Forester Stephen Gettle of Jay listens Thursday to Canton selectmen regarding his request to thin a town woodlot. Selectmen approved the request during the meeting at the Town Office. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

CANTON — Nomination papers for elected offices are available at the Town Office and must be returned by April 12, Clerk Angela Varnum announced at Thursday’s selectmen meeting.

There are openings for two selectmen: one for three years and one for one year. Kristi Carrier, who is finishing a three-year term, and Rob Walker, who is finishing a one-year term, said they do not plan to seek reelection due to their work schedules.

There are three openings on the Planning Board for three years each. Two are held by Robyn McClintock and Tom Peters, and the third is a long-term vacancy.

A three-year term is available on the Regional School Unit 56 board of directors, currently held by Carl Lueders.

Elections will be held in June.

In other business, the board approved a request by forester Stephen Gettle of Jay to begin harvesting wood on town land and use town land while doing a similar operation on Androscoggin Land Trust property. He said it might begin by mid-May.

The last woodlot thinning he did was in the fall of 2012 and 2013 on the southern end of Hathaway Hill Road toward Meadowview Road, he said.

“Androscoggin Land Trust would like to use two landings located on your southern property and skid wood from their land to these landings this coming summer,” Gettle wrote in a letter to selectmen. “Since it has been nearly 12 years since I conducted the last marked wood selection harvests on the land, it would make sense to go in and do your property as well as theirs and cost share on the access costs for timber harvesting together.”

In another matter, selectmen said they will research whether the town owns property on Ranger Mill Road or if it was part of the buyout by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2006 after the area flooded.

Shawn Goodrow, superintendent of the Canton Water District, asked to lease the land so the district can add wells and pump water to a reservoir. He said the district can obtain a $2 million government grant to do the work, but has to lease the land in the district’s name.

Board Chairman Brian Keene said one reason the board has not approved the request for a 99-year lease is “because we need more information from you on what your future plans might be,” including test wells and piping.

He said selectmen must find out who owns the land.