LIVERMORE — Selectpersons Tuesday night, March 16, decided to seek winter salt bids for 2021-22 through a state program.

The statewide bid is administered by the State Bureau of Purchases, according to information provided by Peter Coughlan with the Maine Department of Transportation. The information also notes: The deadline to indicate interest in the state program is March 26, accepted bid prices and vendors will be posted mid-April, and participating towns have fourteen calendar days to respond to accept or reject the bid price and vendor.

The state bid had been discussed at the March 2 meeting. No decision was made because it wasn’t known if the town was locked in with AVCOG (Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments) for salt purchases.

“We’re not locked in,” Administrative Assistant Aaron Miller said. “You’re going to want to decide whether or not to go with the state bid or continue with AVCOG.”

AVCOG bids are usually available in June or July, Selectperson Mark Chretien said.

Last year AVCOG’s bid was $61.62 per ton and Livermore used 500 tons, Miller said. Another town that used 500 tons paid $51.10 through the state program, a difference of about $10, he noted.

Canton paid about $56 per ton through the state program last year, Selectperson Tracey Martin said.

Livermore is kind of in the northern end of the spectrum, the southern end tends to get better deals (through the state program), Miller said. That’s why you see different numbers, he added.

Because of their buying power, purchasing for the entire state, the state tends to get a more competitive rate, Miller said. “AVCOG, not so much.”

In other business, the board approved a three-year contract with Pine Tree Waste Services of Scarborough for transportation, disposal, Zero-Sort© recycling and equipment rental for acceptable waste.

The town’s contract with Pine Tree is expiring, Miller said. Transfer station attendant Juanita Bryant has done quite a bit of work looking at these numbers, working with Pine tree, he noted.

“Her recommendation is to stay with Pine Tree,” Miller said. “She’s got this whittled down. She asked them to sharpen their pencil and they did.”

In the new contract, municipal solid waste transportation is $212.11 per haul in the first year and increases about $6 per haul in year two and $7 in year three. Construction debris/oversized bulky waste, recycled clean wood and Zero-Sort© recycling transportation is $200.75 per haul in year one with similar increases in years two and three.

Fees for solid waste disposal are billed directly to the town as part of the contract.

Disposal of clean wood is $47.70 per ton and construction debris/bulky waste is $79 per ton in the first year with smaller increases in years two and three.