On July 11th, Madison resident and gravel road guru, Russ Lanoie, will give a workshop at the Balmoral Improvement Association’s Club House, Paradise Drive, Moultonborough on gravel road maintenance techniques that can improve performance and durability of gravel roads, reduce long-term road maintenance costs, and most importantly, protect water quality by reducing stormwater runoff to nearby lakes and streams.
Organized by the Lake Winnipesaukee Association, Town of Moultonborough Public Works Dept. and Conservation Commission, the morning workshop will provide individuals and road associations with information on proper road construction techniques and the basic principles behind maintaining gravel/dirt roads that will provide excellent year-round service and present minimal pollution problems.
“It’s nobody’s fault, but everyone’s problem.” according to Lanoie. “Our rain events seem to be more intense on a regular basis regardless of whether you blame global climate change or not. The principles I’ll present will apply to any road maintenance equipment, whether it be a front-mounted grader/rake or an old bedspring dragged behind a Volkswagen.”
Participants will take home many do-it-yourself hints that can be applied to their roads immediately. Russ Lanoie has been presenting road maintenance workshops sponsored by Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and local town governments for the past several years. This is a practical workshop based on Lanoie’s gravel road maintenance manual, ‘A Ditch in Time’, which will be available for purchase at the workshop. A sample of the manual is available on his website: www.ruralhometech.com. It is targeted at camp operators, road associations, private land owners who maintain long unpaved driveways, and more generally, to those who contract for dirt road maintenance.
The Gravel Road Maintenance Workshop will be presented from 9:00AM-12:30PM on Saturday, July 11th at Balmoral Improvement Association’s Club House on Paradise Drive in Moultonborough. The morning workshop will be followed by a site visit to assess a nearby road. The workshop is free and open to the public; however, pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, please contact Pat Tarpey, Lake Winnipesaukee Association at 581-6632 or mail@winnipesaukee.org.