JAY — Town officials are looking into whether it is feasible to plow the Jay school properties and what the cost would be to provide the service.

Regional School Unit 73 representatives asked town officials in each of the school district’s towns if there’s an interest in plowing school properties in each town, Jay Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said. The towns in RSU 73 are Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls.

For Jay, it would be the Spruce Mountain elementary, middle and high schools, she said.

RSU 73 is looking at its options, she said.

Prior to July 1, 2011, Jay provided the service to Jay schools because Jay School Department was part of the town. When the three towns consolidated in 2011, plowing and sanding were put out to bid by the district.

Jean Castonguay Logging & Excavation of Livermore Falls won the bid that year for $85,000 to plow and sand the school properties in each town. One other company bid $23,000 at the time but only wanted to plow Livermore and Livermore Falls school properties. 

District officials awarded the bid to Castonguay. The company has won the bid each year and kept the price at $85,000 consistently since then.

Jay selectpersons tabled action on the district’s request Sept. 12 until they could find out what the cost would be and to see if the town had manpower and equipment to do it.

Selectperson Judy Diaz said Sept. 12 that she did not think they had the resources to do it without talking to John Johnson, director of Public Works Department, to find out what he thinks.

LaFreniere said with the budget already set for this year, she doesn’t see how the town can provide the service with the labor and equipment the town has. The budget is already set for this year.

The biggest concern is that it is September and winter is approaching, she said.

Some members of the audience indicated they were in favor of the town looking at the cost to provide the service and saving the taxpayers money.

Selectperson Tom Goding said the contract should be a multiple-year contract instead of a one-year contract to allow the bidding contractor to recoup its investment.

Livermore Falls selectmen will discuss the matter during the board’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Town Office. The district’s Central Office, including the Superintendent’s Office, is in that town.

Livermore officials were checking on the cost to provide the service and to see if there was any interest in doing it as of Sept. 8. Spruce Mountain Primary School is located in that town.

Jay is expected to take up the matter again at its meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, at the Town Office.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net