China road committee meets to discuss foreman’s paving schedule

by Mary Grow

CHINA, ME — China Road Committee members met April 12 to discuss Road Foreman Shawn Reed’s proposed repaving schedule for 2022. They expressed no objections.

Reed’s list totals just under six miles in the north end of town. It includes about 1.5 miles on Pleasant View Ridge Road, starting from Lakeview Drive (Route 202); McCaslin Road (about half a mile); Dutton Road (a little more than a mile); Danforth Road (less than half a mile); Causeway Street (also less than half a mile); Peking and Canton streets (less than a quarter mile); a dead-end mile of Neck Road, south of the Stanley Hill Road intersection; and China’s share of Morrill Road (about three-quarters of a mile), which runs into Winslow.

After inspecting town roads this spring, Reed described Pleasant View Ridge Road as “really bad”; Peking and Canton streets as “falling right apart”; McCaslin Road as “terrible”; and the rest of the roads on his list as more than ready for repair.

However, Reed said, until the price of paving mix is known, it’s impossible to predict whether the town can afford to do everything on his list. He recommended select board members authorize seeking bids on paving mix as soon as possible. He plans again to consider bids jointly with neighboring Vassalboro, he said.

Once he has a price, he and road committee members can, if necessary, reconsider the list.

The April 12 committee discussion covered other town roads that will be on future lists; different types of paving; and the procedures for discontinuing existing town roads and for accepting new town roads. No decisions on these topics were expected or made.