RUMFORD — Selectmen unanimously voted Thursday night to replace the Parks and Recreation Department’s one-ton dump truck.

They also allocated funds from cable franchise fees and economic development to help three organizations.

At the board’s Feb. 20 meeting, Dan Richard, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, asked selectmen to reconsider the bid to replace the truck. On Nov. 21, selectmen voted against buying a new truck and rescinded that vote at the Feb. 20 meeting.

Richard said it would cost $6,500 to repair the 14-year-old truck, which was only worth $4,500 as a trade-in. He said the truck was put on the Capital Plan schedule a few years ago and has been brought before selectmen twice for replacement. The funds are available in the Capital Plan.

On Feb. 20, Selectman Frank DiConzo motioned to buy a new truck if the Public Works Department didn’t have a ¾-ton truck available, or go back out to bid if the bidders wouldn’t honor their initial prices from November. Following discussion, he rescinded the motion.

However, Town Manager John Madigan said Thursday night that he checked with Public Works.

“I went through all five of those trucks and each of them has its use,” he said after the meeting.

Selectmen went with Bessey Motors of Paris, which agreed to honor its November bid of $29,351 for a ¾-ton truck.

Madigan said selectmen also approved buying a dump deckover trailer for the truck from Coastal Metal Fab Inc. of Auburn for $7,031.90.

In other business, a request for financial support for an FM radio station was tabled by its applicant.

The board unanimously voted to:

* Allocate $5,000 from the cable franchise fees for an upcoming Professional Logging Event at Black Mountain.

* Use two-thirds of the cable franchise fees to fund operating costs for local access channel WVAC-TV 7.

* Appropriate $3,000 from the economic development fund for the River Valley Growth Council.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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