MINOT — Selectmen accepted Fire Chief Steve French’s resignation, effective in February, at the board’s meeting Monday.

French, a volunteer fireman for the town since 1977 who has served as fire chief for more than 25 years, told the board his resignation will be effective the end of his 26th term, and that he will be asking members of the department to put forward someone else.

“I will respectively decline any attempt to nominate me for that position,” French said.

French cited family considerations as prompting him to step aside, while making it clear he intended to remain an active member of the department.

“I feel good about it. The fire department is in good shape, there are good people ready to take over.” French added.

Selectman Eda Tripp spoke for the board in thanking French for his service.

“I accept your resignation with a lot of appreciation, but I am sorry you have decided to step down,” Tripp said.

In other business, Selectman Dan Gilpatric reminded the board that the town Recreation Committee will host a trail-breaking ceremony to celebrate finishing the town’s new trail system on Saturday.

Festivities begin at 10 a.m. at the Community Park ball fields near the school with the first 25 participants receiving a grab bag provided by Healthy Androscoggin.

Recalling that the trail system and the new ball fields were accomplished with considerable volunteer effort, Gilpatric noted that it was most appropriate for the celebration to be taking place on Oct 23 — National Volunteer Service Day — and that people walking the mile and a half loop to the town office complex will be able to say hello to members of the Minot-Hebron Athletic Association who will be at the ball fields for end-of-the-year clean up efforts.

“It is only fitting that we celebrate our great trails on ‘Make a Difference Day,’” Gilpatric said.

In related action, the board directed Town Administrator Arlan Saunders to post signs at the several trail heads, advising people that during hunting season they should be wearing blaze orange. The trail system, located on more that 150 acres of town-owned land that borders considerable additional privately owned land in the Indian Brook watershed, traverses territory that is actively hunted. During the fall hunting season, anyone in the woods should wear color-protective clothing.

The board also appointed William Gould to serve on the town’s Board of Appeals as an alternate member, replacing Ed Cormier, who recently became the board’s regular fifth voting member.

The Board of Appeals, Saunders reminded selectmen, will meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27, to consider developer Chuck Starbird’s appeal of the board’s refusal in September to reverse the town’s code enforcement officer’s decision denying Starbird a building permit for his property located off the end of York Road.

Selectmen also met with Androscoggin County Sheriff Guy Desjardins to review his department’s service to the town during the past year and to receive an update on progress in efforts to consolidate emergency dispatching services for the county.