The present town message board by the Ludden Library in Dixfield. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

DIXFIELD — This town will soon be getting an updated, electronic double-sized marquee sign.
At their meeting on Oct. 28, the Select Board voted 4-1 (Janice Merrill voted against) to spend the remainder of the funds received by the government ($58,939) for various items for the town.

The town received $262,865 in ARPA funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan. This was a U.S. $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and recession.

The majority of those remaining funds, estimated around $48,000, will be spent to replace an obsolete electronic sign by the library that was donated to the town.

Town Manager Alicia Conn stated the new for the sign is “because the one we have out front is very limited as to what we can have and it’s only facing in the weirdest direction.”

She added that the new sign, which will include software updates, can be updated from anywhere.
Conn said the town will also ARPA funds to purchase three ‘Welcome to Dixfield’ signs, quoted at $3,585 from Erik Designs. She said placement of the signs will be coming from Mexico, East Dixfield and from Weld.

Board chair Richard Pickett said that those expeditures would leave $7,353. Conn said the deadline to spend ARPA monies expires soon.

From those remaining funds, Conn announced she wants to purchase two more set of turnout gear for the fire department. With this, the town has funded the fire department with 12 sets of boots, 8 sets of exterior clothing and 4 full sets of interior clothing.

The town early spent ARPA funds for a handicapped accessible door to the Town Office, a security camera for the Town Office, and updated software and technology.