BETHEL – Selectmen and planners met Monday night to discuss Planning Board issues, but made few voting decisions during the two-hour meeting.

There was also no mention of a Feb. 9 incident between Town Manager Scott Cole and Bethel developer Rick Savage, in which Cole said in a Feb. 13 complaint to Bethel police that Savage threatened him during a confrontation. Savage was subsequently summoned on a charge of criminal threatening and will be arraigned in April in Rumford District Court.

Instead, both planners and selectmen listened to issues raised by Savage’s brother, Ron, also a Bethel developer, then took action on a few. Rick Savage did not attend the meeting.

One involved fire cisterns for the Savage’s proposed Timber Creek project, a 59-lot single-family residential subdivision to be located at the base of Farwell Mountain on 138 acres off Osgood Road.

The discussion was whether the town or developer should maintain fire cisterns after they’re built by a developer. Ron Savage said he received a letter from the fire chief that he must install three 10,000 gallon cisterns for Timber Creek. He argued that it was inconsistent to require 30,000 gallons for 59 lots, when, with another one of the Savage brother’s projects, the chief only required one 4,250-gallon cistern for 17 lots.

Savage said another development project with 19 lots wasn’t required to have any cisterns. Ultimately, selectmen sided with him.

Selectman Dennis Doyon, who did most of the talking and querying between Savage, planners and Cole, motioned that the town accept ownership of developer-created cisterns and their future maintenance regarding Timber Creek, and that the number and size will be determined by planners and the developer with the understanding that the fire department can use them for fire protection within Bethel. Additionally, the fire department would be responsible for any damage during its ensuing use.

It was OK’d 5-0.