LUDLOW, Maine — With the town planning its annual meeting to vote on a municipal budget on Monday, July 27, selectmen will be introducing a five-year capital plan over the next few months. Residents will also be voting from 2-6 p.m. for one selectman and one school board member both for a three-year term. The town meeting will begin at 7 p.m.
Nomination papers will be available on April 30 at the town office with a return deadline of June 11 by 5 p.m.
“We want to lay out the plan,” said chairman David Stevens, “for what we would like to see done.”
The town of Ludlow is looking at fixing the Ludlow and McGlinn roads, as well as patching several other trouble spots. But, the selectmen are considering how to do it most cost effectively for the taxpayers.
Stevens, along with selectman Dana Miller attended a recent Maine Department of Transportation training in Caribou.
“We learned which applications are good on these roads that have started decomposing,” explained Miller. “As far as the town of Ludlow, we asked a lot of questions.”
At the training session, officials with the MDOT explained the differences in seal coat and chip seal, along with several tips to ensure the road work is done correctly.
“A half a mile to three-quarters from the French Road out to the Ludlow Road is too far gone for seal coat,” said Miller. “The rest is very good for a seal coat. It would be excellent and extend the life of the road by at least seven years.”
Another alternative is chip seal, which is applied by rubber-wheeled or steel rollers, so the chips are embedded.
The chip seal is flexible and moves with the road and the town would not experience the cracking in the roads.
“This is probably the best alternative for us,” Stevens added. “With the cracks and pot holes this summer, we can patch it, but asphalt doesn’t flex. With seal coat when the temperature warms up, the chip seal comes back and seals up.
“Chip seal is about a third of the cost of the doing the same section of road in asphalt,” he added.
Miller also added that during the training session officials suggested making sure there was a thermometer on site, as well as an inspector.
“A thermometer is used to check the temperature of the hot top,” he said. “They talked about making sure the hot top is not too hot and it does not get too cold. They also said to make sure to get enough tack down.
“They suggested hiring an inspector, which may cost the town a little money, but having an inspector on scene will get the proper job done,” Miller noted.
The MDOT has also come out with computer programming software that will help officials maintain roadways. A map of the roads is input into the software and it will calculate which roads need to be addressed first. The software is $75. However, a new prototype will be on the market within the year, with additional features. The software programs are not compatible with one another.
The new software would allow the town officials to enter in the road names and their distances, along with what would be done to each road and what process would be used. The program then projects the cost of the job.
To open the April 8 meeting, the town held a special General Assistance hearing. Stevens went through the headings and briefed those in attendance what was contained in the 117-page document. The full document can be viewed at the town office.
“The general assistance ordinance is mandated by state law,” Stevens explained. “It is reserved for municipalities to vote on. The general assistance ordinance for Ludlow mirrors state and federal laws.”
The selectmen passed the general assistance ordinance with a two-part motion since the state can revise the maximum threshold every six months.
“For us to change the addendum in an ordinance means we have to post it, we have to hold another public hearing and another vote,” Stevens explained. “However, by doing the two-part motion, we can alleviate that situation. It can automatically be incorporated by part one being a motion to adopt the town of Ludlow general assistance ordinance and part two being any future revision that is required by state or federal action shall be incorporated into this ordinance by signatures of the selectmen on the revision cover sheet.”
The threshold for spending for the town is $2,300. The town gets 50 percent back up to $2,300, and if the town goes over the threshold, it gets 90 percent back of what is spent.
