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Board weighs paving vs. ongoing gravel maintenance; considers multi-year reserve or loan
Summary
Members and residents debated whether to prioritize paving some main roads and establish a long-term paving reserve or financing instrument, with the road commissioner warning of rising costs and equipment limits. The board asked staff to get estimates during the state crew visit.
The road commissioner reported typical mud-season problems and said crews are responding to soft spots and washouts. A broad discussion followed about whether the town should set aside funds for multi-year paving or pursue a long loan to repave longer stretches of road. One member suggested a 20-year loan to spread cost burden across generations; others said chip sealing remains an interim maintenance method but long-term paving may reduce recurring grader work and labor costs.
Board members and residents discussed estimates, with one participant saying a major realignment/corridor project could cost in the low hundreds of thousands while other familiar jobs (like a Grand East Road job referenced by the road commissioner) had been several hundred thousand dollars. The board agreed to obtain paving estimates while the state paving crew is scheduled to be in town so the town can assess bundled project pricing.
