LITCHFIELD -- Residents will have to wait until at least next year for paving work on four town roads.

Bids from three separate paving companies proved too rich for selectmen, who rejected them Tuesday night.

Town Manager Michael Byron said the bids ranged from $85 a ton to $97 a ton. The town had budgeted $65 a ton.

"We'll go back out to bid again in the spring," Byron said Wednesday.

Contractors submitted bids were Ferraiolo Construction Co., RC & Son Paving Co. and Pike Industries.

Byron said each of the bids submitted also carried an "escalator clause" that would boost the price to the town if the price of asphalt increased.

Byron said asphalt is 6 percent to 7 percent of a hot top mix, and that the bids showed asphalt currently is priced at $730 to $760 a ton.

One bidder's offer said that -- for every $1-per-ton increase in asphalt -- the price per ton for mix would go up 6.5 cents.

"We all have our fingers crossed that the asphalt market will come down," Byron said.

In July 2007, Pike Industries proved the low bidder for paving in Litchfield at $53.46 a ton.

In the meantime, Byron said the town will ask contractors to bid on a much smaller project that includes putting hot top on sections of Libby Hill, Stevenstown and Lunts Hill roads which have holes because of newly installed culverts.

The roads that were scheduled to be paved this year were 500 feet of Gustin Road, 700 feet of John Tarr Road, 2.1 miles of Dennis Hill Road, 2.6 miles of Stevenstown Road and 2 miles of Lunts Hill Road.

In other business Tuesday, selectmen hired Dale Gregor, of Monmouth, the new public works department working foreman, starting Aug. 25

Betty Adams -- 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com