MEXICO — Young people in town may have a chance this winter to go to the movies at the Mexico Recreation Building.

Selectmen narrowly approved a Recreation Committee request to spend about $2,100 from the Recreation Department account to buy a PowerPoint projector, stand and 12-foot by 12-foot portable screen that can be used in the recreation building, or during warmer weather, the recreation park.

The decision wasn’t approved until after two selectmen, including Richard Philbrick, argued that representatives from the Recreation Committee should have made a presentation to the board. Philbrick voted against the expenditure, while Chairwoman Barbara Laramee abstained. Selectman Peter Merrill, who sits on the recreation board, presented the request, and also abstained. He said holding movie nights could be a source of income for the Recreation Department. Voting for the purchase were Selectmen Reggie Arsenault and George Byam.

Budget Committee member Byron Ouellette said he was amazed to see selectmen approve the plan.

“You just don’t know when to stop spending money,” he said.

Betty Barrett, also a member of the Budget Committee, said the Recreation Committee should have been present.

“There might be something else that is needed. People just don’t have money to bring kids to the movies,” she said.

In other matters, the town came closer to meeting the goal of identifying 51 percent of the town’s population as low or moderate income. If a survey shows that, the town would be released from the requirements of a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant it acquired to go toward the development of the River Valley Technology Center in Rumford.

Determining a 51 percent low or moderate income population would change the status of the tech center from being required to create jobs to a community services site.

Another 70 low-to-moderate-income families must be identified. A paper survey has resulted in a very low return, with about 280 people responding and qualifying. To get responses, selectmen voted to take $1,200 from the town’s economic development account to hire a firm to get survey results through telephone calls.

Also, selectmen tabled action on a tentative plan to move the police chief’s office from the basement of the Recreation Building, to a recently vacated space on the first floor adjacent to the Police Department office. The board is attempting to save heating oil costs because the basement is used for little else.

Chief James Theriault said estimates to move the wiring for the telephones and computers came in between $700 and $1,000.

The board wants more cost information before making a decision.

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