OXFORD – Selectmen will decide Thursday whether to move forward with marking the Thompson Lake channel with buoys.

The selectmen’s meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the town office.

A group of residents, including Kerry Halterman, Arthur Bellwood, Bill Compton and Sharon Jackson, have been researching the issue the past few weeks and will report to the board Thursday.

Selectmen will decide whether to ask for state approval, and possibly financial assistance, for placing the channel markers.

Halterman told selectmen at the last meeting the process involves sending a letter of request for the channel marking to the Maine Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands. The letter could be sent by either the town or the Thompson Lake Environmental Association, he said.

The state has buoys for sale at $35 each, and a permit for their placement is required. The town or lake association then has to post notice to boaters that not all hazards in the lake have been marked.

In addition, said Halterman, someone would need to take responsibility for inspecting the markers every three weeks, under the state guidelines.

Halterman estimated the channel marking would require the placement of 20 buoys. He said the project can probably be done for under $3,000.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, selectmen will decide whether to use money from the Police Department’s confiscated funds account to buy a 12-foot Boston Whaler boat and equip it for use by the Police Department.

ggeraghty@sunjournal.com

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