FARMINGTON — Selectmen signed a proclamation Tuesday recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Farmington is joining with towns across the state to participate in a Go Gold Maine Just Do It campaign to bring more awareness to childhood cancer.

Tabaitha Steward of Bethel who started the non-profit Team Hailey Hugs in response to her own daughter’s illness requested Selectmen sign the proclamation. Steward hopes to reach all 500 towns in Maine according to the organization’s Facebook page.

The month “pays tribute to the families, friends, professionals and communities who lend their strength to children fighting pediatric cancer,” according to the proclamation.

In other business, the board approved spending $19,250 from the Waste Water-Sewer Major Line Repair Reserve Account for sewer line repairs. 

Fifteen repairs, needing immediate attention, should be addressed this year, Stephen Millett, director, said. 

Ted Berry Company has completed the first 20 percent of the plant’s collection system cleaning and videoing.  

With $7,000 left over from funds budgeted for the cleaning and videoing project, the amount from the reserve fund would provide the needed $26,250 for the repairs, he said.  It would leave a total of $17,263.17 in the reserve account.

This is the first part of a five-year project for cleaning, camera and repair on 20 percent of the aging lines per year. In some places, the line is broken and material is leaking in to the ground, he said. 

Millett proposes to replace funds to the reserve account within the department’s budget for next year and to add $10,000 to fund any repairs found when the next 20 percent of lines is done in 2018.

The repair work will begin mid-to-late August. The work will be done in the evening. Most of the work will be done in the Fairbanks Road and Anson Street area.

Before approving the sale of a small section of town-owned land, Selectmen wanted to know all costs, including appraisal and attorney fees, associated with a request made by Pamela Poisson to purchase the section at the north end of the Church Street parking lot.

It is a small section, appraised at $500 and located between the parking lot fence and her garage on Cony Street. 

The potential sale will need the approval of voters at town meeting.

Selectmen also approved an application from Wayne Kinney to serve as an alternate member on both the Planning Board and Board of Appeals.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net