BETHEL — The Board of Selectmen will hear a request Monday for an hourlong public hearing on whether to remove fluoride from the town’s drinking water.  

The board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, at the Town Office.

The town has added fluoride to the water supply since 1970.

Bethel business owner Sarah Lane, who is not a resident of Bethel, said there is evidence of fluoride being linked to brain damage. She asked for a town vote on whether to stop using it in drinking water.

Town Manager Christine Landes said Friday that Lane requested the public hearing be scheduled for one hour on May 11.

“Normally, public hearings don’t last that long, but she said she wanted to make sure there was enough time to really explain the issue,” Landes said.

Selectmen will also discuss an upgrade to the Bethel Citizen newspaper office’s heating system, which was tabled at their Jan. 12 meeting.

“We’re looking to tie the Bethel Citizen into the Town Office’s heating system, since they’re attached to the back of the building,” Landes said after the meeting.

The Bethel Citizen office is heated by oil, while the Town Office uses a pellet heater.

Landes said she tabled the issue to get an estimate on what it would cost for the Bethel Citizen to tie into the Town Office’s heating system.

Other items on the agenda include:

* Discussion on the Mill Hill project selection process.

* Appointments to the Conservation Commission.

* An amendment to Sunday River Brew Pub’s liquor license.

* Discussion on a Feb. 2 meeting regarding wastewater billing concerns.

* Discussion on an advertisement for bids to remove trees and toppings at the Bethel Regional Airport.

* An executive session on acquisition of property for economic development.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com