DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
To the Town Manager, Gray Town Council and the Citizens of Gray:
It is with great pleasure that I submit to you the annual report of the Department of Public Works:
The summer of 2004 proved to be another busy summer for the Department. The following roads were overlaid with 1-1/2 inches of hot top; Center Road, Lawrence Road, Weymouth Road, and Whitney Road. A total of 8,757 tons of hot top was added to the 8.0 miles of roads. After the installation of shoulders for the above-mentioned roads, the Department spent the remainder of the season doing routine maintenance.
The winter of 2004/2005 was another challenging season. Over the course of the winter we used 2,845 tons of salt, 11,302 yards of sand and 5,902 gallons of calcium. Our first storm was Dec.03, 2004 and our last storm was April 13, 2005. We had a total of 146.5 inches of snow. We had a total of 26 storms, causing 48 different plowing and sanding events, the majority coming on nights and the weekends. We had four major storms which really strained our budget but F.E.M.A. declared them disasters and awarded us $94,000.00 putting us back on the plus side.
In the spring and early summer of 2004 we saw the start of two long awaited projects, the Sand/Salt Shed and Solid Waste Bunkers. Work was finished in late September 2004 and we used the shed for the first time this past winter 2004-2005. The shed worked out great and proved to be a great asset to the town. We are also taking a look at the second phase which includes a new Public Work’s Garage, which we are eagerly awaiting as we are now cramped for space.
We also continue to strive to improve the infrastructure of the town including bridges and gravel roads. With the passing of the town budget in June 2005 the following bridges will put out to bid for replacement: Davis Bridge on Hunts Hill Road, Knight Bridge on Mayall Road, and Mequire Bridge on Mequire Road.
As of July 01,2004 the Public Works Department Crew consisted of Charles Kimball, Robert Randall, Arthur St. Cyr, Michael Toderico, Phillip Andrukaitis, Michael Gervais [Full-Time]. Allen Tripp[Regular Part-Time]. Perley Witham, Floyd Wing and Michael Ryan [Part-Time Winter Maintenance]. All these employees are very important to the town and Public Works would cease to exist without them. I am proud to be their Department Head and very grateful for their dedication to the Town of Gray.
Many thanks to Ed Milose, our maintenance head, whose constant support continues to bails us out of many situations.
Once again, I want to thank Chief Barton and the Department of the Public Safety for the many assists during the past year. I would also like to thank the Maine State Police and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department for their many assists. I would also like to thank our Public Safety Dispatchers; they are a valuable asset to the many Town departments.
Also, a big thank-you to all of the citizens of Gray who volunteer their time to serve our departments and committees, and to all of the citizens who show courtesy toward us as we strive to improve the safety of our Town ways. And last, but not least, to Mitch, Donna, Ronna, Dianna, Helen, Elizabeth, Dick, and Mark whose constant support makes my job much easier.
Respectfully submitted,
Steve LaVallee
Director of Public Works
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