LIVERMORE — Highway foreman Roger Ferland told selectmen Monday night about broken equipment and maintenance needs.

The GMC truck is back in the fleet, but an electrical fan that helps cool the engine isn’t working, he said. The only way it worked was by driving the truck to Turner and back at speeds of 50 to 55 miles per hour. He asked if he should look at replacing the truck this year.

“This thing is a pain,” said Selectperson Rod Newman, who supported replacing the truck and and possibly the Ford truck.

Ferland said the Ford is much cheaper on fuel than the GMC. The 2001 truck still runs fine, but rust is getting to it.

That remark brought up the need to wash the trucks to remove salt.

Selectperson Megan Dion said, “We need to wash them and at least get the salt off, even if we need to create a containment system.”

The Case backhoe at the transfer station also needs work, Ferland said. The rear bushings need replacing and the brakes aren’t working properly. The trailer used to haul it is buried in snow.

The consensus was to dig out the trailer and take the backhoe to whichever company could do the repairs the cheapest.

Another piece of equipment needs repairs to the front bushing and pin, the loader arms, and the twist-o-wrist, and and the transmission is slipping. There is money in the budget to fix the twist-o-wrist but nothing else.

Ferland said his crew was replacing wheels and tires at 4:30 a.m. Sunday in order to plow and sand roads.

The highway budget is overdrawn by 4.49 percent.

Additionally, there is an issue with the furnace at the garage. Doug Barker discovered the heat chamber was cracked in several places. The furnace was blowing black soot out of every surface.

“Three of us got a good dose of carbon monoxide,” Ferland said. “It wasn’t good.”

There is no money budgeted for maintenance of the heating system at the garage.

Newman suggested checking with Efficiency Maine to see what it could offer and also getting quotes on a new furnace so a decision can be made about which option to pursue.

Finally, the town needs a salt shed. Newman suggested getting quotes for both a salt shed and a combined sand and salt shed.

Board of Selectperson Chairman Mark Chretien said he’s not sure if there will be any financial assistance available for that. 

Selectperson Peter Castonguay noted that a building made of precast walls and a cover might be the cheapest way to go. Such a building is usually guaranteed for 15 to 20 years.

Carrie Castonguay was asked to research both options and bring the information to selectpersons. 

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