask. “My personal feeling is that I don’t like to see us step in unless we can’t avoid it.”
    Commissioner Eric Ward said he was familiar with the section of road and said it was “an ongoing problem, not just something that came up recently. But we should talk to the selectmen first.”
    A petition signed by 70 residents described as “citizens and travelers on the Elliottsville Road to Willimantic” asked commissioners to address maintenance problems on the road. “We are concerned for the safety of those who travel on the road. Emergency vehicles may not be able to get to Elliottsville in a timely manner. We’re concerned about the water and wear-and-tear on our vehicles … (and) piles of dirt left in the middle of the road overnight.”
    Tourtelotte, who lives in Willimantic, said that the road has been graded “seven times this year.” But she added that the problem doesn’t seem to be lack of gravel, but how it’s graded.  “It needs to be brought in from the sides of the road back in to the center,” she said. The town of Willimantic has a contractor doing road maintenance, but Tourtelotte said she wasn’t sure if he was getting guidance from the road commissioner. “I don’t know whether he’s telling him to grade flat or not,” she said, “but all I know is that the road is bad.”
    Trask recommended that the commissioners take the same course of action as they did with the Shirley complaint. “Let’s meet with the board, make sure they understand what the petition is about and go from there,” Trask said.
    On another road-related matter, commissioners awarded the bid for maintenance on the Rogers Road in Williamsburg to Flint Construction of Dover-Foxcroft, even though he was the second-lowest bidder at $33,650.
    The low bid of $30,000 was submitted by Dan Daigle Construction of Greenville; however, Daigle failed to submit a copy of his liability and workers’ compensation policy as required by the county. The other bidder was Brent Belmont of Greenville, who quoted $44,900 for the job, and also failed to attach a proof of insurance. “It’s right on the bid specs in bold print,” said Ward, “so there’s no way they could miss it.” Trask agreed. “We have to enforce the bid policy so it’s fair for everyone,” Trask said.
    Commissioners also gave permission to Sean Bolen, the country’s solid waste contractor, to install surveillance cameras at the Lily Bay and Orneville transfer stations to alleviate theft and vandalism at the sites. “They’ve cut locks, cut cables and stolen metal, among other things,” said Tourtelotte. “Hopefully, this will be a deterrent.”