PERU — The state is considering converting the intersection of Route 108, Main and North Main streets into a four-way stop, according to Select Board Chairperson Arthur Clifford.

The idea will be presented to the Select Board at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, at the Town Office.

The proposal is being considered because if all goes as planned, groundbreaking for a larger Community Quik Stop business will take place this fall. The 43- by 90-foot building will have underground tanks for gas and diesel, along with 17 parking spaces, with two entrances off Route 108. This will replace the much smaller Community Quik Stop at the site, owned by Community Energy of Rumford.

Board member Gail Belyea read a letter from Tim Soucie, project engineer for Maine Department of Transportation, Region 3, at the board meeting Aug. 19. It said, in part, “MDOT is looking at moving forward with this change, and currently our safety office is drafting plans on how to lay out this intersection with an all-way stop in mind.” The letter goes on to say officials are seeking to “get feedback and, ideally, get a letter of support.”

Peru Road Commissioner Tyler McDonald said, “That’s not possible. The top of that hill; they’ve got to do something about the hill. Because they’re worried about trucks coming down over that and being able to stop for vehicles turning into the new store. There’s no line of sight.”

Board member Raquel Welch-Day said, “That’s an awful four-way there. That’s horrible.”

“Every snowstorm, there’s going to be a tractor-trailer stuck on that hill,” McDonald said.

He said he believed MDOT would have to take down trees from the top of the hill to open up the line of sight. “Either that or start blasting to knock the top of that hill down,” he said.

Board member Katie Lawrence suggested, “I hope they discussed making an entrance only from (Route) 108. At least that way, you’d be much further down from the intersection. That would make a huge difference.”

Talking about the flashing lights there now, McDonald noted, “Those have caused the accidents to increase because people look at those lights instead of actually looking at traffic. It’s a lot more frequent than what we ever used to have for accidents at that intersection.”