Flood damage may cost $59,500

BUCKFIELD — Heavy weekend rains damaged 11 town roads, some severely.

During a Tuesday meeting, Town Manager Dana Lee told the board of selectmen that an early estimate put the cost of fixing the roads at $59,500.

Most of the cost would be covered by federal and state money if the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) declares the damage an emergency –  80 percent would be covered by federal money and state funds would cover 15 percent.

Lee told the board that the work the town already put into temporarily fixing the roads would qualify for the five percent it is required to pay.

"The guys have done a good job getting all of these at least treated to the point where they are fully passable," Lee said, referencing the town's public works department.

Parts of Sodom Road and Old Mountain Road were hit hardest by the flooding.

Two-tenths of a mile of paved road was destroyed on Old Mountain Rd. and the same length of gravel road was washed out on Sodom.

The cost to fix Old Mountain Rd. was estimated at $15,000 and Sodom Rd. might cost $8,000.

Lee said that the flood damage was less severe on the other roads in town, affecting paved sections and road edges.

During the meeting he told the board that one of his priorities as Town Manager was to address the poor condition of many of the road edges  in town in order to prevent similar damage in the future.