PERU – Six members of the Families in Crisis Task Force met with selectmen Monday night to discuss how they might keep Rockomeka Hall open the rest of the year. The board budgeted $3,500 for this year, but high cost of fuel and power leaves just $426.
The task force prepares meals for needy families once a month and passes out boxes of food from its pantry. The newly elected task force Chairman Rodney Jamison told the board, “You should come over sometime and see the faces of these people receiving the food. We’re all getting hit hard this year, and these people really need what we can provide.”
The need for the service is not doubted by town officials, but the funds must come from somewhere to keep the hall open for the remainder of this year. Options seem to be limited as the town cannot legally overdraw the budget. Town Clerk Vera Parent said the town would have to call a special town meeting in order to approve more funds.
Peggy Turner for the task force said the group would be willing to put on a fund-raiser such as a supper to help raise funds. She also suggested they might be able to work on some annual fund-raisers with the Historical Society that also uses the building. Not all selectmen were in favor of a special town meeting, but Parent reminded the board that the hall belongs to the town and it is used by the town for voting and other functions.
Board Chairman Andre St. Pierre said the big issue is the price of heat and he plans to check the furnace tank capacity and how much oil is left so the board can make a more informed decision at a future meeting.
In other business, the board approved a building permit for Bernice Kelley on Greenwood Road to jack up a camp and replace posts and fence, and Rick Marden on Serenity Lane for a garage. A 6-by-6-foot child’s playhouse was approved for Valerie Jacobs on Valley Road.
St. Pierre read a letter from Richard Ray of Canton wishing to possibly share a code enforcement officer with Peru, which presently lacks one. The board discussed that other towns would like to share as well but questioned how one code enforcement officer could handle several towns with different ordinances.
St. Pierre also read a letter from the Peru Appeals Board stating that it had granted an appeal of the imposition of fines on Paul Bickford by the code enforcement officer.
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