LIVERMORE — Residents are back to direct calls to contact the town’s new animal control officer if they have an animal-related issue, town Administrative Assistant Renda Guild said Wednesday.

The Board of Selectpersons entered into a contract with Rich Burton of Maine Animal Damage Control of Lewiston in April. Burton’s number is 212-0437, she said.

Since Dec. 1, residents were required to call the Androscoggin County Communications Center when they needed to place an animal complaint so the animal control officer could be contacted.

Burton stopped by the board’s Monday meeting to meet with selectpersons, Guild said.

Burton told them that he is available 24 hours every day to perform the service, she said. He also told them they could call him with any questions or concerns.

He is from Lewiston but is in the area at different times during the week, she said.

Guild said she was asked to compile information on the number of calls related to animals and how many times animals needed to be taken to the shelter over the past two years. Burton will then look at the information to determine if there is a way that matters could be taken care of more efficiently, she said.

In another business matter on Monday, Highway Department foreman Roger Ferland told the board that the sweeper arrived and they were working on sweeping the roads. The town has the sweeper until about 11 a.m. Friday, Guild said.

The highway crew plans to work 10- and 12-hour days to get the most use out of the rented machine, she said.

Ferland also reported that the posted road signs were coming down as of Monday.

The highway crew was asked to start using compensation time accrued over the winter, she said. Ferland thought they couldn’t start using the time until July 1.

Selectperson Peter Castonguay also asked Ferland to check out the sweeper that is stored in a shed on Hathaway Hill, and possibly start using it for some of the back roads, she said.

dperry@sunjournal.com