Town short on funds to fix roads - Sentinel & Enterprise

State funding is not enough to maintain the deteriorating road system in town so the Board of Selectmen Monday discussed potential ways of locally funding repairs and repaving.

[JIm]

Having driven in Townsend, if they would just fill the pot holes, that would help alot

[Just another lie]

Thought the excise tax we pay on our cars was to be for the resurfacing of roads and highways,and repairs throughout the State ? Where is all the money? Where is it being spent. Would love to see a breakdown of where all this money collected goes.

[Townsendite]

Yeah that sounds Sketchy and a bunch of B.S. Personally cannot stand the selectman we have in Townsend, they all react and talk like there on serious fn' drugs. Yeah most of TImberlee Park roads are falling apart, they have been patching them here and there though.

[Rob]

I still recommend that if there was a weight limit put on some of these roads. Warren Rd is used as a shortcut between Rt 119 and 2A. I am sure this is to no ones surprise. The problem seems that their are trucks the size of Semi trucks and Automobile carriers using this road on a daily basis. There is a need to limit this size of vehicle even to help on road repairs. A lot of these size trucks make the house shake. If there is a limit of a box truck and smaller, it might help.

I believe we will get no help from the state. This sounds like a tax hike but we do have to keep the basics up and running. Townsend needs passable roads for our residents. It is going to be a tough winter.

[gabs56]

At least we have a luxurious senior center and a new library. We have our priorities straight in Townsend, don't we?

[OkJ]

gabs56 wrote:

At least we have a luxurious senior center and a new library. We have our priorities straight in Townsend, don't we?

The Town was given the senior center and the Library. No town or state money used.

[Townsend Man]

Why is it when you drive into New Hampshire the roads are smooth. this is true for all of them ,not just the main ones.
prevailing wage is the probelm, massachusetts needs to get rid of this. Mass has it NH.does not.

[Resident]

Townsend Man wrote:

Why is it when you drive into New Hampshire the roads are smooth. this is true for all of them ,not just the main ones.
prevailing wage is the probelm, massachusetts needs to get rid of this. Mass has it NH.does not.

The answer to the questionis road maintenance. NH knows how to maintain their road properly. Townsend (and most of MA) don't for a variety of reasons.
The first is money. Townsend cut all maintenance budgets so they do not fill in any cracks with the tar filler which prevents water seepage.
NH levels and adds gravel to the 1 ft buffer zone on each side of the road to prevent water from undermining the road way.
NH also oils the roads every couple of years which keeps the asphalt binding and seals the roadway.
Townsend lays down a few inches of asphalt and then comes back in a few years to fill in pot holes as the road crumbles.
Roads they have paved 5 years ago have had no work on them and will require repaving in another two years.
The town cries poor mouth but does not spend what little monet they have wisely.

[response]

Just another lie wrote:

Thought the excise tax we pay on our cars was to be for the resurfacing of roads and highways,and repairs throughout the State ? Where is all the money? Where is it being spent. Would love to see a breakdown of where all this money collected goes.

Excise tax goes back to the municipality general fund.
In 2007, the town collected 960,205 in excise tax which would be enough to fix 4.5 miles of road. I imagine in 2008/2009 this figure would decrease due to the number of people who did not purchase new vehicles.

If you would like to see where money is being spent, check out the financial statements of the town.

[Rob]

response wrote:

<quoted text>
Excise tax goes back to the municipality general fund.
In 2007, the town collected 960,205 in excise tax which would be enough to fix 4.5 miles of road. I imagine in 2008/2009 this figure would decrease due to the number of people who did not purchase new vehicles.
If you would like to see where money is being spent, check out the financial statements of the town.

Thanks for the Information.

[me again]

As a motorcycle rider... let me tell you there are worse roads in Massachusetts than Townsend...
Sure we need them all fixed. At least they are trying to find some $. Can't wait to see the water bill for our recent problem... don't worry that is not a taxpayer problem. The water rate payers get to fund it...

[bull oney]

Townsend Man wrote:

Why is it when you drive into New Hampshire the roads are smooth. this is true for all of them ,not just the main ones.
prevailing wage is the probelm, massachusetts needs to get rid of this. Mass has it NH.does not.

All the roads in NH are smooth? What little corner of NH heaven are your rolling through? Sure the highways are great with the tolls they collect anywhere an out of stater would travel. Beyond that, they are no better, and in some instances very much worse than we have here.

