RUMFORD – The River Valley Growth Council on Wednesday voted to accept a $100,000 grant from the State Planning Office that will be used for biomass technology and economic development.

It also voted to accept ownership of the former J.A. Thurston mill on Route 2 west of town, from a group of Auburn investors.

Both actions could trigger some possibly intense discussion Thursday night when members of the growth council meet with the Rumford Board of Selectmen.

Rumford representative Greg Buccina had asked the board to delay the acceptance of both the building and the grant until that meeting with Rumford selectmen.

“The selectmen have concerns about the grant and the Thurston building,” he said, adding that two selectmen had asked him to make the request.

The majority of board members, however, believe the growth council can act independently.

“With all due respect to Rumford, Mexico and any other town, decisions are made here. Personally, it’s a gift,” Mexico representative Rich Allen said of the State Planning Office grant. “I fully support that this board is made up of dedicated individuals.”

The grant is the result of actions by Gov. John Baldacci who helped find money from the Petroleum Violation Fund, a federal fund used to promote alternative technologies. Specifications of the grant call for using $25,000 for further work into the so-called fractionation research center, which is a biomass-related long-term project growth council Executive Director Scott Christiansen has been working on. Together with other grant money, he will work full-time on the project.

The remaining funds were designated for the support of economic development work, with Joseph Derouche to take over Christiansen’s former position. Some of the $75,000 will be used for salary and benefits and the rest for additional support of economic development work. A committee was set up to negotiate salary, benefits and hours with Derouche.

Accepting the former J.A. Thurston mill will be contingent upon the growth council’s ability to immediately sell the building to a biomass plant investor so that no tax money will be taken off Rumford’s rolls, said Christiansen. The mill was auctioned off last year to a group of Auburn investors at a cost of $115,000. At that time, Christiansen discussed the possibility of the growth council acquiring it. It was agreed, he said, that the mill would be turned over to the growth council as a tax write-off if the mill couldn’t be sold.