RUMFORD – Selectmen narrowly rescinded support they had granted a year or so ago for Mahoosuc Land Trust’s plans to buy 761 acres of Whitecap Mountain.

The board, on a motion by Selectman Arthur Boivin, voted 2-1, with Chairman Jim Rinaldo not voting. Selectman Mark Belanger was absent.

Voting to rescind the support were Boivin and Selectman Greg Buccina. Voting not to rescind was Selectman Jolene Lovejoy.

The vote was the result of a letter received by the board from the Kersey family asking that selectmen’s previous support by rescinded.

The Kersey family owns a portion of the top of Whitecap. The family objects to tax dollars being allocated for the purchase of the land and claims that the land planned for purchase was misrepresented. The tax money refers to the $243,000 portion of the $714,287 purchase price supplied by the state’s trust fund set aside for Land for Maine’s Future.

Prior to the vote, resident Ron Theriault said he had serious concerns about groups such as the Mahoosuc Land Trust, whom he said have been known to work to preserve view sheds.

“I feel they would be against any windmill project,” he said. “I’m sure this group would take a negative stand against it. Mahoosuc Land Trust has its own agenda.”

Theriault was referring to a building permit filed by Evergreen Wind Power LLC to place one 150-foot-tall weather monitoring tower each on Rumford Whitecap, and neighboring Mount Dimmock, Black Mountain, and South Twin Mountain.

Members of the Kersey family have argued that Mahoosuc Land Trust has erroneously used pictures on its Web site that showed part of the family’s land rather than a part of the section that once was owned by MeadWestvaco, and later Bayroot LLC. The land trust removed those pictures from the site a week or so ago.

Leo Kersey Jr. of Rumford is listed as the owner of the land on which a weather monitoring tower would be placed on Whitecap.

Mahoosuc Land Trust is in its final fundraising days before the scheduled closure on purchasing the 761 acres of Whitecap on March 30.

Prior to the vote, Lovejoy said Mahossuc never said it was buying anything but land once owned by the paper company.

“If you are serious about withdrawing support,” she told selectmen, “then bring them back and ask questions.”

Rinaldo said the Kersey family has been a part of the community for three generations. He said the family was concerned that its land would be used by many people because of the publicity given to Whitecap by Mahoosuc Land Trust and the Whitecap committee.

Buccina said he was disturbed when he learned that the purchase of Whitecap didn’t include all of the mountain top.

“That rubbed me the wrong way,” he said.

Lovejoy attempted again to ask the board to invite representatives from Mahoosuc back.

“You owe it to people when you change your mind. In fairness, we should hear both sides,” she said.

Neighboring Mexico declined to rescind its support for Mahoosuc’s plans at a board meeting on Wednesday.