JAY — The Jay Select Board approved two contracts Tuesday totaling nearly $500,000, one for a new trash collection service and the other for summer paving work on three roads.
The board awarded a $226,500 contract to Somerset Disposal Service of Madison for trash pickup beginning July 1. Somerset is replacing Archie’s Inc. of Mexico, which will continue hauling through June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
The board also approved a $203,232 paving contract with Pike Industries, which has a regional headquarters in Belmont, New Hampshire. The price may vary depending on materials costs, and the contract must pass legal review. Pike operates at least four production plants within an hour of Jay.
Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said the contract gives Somerset a week to map out routes and choose pickup days. Once LaFreniere approves the schedule, the company cannot change it without her consent or that of a designee.
Somerset is expected to collect trash weekly and recyclables every other week. Public Works Director John Johnson previously told the board that no more than 20 percent of residents set out recyclables for pickup.
The contract cost of $216,500 for trash and $10,000 for recyclables represents a 46 percent increase over the $154,511 paid to Archie’s this year. Somerset’s two‑year agreement includes a 2 percent increase for 2027-28, bringing the total to $231,030.
The contract allows Somerset to choose pickup days. Archie’s now collects on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The Select Board had heard complaints for several months about Archie’s service and voted Dec. 8 to change haulers. It initially contracted with Riverside Disposal and Recycling of Augusta and Chelsea, a bid the Budget Committee also approved.
Riverside had bid $200,000 for weekly trash pickup, with an additional $10,000 for every‑other‑week recycling. That represented a 36 percent increase over the $154,511 contract with Archie’s for 2025-26.
The board had to restart the process April 13 after Riverside withdrew from the contract. LaFreniere then turned to Somerset Disposal, which had bid $216,500.
Somerset agreed, but the higher amount could not be added to the warrant for the April 28 annual town meeting.
The board called a special town meeting to raise the additional $16,500. Nearly 80 residents attended the May 11 meeting and overwhelmingly approved the funding. Several residents said trash had been picked up late the previous week, and one reported his trash remained at the curb until Saturday.
The meeting was held in the town office parking lot because the meeting room is too small for 80 people. Several residents said they came to ensure the town had enough money to handle trash and recycling pickup properly.
Pike Industries is expected to repave three roads this summer: Beedy Road, which runs east from Franklin Road (Route 133) about a mile south of Beans Corner (Route 156); Lake School Road, which runs west from Main Street (Route 4) to Keep Road, starting about a mile south of the junction with U.S. Route 2; and Osgood Road, which runs west from Franklin Road about a half‑mile south of Stones Corner.
Repaving is expected to cost $104,049 for Beedy Road, $52,027 for Lake School Road and $47,111 for Osgood Road.
The bid notes that the price could change if the cost of liquid asphalt rises. Pike also cited volatility in worldwide energy markets.
The board also postponed the purchase of new Tasers for the Police Department. Sgt. Brandon Kelly told the board the department’s Tasers are no longer supported by the manufacturer, making repairs and replacement parts difficult to obtain.
Kelly said 10 Axon Tasers could be purchased for $64,998. Training and certifying an in‑house trainer would add $6,400, bringing the total to $71,398. On a five‑year contract, the annual cost would be $14,279.
The bid was for 10 Axon Taser 10 devices. The department now has eight, one for each officer.
Selectwoman Lee Ann Delassandro proposed postponing the purchase until the town receives a quote for eight Tasers instead of 10.
In another police matter, the Select Board voted unanimously to sell two used police cruisers by bid. Jay has begun buying and reoutfitting used State Police cruisers, an upgrade from the two cars the town plans to sell. The motion to seek bids, made by Selectman Gary McGrane, specifies that the cars are for sale “as is, where is.”
Following a public hearing at which no one spoke, the board appointed Jennifer Lynch as an alternate on the Jay Planning Board. Her term expires in September 2028.
The board also reappointed Nelson DiPompo to the Spruce Mountain board of directors, which oversees the Spruce Mountain Ski Slope. His term expires in July 2028.
Without opposition, the board approved the liquor license for the Frank L. Mitchell Post No. 3335 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The board also approved a special amusement permit, which allows the post to conduct special events such as trivia nights, cribbage meets and live music, and to rent its hall, which is at Jewell Street and Franklin Road.
The board also approved the purchase, for $18,382, of a waste oil furnace for the transfer station. The furnace is to replace two smaller units that failed last winter.
LaFreniere said the funds for the furnace are available in the operations and maintenance account.
