The Oxford Public Works Department ran very low on sand and salt because of the severity of the winter, so the Board of Selectmen voted last week to spend money to help cover costs.
The Selectmen voted unanimously to spend $50,700 from the town’s contingency fund to buy 500 tons of sand and salt, along with liquid de-icer.
The figure also includes $15,000 for the DPW overtime account.
“It has been a very hard winter on Public Works,” First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers said.
Based on the conditions, Drayton-Rogers said she approved the Public Works Department ahead of time to put their order in for the resupplies. The original budget amount was $100,000, which included some other supplies like pothole filler.
The harsh winter has been a problem for many towns. Neighboring Seymour got an extra appropriation of $20,000 earlier in the week to augment a diminishing supply of sand and ice melt salt.
But sand and salt are not the only problems facing Oxford’s DPW.
Trucks have been breaking down. Last week a transmission broke on one truck, so the Board of Selectmen also approved $6,000 for repairs.
