STRONG -- Voters on a snowy Saturday spent just over two hours discussing town budgets, including the rising cost of providing fire protection and maintaining public roads.

At the end of the town meeting, about 50 residents approved a nearly $512,000 operating budget for 2008, up about $7,000 over last year. The biggest discussions of the morning revolved around the $228,000 highway budget and the nearly $70,000 fire department budget.

Voters, however, also took time to reflect on smaller issues. An impassioned plea by former selectman Perry Ellsworth to restore a $300 cut the Budget Committee made to the Lance Cpl. Scott Paul Town Park swayed his fellow townspeople. He spoke about the history of the 15-year-old park named in memory of a local serviceman, the dedication of longtime volunteer Debbie Chandler, who has just resigned, and of the volunteers who organize events and run free children's programs.

The town's responsibility has been to pay for portable toilets and lighting. The $1,000 request, up from $700 last year, would be used to keep the park clean.

"This is the town's park," Ellsworth said. "There is not a day when you don't see kids up there playing."

In other votes, a $40,000 request was approved to tap the fire department's $84,000 truck reserve account to buy a used, diesel-powered four-wheel drive forestry truck to bring to forest fires. Chief Scott Dyer said the town had used an old truck from the Department of Conservation but it is no longer road-worthy. A used truck will cost about $15,000 but extra money is needed to make sure there are funds to equip it, he said.

"For the last three years, we have had guys load up equipment in their own pickups," Dyer said.

Also approved was an article appropriating $86,000 to buy a used, state surplus plow truck and necessary equipment from the special equipment account. Voters made two cuts: the $1,500 request from the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce was reduced to $500, and a $20,000 request for the fire department truck reserve account was lowered to $19,000.

In elections, Mary White was elected to the Board of Selectmen with 43 votes over Raylene Tolman and Lendell Allen. SAD 58 Director and Chairman of the Board Mike Pond won over challenger Gina DiCrocco, 75 to 35.

E-mail this entry to a friend