Republican endorsed candidate for First Selectman George R. Temple’s campaign released a proposal to address the “serious deterioration” of Oxford roads.
“I believe my approach will not only be innovative, but it could save the town millions of dollars. It has the further benefit of being environmentally friendly,” Temple said.
Mr. Temple has met with Oxford paving contractor Glen Perrson and discussed a new paving technology that has caught world-wide attention. Mr. Temple recently had a conversation with an executive of the Ohio manufacturing concern who manufactures the foam asphalt recycling machine.
The machine is a wonder of modern technology. It scores the road, mixes it with a foam emulsion and lays the asphalt back on the road, making it as agood as new. There is no need to take costly trips to the asphalt pit. The process is odor and emission free and allows the town to reuse the pavement already present on the road. All of this is done at less than half the cost of our current operation.
The machine essentially reapplies the glue that holds a new road surface together. It is capable of paving on hills and the resulting pavement is as good as newly laid asphalt in its ability to stand up to the harsh Connecticut weather. We can expect to pave one mile of road per day.
“I believe that repairing our deteriorating roads is a priority. Not only do bad roads present a safety hazard but they present a poor image of the town in the yes of businesses looking to locate in Oxford. We need to attract productive businesses because economic development is essential to control our individual taxes and allow us to enjoy the amenities that other towns take for granted.”
Mr. Temple proposes that we join with other towns to share the expense of the in-place recycling machine. To that end, he has already discussed such a joint effort with area mayors and selectmen and he found their enthusiasm for saving money for their towns to be very encouraging.
“Local towns could create a consortium that would share the expense (approximately $1.2 million) of the machine and the training required to operate it.”
As an attorney who has negotiated hundreds of contracts, Mr. Temple feels that the legal aspect of the joint ownership would not be an impediment. In fact, he is willing to travel to Ohio with Mr. Perrson, at his own expense, to see the machine demonstrated and ask the questions of the operators that Oxford residents may have about the technology.
George Temple is a Republican candidate for First Selectman in Oxford.
Editor’s note: The Valley Indy welcomes ‘guest columns’ from those running for local office. We take each submission on a case-by-case basis. We’ll print up to two a month per candidate. We ask that the columns offer positions and solutions, as opposed to simply criticizing an opponent. We insist on a 500-word limit. If a political opponent takes issue with a guest column, responses are encouraged in our comment section. We encourage candidates to register with Facebook with your first and last name to post a response here. We will not post your responses for you.
