Bow town officials will open construction bids for a potential water and sewer project, but only for research purposes before they make a decision on whether to proceed.

During a Wednesday, Nov. 5, selectmen’s meeting, board members unanimously approved Jack Crisp’s motion to seek bids for the potential Route 3A development project after hearing community input from both sides of the argument.

“There were equally strong positions to go ahead and to forget about it,” said board Chairman Leon Kenison. “We had a wide range of views and, obviously, we will take those opinions into consideration as we move forward.”

In 2002, the town approved a $12 million bond for water and sewer to be installed on Route 3A, and selectmen will likely be forced to decide in the upcoming months whether to use $10 million that remains in the fund. Kenison said the bids will give selectmen an idea of which direction to go.

“One of the things that we lack now is how much it will cost,” said Kenison. “There’s a rapidly changing market out there for all sorts of construction. We were seeing prices going up, and that has changed. We’d like to know just what it would cost to build a system, and then determine if we should build what we wanted to build.”

One of the options the board could have is installing a partial system, which could mean putting the piping in for the sewer while the roads are being dug up for the water system.

The hope is that the system would draw developers to Bow, but there is no guarantee of interest in the area.

Stephen Heavener, executive director of Capitol Region Development Council who is working with the town on the project, previously said it is a difficult decision for officials to make.

“It’s impossible to predict the future. What we can say is that towns and cities across the country make the decision to invest without knowing,” Heavener said. “Many have been confronted with this very question. There’s zero guarantee. We can use models and illustrations, but can a political elected official guarantee that? No.”

By putting the project out to bid, Kenison said officials can get a cost estimate without having to commit.

“We don’t have to make an award, and all of the documents anyone sends out say we reserve the right to reject any or all of the bids for the project.” Kenison said.

In a perfect world, Kenison said officials would have the results of the bids in advance of Town Meeting in case there is opportunity to put a warrant article together, but, he said, it may not be the case.

“It may be too tight of a time frame,” said Kenison, who is looking forward to a resolution. “This has been in the works since 2002, so it’s certainly been discussed, and to nauseam to an extent.”