By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — There’s a brighter road ahead.

Literally, there will be new and improved roads in the future.

The Casco Board of Selectmen signed a contract with Gorrill-Palmer Consulting Engineers, Inc., to be in charge of an ambitious and methodical roads improvement plan.

On Tuesday, the Interim Town Manager Don Gerrish talked about the $600,000 plan upon which the board had decided. The plan is referred to as the 2021 CIP Paving and Street Rehabilitation project.

The board’s vote follows on the heels of a roads workshop that the board held in late February. At that time the selectmen reviewed in detail the pavement conditions study that Gorrill-Palmer had prepared for the town. 

The plan is to spend $600,000 on roads upgrades and paving. Most of that money already exists in an account. Essentially, $400,000 will be carry-forward, and $200,000 will be budgeted for the ’21-22 fiscal year. 

One important factor in making this project successful is that the Town of Casco will put the road jobs out to bid this month, in March instead of waiting until after town meeting. 

According to Gorrill-Palmer’s proposal, there is a breakdown of what the firm would charge for its services. 

Gorrill-Palmer proposed to assist the town with the job by drafting the bid documents for $6,240; by taking care of the bidding process for $2,080; and by taking on the role of the construction oversight for $10,800.

For Gorrill-Palmer’s continued services, the total cost, including estimated expenses, is $19,820. 

In the paperwork, it was presented that one of the engineers who prepares the bid work would also be on site in Casco as a part-time construction observer. 

“This isn’t unreasonable in my estimation. If you are spending $600,000, you want someone out there looking at it,” Gerrish said.

He said that the money to pay Gorrill-Palmer would come out of the $600,000.

“If we get this out in March, we’ll get the big boys, the bigger contractors that do this, to bid on it,” Gerrish said. 

“It is a step in the right direction,” he said.

Chairman Thomas Peaslee agreed.

“The money is in the budget,” Peaslee said.