DIXFIELD – Selectmen Monday night objected to language in a section of an agreement with SAD 21 over use of town-owned Harlow Park. After amending it, the agreement was approved

Selectman Montell Kennedy, a SAD 21 school bus driver and volunteer firefighter with Dixfield Fire Co., initiated the discontent after Selectman Dan Mitchell said he couldn’t find anything wrong with the document.

“I think it’s great of them in helping us” with maintenance and field renovation costs, Kennedy said. “But I have a problem with them having sole responsibility for scheduling (use of the park). If you own something, do you let someone dictate when to schedule something on it? In terms of the will, the way I interpret it is the selectmen are in charge of the scheduling. We own it.”

Earlier this month, SAD 21 directors OK’d the cost-share agreement between the school district and the town for use and maintenance of the park that has school athletic fields.

After Kennedy read a portion of Ione Harlow’s will, that charged selectmen with caring for the park, Mitchell concurred with Kennedy.

Selectman Eugene Skibitsky tried to find middle ground, but both Mitchell and Kennedy held their position.

“I’m not going to change any scheduling, all I want to do is avoid any conflicts,” Skibitsky said.

Chairman Hugh Daley and Selectman Sandra Buchanan soon joined the pair, as did Skibitsky, later on in the discussion.

But, after Skibitsky advised deleting the word “sole” and adding, “With the approval of the Board of Selectmen, SAD 21 shall have the responsibility…” to the agreement, the board voted 5-0 to approve the document as amended.

In other business, the board awarded Pike Industries, which bid $116,010, with the Averill Hill Road reconstruction project.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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