NORWAY — Saying they are facing great financial difficulties, Oxford County Regional  Recycling Corp. members voted Wednesday to remove the marketing and education director to save money.

Chairman Stephen Bies said the corporation’s financial difficulties have been caused primarily by the loss of corrugated cardboard receipts from the Sunday River area, which amount to about 20 percent of its annual budget. Additionally, the town of Canton is set to leave the corporation next May when it goes to single-stream recycling.

He also said the recycling market crashed in 2008 and, although things have picked up, they still only take in about $120,000 each year compared to $200,000 in good years, he said.

Bies said Thursday that the move to release director Lisa Dunham of Oxford is not related to questions about why she was allowed to give $500 from the promotions budget to Oxford Hills Christian Academy in Paris for a field trip to Boston.

Former Selectwoman Janet Jamison of Paris asked corporation members Wednesday night why they allowed the donation, which was part of the $4,500 annual promotions budget.

“I believe it’s a misappropriation of funds and I think it should be paid back. I think it’s wrong,” Jamison said.

Dunham was not at the meeting and could not be reached for comment Thursday. She has been employed by the Oxford County Regional Recycling Corp., which is based in Paris, for the past five years. She was paid $353.08 per week for 50 weeks with no benefits.

According to Bies, who represents the town of Woodstock on the 18-member board, Dunham first requested two checks, one for $4,000 and one for $500, to be made out to private academy for the trip. Vies said Dunham told him the donation would get the recycling corporation’s name out in the public.

“It was quite a shock when we heard she had taken this action,” Bies said.

Vies said the board was concerned about the larger amount and rescinded approval to send it. They did allow the $500 check to go to the school.

Bies said Thursday he takes sole responsibility for the action.

“The responsibility to determine whether the $500 went to the school was ultimately mine, not hers,” he said.

The money, along with money garnered from box top receipts acquired at the Norway-Paris Recycling Center and family donations, was used for an overnight trip to Boston, according to Stephen Holbrook, administrator of the school that serves about 50 students in grades kindergarten to 12. A total of 11 fifth- and sixth-grade students and six adults visited the Museum of Science and USS Constitution in May, he said.

Dunham has three children attending the school, one of whom went on the field trip, Holbrook said Thursday.

He said he was surprised Dunham had asked for $4,500 for the school. The trip only cost the school $2,500, he said.

Holbrook said Dunham told him the $500 check had been rescinded and it wouldn’t be coming because there was concern by corporation members that the money was being used to pay her child’s portion of the trip. But about a month later, Holbrook said school officials were surprised to receive the $500 check.

Holbrook said students also used money from box tops gathered at Norway-Paris Recycling Center. Center supervisor Warren Session said the students were allowed to take box tops and redeem them for 10 cents a piece. Holbrook said it’s an activity they have been doing each Monday all year.

Holbrook said Dunham told school officials the school should be involved in a recycling effort, even though the money from the check and box tops went directly toward financing the trip, which was not related to recycling. He said the students are involved in recycling waste at school.

Bies said they will review their financial records. They know $1,002.50 of the $4,500 promotions budget for this year has been spent in the first six months of this year.

Corporation member Dan Eichorn, a selectman in Hebron, made a motion at Wednesday’s meeting to develop a policy that would prevent a similar situation in the future. It was approved by all seven members at the meeting.

Bies said that despite concerns over the past five years that Dunham was not using much of the money to promote recycling efforts in the area, he stressed the action to remove her was made to save money.

“We found a cheaper way to handle most of her duties,” Bies said.

The shift to Damon Accounting of Norway, which does the corporation’s bookkeeping, will cost the corporation $120 a month, but will not include any publicity. That will be billed separately, he said.

According to a memo dated June 6 from Ed Damon of Damon Accounting, an employee would be available to take minutes at $50 per meeting and do promotions and marketing at $25 per hour as requested.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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