HARPSWELL — Facebook, waste disposal and year-round access at Mitchell Field were among the topics discussed at the Board of Selectmen’s Nov. 29 meeting.

The board authorized the town’s recreation department to create a Facebook page, chose a new contractor for waste disposal and voted to keep Mitchell Field open year-round.

With the town’s three-year waste disposal contract with ecomaine coming to an end, there were five bids to choose from and the option to sign a three-year or one-year contract.

With Selectman Alison Hawkes absent, Chairwoman Elinor Multer and Selectman Jim Henderson voted 2-0 to sign a one-year deal with Casella Waste Management, the lowest bidder at almost $108,000. ecomaine offered the second-lowest bid, about $109,000.

Henderson said they decided on a one-year contract because the town will begin a single-sort recycling program next year, which will factor into the next waste disposal contract.

Don Miskill Jr. of the Mitchell Field Implementation Committee said his group would like to keep the the field’s gate open year-round because the decrease in winter activity over the past few years has made it more of an attraction during that season.

“As the steward of the field, I think people are enjoying it. They’re using it a lot more, I see a lot more traffic, there’s a lot more people there in the summertime,” Miskill said. “… I think recreation is one of the things that is going to draw people to the town and allow other businesses to capitalize on that.”

The selectmen voted 2-0 to keep Mitchell Field’s gate open year-round, although they said it would be closed on days when there is inclement, snowy weather.

Dylan Martin can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 100 or dmartin@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @DylanLJMartin.

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