Hebron may postpone projects to save money

HEBRON —   Hebron selectmen, at their meeting Monday, said they may have to hold off on reconstruction of a bridge and other road projects in response to revenue loss in Governor Paul LePage's proposed 2014-2015 state budget. 

The town has been discussing replacing a culvert and reconstructing a bridge by Storekeepers on Station Road and various paving projects that need to be tackled, but Chairman Dick Deans reported the projects may need to wait. 

"It may be more of undertaking than they [highway crew] really want to tackle," he said. According to Deans, the replacement of the 12-foot culvert could cost up to $21,000. 

"The state is going to require it sooner rather than later, probably," said Selectman Dan Eichorn. "It's best to ... get a sense of what it will cost." 

Eichorn suggested setting money aside this year in order to complete the projects in 2014. He said the town may be able to get a grant to fund the projects, "especially if we can show an environmental need." 

"We may need to do some digging to see what's out there. I assume there is some environmental component to the bridge as far as allowing fish to pass through or some wildlife to pass from one side to the other," he said. 

Deans explained the Station Road bridge has a high volume of water that runs beneath it. That could require closing the bridge entirely during reconstruction, with the only other option to install a temporary one-lane bridge to allow people to pass. 

However, Eichorn pointed out it "may jack up the price quite a bit" if the town chose to do that, not to mention the road is already too narrow. 

"I get the sense it's a large enough project monetarily that, if we can't get federal money, it may not be something we can fund in just one year," Eichorn said. 

"Either that, or we bond it," he said. 

Eichorn worried replacing the culvert this year could impact which paving projects the town has already factored into the budget. 

"If we are going to do it, we need to figure out not only what the project itself costs, but how it impacts other things we might be doing," he said. 

The town has also been discussing the need to replace one of the town's plow trucks. It is still waiting for price quotes for both a standard and automatic, to determine which one is the best option. 

Eichorn said he will speak to the budget committee about putting the budget together as it has in the past, but "with the idea that it would be easier to cut than to add [to the budget]."

"It puts us in a tough spot from a budgeting perspective because we don't know what's going to happen," Eichorn said. 

According to Eichorn, the town has been trying its best not to increase spending. Not counting school-related expenses, he said the town has kept the budget flat for more than five years. 

He said in order to maintain the budget, it may have to cut back on certain expenses, but is not sure how much cutting the town's budget can take. 

"But we can do things like, not pave a road or not replace a bridge," Eichorn said.