JAY — Malcolm “Mac” Haynes, a volunteer director with local cable access Channel 7, told selectpersons Monday that if people want to keep the channel going, it’ll cost $37,500.
Haynes presented a budget proposal that breaks down to $12,000 in cable fees and $6,200 each from Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls and Regional School Unit 73. In addition, he is estimating $770 from the sale of DVDs.
The proposal would cover 30 meetings from each town and the school district, and high school functions, including sports, drama and band performances.
Haynes said he has been volunteering for years to keep the channel going.
Channel 7 is coming to a crossroads, he said.
“We must decide its future or non-future,” Haynes said in a memo to the board. “To date, basically four volunteers have kept it alive.”
There are basically five people involved and only one gets paid a minimal amount and that is the one who does the videotaping.
Haynes said he turned 75 two weeks ago and he won’t be around forever. He is a diabetic, he said, and was supposed to attend select board meetings in Livermore and Livermore Falls, and RSU 73 meetings but ended up in the hospital for five days and couldn’t make it. He plans to meet with Livermore at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, at the Town Office and Livermore Falls at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the Town Office to present the proposal.
Spruce Mountain High School juniors and seniors are very receptive to videotaping selectmen and school board meetings, if they get paid, he said.
Franchise fees given to help run the channel were $12,000 when he started but is now less than $6,000, he said. It reflects a drop in cable customers, he said.
Cable TV franchise fees from the cable company to the towns are transferred to the station for the support and operation of public access TV.
Jay and Livermore Falls transfer the fees but it was unclear Monday if Livermore does the same.
The channel was recently off the air for five weeks because the person able to fix it was not available, Haynes said.
“I know this is not an ideal time to be asking for taxpayers money but I have no choice,” he said.
“The acceptance of the public has been very positive despite the fact that we, the volunteers, are quite disappointed in its development,” he said in his memo. “Many more bodies are needed to (fulfill) its original mission.”
Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said she, Livermore Administrative Assistant Carrie Castonguay, Livermore Falls Town Manager Kristal Flagg and RSU 73 Superintendent Kenneth Healey recently met with Haynes to discuss the future of the channel.
After Haynes meets with the towns and the school board, LaFreniere said, they could set up a meeting with the all involved to discuss the future of the channel.
The funding would be discussed during Jay’s budget-setting process, she said.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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