>Less money, more time needed for Mountain Road project

LYNDEBOROUGH – The reconstruction of Moun­tain Road is under budget, but it may take a little lon­ger than planned.

On Wednesday, July 20, the Board of Selectmen considered a request from Kingsbury Construction for a two-week extension. The contract calls for com­pletion, except for clean­up, by Aug. 15. Kingsbury, of Waitesfield. Vt., is the prime contractor for the $1.6 million rebuilding of four sections of the road.

Mountain Road is a school bus route, and school opens the last week of August. Work began in June as soon as school had closed for the summer.

The selectmen didn’t make a decision, saying they needed more infor­mation, and tabled the question until their next meeting on Friday, July 29.

Kingsbury also asked permission to use some of the expected savings on the project for "extra shimming."

The board postponed that decision until it had more information and until after a question concerning guardrail installation had been answered. That project might require the extra shimming.

The board decided to require paved "aprons" at the intersections with gravel roads. Mason Road is on the list, but Rich­ardson Road wasn’t listed and will be included.

A 10-year bond for the road work was approved by voters at Town Meeting in March by a vote of 90-14. The project will be paid for using a combination of state block grant money, the town’s paving budget and unexpended fund bal­ances, leaving little or no effect on the tax rate.

Northpoint Engineer­ing of Pembroke was hired to design the work.

Former road agent Clayton Brown described work on the road, and the general lack of main­tenance that caused the deterioration. It was last paved in 1999.

Mountain Road serves one of the fastest-growing sections of town.

The board discussed a list of other projects with road agent Kent Perry.

• A contract for paving the new handicapped-accessible parking area was tabled for more infor­mation from a bidder.
• Purchase of a new dump truck, scheduled for next spring, may be reconsidered given the use of the truck and its current value.
• A propane heater for the Highway Department office was approved.
• All of the road in­tersections have been mowed for better vis­ibility and all road signs cleared "back to the posts." Selectman Lee Mayhew said "it looks much better" and that it should be an annual spring job.
• It was decided that a former Highway Advisory Committee would be re­activated. The committee consisted of a group of in­terested residents. Perry asked that Brown be in­vited to join.
• Perry said upgrading and widening the sec­tion of Mountain Road between the end of the reconstruction project and Warner Road is on his agenda for next year. Mayhew said that section "is much narrower then the new part," and that they need to be the same.
• Selectmen agreed to share mowing of the ath­letic fields at Goss Park with the town of Wilton.

<