Down a member Monday night, Westport Island selectmen put off deciding any internet plans for the town office, Wright Landing House and possibly the old town hall. First Selectman George Richardson and Second Selectman Gerald Bodmer heard proposed rates and heard more about why the town office and Wright Landing House need reliable internet.

Richardson and Bodmer arranged to meet with Broadband and Cable Committee member Jason Kates Aug. 19 for Kates to further explain the matter, after Richardson said he did not know the technical aspects. “It’s going to take a lot of explaining for me to understand everything that you're talking about,” Richardson told him. No decisions will be made then, Richardson said.

Kates recommended getting Spectrum for Business for the town office. He reiterated the free service the building gets now does not meet staff needs. “It’s really holding people up from doing their work there.” The new service would run about $50 a month the first month, nothing the next, then $50 a month though month 12, Kates said. Starting with month 13, it would go to $70 a month, he said.

Kates said the contract comes with a free installation, so a cable modem at the town office could “potentially be shifted” to the town hall, wiring both buildings for the one monthly charge. He hoped to know more by the Aug. 24 selectmen’s meeting.

The board will have to see if the town office account can cover the first year’s $550, Richardson said. He and Bodmer tabled the matter until Aug. 24 when Third Selectman Ross Norton can be there, “so we can have a full discussion so everyone’s on the same wavelength,” Richardson said in the UberConference call.

As for Wright Landing House, Jeff Tarbox of the history committee said since the first discussion last week, he has learned the building could not piggyback on the town office’s service. He said if Spectrum views Wright Landing House as a residence, service there would cost $29.99 a month the first two years. Either the history committee or Friends of Westport Island History would pay it, Tarbox said.

He said the new history center in Wright Landing House will have multiple internet needs including the records becoming digitized. The board tabled the discussion of service there so Norton can take part.

Officials thanked Gary Richardson for volunteering his time to install the Keeping Maine Healthy grant-funded awning for Municipal Agent Dedee Greenleaf-Hodgdon’s business window; and thanked Ken Shepherd and Cheryl Anderson for building and installing a larger message box at the town office. “Not only did they save us money, but, oh my god, it’s just awesome ... For somebody to build a bigger box so (Town Clerk) Julie (Casson) can have legal postings and so Dedee could have the old box for (transactions), and Dedee has an awning so people can sit out there and do their business without having to come inside in these times of COVID-19, we just love our citizens who do this stuff,” Deputy Emergency Management Agency Director Gaye Wagner said.

Richardson agreed. “Yes, it’s great for anybody who lives in town to be able to do this for us and the rest of the taxpayers, and we thank them, so much.”