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Select Board seeks clearer invoices after sewer and road repairs exceed estimates; Old Mill Road remediation tabled
Summary
Select Board members said recent sewer and road repair bills ran higher than expected, prompting calls for better communication and more detailed invoices; discussion of long-term fixes for recurring flooding on Old Mill Road was tabled pending cost estimates and possible FEMA cost-sharing.
At the July 29 Select Board meeting in Fuller Town Hall, members pressed for clearer invoices and earlier notice after repair work on a Town sewer line and School Road roadbed preparation generated larger-than-expected bills. Select Board Chair Clayton Macdonald said the unexpected costs have budget implications and the Town needs better advance notice when scope grows.
Mike Lynch, a staff member who described the work, said the job required much more extensive effort than was foreseen and that he would provide more detailed invoices going forward so the Town can both justify expenses and track road work history. Lynch also said he will submit an estimate for immediate remedial patching needed at Old Mill Road following recent flood damage.
Select Board member Harry Juergens presented a drawn remediation plan for Old Mill Road and the Board discussed short-term patching quotes and larger-scale options such as raising the bridge. After considering the need for quotes and possible FEMA cost-sharing, the Board tabled action on long-term remediation until more information and estimates are available.
Sean Durkin, a meeting participant, said flooding in the county had been severe enough to make FEMA cost-sharing an option and urged the Town to pursue any available notifications or funding. Ginnie Routier, who reviewed out-takes from a recent Roads Public Hearing, argued for a contract road agent as the preferred roads-management approach and cautioned that the Town cannot afford to add a full-time employee for road work oversight.
The Board emphasized two practical takeaways: require more detailed contractor invoices to support budgeting and planning, and gather the quotes and possible external funding information needed to decide on full remediation of Old Mill Road. The topic remains open; the Board tabled further action pending Lynch’s estimate and follow-up on FEMA funding.
