By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — When Naples Selectman Bob Caron II drives to work at 5 a.m. in the summer, the crew at Caretake America is as much a morning landmark as the sunrise and the mountains at the end of Long Lake.

“Last year, they did a great job. They picked it up well, kept the Causeway clean. I go to work at 5 a.m., and I always see a couple guys walking and picking up trash,” Caron said.

Chairman Caron spoke after the Naples Board of Selectmen voted on April 10 to accept the Causeway maintenance bid of Caretake America.

A few weeks later, during the last meeting of April, the Naples selectmen were commenting on how pleased they were with how the Causeway looked after the Caretake America crew had used a sidewalk sweeper to remove a winter’s worth of sand. The shrubs and trees were looking healthy and the benches were in picture perfect place.

According to Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak, “It is a three-year contract” and includes “cleaning the Causeway, mowing, taking care of the shrubs, picking up trash before and after major events.”

Part of the job description is “making sure the Causeway looks beautiful,” Paraschak said.

He clarified that the Causeway is “is more or less from (Sandy’s) Flight deck to the Causeway Marina.”

Either it is not a coveted job or local property management companies already have their hands full. The only bidder was Caretake America, Paraschak said.

The homegrown company has been cleaning the Causeway and keeping up the trees and flowerbeds for three years, he said.

“The major events aren’t a major strain but it requires more maintenance,” he said.

The selectmen voted 3-0-1 to award the bid to Caretake America. Selectman Kevin Rogers recused himself since he co-owns the business. Christine Powers was absent.

In related business, on April 10, the board discussed the status of the Causeway benches, which were purchased by donors to fundraise the town’s cost of the Causeway reconstruction.

Over the winter, the town’s part-time maintenance worker put clear coats of finish on the benches.

“The problem is they were never sealed well the first time and the second winter they sat out all year,” Paraschak said.

“They are not long-term (benches). The seal is a 10- or 15-year solution. We may have to phase out and replace” the benches, Paraschak said.