Buckfield may contract mowing

BUCKFIELD — The town may contract out its mowing duties in order to reduce the workload of the public works department.

During its June 19 meeting, the board of selectmen directed interim Town Manager Dana Lee to look into the possibility of putting out a contract for the mowing.

Robin Buswell said that he would like the public works department to spend more time on other town issues, like the roads.

"We need to be spending our talented people doing what we need them to do," said Buswell.

"There's got to be somewhere, somehow, a way to utilize some other people to help us with this," he said.

The town's three public works employees are currently required to mow the town's public spaces including ball fields and cemeteries along with their other responsibilities, like road maintenance.

At the June 5 selectboard meeting, Buswell expressed his dissatisfaction with the mowing job done on the town's cemeteries before Memorial Day.

Lee said that mowing duties took up a big chunk of the public works department's time during the summer.

He said that time should be used to examine the condition of the town's roads.

"We are not going to be able to address the drainage issue on these roads if we do not find a way to outsource some of this mowing," said Lee.

"We might get a day, day-and-a-half on roads out of a four 10-hour day week," he continued, "the rest of it's all mowing."

In other news, the board:

• Approved the town's General Assistance Ordinance.

• Scheduled a hearing regarding the possibility of closing part of Sodom Road and all of Mountain Road to winter maintenance for 7 p.m., July 17 at the town office.

• Appointed Norman "Chuck" Richardson to the Recreation Committee.