LYNDEBOROUGH — The final paving of Mountain Road will be complete within the next two weeks, but there will be limits on who can use it until that pavement has set. At the suggestion of both the engineers and paving company, two logging operations are on temporary hold while the selectmen decide what to do.

Depending on a number of factors, the restrictions could last up to a year, but more likely, until the ground freezes.

“There is a potential for damage, and it is the opinion of the engineers that we restrict the use,” Selectmen’s Chairman Fred Douglas said at the Board’s Aug. 2 meeting. The project cost more than $1 million, “and we’re not going to jeopardize taxpayers’ money.”

He noted a newly paved road in Francestown had been badly damaged when it was used too soon.

The larger of the two logging operations can use a portion of Richardson Road to reach an unpaved section of Mountain Road. Richardson is a Class 6 road designated an emergency access and can be used with restrictions, including use of the culvert over Cold Brook. That operation may require a bond.

That’s also the same logging company that is servicing Scott Peterson, who needs portions of his land cleared. Peterson lives on a newly paved section where heavy trucks and equipment will be prohibited for an undecided length of time.

“It depends on the weather and the temperature of the pavement,” Douglas said. “We consulted with Town Counsel, and we have several options.”

If it is too warm, the pavement would be soft and could be ruined.

Options include imposing weight limits, requiring a bond or negotiating a solution. Or in this case, it could mean using a portion of French Road, which would require a lot of work. The logging company has said bonding the project or upgrading French Road would be “cost prohibitive” for such a small operation. The Petersons have 15 acres to log, what the logger called 20 to 30 truck loads.

Peterson asked if the selectmen or engineers, “could come up with some criteria we could use to get the logging done before another year.”

There are several large old pine trees near his house, he said, “that I would like removed.”

The selectmen will consult with legal counsel and discuss the problem with both Northpoint, the company that built Mountain Road, and Continental Paving, which is doing the paving. He will return with the information at the next board meeting Aug. 13.

In the meantime, weight limits will be posted at all of the access points.

In other business, the selectmen appointed Mark Chamberlain of Mountain Road to serve as selectman until the March elections, filling the place left vacant by the death of Lee Mayhew. Chamberlain has served on several town study committees.

A public hearing will take place on Sunday, Aug. 13, to accept a state block grant for $73,510, which is a separate grant to be used for infrastructure.

The board will seek additional bids and information concerning the paving of the handicap-accessible lot behind Citizens’ Hall as well as the driveway at Town Hall.