DIXFIELD – Three members of the Board
of Selectmen along with Town Manager Eugene Skibitsky plan to attend
a special breakfast meeting on wind
farms next week in Paris.

The event will take place from 7 to 9 a.m. Oct. 23 at
the Four Seasons Function Center on Route 26. It is hosted by the Western Maine
Economic Development Council.
Among those planning to attend are representatives from Patriot
Renewables LLC, a Quincy, Mass., wind development company that is
tentatively planning to build a wind farm along a ridge in Dixfield
that includes Colonel Holman Mountain. Selectmen Norine Clarke, Steve
Donahue and Jim Desjardins plan to attend the Paris meeting.

The town is holding a special town
meeting Wednesday to ask whether residents want a six-month
moratorium on wind farm development. It would give give the town time to write
and adopt an ordinance that would govern the construction of such
developments.

Skibitsky said Androscoggin Valley
Council of Governments is also holding a planning day and general
meeting with a focus on wind power from the municipal perspective on
Nov. 5. At least one selectman and Skibitsky will likely attend.

Closer to the area, some on the
Dixfield board are also tentatively planning to attend a wind power
forum in Rumford on Tuesday night prompted by tentative plans by the
Newton, Mass., firm of First Wind LLC to construct a wind farm atop a
ridge that includes Black Mountain.

In other matters at Monday’s Dixfield
selectmen’s meeting, the board learned of a contract with Bedard
Excavation to build drainage on Brian Street and Hall Hill Road, and
to provide slope work on the Averill Hill Road. The cost for the
projects will be $38,600. Work has already begun. It is expected to
be completed this fall.

The board also decided to invite a
sidewalk plow dealer representative to the next regular meeting Oct. 26 to discuss a possible purchase or lease-purchase of a
replacement piece of equipment. The town’s equipment reserve has
about $55,000 available, a figure that is not sufficient for the
purchase.

Mexico Water District Superintendent
Jim White said flushing of the water mains in town will begin on Oct. 25 and likely take about four days.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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