RANGELEY — The Board of Selectmen approved the permit Monday for a new outdoor cycling event.

The Northwoods Gravel Grind on Sept. 7 will benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters in the tri-county area. First-place prizes of $100 each will be awarded to a male rider and a female rider; the first-place couple will win a mountain biking vacation for two with Back Country Excursions of Maine.

The 35-mile course will begin and end at Moose Alley in Rangeley. Event organizer Drew Hufnagel hopes for at least 100 riders in what he expects to become an annual event.

Registration for the event can be done at www.bikereg.com/2014-northwoods-gravel-grind.

Ned Addelson, a longtime seasonal resident of Haley Pond, voiced his concern for water levels in the pond. He said the levels are too low for shoreline recreational activities, and are leaving loon nests stranded and vulnerable to predators.

Sluice levels on the dam are controlled by the manager of the adjacent Pine Tree Frosty concession stand. Addelson urged placing an employee knowledgeable in hydraulics and weather fluctuations in charge.

Board Chairman Dave Burgess said he would ask the town’s dam manager to inspect the situation, and Selectman Rob Welch urged Addelson and other residents to form a Haley Pond association.

The selectmen unanimously approved a permit for the third annual Trail Town Festival on Sept. 14, and granted a liquor license renewal to Sarge’s Sports Pub and Grub. The board also granted a pipe-and-drain layer permit to Morrill Excavating, and approved Harold Schaetzle for a position on the Airport Board until June 30, 2017.

Fire Chief Tim Pellerin reported the department was awarded more than $100,000 in a U.S. Homeland Security grant for up-to-date air packs. He asked for money for 20 air packs; there’s enough for 16.

The new air packs have tanks that are half the size and weight of the old tanks. The tanks will require a new compressor, priced at an estimated $25,000, but Pellerin expects the cost to be abated by sale of the old equipment.

“It’s the latest and safest gear for our firefighters,” he said. He thanked town Treasurer Rebecca Carmichael for help in writing the grant.

Transfer Station manager Ric Godaire reported that the station is paying more for removal of shingles than it is taking in for accepting them. The board approved a fee increase from $20 to $30 per cubic yard for shingles, effective Sept. 1.

The board plans to set up a workshop to investigate items such as disposal of sheet rock, which is inching closer to the burn pile’s 100-foot perimeter.