Nearly two dozen businesspeople showed up to hear selectmen discuss the budget.
By Eileen Adams
Staff Writer

RUMFORD – Selectmen agreed Thursday to consider placing a request for a meter monitor on next year’s budget.

Nearly two dozen businesspeople turned out to listen to the discussion and to add their own input on the parking problems in the downtown area.

Selectman Jolene Lovejoy requested that funding be placed in the 2004-05 municipal budget to pay for a full-time person to monitor parking.

She said a lack of customer parking was a major concern of businesses when she interviewed several over the past few weeks as part of the town’s business visitation project.

“We seem to be having a resurgence in new businesses and more employees,” she said, adding that the lack of enforcement of parking limitations results in few spaces for customers. Instead, many of the business owners or employees are using the downtown spaces.

“As much as I think it is a police matter, they have operated short-handed,” she said, suggesting that paying someone less money with no benefits might be a more efficient way to control parking than paying for a police officer who must attend the police academy.

The request for a full-time meter monitor will become part of the development of the new municipal budget. If approved by selectmen and the town’s finance committee, it will be added to the Rumford Police Department budget.

Board Chairman Jim Thibodeau said the town is also looking into grant funds that could expand parking in the downtown area.

In other matters, Town Manager Robert Welch announced an increase in the sewer assessment rate from $88 annually to $88.61 per housing unit for 2004. He said the less than 1 percent increase was largely the result of fewer units.

A victualer’s and innholder’s license was granted to Robert Knowles who plans to open a new restaurant on Exchange Street to be known as The River Valley Grill.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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