ROCKINGHAM –The Selectboard approved bids Tuesday for repair work needed on the Bartonsville Bridge and the Rockingham Meeting House.

Members of the board accepted a bid of about $4,000 from Jesup Jonathan Restoration for clapboard replacement on the Rockingham Meeting House. Jesup Jonathan Restoration is a private company based in Westminster that specializes in home improvements. Clapboards are long narrow boards, typically with one edge thicker than the other to overlap horizontally on the exterior of a building.

Francis “Dutch” Walsh, the town development director said the meeting house may also need to be painted.

There were also bids for abutment replacement on the Bartonsville Covered Bridge discussed at the meeting.

Everette Hammond, of Hammond Engineering out of Springfield and the town public work consultant, said there were six different bids for construction of abutments. Hammond recommended the use of the Cold River Bridges, a bridge construction firm out of Walpole, N.H. The company submitted a bid of about $656,000 just for the abutments.

“It’s a major project,” said Hammond. He said the expected completion for abutment work is for February, 2012.

Town Manager Tim Cullenen said 75 percent of the cost should be reimbursed by FEMA.

Cullenen said based on performance and accessibility, the selection is a good choice. The project will move abutments back 7-1/2 feet, causing the bridge to

expand from 15 to 30 feet.

“It will go taller in order to expand the distance,” said Hammond.

Cullenen said they are still on track to have the temporary bridge constructed in late February.

Carter Vanderhoof can be reached at cvanderhoof@reformer.com or 802-254-2311 ext. 277.