MONMOUTH — The town needs to plan for nearly $1 million in capital improvements during the next five years.

That’s according to Town Manager Curtis Lunt, who presented a five-year capital improvement plan to the selectmen earlier this month. For all the items included on his list — including construction of a new salt shed and buying a new dump truck — it would cost the town an estimated $950,500 during the next five years.

Updates to town facilities and equipment that cost more than $10,000 are added to Monmouth’s capital improvement plan, Lunt said, which the town started creating about a decade ago.

“It’s been working well,” he said Tuesday.

The largest expense would be replacement of the salt shed, estimated to cost $300,000 if authorized by town residents; that is scheduled for fiscal year 2022-2023.

Public Works Director Bruce Balfour said the salt shed stored only a couple storms’ worth of salt. He was concerned about the condition of the salt, which arrives in multiple deliveries throughout the season.

The Public Works Department also was looking at upgrading vehicles, including its 2006 International dump truck, one of four trucks used to plow. The town has the 2006 truck under a lease purchase agreement, and the town would pay off the loan before incurring another debt, estimated at $160,000. The 2006 truck would be kept as a spare.

The town also discussed purchasing a mini-excavator for around $75,000, to be paid for in three years.

“We could still rent them,” Lunt said, “but for the amount that we’re using them, we should probably own one.”

Another expense that would fall under the department would be replacement of a 1997 trailer at the transfer station. The town has three trailers, which are used to collect solid waste for transfer to the Maine Waste to Energy incinerator in Auburn.

The new trailer would hold 100 cubic yards, 20 more than the previous trailer. The increased size would accommodate the gradual increase of waste. The transfer station handles waste for Monmouth and Wales.

Monmouth Fire Chief Dan Roy expected he could reduce the anticipated $10,000 cost for construction of a storage shed, noting there was a donor willing to provide and pour the cement for the foundation at no cost.

Roy also hoped department volunteers could build the shed, so the town would have to pay for only the building materials, which he estimated would cost around $5,200. The shed would be three times the size of the existing shed.

At the Jan. 16 Board of Selectmen meeting, long-range planning included discussion of renovation of the fire station and town office and how Monmouth Middle and Henry L. Cottrell Elementary schools will be reused. In 2017, Regional School Unit 2 voters approved building a consolidated school for Monmouth students in grades pre-kindergarten through eight. As a result, ownership of the middle and elementary school buildings will be returned to the town once students have moved to the new facility, which is under construction and expected to open in 2020. An informational forum regarding school reuse will take place 6 p.m. Thursday at the middle school gymnasium.

Selectmen plan to meet again at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Abigail Austin — 621-5631

aaustin@centralmaine.com

Twitter: AbigailAustinKJ

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