Selectmen accept paving plan bid

 By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The board of selectmen approved a proposal for a pavement assessment management plan during an Aug. 17 meeting.

“We solicited proposals from eight different firms,” Town Manager Jack Clukey said. He said five responses came back with two bids falling within budget and that of Gorrill Palmer of the town of Gray being the lower bid.

“I think the (public works) committee felt we would be very well served by going with the lower priced proposal,” Clukey said. The board then accepted the $11,000 bid made by Gorrill Palmer — the other low bid was for $15,000.

According to the proposal made by Gorrill Palmer, the 46 miles of local paved roads in Dover-Foxcroft would be assessed as part of the project. The firm’s report would collect field data and discuss potential treatment options for the various sections of roads and estimated opinions of construction costs, criteria for prioritizing the construction of treatment options and a 15-year improvement and maintenance plan.

In other business, the selectmen accepted the immediate resignation, with regret, of Fred Muehl from the planning board.

During open session, Mary Merchant said she has attended past planning board meetings and Muehl was always fair and objective. “I just want to say he’s done a great job for us,” she said.

Before the board approved the resignation, Selectperson Gail D’Agostino said she wanted to reiterate Merchant’s comments about Muehl. Select Chair Elwood Edgerly suggested the board present Muehl with a plaque or thank him in some other fashion.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, from 8 to 11 p.m., Pat’s Pizza and the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce, Dover-Foxcroft Downtown Committee and Center Theatre are planning a fall festival called “OktDoverFest” with the event no longer being just hosted by the restaurant but with the three other organizations to celebrate the season.

The selectmen approved a request by Pat’s Pizza to serve bar purchases outside the restaurant in a designated area on East Main Street.

In his report, Clukey touched upon several topics. He said a letter from the Maine Department of Transportation said major bridge work is planned for the Black Stream crossing on Route 7. The project will be advertised in 2016 with the work slated for 2017.

Clukey said a pair of public meetings, taking place in Dover-Foxcroft and Charleston, are scheduled to be held by the Department of Corrections following the announcement of the repurposing of the Mountain View Youth Center. The sessions will likely be after Labor Day, with details to be announced.

He reported the ribbon cutting at the mill redevelopment project earlier in the month had several hundred visitors tour the site. A second ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour is planned for the fall to celebrate completion of the project.