NORWAY — A long delay in a franchise agreement between Norway/ Paris and Time Warner Cable appears to have held up local access studio improvements, officials said.

Contract negotiations between Time Warner Cable Co. and the towns of Norway and Paris, which share a local access studio but have separate but identical cable contracts, have been ongoing for months but with little movement forward, Steve Galvin, Norway-Paris Community Television public access station manager, said.

“Right now it’s kind of a waiting game,” he said.

The town is operating under a five-year-old agreement with Adelphia that Time Warner honored when it took over the town.

Town Manager David Holt said the five-year delay was caused initially by Time Warner’s apparent decision to standardize its contract with all its communities nationwide. That meant Norway-Paris would give up some things in its expiring contract, he said.

“Norway-Paris took the position that the expired contract continued in effect until there was a new agreement,” Holt said.

Time Warner representatives said Wednesday that the negotiations are ongoing.

“We’re actively negotiating a new franchise agreement with the towns of Paris and Norway,” Andrew Russell, communications manager for the New England division of Time Warner Cable Co., said.

Galvin said the franchise agreement came back to the town earlier this year with a request that the town submit a grant application for equipment purchases. After meeting with local officials and residents to consider the needs, an $80,000 request was put in for new equipment.

“They had some guy call me and say the list was rather extravagant and to resubmit it with less,” Galvin said of Time Warner’s reaction to the request.

Time Warner representatives say they are still reviewing the list.

“The discussions include a proposal from the towns to purchase new equipment for their local access studio, with the expense passed on to our customers,” Russell said. “We are working with officials in both communities to review this proposal and keep costs down for our customers. Our existing agreement remains in effect until a new one is negotiated.”

Galvin said he is trying to adequately equip its new expanded facility on Marston Street in Norway. Items such as cameras and switchers have been requested. “You could spend $140,000 on a single switcher. I manage to get us top-notch gear but I’ve been really frugal about it,” he said. He often makes purchases on eBay where he can get a camera, for example, for only $8,000, he said.

The request was reviewed by the Cable Advisory Committee, the town manager and revealed at a public hearing last winter when only six people showed up.

“Six people showed up at a public hearing. We can safely assume they’re happy,” he said.

Norway-Paris Cable Committee member Bruce Cook said he does not believe the list is extravagant and believes it reflects just what is necessary.

Galvin said the studio is operated off 5 percent of Time Warner’s net income through the town, which equates to about $80,000 each year. Galvin said the money the town receives is gained back by Time Warner through customer fees, a move that Galvin disagrees with.

Additionally, funding has been hampered by the lack of a yearly $500 maintenance fee the studio has not received in five years since Time Warner took control.

The local studio broadcasts local government meetings, trains interns from the high school and any member of the public who wishes to learn the system, Galvin said. People can broadcast their own cable shows, such as a cooking show, using the studio space and equipment. Galvin and volunteers also shoot local promotional advertisements such as the Oxford Hills School District Aspire Higher campaign and one for the annual Christmas parade.

The annual Christmas Parade is shot with six cameras using a camera on a Roller Derby skater, a camera on a tractor, a “sky-cam” on the top of Bessey Motors in Paris and more. Volunteers will shoot the festival of trees this winter, the Oxford Hills football and lacrosse games, girls’ basketball games, dance shows, the Moore Park art show, a reading show with the Paris children’s librarian and much more, he said.

“It’s a community station. We provide an important community service,” Galvin said.

As for the cable agreement, Cook said, “The new contract should not have any impact to subscribers.”

[email protected]