ATKINSON — Road Agent Ted Stewart has been in charge of the roads for 17 years, but this year he has two competitors for the job who say they can save the town money.
Neil Hamel and Rick Picone are both vying for the two-year seat as road agent that earns Stewart about $33,000 and health benefits for a 30-hour-a-week job.
Both challengers said they would cut down on the amount of salt the town uses and stop spending so much money on rented equipment.
Hamel, 43, said he could cut the salt budget in half by using a mixture that included half sand.
Last year, the town spent about $70,000 on salt and $3,000 on sand.
Hamel, who owns an excavation and landscaping business, said he fears the current practice of using straight salt on town roads will cause environmental problems, as well as costing lots of money.
Picone, 51, said if the town used a two-thirds mixture of sand and salt, the town could save $30,000.
But Stewart said he's happy with the amount of salt the town uses.
A straight salt diet is the most effective way to clear the roads quickly and have them usable within three hours of a storm.
"If people compare salt use to surrounding towns, we use approximately 50 percent less," Stewart said.
The only reason the town spends so much more on salt is because the price went up 30 percent this year, Stewart said.
He said he has tried to minimize the amount of salt used and the town has purchased equipment to make the application more efficient in recent years.
The two challengers said they'd also like to cut the $100,000 the town spends on rented equipment.
Stewart rents three trucks to the town, but Hamel said he would end that practice and only use outside contractors.
"It's almost like if you're going to be road agent, then be road agent and not an equipment rental business," Hamel said.
The town only has one truck for plowing, so all of the other equipment is rented from local companies. Stewart only supplies three of the 13 trucks used for plowing.
The rate the town charges is set by the Board of Selectmen and approximately 25 percent less than surrounding communities, Stewart said. SClB"We spend as much on winter maintenance in 2008 as we did in 1991," Stewart said.
He also rents his trucks to the town for minor repair work done by the Highway Department, but all major road work goes out to bid.
Still, Picone, who has lived in town for 31 years and has 30 years of experience working in highway departments, said he has other ways to save the town money. He said he wouldn't take the health benefits provided by the town.
The competition for the job doesn't surprise Stewart. The job provides guaranteed work in a time when that can be tough to find, he said.
"A lot of private contractors can't say that now compared to being unemployed," Stewart said.
Voters will elect the road agent for a two-year term at Town Meeting next month.SClBÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
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