Acton Road Committee Meeting
October 15, 2018
Committee Members Present: Cindy Hart, Chuck Gregory, Leslie Berlan, Jay Ward, Brendan Meehan excused. Also present Select Board members Elise Miller, Kim Stacey-Horn.
Meeting opened with the Salute to the Flag at 6:09
II. Chuck Gregory nominated for Chair of the Acton Road Committee by Jay Ward, seconded by Leslie Berlin. Unanimously elected.
III. Immediate Road Issues
* Discussion and questions to Select Board about getting information about roads budget and financial statements. How much has been spent to date, how much is remaining and progress on road projects to date. Select Board will be meeting with Road Commissioners to get information.
1) Hopper Road dip is bad and getting worse - should be addressed immediately.
2). Flat Ground Road - status update requested - ditching has been done - will get more information from Road Commissioner.
3) Rowe Bridge Guard rails - will get status this week
4) West Shore Drive culverts and guard rails - Leslie will be meeting with Scott Mooney and will provide us with a status report. Leslie will also discuss potential grants for the town.
5) Garvin and Eagle Road issues.
6) Canal Road - has project been started? Selectmen will inquire about status.
7) Discussion about Grants Writing Workshop - Road Committee will investigate and report back.
IV. Bridges
1) Discussion about hiring an engineering firm to inspect bridges through bids which will be compatible with Maine DOT standards.
2) HEB Engineers had completed an inspection on the Canal Bridge for Wakefield which should be looked at as a sample of our needs.
3) Chuck has had conversations with Maine DOT about small bridge engineering companies and will share with the Select Board. DOT has said that there has not been any recent state grants available for bridges. We may want to look into stream crossing for potential state or federal grants.
4) Lake Shore Drive culvert would be a good first attempt to attract some potential grant money which could provide funding up to 80%.
V. Winter Services
1) Road Committee has entered information into the RSMS database including Acton road lengths and total mileage for District 1 and 2 which will be shared with the Board of Selectman to be used to write up the bid for winter maintenance. The database could also help with determining the most efficient plowing routes.
2) The town has put out the bids for sand and salt for the 2018-19 winter.
3) Discussion regarding investigating the use of brine and other sand/salt methods to help the town save money, protect the environment and safety for drivers. Calibration of the salt spreaders could be done by the Maine DOT which lowers the cost of winter maintenance.
VI. Road Status from State Perspective
1) The Road Committee recommends updating Acton road designation to maximize state resources back to the town.
2) Flat Ground Road is a town maintained road which needs to be updated in State records
3) Horne Road is not a town maintained road that also needs to be noted to the State. Regular updates would help clean up maps and potentially save the town money.
4) Discussion about getting state equipment for traffic collection to help the town determine future infrastructure projects.
VII. Current Status of District 1 and District 2 2018 Summer Projects
1) Review the 2018 project list and catalog which are still ongoing, percentage of completion compared to budgeted funding
2) Develop a budget for road inventory which will provide accurate information for more efficient decisions when budgeting future projects.
3) Discussion about building a 5 and 10 year road plan with planning for saving annually for big future projects.
VIII. Request for 2018-2019 Budget and Monthly Cost Review
1) Audit of year to date projects for entry into RSMS and historical documentation.
IX. Public Comments
1) Question about setting deadlines for the Road Commissioners and if that is going to continue? Selectmen reviewed the reason for setting a deadline for a few specific projects and why it was necessary. They did not anticipate future deadlines.
2) Question raised about what money is still available in the roads budget and how it will be spent.
3) Discussion about line item budgeting and why that was a good idea.
Meeting ended at 7:00
The goal of the Road Committee (members from the BOS, Road Commissioners and Road Committee) is to provide the people of Acton with a road maintenance plan that is Efficient, Thoughtful and Economical.