WILTON – Selectmen met last week with George Allen, BeeLine Cable’s general manager and chief engineer, to discuss improvements in cable service in the area. The town’s franchise agreement with the cable company expires Sept. 1, 2006.

Allen said the company is currently working on rebuilding the entire cable system. The company serves the Skowhegan, Millinocket, and Farmington/Wilton areas. He said the work in Skowhegan is about 90 percent completed. The work in the Wilton area is expected to be completed by the end of the year, while Millinocket can expect new service by next spring.

Allen said the new system will have 860 megahertz of bandwidth, compared to the current 450 megahertz. This will allow the company to add 10 to 15 channels. The company also plans to offer high-speed Internet service that Allen said will be competitively priced compared to Verizon’s DSL package.

Allen said the company hopes to expand service along the Route 2 business district and in areas of East Wilton not currently served. He said that work will possibly start the beginning of the year.

Allen said the density requirement for cable service is 10 subscribers per mile. He said construction costs are $16,000 per mile and $15 per pole. Allen said there are about 850 cable subscribers in Wilton.

In other business, selectmen voted to authorize Town Manager Peter Nielsen to ask Waste Management of Maine to create a new contract for waste removal. Officials plan to sign the contract at their next meeting. Their current contract expires Dec. 14.

Nielsen said that while other companies can provide quicker response times and weekend collection, he feels Waste Management offers the cheapest alternative for waste removal for the town. He said the company has agreed to cut its tipping fees from $62 per ton for demolition debris to $57.50 per ton for all types of waste. That will save the town about $4,000 per year, he said.

Selectmen also agreed to rent another waste box from the company at $35 per month, or $420 per year, so the town will have extra space to put waste until the company is able to retrieve it. It would cost the town about $5,000 to purchase one, Nielsen said.

Nielsen said the company would like the town to enter a five-year contract. In the past, the town has signed three-year contracts for waste disposal. Nielsen recommended that selectmen stay with the three-year contract and “see what happens in the future.”

Selectmen will hold their next meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at the town office. Their regularly scheduled Tuesday meeting falls on Election Day.