By Jen Otterson,Staff Writer

PARIS – The Paris Fire Station is getting security cameras for the first time. At their meeting Monday, selectmen awarded a contract to Great Falls Security Systems of Auburn.

“Hopefully it will prevent some problems,” Fire Chief Brad Frost said. The $5,476 system will include four video cameras and a color digital video recorder. Cameras will be mounted in the office, lunch room and apparatus areas. The system can record seven to 10 days of video, and can use motion detection or a set schedule to record at certain times.

Frost said that Oxford uses the same system and is happy with it. The only other bid for the system was $5,887 from Advance Technology in Scarborough.

In other business, selectmen approved spending up to $5,400 for consultation from the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments on the subdivision ordinance. Town Manager Sharon Jackson said the subdivision ordinance committee has asked John Maloney of AVCOG to help bring the town’s subdivision ordinance up to current state standards.

Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Barbara Paine asked Jackson if the committee was making changes to the ordinance. “We’re not changing it,” Jackson replied. “We’re bringing it up to state requirements.”

Jackson said Maloney has also helped other towns to bring the language in their subdivision ordinances into agreement with current state standards. As a member of AVCOG, the town receives eight free hours of consultation with an AVCOG attorney. After that, Maloney will charge $76 per hour.

If the committee continues to meet twice a week for two hours into November, as it plans to do, Jackson calculated that the total cost for Maloney’s time will be $5,400. She noted, though, that the committee may not need to continue to meet as long as planned, so the total cost may be less.

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