Jay board approves five-year contract for curbside pickup

Donna M. Perry, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine
·2 min read

Jun. 17—JAY — The Select Board voted Monday to give nonunion employees a 3% wage increase and approved a five-year trash pickup contract with Archie's Inc. of Mexico.

The nonunion employees are department heads and a part-time Transfer Station employee, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said Monday night following an executive session.

Selectpersons also approved adding 2% to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System plan for Public Works Director John Johnson. The rules have changed since Johnson retired Sept. 30, 2017, and was rehired the next day with a reduced salary, LaFreniere said.

During the regular meeting, the board signed a five-year contract with Archie's Inc. to collect trash and recyclables curbside. For the first two years, July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, and July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, the cost is $146,600; the third year it's $148,512; the fourth year it's $151,482; and the fifth year it's $154,511.

The contract may be reopened to consider reducing costs if route times decrease, according to the contract. The price for the first two years is based on about 28 hours per week to do the route. That's up about four hours per week over prior years, the contract states.

Archie's also will charge $85 per ton for single-sort recycling based on current commodities of: No. 2 plastic, newspaper, aluminum, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, magazines and tin. The company brings the recycles to its Farmington facility to be sorted and marketed. The new price is $7 more than the current $78 a ton.

In other business, the board also approved fireworks for July 3 this year and next, both displays will be larger than previous shows to compensate for not having one last year due to the pandemic.

Board Chairman Terry Bergeron also announced that the Town Office will be closed June 30 for the year-end financial books closing and on July 5 because July 4 is a Sunday.

Selectpersons also agreed to return to the Town Office for board meetings beginning June 28. Boards had been meeting at the Spruce Mountain Elementary School for social distancing purposes because of COVID-19.