RUMFORD — By a 4-1 vote Thursday night, selectmen OK’d spending $1,500 in economic development funds for initial work to design and plan a mountain bike trail system.

But not without considerable discussion between selectmen and Jim Rinaldo, who first broached the possibility at the board’s last meeting.

Rinaldo, a member of the Economic Development Committee, suggested at the last meeting to locate the system on 83 acres of town land behind the Public Works garage and River Valley Crossing Mall off Route 2.

The matter was discussed extensively, although board Chairman Greg Buccina was absent.

So, at Thursday night’s meeting, Selectman Brad Adley quickly motioned approval to spend the money for the work. It was seconded.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Adley said.

Then Buccina said he wanted to see a plan first without having to spend the money to have someone create it. Additionally, he said he wants to put the final cost of the system — estimated at $15,000 to $16,000 for 3 miles of trail — out to voters.

“We’re paying for something and we’re not sure if we want to go through with it,” Buccina said about the trail construction part. “I want him to do it for nothing.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Rinaldo said.

Selectmen Jolene Lovejoy and Adley told Buccina that he couldn’t ask someone to create a plan and design for a trail system, and then not pay them for the work.

“I’m not asking to have it done for nothing,” Buccina said. “Maybe that’s a poor way of putting it, but what I’m asking for, you know, I don’t just want to gamble away $1,500.

“What I want for this gentleman is for him to come before this board and say that he is confident that we can develop a mountain bike trail,” Buccina said. “To me, he should be able to come and give us that information prior to us committing any monies to that.”

“If you have no intention of spending $16,000 to $17,000 for the trail, then don’t spend the $1,500 for the study,” Rinaldo told Buccina.

Selectman Jeff Sterling, who works at Sunday River Ski Resort where they have a mountain bike park, said he was OK with spending the $1,500.

“It’s like a feasibility study,” he said. “We took much greater risk with the (brand name) hotel study.”

Lovejoy asked Rinaldo if it’s possible for someone from Sunday River’s mountain bike park to talk about the park so selectmen can better understand it.

Sterling said Ski Patrol handles the bike park, patrolling and maintaining the trails.

Rinaldo then told the board that Bethel is exploring the idea of creating a mountain bike trail system much like the highly successful one he mentioned at the last meeting that’s in East Burke, Vt.

“I think you have to understand that this is a blueprint that we’ll be getting,” Town Manager Carlo Puiia told Buccina. “You’re asking somebody to draft a blueprint and you’re going to have to pay for that. That doesn’t mean he would build it. I mean, he probably could.”

Rinaldo said that once the study is completed, because it would cost more than the $2,000, the project would have to go out to bid.

The board then voted to spend the money, with Buccina dissenting.

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