Thursday’s meeting of the Rumford Select Board was the first with new Town Manager George O’Keefe. From left are Board Vice Chair Frank DiConzo, Chair Chris Brennick, Theresa Sax, Jim Theriault, John Pepin and O’Keefe. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

RUMFORD — At Thursday’s meeting of the Select Board, Vice Chair Frank DiConzo announced that voters at the annual poll meeting in June approved to establish a Charter Commission for the purpose of revising the Municipal Charter or for the purpose of establishing a new Municipal Charter.

He was people have signed up for the three positions to be appointed for the Charter Commission. “We have two already who have taken out papers to join the board. So we need four more people who would be a good fit for that Charter Commission.”
Delivering his first town manager report was new Town Manager George O’Keefe.

“I wanted to just pause to once again acknowledge and thank Stacy Carter for his 35 years of service to the people of the town of Rumford. We are very fortunate to have people of Stacy’s caliber who serve the public here and have so very well for many, many years, and wish him well in his retirement,” he said.

O’Keefe said, “I am personally very grateful to him for his mentorship and support, not just in this transition but in my services to the town as economic development director to date. It’s really hard to imagine our town without Stacy here everyday in the Town Hall. But we’ll continue to move forward.”

He said Carter will continue to serve as the administrator of the Northern Regional Solid Waste Board.

Continuing his report, O’Keefe said, “We are going to continue the process of cleaning up Hosmer Field from the Dec. 18 storm by July 30th. That does not necessarily include construction and repairs, but it will include clearing of all debris, sand and any remaining evidence of damage from the storm, other than missing buildings.”

He announced that the tax collector has put out a vacancy notice for a fulltime deputy tax collector. That vacancy notice has been posted. That was previously a parttime deputy tax collector.

O’Keefe said that the select board has approved a $150,000 town’s revolving UDAG loan program (Urban Development Action Grant Program) to Foray 132 LLC for a rehab of 132 Congress St., which is the former JD Printing and former Subway, etc.
The facility will include five lodging units/apartments and a coffee shop. Terms of the loan include a duration of 10 years at 2.75 percent interest.

After some discussion, the board voted 5-0 to okay an additional three months on a temporary basis for the Rumford ATV Club’s access to Wyman Hill and the South Rumford Road. The board had approved three months the first time in April.

Approved was an Innkeeper’s License for William Dunton of River House at 4 Church St., and a Victualer’s License for the Rumford Hospital.

The select board’s next meeting be 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Rumford Falls Auditorium.