[PAI]

bull oney wrote:

<quoted text>
All the roads in NH are smooth? What little corner of NH heaven are your rolling through? Sure the highways are great with the tolls they collect anywhere an out of stater would travel. Beyond that, they are no better, and in some instances very much worse than we have here.

I am a cyclist, trust me the roads in NH overall are worlds better than here. Yes, NH has more unpaved roads, but the overall quality of paved roads is quite a good deal better to the north. Amazing, no income or sales tax being funneled to the towns as aid to boot. How come they can get by?

[Rolling Stone]

Having spent yesterday in Townsend, and traveling various roads,(and the day prior), I have to agree that a debt exclusion is necessary for the following reasons:

A. Wallace Hill, Emery, and Warren Roads are in HORRIFIC shape. Wallace Hill for example, has lumps where the road sank due to heavy travel, and if you try driving that road during the winter like that, with snow and ice, is catamount to disaster.

Also, Emery Road, has serious problems with drainage in Pine Tree Haven, and the surface is pockmarked with reappearing potholes. Dudley Road from Barker Hill to the Police Station is just as bad shape.

Also Woodland drive was getting a major patch job whilst my travels. Prior to it's work, it was akin to a World War I battlefield.

B: The state won't come up with the money, and good example is the fact that they box culverted the bridge on Vinton Pond Road, to cut costs, and won't get around to Wheeler Road for years to come.

C: Jennifer Flanagan, told the Town of Ashby as per the request of the Bernhardt Road issue that "The state cannot help", and that "The revenue projections for next year are EVEN worse than this year."

So these are three reasons for this. Memory serves me right, that there was a Capital Planning group back in the 90's that made a list of these roads, and fixed them (as I remember when they did South Row Road, and it took them 8 years to get around to that road via that groups recommendations). That was done during the last recession.

[Rolling Stone]

PAI wrote:

<quoted text>
I am a cyclist, trust me the roads in NH overall are worlds better than here. Yes, NH has more unpaved roads, but the overall quality of paved roads is quite a good deal better to the north. Amazing, no income or sales tax being funneled to the towns as aid to boot. How come they can get by?

Very simple, NH will WHACK THE DAYLIGHTS out of you in Property Taxes.

[Rolling Stone]

Resident wrote:

<quoted text>
The answer to the questionis road maintenance. NH knows how to maintain their road properly. Townsend (and most of MA) don't for a variety of reasons.
The first is money. Townsend cut all maintenance budgets so they do not fill in any cracks with the tar filler which prevents water seepage.
NH levels and adds gravel to the 1 ft buffer zone on each side of the road to prevent water from undermining the road way.
NH also oils the roads every couple of years which keeps the asphalt binding and seals the roadway.
Townsend lays down a few inches of asphalt and then comes back in a few years to fill in pot holes as the road crumbles.
Roads they have paved 5 years ago have had no work on them and will require repaving in another two years.
The town cries poor mouth but does not spend what little monet they have wisely.

Former Highway Superintendent Ray Bolden did the very same thing to the roads in Townsend, and when he was the Superintendent, the roads were in MUCH BETTER SHAPE.
However when Prop 2 1/2 was enacted, that was made even harder to do.
Also, if you look at the costs of sealing cracks and road oil, you wouldn't like what you see.

[Townsend Man]

bull oney wrote:

<quoted text>
All the roads in NH are smooth? What little corner of NH heaven are your rolling through? Sure the highways are great with the tolls they collect anywhere an out of stater would travel. Beyond that, they are no better, and in some instances very much worse than we have here.

I'm a motorcycle rider,have been for 29 years.when my friends and i go for a ride its north to NH. we head. thats where we buy fuel and a nice meal every willing weekend.don't me that the roads up there aren't smooth, in a 100 miles radius i've ridden most of them.
Thanks to PAI for his post

[Riley Martin]

Rolling Stone wrote:

<quoted text>
Very simple, NH will WHACK THE DAYLIGHTS out of you in Property Taxes.

and Mass whacks the day lights out of you with 8,000 other taxes.

[Just because]

Riley Martin wrote:

<quoted text>
and Mass whacks the day lights out of you with 8,000 other taxes.

and in the end the cost is roughly the same, except for all the NH plates down here because MA is where the good jobs are.

[Paying attention]

PAI wrote:

<quoted text>
I am a cyclist, trust me the roads in NH overall are worlds better than here. Yes, NH has more unpaved roads, but the overall quality of paved roads is quite a good deal better to the north. Amazing, no income or sales tax being funneled to the towns as aid to boot. How come they can get by?

Maybe because they don't have two principals per high school?