Orono sand-salt shed sites weighed

ORONO – The finance committee voted 3-1 Wednesday morning to pursue acquiring a 100-acre lot off Route 2 near Silver’s Auto Parts as the possible home for a sand and salt shed and possibly a new public works facility.

Recently, town officials have looked at three possible locations to build a shed after an unfunded federal mandate required the town to cover its salt-and-sand pile by March 2003 because silica poses an environmental hazard. The current public works 3.5-acre site has reached its capacity.

Harold Chute, an abutter to the Penobscot Street facility, is considering donating a 5- to 6-acre parcel to the town. However, possible wetlands on the parcel may make it hard to construct a shed. Additionally, the $300,000 construction of a shed on the site would make the location permanent, leaving little room for possible expansion, Town Manager Gerry Kempen said.

A second option would put the sand-and-salt shed and a new public works facility on an 80-acre parcel on the Taylor Road, near the town dump. The town owns the parcel, but road improvements on Forest Avenue and paving on Taylor Road have been estimated around $500,000, according to Public Works Director Calvin Thomas.

The third option involves purchasing the 100-acre parcel off Route 2 and constructing an access road at a cost between $150,000 and $200,000. Thomas supported the third option as it would offer ample room for a salt-and-sand shed, a new public works facility and space in which to work. The site also offers between 100,000 and 400,000 cubic yards of usable gravel, Thomas said.

The committee asked Kempen to discuss potential sale terms with the parcel’s owner.

Kempen said after the meeting that all three locations remain usable options, with the final decision dependent on cost, public opinion and operational efficiency.