CANTON — The Select Board on Thursday approved hiring a software company to design a new town website that will be easier for staff to manage and allow more options for posting information.

The current website is “pretty much useless,” Selectwoman Kristi Carrier said.

Selectmen chose CivicPlus, a Manhattan, Kansas, software applications company that designs websites for local governments. The 25-year-old company focuses on government agencies to create positive experiences for residents, according to its website, civicplus.com.

Board Chairman Brian Keene said officials are seeking an easier solution for the town office to get into and manage the website, and to have more options for posting data, such as town meeting agendas, ordinances and other notices. He said that another benefit of CivicPlus is the technical side will be handled by the company.

The cost for design and technical services is $4,758 a year, Keene said.

In other business, the board set dates for townwide cleanup for Sept. 13, 16, 20 and 23.

“We need to give Archie’s a four-week notice, is what they told us,” Keene said of the Mexico waste disposal company. If it can’t accommodate the September dates, the cleanup will be Oct. 4, 7, 11 and 14.

In another matter, selectmen approved having test wells drilled, provided there are no Federal Emergency Management Agency restrictions on the town site that is governed by the agency, Planning Board Member Diane Ray said.

Shawn Goodrow, superintendent of the Canton Water District, asked the board for permission to drill test wells on property near the Ranger Mill Road off Route 140 to search for aquifers. He said one reason is to try to lower the cost of water for customers, which he termed “outrageous,” because water from Lake Anasagunticook is treated for home use.

Ray explained Friday that the district is hoping to get at least 70 gallons per minute, whether it is from one well or maybe up to three.

The land is owned by the town but because it was acquired with federal money in a buyout in the early 2000s after a series of disastrous floods along the Androscoggin River, there are some restrictions on its use. However, drilling for water is not among them, she said.

In other news, Ray, who is a member of the Lake Anasagunticook Association, announced the annual Lake Days celebration will be held at the town boat launch on Staples Hill Road on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine.

There will also be kayak races and blindfold canoe races at Canton Beach on Route 140 beginning at 10 a.m., she said. Festivities at the boat launch are free. There will be food, music and entertainment, as well as a slip ‘n slide for children.

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