RUMFORD — Selectmen will consider several items at their board meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Rumford Falls Auditorium.
Under new business, the board is being asked to support local access channel WVAC TV 7’s capital equipment upgrade of its Leightronix videotape-programming unit.
Complete installation of the new system is estimated to cost $10,000, Len Greaney, WVAC representative, stated in an April 17 letter to Town Manager Carlo Puiia.
Greaney will ask for cable TV franchise fees, of which selectmen have agreed in the past to provide two-thirds of the Time Warner franchise fees.
The current fees are $40,041.76, of which, two-thirds is $26,694.51, according to documents in the selectmen’s meeting packet.
“Your agreement to provide two-thirds of the Time Warner Franchise fees and your consideration to assist us to improve the operations is critical to sustaining our service to the local cable viewers,” Greaney wrote.
“We’re hopeful the Rumford Cable Franchise account has a sufficient balance to warrant our capital equipment funding request in addition to the commitment for two-thirds of the annual franchise fees, which are critical for our normal operations.”
The board also is asked to address road safety matters. Richard Coulombe of Prospect Avenue wants a crosswalk painted on Prospect Avenue at the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Kerr Street, crossing from the sidewalk on Prospect and going diagonal to the sidewalk in front of 590 Prospect Ave.
Additionally, Coulombe wants a second crosswalk painted between the two entrances to Fitch Engineering, crossing over to Yvonne’s Car Wash, which he said in the undated letter to Puiia is the school bus stop “for a lot of the children in the area.”
In another undated letter, resident Emile Barre wants to place the following question on the warrant before voters at the June 12 town meeting:
“Would you support road construction by the Public Works Department to build an extension of Lincoln Avenue of approximately 930 feet to connect to the Swain Road at a cost of approximately $300,000 to the town of Rumford for the road construction?”
A request to place a nonbinding question on the same issue, but for $250,000, was honored in placing it on the June 8, 2010, town meeting ballot. The results of that were 590 Yes, 1,045 No, and 165 blank ballots, according to Barre’s letter.
A third road matter seeks a discussion of safety concerns on Route 2 on Falls Hill.
Among other new business items, the board is being asked to:
* Adopt the Oxford County Hazard Mitigation Plan 2012 update.
* Approve a fire protection agreement with Oxford County Commissioners for Milton Township.
* Approve a credit-enhancement agreement with Gateway Plaza LLC, doing business as Amato’s.
* Approve the write-offs of four uncollected receivables for loans totaling $5,051.71.
* Discuss the purchasing policy.
* Routine approvals of hawker’s and peddler’s licenses for Michael Philbrick, doing business as Danmark Food Concessions and for David Marchon, doing business as Dave’s Hot Dogs.
Under old business, approval is sought on the cable TV franchise agreement and to place tax-acquired properties out to bid with covenants. These were tabled from previous board meetings.
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