Town manager: engineer condemns salt shed; board approves crack-sealing RFP and advances paving planning

The Harrison town manager reported that a structural engineer from Sebago Technics found the town's primary salt/sand shed in poor condition, saying the wooden walls are deteriorating, rebar is exposed and beams are missing, and that the structure is not in condition to be repaired.

"The initial feeling of the structural engineer was that it's not it's not in condition to be repaired," the town manager said, noting the engineer advised the town not to rely on the structure through another winter. Staff said the town will plan construction in calendar year 2027 (fiscal year 2028) and will use a smaller existing shed as a temporary measure to get through upcoming winters.

On roads, the board approved a motion to send out a crack-sealing RFP with edits agreed at the meeting, setting a bid-opening date of June 25 and scheduling a follow-up agenda item on July 11 to evaluate responses. The board discussed treating crack sealing as preventive maintenance that may push rehabilitation needs out by several years and asked staff to factor preventive work into the capital road-paving plan that is being finalized in an upcoming workshop.

Staff also described using an online auction site to dispose of low-value surplus public-works equipment and committed to public notice on the town website and Facebook so residents can monitor auction listings.

What happens next: the town manager will receive the engineer's written report on the salt shed and prepare project planning materials and budget requests for future capital planning. The public-works department will post the crack-sealing RFP and return to the board with bids for decision on July 11.