CHINA -- Selectmen's major business at a short meeting Monday evening was appointing volunteers to town positions.

By unanimous votes, they appointed:

* Gabrielle Isenbrand to the Planning Board until November local elections, finishing retired board member William Carey's term;

* Dwaine Drummond and Anthony Pileggi as alternate members of the Board of Assessment Review, Drummond until 2009 and Pileggi until 2010; and

* a long list of ballot clerks, evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, all to serve two-year terms.

The regular members of the Board of Assessment Review, appointed at a previous meeting, are Harold Charles, Sharon Marden Johnson and Steven Hughes.

In other business, selectmen awarded the paving bid to Pike Industries, the company Town Manager Daniel L'Heureux said offered the lowest price, $61.19 per ton of mix.

L'Heureux said one-year contracts to have China's emergency services dispatched through Skowhegan and Waterville are about to be signed.

The move comes after a final meeting among local fire and rescue personnel, representatives of the Somerset County communications center, and those from the Waterville dispatch center.

The change-over should be made within two weeks, L'Heureux said.

Elwood Ellis, chairman of the selectmen, commented on recent press reports critical of the performance of Kennebec County's dispatch center, the Central Maine Regional Communication Center in Augusta.

Giving fair warning, L'Heureux said state police and county deputies are doing speed patrols in China.

Selectman Irene Belanger commented she saw 15 state police in town recently, some in unmarked cars.

L'Heureux said the communications tower behind the Town Office is scheduled to go up Thursday, weather permitting, and the docks at the boat landing at the head of China Lake should be put in Saturday.