River Road hot topic in Edgecomb

Maine Department of Transporta-tion (MDOT) representative Rhonda Fletcher was on the hot seat Monday night at the Edgecomb selectmen's meeting during a discussion of the condition of the River Road, and could offer no relief.

The selectmen invited State Representative Jon McKane and a representative from MDOT to ask what could be done.

Fletcher answered questions from Boothbay Selectman Ross Edwards, Newcastle Town Administrator Sandra Blake, Damariscotta residents and Edgecomb residents. However, no one liked the answers she gave.

Fletcher estimated the total re-paving of the 10 miles of the road would cost about $10 million.

She said with the high cost of fuel, the cost of asphalt, which is a petroleum-based material the cost of repaving is about $1 million per mile.

Fletcher suggested a maintenance mulch, a sand mix on the road might help. That suggestion was quickly shot down because the mix would not fill the deep cracks in the road. She even questioned if there would be money for that in the MDOT budget at this time.

One resident asked if perhaps Homeland Security money might be available because the River Road could become an evacuation route in the event of a hurricane or a natural disaster, and the state has a responsibility to maintain it.

Fletcher explained how funding decisions are made, with the interstate and federal highways at the top of the list, the state highway system the major and minor collectors then the town roads.

"In making funding decisions the high traffic count wins," Fletcher said.

McKane explained that the River Road is a state-assisted road serving three towns, Boothbay, Edgecomb and Newcastle.

McKane asked Fletcher to send a list of options to the towns with the total cost of each option, and the share expected from the three towns.

The selectmen appointed Barry Hathorne, Janet Blevins, and Jon Markowski to the Broadband Committee. Mike Requa and Tom Boudin were appointed to the committee to oversee the installation of the new infrastructure for the broadband.

The Gateway I workshops are scheduled for the weeks of April 28 and May 5. Selectman Jo Cameron said the selectmen, planning board members, and comprehensive plan task forces are urged to attend.

The selectmen agreed to schedule a separate meeting to discuss warrant articles for the town meeting scheduled for May 17.