Damariscotta will have a new company plowing its roads next winter after a vote to mutually end its contract with longtime winter maintenance provider Hagar Enterprises Inc. two years early on Wednesday, March 6.
The select board voted unanimously to terminate Hagar’s two contracts for winter maintenance of 21.5 miles of town roads and the downtown, which are contracted separately.
The two parties signed three-year contracts for both segments in 2019 and extended them through 2026 with an attached cost amendment in December 2022. The current three-year contract totaled $1,178,826.17.
According to the terms of the separation agreement, Hagar will carry out the contract through May 15 of this year. Hagar will also remove all sand and salt from town storage buildings by that date.
Town Manager Andy Dorr said Thursday, March 7 that the separation was initiated by Hagar and the select board’s official position was that both parties desired it.
Hagar Enterprises did not return a request for comment.
Dorr did not name specific factors contributing to the agreement, saying that there are “things that don’t work and things that do” in any contract.
“The work that does get done, it is incredible to see what they accomplish … and how quickly they accomplish it,” Dorr said. “There’s a thank-you to be said, generally, for having done that as long as they have and acknowledging it’s not easy doing it.”
Dorr also noted Hagar crews were efficient and did good work in the downtown.
Damariscotta does not currently have plans for finding a new contractor, according to Dorr. The board plans to discuss what members want to see in a future contract and how the existing language might be changed. Dorr suggested the separation is also an opportunity for the town to talk with people downtown about what has and has not worked in the past.
He does not expect the search for a new contract to significantly impact the budget currently in development for fiscal year 2025.
“The expectation is that we can work within those numbers,” Dorr said of the previous budget. “They’re pretty fresh numbers, and prices (this year) haven’t done what they did over the last three years.”
There is no additional fee tied to the severance agreement, according to Dorr.
The Damariscotta Select Board next meets at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20 in the town office and online. For more information, go to damariscottame.com.
