PHIPPSBURG

In preparation for Town Meeting next week, Phippsburg residents were given the opportunity to review the town warrant with the Board of Selectmen and to meet candidates running for local positions on Monday night.

The four uncontested candidates included Curtis Doughty, who is running for his fifth term as road commissioner; Alvin “Ed” Toombs and Christopher Mixon, who are running for two open positions on the Budget Committee, and Julia House, the current chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, who is running for another three-year term.

“The past three years have been an educational experience for me. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it,” said House. “I enjoy educating people on municipal government.”

When asked about some of the challenges this year, House said one concern was the future of the town’s winter road maintenance. She predicted it would be a big topic of discussion at Town Meeting in light of Curtis and Harry Doughty’s retirement from snow plowing and sanding this year.

“The most difficult part has been the winter roads and what we’re going to do next year,” House said. “That is a very large price tag and we’ve decided as selectmen to take a poll at Town Meeting as to what direction to go.”

Even though Curtis Doughty will continue to serve as the town’s road commissioner, he clarified that he will not be doing any winter maintenance work this year. As far as the future of the winter roads, he said the decision will hopefully be clarified at Town Meeting.

“The town will decide whether they want to run it the way we have been running it, or take out a contract,” he said.

Although the board has been looking at alternatives to hire, rent or contract individuals or companies for snow removal in 2016, they estimate an overall 75 percent increase in road maintenance costs. This reflects a jump from $225,000 in last year’s budget to $380,000, which includes winter maintenance, according to Article 47 of the budget.

Article 48 will allow residents to vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a three-year contract with one or more individuals or companies for winter snow removal and sanding with the above costs in mind.

House thanked the Doughtys for their hard work and service over the years.

Article 53 was another topic of discussion for residents, which will allow voters to raise and appropriate funds to modify the Center Pond River herring fishway.

Results from an engineering study of the pond, made possible through an $18,000 grant, indicated that modifications needed to be made to the fish ladder.

The estimated cost for these modifications is approximately $200,000, which will be raised through grants, fundraising and town expenses over the course of five years. A kickstart of $20,000 is recommend by the board, the Budget Committee and the Center Pond River Herring Committee.

Some residents at the meeting were skeptical at the cost and whether it would be a good investment for the future.

“We really have to look closely at this — look at the value of fish, look 40 years from now and see whether the expenditure is justified,” added meeting moderator John Morse.

Residents are encouraged to discuss and vote on these articles at Town Meeting next week, which is scheduled for May 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Phippsburg Elementary School.