PERU — Carol Roach, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, told board members Monday night that live feeds, still shots and footage from cameras at the town garage are now accessible to employees at the Town Office.
The cameras were installed Feb. 15 to monitor who is taking town sand, how much and how often.
The issue arose when Road Commissioner Lee Merrill told selectmen in January that he was going to close the sandbox Feb. 1 because people, some of them nonresidents, were taking more sand than allowed. He said he was concerned the town would run out of sand before the end of winter.
The limit, posted at the sandbox, is two 5-gallon buckets per resident per storm.
Instead of blocking access to the supply, the board decided to have cameras installed.
At the board’s March 7 meeting, town secretary Stephanie Woods said that while employees could view a live feed, they could not view recorded footage unless they went to the town garage to get it.
Roach said Wednesday that E.W. Electric of Dixfield, which installed the cameras, adjusted the video feed and … “now we can capture up to nine days prior to the actual date that the footage was recorded.”
In other business, Roach said she and resident Kevin Taylor have taken out papers to run for selectman.
Roach was elected to a one-year term in June 2016 to replace Merrill, who became road commissioner.
Selectman Wendy Henderson’s term is also expiring. It is for three years.
The top two voter-getters will be elected, Town Clerk Vera Parent said.
Brad Hutchings has taken out papers for road commissioner.
Nomination papers are available at the Town Office and must be filed by April 7.
Elections will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, at the Town Office. The annual warrant articles will be voted on at the same time.
Selectmen voted 4-0 Monday to allow absentee ballots to be counted the day before elections.
Roach said Parent recommended it to save time on election day.
“The day before the election, a warden will come in with a ballot clerk,” Roach said. “They’ll open the absentee ballots and enter them into the electronic machine.”
Roach said state officials have been recommending the method to towns.
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