The Woolwich selectboard on April 3 again took up the deteriorating condition of State Route 127. The two-lane highway, also known as Middle Road, runs roughly north/south from Route One by Cumberland Farms to the Dresden line. The road temporarily closed when a culvert collapsed.

During the public comment portion of the selectboard meeting, Betsy Fear of Old Stage Road shared concerns about Route 127’s deteriorating condition. She commutes to work over the road every day and said much of it needed attention, particularly the shoulders which were eroding away.

Chairman David King Sr. said the selectboard had brought up the same concerns to Maine Department of Transportation officials as recently as two weeks earlier. Because Route 127 is classified by MaineDOT as a “minor connector road,” it gets less attention than other state roads more heavily traveled, he explained. “Other than passing our concerns along there’s not much we can do,” added King. The town has ruled out making the repairs on its own.

The absence of paved shoulders makes Route 127 less safe for motorists, said Selectman Jason Shaw, adding the road was scheduled to receive a new coat of pavement next year. “(MaineDOT plans) on just an overlay but no widening, or shoulder paving,” he told Wiscasset Newspaper afterwards.

Improvements to the portion of the road where a culvert recently collapsed were set to begin this month. The town office was alerted, commuter traffic would  be detoured around Route 127 beginning Monday, April 8 for installation of a water main by Bath Water District. On April 15, MaineDOT’s contractor is scheduled to begin work on replacing the culverts and raising the road. The project includes about 600 feet of roadway; Route 127 is scheduled to reopen on May 2, and no later than May 31.

Selectmen decided to draft a letter to MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note stating their concerns about Route 127 and the need for addressing its crumbling shoulders. The board may bring the matter up for discussion at the annual town meeting.

Copies of the annual Town Report are available at the town office during business hours. The annual town meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 in the gymnasium of the elementary school, 137 Nequasset Road. Resident Mike Field will serve as moderator. The Montsweagers, recipients of this year’s “Spirit of America Award,” will be playing live music prior to the meeting.

Town Administrator Kim Dalton said Nequasset Park has received a donationof four brand new wooden picnic tables, a gift to the community from Roofing By Design Home Improvement, a Cumberland-based company. Not only did they deliver the new tables, Dalton said they carried away the old rotten ones at no charge to the town.

EMS Director Danny Evarts said March was an “extremely busy” month for the ambulance department. “We responded to 30 calls, 30 patients were seen, and 26 transported,” he said, adding there were five motor vehicle accidents, involving multiple patients. MC1 was called for assistance 11 times; Georgetown, Wiscasset and Bath Fire & Rescue were all called to assist with a seven-person motor vehicle accident during a storm.

Fire Chief Shaun Merrill said the fire department responded to 53 calls in March. “We’ve already had 102 calls so far this year, which is unbelievable in my opinion,” he commented. Both Merrill and Evarts urged residents to exercise extra caution during extreme weather conditions.