The Lisbon Reporter

WELCOME TO THE LISBON REPORTER. In an effort to keep our community informed of what is going on at local and Federal levels of government, we decided to create this on-line newspaper. It is our hope that this on-line newspaper will help you stay informed so that you can get involved and take action for the benefit of our ENTIRE community. Thank you for visiting and please check back frequently for information about what is happening in LISBON/LISBON FALLS, MAINE USA

Friday, June 5, 2015

To Pave or Not To Pave, A Hot Topic That Needs Smoothing Over

PAVING REQUIREMENTS

E. Ryan Leighton Town Engineer

At the last Town Council meeting on June 2, 2015, Mr. Ryan Leighton requested the Council approve to go out for bids on paving the 18 roads/streets on the list below:

(click on the above to enlarge or print)

As we all know the selection criteria for which roads/streets should be paved is determined by the following:

1. The condition of the current road/street. The worst should always be repaired first.

2. The number of residents affected by this paving.

I suggested to the Council the road/street from Capital Avenue to the Transfer Station and in front of the Public Works garage be the first one paved. This road/street is in the worst condition of any road/street in town and is traveled by more residents than any other road/street in Lisbon.

The majority of citizens utilize the Transfer Station, when it is open. The School Department uses this road/street for buses to get to the schools. All town vehicles use this road/street to refuel. Based on this, it is easy to determine which road/street affects the most residents.

However, when Mr. Ryan Leighton was questioned why it was not on the list his response was “it was not budgeted”. Well this is about the dumbest answer possible but what can you expect. Conditions change and it is necessary to adjust accordingly. The Council accepted Mr. Leighton’s response. The Council had the power to order Mr. Leighton to make the necessary adjustments in order to pave this area but did not. I cannot comprehend any scenario why the Council would not order the road/street to be given the highest priority in order to save wear and tear on every ones vehicle.

You may be wondering why I refer to this area as road/street instead of identifying it by name. The reason is simple; it has no name. Can you imagine a heavily traveled road/street not having a name? This is probably another reason why it does not make the paving list because they do not know how to identify it.

One of the Councilors asked why Public Works does not use the Asphalt Reclaimer to repave this area and according to Mr. Leighton they tried and it did not work. I know that on October 21, 2014 the Council approved the purchase of the Asphalt Reclaimer which cost the taxpayers approximately $31,490.00. This is a considerable amount of tax dollars wasted if this Asphalt Reclaimer does not work.

How much more of Ryan Leighton’s lack of credentials do the taxpayers have to put up with before the town returns to Mr. Buttons Beal as the Public Works Director? The town never suffered any of these setbacks when Buttons was in charge. Also, the Public Works Department has lost three employees in the last few months. Are we going to have sufficient employees to support winter snow removal?

I believe that the first priority for paving should be the area in front of the Public Works garage to the entrance of the Transfer Station. If you agree, contact the Town Manager and your Councilors.

Larry Fillmore