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Committee approves $55,000 one-time funding to remove 32 abandoned campers
Summary
The police chief requested $55,000 to remove and dispose of 32 abandoned campers at the Dunbarton Road transfer facility; the committee approved the one-time funding and discussed creating a reserve fund for future removals.
The Manchester Board of Mayor & Aldermen’s Committee on Public Safety, Health and Traffic approved a one-time appropriation of $55,000 to remove 32 abandoned campers stored at the Dunbarton Road transfer facility, Police Chief Peter Marr said at the meeting.
Chief Marr told the committee the city has accumulated 32 campers over roughly three to four years that were towed from city streets and parked at DPW facilities. He said the vehicles cannot be scrapped for value like ordinary cars and that disposal carries a significant cost. Marr said he had identified a contractor who would demolish and remove the units on-site and that $49,000 was the estimated disposal cost, with the total request set at $55,000 to provide a contingency for unforeseen expenses.
Chief’s proposal for future funding
In his presentation, Marr referenced his written request, which stated unused funds would be returned to the general fund. At the meeting he said he would prefer to retain any unused money in a small dedicated fund to cover future disposals and suggested earmarking a portion of winter-parking enforcement revenue ("$5,000 to $10,000" annually as an example) to seed that reserve.
Outcome
After a motion and second, the committee approved the $55,000 request by voice vote. The chief said he had contacted a contractor who would demolish the campers on-site and remove debris. The committee did not set a formal policy to create a continuing reserve fund at this meeting; Chief Marr asked for consideration of that change.
Quotes
"We need to get rid of them. It looks like a trailer park up there," Chief Peter Marr said, describing the transfer facility storage.
"Any funds that were not used would be returned to the general fund. I would actually like to keep that money in order to create a fund for this for the future," Marr said.
Ending
The committee approved the one-time appropriation to proceed with demolition and disposal; the chief will work with the contractor on scheduling and return to the committee if he seeks to establish a dedicated reserve fund.
