Some of the projects involving the Highway Department this month were:

• Grade country roads.
• Replace large cross culvert on Old Dover Road.
• Host Gravel Pit Safety Seminar.
• Inspect Fire Trucks.
• Reset driveway culverts-Zions Hill Rd., Lincoln St., Forest St.
• Maintenance ditching on Charleston Rd.
• Street sign maintenance.
• Take down large maples on Main St. Hill and Zions Hill Rd.
• Move into gravel pit.
• Paint crosswalks.
• Dismantle Veterans Memorial Park- canon is parked inside Highway Garage.

• Put up U.S. flags on Spring and Church streets.
• Boat dock set out at Little Wassookeag boat ramp.
• Basketball hoops erected at ice skating rink.
• Conduct playground inspections.
• Repair softball field fencing at Bud Ellms Field.
• Mow when weather permitting and as needed.

In July, the beginning of the 2005 budget season, the Highway Department was busy replacing culverts on the Shore Road, Dunn Road, Kateton Pond Road, Tremblay Road, Eaton Road, Crawford Road, Jennings Hill Road and Fern Road. Pike Paving came into town mid summer to finish the Municipal Parking Lot and surface the binder laid on Mechanic and King Streets two years ago. Later on in the summer after rebuilding 300 feet of the Arno Road and 200 feet of the Wing Road we started our ditching program. Old Pond Road, Kateton Pond Road, Lincoln Street, School Street and Main Street Hill all had sections ditched but our main focus was the Shore Road. This 2 ½ mile long road is due to be paved the summer of 2006 and needs extensive ditching and culvert replacement.

With Fall came the task of stockpiling winter sand which was completed late September. Storm water basins were repaired on Gould Avenue, School Street and Free Street just before the October 15 deadline on Road Opening Permits.

The Winter of 2005-2006 could be called the winter that wasn't. First snowfall was 5” on Thanksgiving. Another 2” fell on the 26th but a freezing rain storm on the 28th took the snow away. December was warm and wet. Five small storms gave us a foot of snow but three rain/sleet/freezing rain storms took it all away. If you like snow January's weather wasn't any better. Storms hit us almost every other day unfortunately the snow was light – only 13” and once again five rain/freezing rain storms washed the white stuff away. This pattern stayed the same for February. Warm weather and rain forced the posting of roads the first week of the month. We had light snow and flurries the rest of the month until the “big storm” of the winter on the 24th. Seven inches fell – too little, too late to be of any use to snowmobilers or skiers.

Mud season came with a vengeance the weekend of March 11th – 12th. Totals for the winter that wasn't ; 21 snow storms (mostly 1” to 2” at a time) for a total of 52 inches, 9 rain/sleet/freezing rain storms. With the arrival of Spring 2006 came the chore of Spring Cleaning. This job was made much easier, cost effective and completed sooner than ever thanks to Foreman Jasper Hatch. Over the winter months, Jasper fabricated a 4 foot wide hydraulic broom that attaches to our sidewalk plow. In two days that little broom did what used to take this entire crew two weeks to do.

Pike Paving came into town in June and did a superb job on the Shore Road. Pike came in enough under budget to allow us to also pave 2/3 of the Wing Road. Thank you Chet Morris and crew. Finally, our family of Bald Eagles raised one more baby this year bringing their total to eleven since they moved here in 1998.

Respectfully submitted,

Mike Delaware, Public Works Director