DURHAM – The town of Durham has a new point person for town information.

John Ricker, 52, was named last week to the newly created position of public information technician.

Ricker, who describes himself as “semi-retired,” previously worked for the Durham Community School as a technology integrator. He is a member of the Regional School Unit 5 board of directors. He said the money for his part-time position will not be coming from the town budget. Instead, it will be paid using the money the town collects from Comcast for cable television franchise fees. According to Durham Administrative Assistant Janet Smith, Ricker is being paid $16 per hour based on a 20-hour week.

Ricker said his primary function is to keep the town’s website and cable television bulletin board updated. He will also be overseeing the recording of Durham’s selectmen and Planning Board meetings, and maintaining a DVD library of those recorded meetings for any interested residents.

“I’m going to be the waypoint for a lot of information,” Ricker said, adding that he is excited to work with the town’s new equipment. “I love technology. I’m good at getting something off the ground and moving.”

He also hopes to work with the Durham Community School to increase the offerings on the town’s public access channel. “I think I can be a great bridge for stuff that comes out of the school,” he said. “I’d love to see our TV channel get up and going.”

Any residents with information they want to see included on the town’s website can email Ricker at durhampublicinfo@gmail.com. He can also be reached at jricker@durhamtown.comcastbiz.net.