Commissioners approve $69K culvert repairs on Big Moose Mountain road

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Needed culvert work will be done on the Ski Resort Road leading up Big Moose Mountain.

Earlier this year the Piscataquis County Commissioners opted to seek an estimate on repairs in Big Moose Township around the road culverts following a request from the Friends of the Mountain.

Road Agent Carl Henderson marked spots on the 1.6-mile road for the contractor to reference when developing a repair estimate on the deteriorating pavement. One possible low-cost repair mentioned was removing material around the culverts, using hot asphalt instead of cold patch and smoothing the surface.

Piscataquis County officials have been looking for a contractor to make road improvements and they received three possibilities from Gordon Contracting of Sangerville, which is in the midst of an extensive road project across multiple communities on nearby Route 15.  The county commissioners selected the least expensive option on Tuesday morning — $69,285 for culvert spot repairs on Ski Resort Road. 

“As you know we have been begging contractors to go out there and look at it, between Carl Henderson and I think we’ve talked to a dozen contractors and I think this was the only one that has put in kind of a suggestion in,” County Manager Mike Williams said during the county commissioners meeting.

“(Gordon Contracting) came up with three options, the first one was a full roadway rehabilitation, that was $625,833,” Williams said. “Option 2, which we had talked about was the culvert spot correction, that would just basically grind the low spots and fill them in with pavement.”

The price tag for this work is $69,285.

The third option would have included all of the culvert work plus laying pavement, an average of 1.5 inches, for nearly $300,000.

Commissioner Andy Torbett asked about budget availability. Funding is available, and Williams recommends option two.