Highway Department

The Town Needs Your Help!

Towns provide many functions. Some of them are more visible to residents than others. Some are required and others are more discretionary. Some of the functions are provided by volunteers. Rollinsford needs more volunteers. Many of the appointments to the boards and committees are expiring in March. We will be voting to fill some of them. Others are appointed by the Select Board right after Town Meeting. Thank you to all of the people who dedicated their time in service to our community this past year. The following are boards and committees on which volunteers serve.  Please read the brief excerpts about them and consider offering your name to be considered for appointment. Each has its own level of commitment which often is not very much time per month. Come meet more of your neighbors!

Planning Board

Meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00pm. This is an essential function we must offer to property owners wishing to subdivide or develop their property, start or expand a business or change the use of a property, for example. There is typically no outside work required and meetings are typically not more than two hours. Members should become familiar with the Zoning Ordinance and other planning regulations. There are two vacancies for full-memberships and one alternate position open.

Zoning Board of Adjustment

Meets at the call of the Chairperson when there is a case to be heard (typically 3-5 times per year). This is an essential function we must offer to property owners who feel aggrieved by a land use decision made by the Planning Board, Town or planning regulations. It is a quasi-judicial body.

Conservation Commission

The group manages the conservation land along the Salmon Falls River known as Scoutland, the area beyond the community garden on Foundry Street, and discusses topics important to our natural environment. Some development requires a review by the Conservation Commission and their opinions can inform planning regulations.

Space Needs Committee

This committee worked hard for two years to determine a location for the police department. It was their recommendation to build a new facility to include the town office on Silver Street. This option was not put on the ballot this year. The Select Board will create a new charge for this group to address questions about the condition of the town hall and cost to renovate, locations for a potential police station and other ways we could potentially move forward to meet the needs of the Police Department.

Recreation Committee

These volunteers are the super heroes who recreated the summer recreation program which would otherwise have been discontinued just a few years ago. Recreation could not function without this group. They also manage the youth basketball program and are exploring options for senior programming.

Highway Safety Committee

This group only meets when there is a topic for discussion. They meet to discuss matters of public safety including, but not limited to traffic concerns. They make recommendations to the Select Board regarding roadways, when appropriate.

Stormwater Committee

This committee is necessary for keeping the Town compliant with our MS-4 permit which allows us to discharge stormwaterinto the Salmon Falls River. This is a federal permit which obligates the Town to engage in public outreach and public engagement regarding public activities which pollute waterways as well as water testing and data compilation.

Energy Committee

There are many ways in which the Town could save money with renewable energy. The specific charge of the committee has not yet been created but we know we could change street lights to LED’s or install solar panels on town buildings for example. The Select Board cannot make decisions without people presenting options and associated costs.

Historical Committee

We live in a small town with a lot of history. This group meets monthly to discuss topics of historical significance to Rollinsford and the Salmon Falls region. You don’t have to be an expert on local history to join, just interested in learning, sharing, and preserving the fascinating stories of our town. This group is flexible in making the most of each member’s strengths and interests and setting meetings to work for all members. They provide educational programs, history hikes (2 a year), and in 2019, plan to take on the first (modest!) restoration project, so handy people are especially welcome! 

February 14, 2019 in Budget Committee, Conservation, Highway Department, Planning Board, recreation, Zoning

Church Street: New Stop Sign

Drivers on Church Street are reminded to be extra cautious as a new stop sign has been installed on Church Street at the intersection of Jesse Doe Road coming from the direction of St Mary Church. With the installation of this sign vehicles travelling on Church Street coming from Main Street will have the right of way when turning left onto Jesse Doe Road.

October 10, 2018 in Highway Department, Police Department

Oak Street paving may extend into the evening

Paving work on Oak Street, between Portland Avenue and the intersection of Broadway and Rollins Road, may continue into the evening. The work was initially expected conclude by early afternoon.

While the work continues, this segment of Oak Street will remain closed to all through traffic. A traffic detour will be in effect via Portland Avenue, Chapel Street, Saint John Street, and Broadway in Dover. Local traffic only (including customers of Salmon Falls Stoneware) will be permitted during this time, although some delays should be expected.

Motorists are advised to seek an alternate route while the work continues.

September 13, 2018 in Highway Department

Road Work 2018 – Update on Major Projects

(Please refer to this document for the Board’s original plan).

The town discovered that both the Woodlands (Woods Run, River Rd) and Roberts Farm (Heritage Dr, Moses Carr Rd) had inadequate base structures:  mostly sand, rather than gravel. This caused the Board to rethink its plan of overlaying a large section of both developments. The Board instead chose to fully reclaim both developments and add sufficient gravel to provide a base that will ensure the best longevity for the eventual top-coating.   Here is the result of this year’s work and our expectations for 2019:

Woodlands:  the development was completely reclaimed, sufficient gravel was added to bring it to current standards and a binder asphalt coat was applied.  We expect to topcoat the entire development in 2019.. Shoulder work will be completed by the Highway Department this July.

Roberts Farm:  we reclaimed the planned section with the addition of sufficient gravel to bring it to current standards and applied a binder coat.  Shoulder work will be completed by the Highway Department in July. In addition, as planned, we dug out the “roller coaster” at the beginning of Heritage Drive.  The Pike construction crew found and removed old construction debris under this section of Heritage, causng the heaving and settling that has been occurring in this part of the road.  The crew went down about six feet, removed several loads of debris and refilled the hole with good gravel and construction fabric to try to mitigate the heaving problem. We are hoping that this will slow or stop the reacurring problem.  Because of the substandard base of the entire development, we will now plan to complete a full reclamation of the remainder of Heritage and Moses Carr, add a gravel base to bring it to current standards and apply a binder coat. We expect to be able to do this in 2019 but we are unclear whether the final topcoat will be done in 2019 or delayed to 2020.

Driveway Culverts

The maintenance of driveway culverts is the responsibility of the homeowner but the town has an interest in seeing that they are installed and maintained such that they provide for sufficient drainage and are built to current standards.   The Board is working with Road Agent Guilmette on a plan to provide homeowners with culverts at cost and have the installation completed by the Highway Department. Stay tuned.

Remaining Projects for 2018

The Board is working with Road Agent Guilmette on additional minor road repairs for this year to include work on Oak Street in coordination with the City of Dover.  Please stay tuned.

 

August 10, 2018 in Highway Department, Select Board