Canton officials meet Tuesday night at the Town Office where they heard complaints by Jody Larrivee about the Canton Water District. From left are Town Clerk Kathy Walker and Selectmen Carole Robbins, Chairman Brian Keene and Michelle Larrivee. Selectmen Shawn Goodrow and Christine Carrigan were absent. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

CANTON — Jody Larrivee read a three-page letter to selectmen Tuesday night in which he complained that the Canton Water District lacks transparency, is not posting meeting times and places, and did not respond to his question on when elections for trustees are held.

Water District Superintendent Shawn Goodrow, who is a selectman, did not attend the meeting.

Larrivee wrote that the Water District has an “unwillingness to be transparent and forthcoming with ratepayers. Information about when and where meetings are located were not being posted; my question regarding when elections are held are not being answered…”

Jody Larrivee of Canton reads a three-page letter Tuesday night to Canton selectmen at the Town Office. Larrivee said the Canton Water District and its superintendent, Shawn Goodrow, who is a selectman, have displayed an “unwillingness to be transparent and forthcoming with ratepayers,” is not posting meeting times and places, and did not respond to his question on when elections for trustees are held. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

He also said Goodrow filed a “false harassment complaint” against him because he called Goodrow’s cellphone, which is the number listed on the Water District’s bill, with questions about the Water District.

Larrivee said he also has “concerns about an unlocked hatch cover to our treated drinking water located at the Water District plant, especially due to known recent vandalism in the area. There have also been incidents of the pump house door being unlocked and open for days and up to a week at a time.”

These issues and several others he listed in his letter leave him with no confidence in Goodrow as a selectman and he is hoping that the board can do something about the issue.

Larrivee owns Larrivee Well and Pump Repair and has worked in the field with his family since he was young, his wife, Michelle, a selectman, said. His prior career includes employment with Ace Well Drilling and Goodwin’s Well and Water, she said.

“He has been doing this work for 30 years approximately, plus he has several certifications in the field,” she said.

In an email response to Larrivee’s complaints Wednesday, Goodrow wrote: “The Canton Water District meets all applicable state and federal standards regarding our water quality. As a small-town district, we strive to adhere to all meeting guidelines and will continue to identify areas of improvement.

“We take communicating with our ratepayers seriously and encourage an open, respectful, and professional dialogue. All questions or concerns can be directed to Superintendent Shawn Goodrow or Board Chair Donald Shink.”

“The Canton Water District is a separate entity from the town and the Board of Selectmen have no jurisdiction over the Water District,” Chairperson Brian Keene wrote in an email Wednesday. “We will look into the complaint more and have an answer at our next meeting.”

The board’s next meeting is at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 in the Town Office meeting room.

In other business, the board approved spending $67,214 to lease an excavator for the Public Works Department. The three-year lease will be financed through Androscoggin Bank at 5.65% annual interest. The first payment will come from the town highway reserve account.