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By FRAN EMMONS - GREENVILLE - Parked on bare ground outside the Greenville Public Works building in Little Moose Township, a brand new front loader fitted with a plow got to strut its stuff this weekend when a winter rain storm turned snowy overnight. While most areas south of Moosehead Lake received scattered flurries, about six inches of wet snow blanketed Greenville. Both pieces of equipment, representing a more than a $100,000 investment on the part of the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), through a grant, and the town - through its 10 percent local match - are dedicated to the Greenville Municipal Airport. In fact, they can't be used for other municipal needs unless a situation has been declared a "public hazard", and even then, only after the airport chores are complete, according to Greenville Town Manager, John Simko. Heretofore, the town has had to use its municipal equipment at the airport, which by regulation must be cleared "six hours following the end of a storm event," Simko said. The addition of the two pieces saves enormously on the town's equipment wear and tear. Plowing the runways can account for more than 60 miles of travel, Simko explained. Furthermore, the dedicated equipment will allow snow plow and removal operations to occur simultaneously. Town plow crews will still be necessary to get the runways open, Simko said. Eventually, the equipment will be housed at the airport. Negotiations are currently ongoing to secure private hangar space for the winter. Next summer a building at the airport to house the equipment will go up, Simko said. Funding for that building will come through MDOT, he added. |