MEXICO — Selectmen on Tuesday night approved hiring Joshua Aylward of Mason Township as a full-time police officer and Kyle Matthews of Otisfield as a reserve officer.

Aylward, who was a reserve officer, takes the place of Brad Gallant.

Police Chief James Theriault said the Rumford Police Department hired Gallant, who is currently attending the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. Rumford agreed to pay Mexico for Gallant’s tuition and for wages paid to reserve officers who have filled in for Gallant while he is at the academy. That total is $8,400.

Theriault said Aylward is tentatively scheduled to begin working full time Nov. 28.

Both Aylward and Matthews currently work as security officers at the Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry. Aylward will leave that job, and is tentatively scheduled to attend the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in January.

Theriault said the two young men plan to relocate closer to Mexico.

In other matters Tuesday night, selectmen granted a five-year junkyard and recycling license to Andrew Dupuis, owner of Dupuis Towing and Salvage, on the River Road. They did not issue requested junkyard licenses to James Cogley, who owns a junkyard on Route 120, or to Richard Welch, who owns Dick’s Auto Sales on the Backkingdom Road, because the necessary paperwork was not submitted. The board will take up their requests at its Nov. 23 meeting.

Fire Chief Gary Wentzell said training by the Mexico Fire Department as well as Rumford Fire Department at an abandoned house on Howard Street should end next month. The departments have used it for a variety of exercises. Wentzell said the last training session will be burning down the building.

Wentzell said four young people have joined the department’s Junior Firefighter program and one new person has become a call force member.

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