Gail Hoar: Words About Wilton – Keeping roads clean and safe

Gail Hoar

Gail Hoar COURTESY PHOTO

From left, Mason Belawske, Kenny Pellerin and John Bukkegyi.

From left, Mason Belawske, Kenny Pellerin and John Bukkegyi. —PHOTO BY GAIL HOAR

Published: 01-24-2025 8:31 AM

I know a winter snow or ice storm has struck town when I hear the muffled sound of plows or sanding trucks working their way along the road outside our bedroom window long before the sun rises.

We have always lived near a corner where one road meets another. This is important because it means the sound of treads passing over snow is often accompanied by the clank of a plow being lifted and then lowered onto the snow-encrusted adjoining road.

For years, I wondered who these anonymous people were who were working when most of us were soundly asleep. In the winter, they were hidden in the dark behind their windshields.

It took a few years, but I soon began to recognize faces of those who passed by during the warm weather in their Town-of-Wilton-logoed trucks. Spring, summer and fall are when other parts of their jobs take precedent, mostly road and culvert maintenance and repair. That’s when these faces behind the wheel of a town truck began to become a familiar part of my life. I became accustomed to their raised hands in response to my waved greetings while out walking our dog.

When I considered what next to write for this column, I pictured one of those faces who I knew was behind the wheel of the plow that cleared several inches of snow from Isaac Frye Highway. But I never knew his name. What better time to get to know the Wilton Public Works/Highway Department members than during the season when they are most urgently needed to keep our roads safe for driving and walking?

A phone call gave me the chance to meet three of the five members of this team, who invited me to the town barn to answer my questions. The person who was the face I associated with this work crew was there, and that’s when I learned Kenny Pellerin’s name.

A Wilton native, he’s been a member of the Public Works/Highway Department for 25 years. Previously he’d been plowing for the state in the Hancock area, but when his truck was sold, Charley McGettigan knocked on his door and asked if he wanted to plow for Wilton.

The rest is history. He and Brian Adam, who has also put in at least 25 years, have worked the longest for the town Highway Department. Their experience means they know Wilton roads. As Kenny explained, “A lot of the roads have tricks to them. It’s not like plowing for the state with lots of straight paved roads.”

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The fifth team member is Christopher Oulette. The other two people I met are the most recent hires to Wilton Highway Department. Mason Belawske, from Jaffrey, was hired four months ago. Although the youngest person on the crew, he came to the town as an experienced truck driver and forklift operator with other valuable skills needed in the DPW world.

But he is not the newest addition. That honor goes to John Bukkhegyi from New Ipswich, the new crew chief. One of the Wilton water commissioners, Mike Bergeron, met John while he was part of the team installing the town library’s new water main. Mike asked John to apply for the recently opened position, and in mid-November, he took up his new role as head of the department.

When I asked him how it was going he replied, “My biggest problem is getting to know all the roads in town by name, their location and condition.” There are also things unique to Wilton that he commented upon, not the least of which are the 17 or more dirt roads that, in the winter, need sand instead of salt to keep drivable.

The difference in town elevation is also an issue. He pointed out that you can be on Main Street and never know that the higher elevations are snow- and ice-covered. This means he goes out around 3 a.m. when storms strike to check on conditions above Main Street level to decide when to call out his crew. They are designated first responders, and are on call at all times.

Other recurring issues are cracked asphalt and the frost heaves. John explained that there is more frost under asphalt than under dirt and a rock that is three feet or less under the surface can work it way up unexpectedly.

Since I live on top of one of the steepest hills in Wilton, I’m used to having to wait until the roads are treated before attempting to reach Highway 101 or drive into town. I’ve always wondered what it takes to drive one of the trucks doing the sanding or salting while the steep roads are still ice- or snow-covered. John laughed and gave me an answer complete with body motions.

“The truck can feel like it’s dancing on the road when it’s icy and you have to slowly keep adjusting where you are heading,” he said. “You learn a lot of tricks over time to keep it from sliding where you don’t want it to go. Sometimes we may have to use chains or if the road is not heavily traveled, you may put it off until later.”

Another job that falls under the Highway/DPW label has John coordinating with Water Commissioner Bruce Berry, to upgrade the town drainage system, replace inadequate catch basins and upgrade the water protection system. This is a complicated, but necessary, multiyear project that is still in the planning stage.

I had noticed a truck being worked on outside the office when I arrived and asked about it. I learned that a lot of time is spent on repairing trucks to keep them running their expected 5,000 hours per machine. I was emphatically told , “Salt kills the equipment and rots the metal.”

The equipment owned by Wilton includes the 2009 sander, which will be replaced in June, and three other trucks purchased in 2012, 2018 and 2020. When a new truck is needed, the town purchases the chassis and then sends it to the dealer to put the rest of it together to meet road crew specifications. I asked what determines if a truck needs to be replaced. The answer was, “When it costs more to keep it running than to replace it.”

While we were on the subject of replacement, I asked about how the town decides which road to resurface or pave. I was surprised to learn that the state sends outside experts to evaluate town roads for the next 10-year resurfacing schedule. Those on the road crew than make resurfacing decisions based upon the state evaluations.

I asked if there were hazards that faced the road workers. There were a variety of answers including: “In the winter you need to watch for deer licking the salt from the road surface while driving at night,” “You see all kinds of wildlife at night besides deer. I’ve seen bears, bobcats and I once hit a raccoon accidently with my plow. I felt really bad,” “Fallen branches and leaning trees are always a hazard” and most importantly, “I wish people racing by the trucks when we’re working during the day would slow down and think about how dangerous it is to us.”

I learned that the Wilton Highway Department road crew is a close-knit group that love their jobs. When I asked each what they liked about the job, Mason said he really enjoys driving the heavy equipment and the chance to always learn more. Kenny was not shy to explain that working in the town where he grew up and the chance to be outdoors were what kept him happily employed.

And in spite of the long hours, which can tally up to between 106 to 121 per person every two weeks, John summed it up with his final comment, “I go to work whistling every morning. “