RUMFORD — A decision on the final sidewalk plan for the downtown and setting a date for a special town meeting to approve a bond for the project has been delayed for two weeks.

After 90 minutes of discussion, selectmen decided Thursday night to request that Main-Land Development Consultants engineer Rick Dunton come back with updated cost figures to consider the issue of downtown buildings’ roof drains, as well as the full water and sewer spectrum regarding this project.

Dunton earlier estimated the cost of the project as proposed by the EnvisionRumford! Sidewalk Committee to be $1.05 million.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Greg Buccina said, “We’ll do our part. We’ll see exactly what we can put for money on the table so that we can least impact the citizens and get this project going this summer.

“By 2016, we’re not going to have much time,” said Buccina, noting that there will be work on two of the bridges, with a detour going through the downtown. He emphasized that the work may have to be done over more than one construction season.

Businessman Jim Barnett brought up that some 70 businesses on Congress Street still have storm drains that empty into the sewer system, a practice that the state says has to stop in two years.

“I can’t see putting a million dollars into sidewalks without replacing the piping that runs under each sidewalk 4 feet underground that goes into these buildings,” he said.

Barnett noted that if even one building owner doesn’t comply to the change, “and they have to jackhammer that sidewalk, it’s never going to be the same.”

Jennifer Kreckel, who chairs the Sidewalk Committee for EnvisionRumford!, said, “This has to be done soon because we have to be able to put bid specs out. If we want the sidewalks done this year, the voters are going to have to vote on it.”

Town Manager John Madigan said the town has funds it can use to reduce the amount of a bond. The town has more than $100,000 in a fund for sidewalk repair. There is a permanent roads allocation of $400,000 each year, and there is $250,000 in the Town Hall renovation account that can take care of replacing the front steps, estimated to cost $55,000.

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