Woolwich selectmen will host a meeting this afternoon with representatives from the Maine Department of Transportation and possibly a Wiscasset official to discuss the posting of the Old Stage Road bridge. The 4 p.m. meeting, Wednesday, Jan 11 will be held in the hearing room of the Woolwich town office on Nequasset Road.

The small, two-lane bridge spans Montsweag Brook and links the two communities. Wiscasset built it 25 years ago.

David King Sr., Woolwich select board chairman, said MDOT is considering posting the bridge to 25 tons. He said Wiscasset Town Manager Marian Anderson has been invited to attend the meeting.

King couldn’t offer any further details at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Woolwich board.

Woolwich Road Commissioner Jack Shaw said the bridge had been built well and he was surprised to learn the state was considering posting it. “It does get a good deal of traffic during the summer months from the motorists who are trying to avoid the traffic on Route 1,” he commented.

Selectmen are making another effort to unload a surplus of plastic trash bags left over from the town’s Pay-As-You-Throw program. The town office was left with four pallets of the orange plastic bags after voters opted out of the program last year. The town office is now selling the bags for 10 cents a piece, 50 cents for a roll of five and $17.50 for a case. They can be purchased during business hours.

The board authorized the fire department to hire a firm to spray foam insulation on the ceiling of the North Station; price $6,000. Monies will be taken from the town’s building account.

EMS Director Julia Gillespie told selectmen she was in the process of preparing a 2017-18 budget. She said the ambulance crew has had a surge in responses over the last year because the department has more responders. “The good news is we’re bringing in more revenue because we’re doing more transfers,” she said.

Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Engert said the town had 13 new residences added in 2016 with a combined value of $3 million. Engert said there were also 10 new garages, a couple of barns, several decks and new home additions. “Tax-wise, it should be a profitable year for the town,” he commented.

Selectmen signed an annual landfill monitoring agreement with Pine Tree Engineering of Bath; price $5,700.

The board put off amending the town’s sick leave policy. Selectmen Jason Shaw and Allison Hepler will compare Woolwich’s policy to other area communities. Several months ago, the board reduced employee sick leave to 64 hours, allowing it to accrue to 62 working weeks.

Selectmen briefly discussed a proposal for putting solar panels on the roof of the Nequasset Meeting House. King said a public hearing on the plan would be held at some point. In the meantime, the board will do some additional fact-finding, getting in touch with other towns that have invested in similar solar projects.

Janet Stephen was appointed to the Special Events Committee.

At the outset of the meeting, King was reelected chairman and Selectman Dale Chadbourne was reelected vice chairman.