New Year, new roof in W. Paris

WEST PARIS - Selectmen directed Town Manager John White to get the town office roof fixed.

White informed the selectmen at their December 9 meeting that the shingles on the town office are buckling and peeling. He said he had talked about the problem briefly with a contractor to get an idea of the scope of the job, and reported an estimate of $10,000 for a new metal roof over the front offices part of the building.

The municipal building, at 25 Kingsbury Street, combines the front office, which houses the offices of the clerical staff, the customer service area and the public meeting room, with the public works garage holding the offices of the town manager and code enforcement officer.

The roof of the Public Works Department section of the structure, the garage, doesn't need to be replaced. However, the soffit does need to be fixed, White said. He explained that the soffit is a sort of auxiliary porch made of plywood which is attached to the building just below the eave and has the effect of extending the area covered by the roof by a few feet.

"In places, you stand under it and look up, and you can see the sky," said the town manager. "It's just plywood."

The $10,000 would cover the soffit replacement, as well as the roof, White pointed out. The Building Fund's balance is $65, 851. That is an account restricted to construction and major maintenance work on buildings the town owns.

In other business, the town manager reminded the selectmen that on December 24, all taxes for 2008 are due. There are still 27 tax liens due, totaling $21,595. White said that, by state law, the accounts will automatically be referred to foreclosure at that point, and the selectmen will have nothing further to say in the matter.

"We try to see that they can keep their property," said Chairman Dennis Henderson.

In other business, White said he had no details yet, but the Water District informed him recently that rates would be going up in the coming year, affecting the fire hydrant rental fees, but to what extent is not yet known.

As well, the selectmen agreed to make a deposit on the town's Old Home Days fireworks, when White told them the vendor had offered to increase the display by 10 percent in exchange for prepayment.

The next selectmen's meeting is December 23.