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Commissioners weigh centralized snow‑removal and year‑round maintenance after costly winter
Summary
After a winter that strained fixed‑price contracts, commissioners discussed combining snow budgets across three properties, hiring a year‑round maintenance position, buying equipment, or subcontracting hauling to manage piling and liability concerns; no final decision was made.
Commissioners spent a sizable portion of the meeting debating how best to contract and budget for snow removal after recent storms exposed shortcomings in fixed‑price agreements.
Commissioners and staff said Riverwood’s fixed‑price contract without an escalator for heavy storms proved inadequate for the winter just passed, while Canaan Parish and Millport contracts anticipated adjustments. Rick and other commissioners said the main expense driver was the difficulty of where to pile plowed snow and the cost of hauling it away.
Options discussed included pooling seasonal snow budgets from the three properties to fund one or two full‑time maintenance positions, purchasing a skid steer to move snow between the properties, or exploring heated snow‑melting containers that convert snow to water. Commissioners flagged several practical barriers: limited space to pile snow at Millport and Riverwood, insurance and slip‑and‑fall liability concerns, and uncertainty whether neighboring properties or town facilities would accept trucked snow.
One commissioner suggested discussing shared contracts with adjacent property managers (Greystone) and checking town options (transfer station, mulch field) for hauling snow. Staff were asked to continue evaluating scenarios, including subcontracting and shared resources, and to return with recommendations before the next snow season.
No motion was made to change contracts during the meeting; commissioners agreed to 'no immediate resolution' and to continue exploring options.
The discussion underscored a practical trade‑off described by one commissioner: buying equipment or hiring staff may make sense only if heavy snowfall becomes a consistent pattern.
