NEWPORT – Newport selectmen were updated Wednesday night on the costs associated with one damaged railroad crossing and the likelihood that another one would be rebuilt.

Town Manager James Ricker told the board that a truck-train crash on Aug. 28 at Palmer Road resulted in a total damage estimate of $1.2 million. “That’s property damage, truck damage and train damage,” he said. He said that Guilford Transportation “temporarily fixed the crossing but they will have to come back and permanently fix it.”

Selectman James Brann commented that if the railroad had installed emergency lights at the crossing, that solution would have been far less costly than the accident.

The crossing, which was funded by Newport several years ago for emergency lights, was bumped from the work list and when the crash occurred last week, there were warning signs but no lights at the crossing.

The town manager also reported that work will begin next week on a major repair at the Elm Street-Route 2 crossing in downtown Newport. Ricker said the work should be completed by the end of September and the crossing may be lowered by as much as 11/2 feet. The pavement at the crossing is etched where vehicles scrape bottom attempting to pass by.

Ricker said the railroad ties have already been delivered and that the project is three years ahead of the railroad’s schedule and six years ahead of the Maine Department of Transportation’s schedule.

“This has been a real cooperative effort between the town, the railroad and the state,” Ricker said.

The selectmen also learned that they had until Oct. 1 to determine which town roads, if any, would be closed for winter maintenance. A straw vote of the board showed they would favor closing any roads that did not have a year-round residence on them and any roads with a single residence that dead-ended at the residence and virtually was the residence’s driveway.

Ricker said the next board meeting would be a public hearing on the issue.

Also, the selectmen:

. Awarded a bid to Stan Norris Construction of Palmyra to install a new water source to Guilford Industries at a price of $27,250.

. Were informed that the fire department, using a combination of funds raised throughout the community and $9,000 from the Galen Cole Family Foundation, has purchased a thermal imaging camera that they will exhibit at the next board meeting.

. Awarded a contract on a 1989 Ford 1-ton truck to Vern Palmer with the high bid of $3,687.

. Renewed a one-year contract with Industrial Metals Recycling to remove the town’s waste metal at the transfer station. The last contract, said Ricker, paid Newport $5 a ton for the metal but the bottom has dropped out of the market and Newport will get $1 per trailer load for the next year.