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Waterville Community Foundation gives $40,000 for public-safety drone; commits funding to local paper
Summary
At the Sept. 22 Waterville City Council meeting, the Waterville Community Foundation presented a $40,000 check for a police/fire drone project and announced multi-year support for the Anthony Wayne Free Press; the police department said it is pursuing a purchase order to hold a unit shown at a public demo.
The Waterville Community Foundation presented the City of Waterville with a $40,000 check for public-safety equipment during the Sept. 22 council meeting, donating the money specifically to a planned drone project for the city’s police and fire departments. The foundation’s leaders also announced funding to support the Anthony Wayne Free Press.
"Tonight...we are gonna present you with a check for the public safety for fire and police department. A check for $40,000 This here is for the drone project," said Randy Sikorsky, identifying himself as a Waterville resident and a representative of the foundation. Diana Wall, also speaking for the foundation, said the group “has committed $30,000 to [the Anthony Wayne Free Press] for this year and $10,000 for every year for 3 years.”
The foundation representatives said a drone will be available for public demonstration at an upcoming community event. Police Chief Joe (identified in the meeting) told council the department needs a purchase order and vendor quote before completing acquisition and that a vendor has agreed to hold a unit on a “gentleman’s agreement.” "I think when I talked to him on the phone, he said he needed a gentleman's agreement to hold 1 for us," the chief said.
Why it matters: the donation provides startup funding for a drone program the city’s public-safety agencies say will aid incident response. The foundation’s pledge to the local news outlet aims to restore reporting capacity after the closure of a previous paper, presenters said.
Council members and the mayor praised the donation. Mayor Timothy G. Pedro thanked the foundation and said the equipment will help both fire and police. Tom (speaker representing the Free Press effort) described plans to operate the paper as a nonprofit and to use interns, saying the group will “be as nonpartisan as we possibly can.”
City staff and the police chief described but did not finalize procurement steps. Chief Joe said a formal quote and a purchase order are still needed and that multiple units are in demand; he told council the vendor indicated the city could expect delivery "possibly in the next 2 or 3 weeks" after paperwork is issued.
The foundation and city officials encouraged residents to attend a planned demonstration and other upcoming community events where the drone will be on display.
Ending: Foundation representatives and city officials said they will continue to coordinate on demonstration timing and on how the donated funds will be used to equip and train staff for the drone program.
