VASSALBORO — Selectmen approved preliminary plans for a new recycling and office building at the transfer station Thursday.

Town staff and Waterville engineer Al Hodsdon presented the design, which includes drive-by windows for different recyclables and two overhead doors on the back of the building to remove the recyclables to trucks.

An office attached to one corner would have a bathroom for staff, space for two desks and, as Hodsdon pointed out, lots of windows so station manager George Hamar can monitor the site.

Hodsdon said the project involves rearranging some of the buildings and a new traffic flow pattern.

The project would be paid for largely with a grant.

Road Foreman Eugene Field said he isn’t entirely happy with the layout. It will be hard to plow, he said, and incoming and outgoing traffic cross paths at one point. But Field added he realizes compromises have to be made to develop a plan that will work for both the staff and the residents.

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Hodsdon addressed Field’s concern about the cross traffic, pointing out there is a stop sign that would help control it.

Selectmen encouraged the planning committee, which includes Town Manager Mary Sabins, field and transfer station staff, to develop a final materials list and seek prices from local suppliers.

Hamar said Vassalboro’s transfer station now recycles plastics numbered from 1 through 7, and Sabins said once the new building is in use, the expanded plastics program will get more publicity.

Also Thursday, selectmen unanimously approved Boy Scout Damien Belanger’s plans for a flagpole at the town ball fields in East Vassalboro.

Belanger’s proposed Eagle Scout project is to erect a 30- to 40-foot flagpole surrounded by a raised flower bed near the center of the ball fields. He said the flag could be lit either by electricity run through an underground line from the snack shack or solar power, so that it can be flown all night.

Recreation Director Nicole Wasilewski welcomed the plan on behalf of the Recreation Committee. Selectmen and Sabins had questions about maintenance of the flagpole and the flower bed before selectmen accepted it.

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Belanger said he will start raising money and gathering materials and volunteer labor as soon as possible. He said he intends to get the project done this summer.

The other major piece of business Thursday evening was awarding the bid for this summer’s paving.

Field recommended the lowest of five bidders, R C and Sons Paving of Lewiston, at $70.70 per ton of mix. The company has not previously worked in Vassalboro, so Field said he called people in two other towns and got good recommendations.

Selectmen unanimously accepted Field’s recommendation.

The Vassalboro board is now on summer schedule and will not hold another regular meeting until Aug. 18.

Mary Grow is a Morning Sentinel correspondent who lives in China.


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