A sidewalk and parking project around VIS (Village Improvement Society) Memorial Park in West Farmington was recently completed. Selectmen voted Tuesday to also replace the wooden sign in the park. (Ann Bryant/Franklin Journal)

A sidewalk and parking project around VIS Memorial Park in West Farmington was recently completed. Selectmen voted Tuesday to also replace the wooden sign in the park. (Ann Bryant/Franklin Journal)

FARMINGTON — To top off a parking and sidewalk project around VIS Memorial Park in West Farmington, selectmen agreed Tuesday to fund up to $400 for a new sign for the park.

The project is completed, Town Manager Richard Davis said. The new streetlights, similar to those in downtown Farmington, were energized Tuesday. 

An E.L. Vining & Son crew recently constructed a new sidewalk along Oakes Street and new parallel parking spaces around the park on Oakes and Bridge streets.

The park’s current wooden sign has likely been there since the 1980s and is in rough shape. A new one would be the icing on the cake, Davis said.

Davis provided four sketches of potential signs, each spelling out the park’s name. Some people do not know VIS stands for Village Improvement Society, he said.

The funding will come from the Special Projects account, which currently has a balance of $1,274, Davis said. Funding for the park improvements was taken from the Downtown Tax Increment Financing District.

During construction, a 20-foot railroad tie was dug up, left over from the days when trains rolled through this neighborhood. The tie has been cut in half and will be set up as a small demonstration of a rail line in the park this spring, he said.

In other business, selectmen authorized using $45,000 from the Public Works Equipment Reserve account to find and purchase two used pickup trucks for the department.

Public Works Director Philip Hutchins told selectmen he was looking to buy a three-quarter-ton truck for his use because he has let a foreman use the truck originally assigned to him. The three-quarter-ton is needed for plowing, he said.

Hutchins estimated the truck’s cost would be about $30,000. He hopes to get a 10-year life span from it.

A second foreman’s truck cannot pass inspection, he said. He would like to replace it with a half-ton truck for use in the summer to carry tools. It would not be used for plowing. Hutchins estimated that would cost $15,000.

While looking for vehicles, he has found they are selling quickly so he did not have specific vehicles in mind, he said. Which vehicles to buy was left up to the discretion of Hutchins and the town manager.

Hutchins said the Public Works account would have nearly $75,000 left after buying a plow truck.

Selectmen voted to allow town employees to take off an extra paid day for Christmas weekend. Employees will have off Friday, Dec. 22, and Monday, Dec. 25. 

abryant@sunmediagroup.net 

A sidewalk and parking project around VIS Memorial Park in West Farmington was recently completed. Selectmen voted Tuesday to also replace the wooden sign in the park. (Ann Bryant/Franklin Journal)