RUMFORD – Selectmen have declined to give the Moontide Water Festival Committee $15,000 more to pay for the annual July 4 event, which is $11,000 in debt.
And they took no action on a request to make the panel a subcommittee of the Downtown Revitalization Committee.
Joseph Roberts, chairman of the Moontide committee, argued before the board Thursday that the downtown revitalization report calls for promoting more festivals and other events. Because the Independence Day festival is the largest in town, Roberts believes the town should provide greater support.
“Under the marketing and promotion section, (the document says to) promote additional high-quality events and activities in the downtown, emphasizing those that would involve the merchants and bring people from outside the community to the downtown,” Roberts said.
He said the committee remains more than $11,000 in debt to the company that supplies the fireworks and to an unidentified investor who had footed the preliminary bill for a concert that would have benefited Moontide. The concert was canceled last year by the booking agency.
The town generally donates $10,000 annually, and both selectmen and Town Manager Steve Eldridge said the town will again give this amount. The money comes from the town’s share of the cable TV franchise agreement.
Some on the board believe the town already contributes a significant amount of money and labor to the event.
Selectman Jolene Lovejoy said Friday that the Parks Committee helps clean up the streets after the event, the police provide coverage and the Fire Department is placed on standby during the festival.
Eldridge said he’d polled the Downtown Revitalization Committee members for their opinion on making the Moontide Committee a subcommittee of the group and received mixed results. He said the downtown committee will consider the request at its March 13 meeting.
Selectman Jim Rinaldo said it was nice to have the biggest and best fireworks, but questioned whether spending $25,000 was necessary.
“Why don’t we buy what we can pay for? I don’t think the town should pay for it,” he said.
Businessman Lem Cissel said he’d volunteer to pass a basket at the event at which thousands generally attend.
“I don’t think the town should go into debt for it. The people ought to pay for it,” he said.
In other matters on Thursday, the board:
• Unanimously voted to place an article on the June town meeting warrant asking for approval to form a charter committee. It would update the town’s charter, which outlines policies and procedures for the operation of the town.
• Learned that completion of a warrant article that would change the way people vote at town meeting has been delayed until the March 16 board meeting. Late last year, a petition signed by several hundred people was presented to selectmen calling a change from voting by a show of hands to using a referendum ballot on most articles.
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