FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to allow volunteers working on the Tour de Farmington to use the Anson Street parking lot for parking on Sunday, Oct. 10.

It is the first one-day bike tour of farms in the county during the Columbus Day weekend, Tanya Swain, executive director of Western Mountains Alliance, told commissioners.

The parking lot will be needed from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. for motor vehicles, she said.

There will be two routes for cyclists to consider biking. There is a 19-mile tour that starts in Farmington and goes through Wilton to New Sharon. Participants will take in scenic views of the area and stop at farms that will feature livestock, apple orchards, hoop greenhouses, fresh produce and alpacas.

There is a 70-mile tour that starts in Farmington heading north to Phillips with views of the Sandy River and mountains and stops that include Longfellow’s Creamery, Swain said.

For more information on the tour, which requires participants to preregister, go to westernmountainsalliance.org and check out Tour de Farmington.

“It really is a community event,” Swain said. The number of people working together to put it on is amazing, she added.

In other business, commissioners voted to grant use of a 2-mile stretch of the East Madrid Road for snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle use. The section of road goes from Four Corners at the Barnjum Junction traveling south on the East Madrid Road in Madrid Township to a trail near Elizabeth Cooke’s property and the Phillips line.

Donald Whittemore of Farmington approached commissioners in July on behalf of Narrow Gauge Riders, an ATV club, and Northern Franklin Snowmobile Riders.

Commissioners gave notice to the public of the request, and there were no objections, according to officials.

Conditions placed on the road access are that the clubs need to buy and maintain appropriate signage and place it along the route in conjunction with the county’s Road Commissioner Jerry Haines. The maximum speed for the recreational use was set at 25 mph. ATVs and snowmobiles are required to travel on the far right of the public roadway. ATV access is allowed from May 30 through Nov. 1, and snowmobile access is allowed from Nov. 2 to May 30, depending on the weather, Commission Chairman Gary McGrane of Jay said.

Commissioners retained the right to rescind the recreational use of the road if the rules are not followed and property owners complain.

In another matter, commissioners awarded the contract for snow removal for parking lots at the courthouse, Anson Street and detention center to Western Maine Snow Removal of Farmington for $7,075. They also stipulated that they would not pay any additional charges per storm if the storm exceeds 18 inches, as the contractor had proposed.

If the company rejects that stipulation, commissioners authorized going to the other bidder, E.L. Vining and Son of Farmington for $7,977.

Commissioners also voted 2-1, with McGrane opposed, to award the snow removal contract for 13.09 miles of Madrid Township to Alan Brisard of Madrid Township for a bid of $4,500 per mile. McGrane said he objected only because Brisard was not the low bidder. George Berry of Avon was low bidder at $4,390 per mile.

Brisard was the most recent contractor on the job, and there were no complaints, county Clerk Julie Magoon said.

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