Municipal department budgets already strained by the winter’s record snowfall found themselves facing added expenses, with recent flooding causing damage to roadways and increasing the need for beefed up security measures.
Washburn’s Highway Department faced major road repair on the Everett Road Wednesday, April 30, when a culvert washed out due to flooding in the area of Salmon Brook.
“The road had been marked with traffic cones in that area, indicating soft shoulders. No one was aware the culvert was weakened. The culvert collapsed on April 30 when a car passed over it,” said Doug Conroy, chief of the Washburn Police Department.
Traffic was re-routed for the day while a crew from the town’s Highway Department put a new culvert in place and repaired the road.
Conroy’s department was kept busy between Wednesday and Thursday, keeping track of water levels at various locations in town. Rains earlier in the week caused much of the snow to melt, creating runoff into brooks, streams and the Aroostook River. Officials were concerned that the flooded Salmon Brook would cause problems with the town’s dam.
“Reports made it sound as if we have two dams in town. We actually only have one dam. The other is basically a dirt wall with culverts that allow the stream to flow into the Mill Pond. It was that dirt wall that was of concern. Part of it collapsed and we were afraid, if it totally collapsed, the rush of water would be more than the town’s dam could handle. But between the partial collapse allowing more water through and subsiding floodwaters, the wall held and the dam’s O.K.,” said Conroy.
Conroy said there’s still concern about the wall, since it’s commonly been used as a travel route for walkers, bikers and ATVs from the trailer park to Main St.
“It’s gradually eroding and not safe to pass. People actually shouldn’t attempt to cross it. The next rain we get could cause more damage,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate compared to Fort Kent.”
The section of Washburn commonly known as Crouseville had only minor flooding, according to Conroy.
“There was a section near Churchill Hill that had some water in the road – looked threatening, but it was safe to pass. The water receded and wasn’t a problem by the end of the week,” said Conroy.
Ashland was another area reporting problems due to flooding conditions.
“We were busy keeping people clear of dangerous areas. There was a lot of property damage but fortunately no injuries were reported,” said Cyr Martin, chief of the Ashland Police Department.
The Ashland Fish and Game Club on Thursday was surrounded by water, as the Aroostook River overflowed its banks, encircling the building and picnic table. Like other communities experiencing high water, spectators could be seen near the swollen river, as if watching to see if a building might float away.
Ashland roads suffered the brunt of the damage.
“One side of the Wrightville Road collapsed. We actually had a couple different brooks causing problems on the Wrightville and Sheridan roads,” said Roland Poitraw, foreman of the Ashland Highway Department.
Poitraw also reported a bit of damage occurred on the Fenderson Road.
“There was some minor damage on the Fenderson Road when drainage from a field washed into the road,” said Potraw.
Like other highway departments that dealt with the record snowfall and the labor required to address winter road conditions, Poitraw said the flooding was just one more thing putting a strain on an already tight budget.
“We’re just hoping FEMA treats us half decent. I don’t have an estimate on repairs related to last week’s flooding but we had a couple of days’ work involved,” said Poitraw.
Unless FEMA provides assistance in the form of funding to compensate the town for the expenses related to recent flooding, Poitraw said officials may have to make cuts elsewhere.
“We might have to balance the budget by making cuts elsewhere – have to look at what can be delayed,” said Poitraw.
Fort Fairfield’s dike prevented flood waters from reaching Main St., keeping businesses and residences safe for yet another year.
“The dike did its job. We’ve had more problems in past years with ice jams than we did this year. Our biggest problem was keeping people a safe distance away from the Aroostook River – especially kids. I had to speak to a few youngsters during the week to remind them of the dangers of getting too close to the cold, fast-moving water,” said Patrol Detective Stan Nicholson, of the Fort Fairfield Police Department.
Staff Writer
