RUMFORD — Selectmen at Thursday night’s board meeting took a petition under advisement from Hancock Street residents seeking relief from planned reconstruction work.

People in 17 of 18 households who signed the petition sought a permanent detour on nights and weekends onto Somerset Street for the duration of the Hancock Street project. Hancock Street is also State Route 120.

Many residents have health problems and would be adversely affected by dust and noise, they stated in the petition that Town Manager Carlo Puiia read to the board.

However, after much discussion — both on-topic and off — Selectman Mark Belanger motioned to leave the work the way it was last year, with detours during the day and leaving the street open to traffic in the evening and on weekends, but with constant vigilance on watering to keep the dust down.

Selectmen then approved it 5-0.

Belanger’s motion followed about 25 minutes of discussion between selectmen, Public Works Superintendent Andy Russell, and a few concerned town residents who have been regularly attending board meetings.

Prior to the discussion, Russell said Hancock Street’s pavement from Porter Avenue to just beyond Tasker Avenue would be peeled off on Wednesday and Thursday, June 9 and 10.

Selectman Frank DiConzo started the discussion by reading an e-mail he said he received from one of the petition signers who was too ill to attend. He didn’t identify the person.

“This will be the third summer in a row that we’ve had to deal with this construction and we’re ready for a break,” DiConzo read, saying that the person suffers from seasonal affective disorder. “We want to enjoy the summer with open windows.”

DiConzo said the person has no air conditioning, and therefore cannot leave doors and windows closed to ward off the dust and noise. He said he agreed with the person’s concerns.

He also asked if Russell could erect a sign telling through traffic to take a different route.

“A lot of people are pretty well disgusted with this project over the years,” DiConzo said. “If we could do this quickly and accommodate these people, I’d love to see us do it.”

Russell said it’s doable, but his only concern is out of town traffic using the street because it is Route 120. To DiConzo’s other suggestion, Russell also said he didn’t think the state would allow traffic to be detoured through Mexico on Route 17, across Black Bridge, and back onto Route 120 north of the construction site.

Resident and businessman Dan Richard and others quickly objected to keeping Route 120 traffic away from Rumford by routing it through Mexico and selectmen dropped that idea.

Selectman Greg Buccina worried about safety issues of tractor-trailer truck drivers being forced to negotiate corners on Somerset Road should a lengthy detour be in place.

“I’m not trying to be heartless to this woman’s condition,” he said.

Russell then told selectmen that his crew uses calcium chloride to control the dust, and they also use a liquid form of it while watering the road.

Buccina then asked if only one side of the road could be reclaimed and worked on while leaving one paved lane open for traffic. Russell said he’d ask the contractor and get back to the board.

After more discussion, selectmen voted unanimously to keep last year’s protocol in place.

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