RUMFORD – Town officials aren’t sure whether Med-Care Ambulance Service’s proposal to build a $2 million facility should go to town meeting or not. But that’s something they plan to check on.

The decision came after an hour-long pubic hearing Thursday night by the Med-Care director and board chairman on what the emergency service wants to do, and why it must be done.

Steve Brown, chairman of the Med-Care board and a selectman from Carthage, said under the interlocal agreement between the 11 towns that comprise the Med-Care service area, the board is given responsibility to enter into capital projects.

“Our board would be shirking our responsibilities not to make these decisions. The interlocal agreement voted on that to ensure there would be a medical service,” he said.

He, and director Dean Milligan, told selectmen and the 40 or so people who turned out for the hearing, that the service has outgrown its River Road facility.

“The board feels it has an obligation to look to the future, to look out for emergency services,” he said.

Each Board of Selectmen in the 11-town area is being asked to submit a letter of support for the project, which would be built slightly east of the current facility in Mexico, so that Med-Care could take out a low-interest loan from the United States Department Agriculture.

Selectman Arthur Boivin, however, said by submitting a letter of support, his board would be committing the town to 40 years of payments.

“We must go to town meeting,” he said.

Milligan said the length of the loan will likely be fewer than 40 years once grants have been found and the current building is sold.

As it stands right now, Rumford would pay about $39,000 a year for the building, plus about $76,000 annually as its share of subsidy.

Milligan said a detailed presentation on the new facility will be made at a regionwide public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Mountain Valley Middle School. Also at that presentation will be the project’s architect and a representative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.