JAY — Selectpersons voted Monday to award a contract to Crapotts Corp., contingent upon references checking out, to replace the roof on the Public Works Department storage barn.

Crapotts of Livermore Falls was the low bidder among four. It offered to remove and replace the shingles on the 50- by 100-foot barn for $18,300.

Selectpersons opened the bids Jan. 8. Williams Roofing Co. of Waterville was the second lowest bidder with a bid of $18,560.

Selectpersons previously directed Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere to get the hourly labor rate from Crapotts and Williams, in case rotten wood is found. The hourly rates are $40 for Crapotts and $36 for Williams, according to LaFreniere’s information.

In other business, the board voted 4-1 with Gary McGrane opposed to deny a sewer abatement for water used for horses to drink.

Selectpersons Judy Diaz, Keith Cornelio, Vice Chairman Tim DeMillo and Chairman Terry Bergeron voted to deny it. 

Vincent and Gail Marchetti requested the amount of water used for their two horses be deducted from their sewer bill because it doesn’t go through the town’s sewer system. 

Typically, they would be asked to install a water meter on the spigot used to water the horses but it was determined that in their case the meter would be prone to failure because of possible freezing in cold weather, Mark Holt, superintendent of the Sewer Department, previously said.

In other action, the board voted to use $15,800 from the Sewer Department’s capital reserve account of $338,000 to do a planning study. The study will determine if it would be more cost effective to upgrade the nearly 20-year-old North Jay Sewer Treatment Plant or set up a system to send the wastewater from North Jay to the Jay village sewer collection system. The wastewater would then go to the Livermore Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Selectpersons also voted to authorize LaFreniere to sign the contract.

The town did attempt to get a grant to help pay for 75 percent of the cost. A median income survey was sent to sewer users in North Jay but not enough surveys were returned.

Unfortunately, a 67 percent response was needed, Holt said. Forty-eight surveys out of 86 were returned, which is 56 percent, he said. 

Wright-Pierce, an engineering firm based in Topsham, will conduct the study. Livermore Falls is also having a study done by the firm.  

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

Jay selectpersons accepted a Livermore Falls company’s bid Monday to replace the roof on the Jay Public Works Department storage barn. (Sun Journal File Photo)