HARRISON – Residents adopted a resolution Wednesday to ban tobacco products at Crystal Lake Park and RADR Sports Complex.

Since the measure is a resolution and not an ordinance, it will not be enforced by law. The state will provide signs declaring the two areas to be tobacco-free without any cost to the town.

There was opposition to the resolution from many voters.

“Where does it end?” asked Selectman Donald Woolley.

Resident Tamara Douglas told nay-sayers, “I’m sorry if it inconveniences you as a smoker, but aren’t the children more important than your convenience?”

Recreation Director Paula Holt said the resolution does not extend to other beaches in town because the primary concern was recreation areas where children are involved in activities with “positive effects on mind, body, and spirit.”

She said smoking contradicts that message to children.

The resolution will be suspended during the town’s Old Home Days held at the park in early July.

The amount set aside for next year’s bicentennial celebration was raised from $5,000 to $10,000, at the suggestion of resident Edwin Rolfe. He pointed out that the warrant included many requests for funds.

“Let’s cut them down, raise this amount, and let’s do a bang-up job,” he said.

The sum of $15,000 has already been set aside for the celebration.

Rolfe later moved to cut funding to the Lake Region Development Council from $4,500 to $1,000. The motion passed, as did a motion to cut funding to the Growth Council of Oxford Hills by the same amount.

“Everybody wants the government to fund everything,” Rolfe said. “Let’s try a little common sense.”

Following an emotional debate, voters appropriated $2,500 for ambulance service. The decision of whether to award that money to PACE or United Ambulance Service was left up to the Board of Selectmen.

In a June 8 letter to the town, Stephens Memorial Hospital, which owns PACE, dropped its request for $6,829, claiming that it did not want the town to be forced to lower the quality of its health care for financial reasons. United’s bid for ambulance service was $2,500.

Many residents were concerned because the outlying areas of Harrison are significantly closer to either PACE or United. “Time is the most important thing here, not money,” said resident David Weir. “You don’t put money on a human life.”

Robert Tarbox, of PACE, said his ambulances have an average response time of 15 minutes to the town. United is located within Harrison, but it does not have a paramedic available at all times, as PACE does.

Voters concluded that the problem could not be solved at the town meeting. Selectmen will look into allowing individuals to specify which ambulance service they would like at the time an emergency call is made.

Other items included:

• approving a 3 percent raise for town office employees.

• appropriating $25,000 to furnish the children’s room at the new Caswell Library and to purchase shelving; and

• appropriating $100,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance to replace a firetruck purchased by the town in 1961.

Selectman Susan Searles-Gazza was re-elected. Arthur Hamlin and Barry Smith were elected to the Planning Board as write-ins, and R. Andrew Derstine and Robert Tarbox were elected to the SAD 17 board.