Solid waste facility seeking $20,000 increase from Paris to address safety issues
Apr. 13—PARIS — After two years of flat funding, the proposed Norway-Paris Solid Waste budget will increase by $20,000, Director Nancy Lee Piper told the Board of Selectmen at Monday's meeting.
The 7.63% increase, bringing the budget to $282,000, includes money to fix safety hazards, Piper said.
"There's so much to do down there," she said.
Among the new proposals is $4,000 for safety and training, which has never been offered in the budget. The facility needs new garage doors that meet code. Other changes include paving the entire facility, more lighting to improve safety and working conditions, and replacing a dozen bins, which Piper said is a safety issue.
She also hopes to set aside money to replace the weight scale. It will need to be replaced in five to eight years for an estimated $45,000.
Other areas of need include new signs to direct patrons to areas and a monitor to view the scale and talk to residents.
NPSW also needs to pay for brush removal beginning this year.
The budget is split 50-50 between Paris and Norway.
The board also heard from representatives from the Paris Public Library, who said that its proposed budget will increase by 3.2%, mostly for payroll and health insurance.
Selectmen scheduled a public hearing on the budget for their next meeting on April 26 beginning at 5:30 p.m. They seemed pleased when they heard the proposed 2021-22 municipal budget will increase spending by just $56,000.
In other business, the board appointed Gerald Samson and Richard Maguire as code enforcement officers, replacing Kingston Brown. The board also appointed Scott Tabb and Joelle Corey, the CEOs for Norway and Oxford, respectively, as alternative CEOs.
The board also appointed Richard Little to the Planning Board and approved naming a private road off Elm Hill as Fay's Way.
