Hubbardston capital plan debate centers on fire truck replacement; select board tables CIP for joint review with planning committee

The Town of Hubbardston Select Board spent the bulk of its Dec. 16 meeting reviewing the proposed FY2026–2030 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), with extended discussion about replacing aging fire apparatus and how to pay for major equipment.

Nate (staff member) summarized the proposed CIP and the recurring $100,000 road-maintenance allocation. The meeting shifted to an extended debate over a proposed fire truck replacement — the town’s need for a pumper/tanker that fits cramped station space, the rising cost of custom apparatus, and whether leasing or a voter-approved debt exclusion would be the most feasible route.

Fire Chief (Fire Chief, Town of Hubbardston) told the board the department has “two trucks that desperately need to be replaced” and urged the board to find a way to secure reliable apparatus. He said the department’s biggest operational need is water supply for fires in an area without hydrants: “We need water on wheels to put out fires,” he said.

Staff presented multiple procurement and financing options. A custom pumper/tanker — the vehicle the department said it needs — was quoted previously at roughly $1.1 million; staff also modeled a smaller, off-the-shelf tanker in the $500,000–$650,000 range as a short-term option that would be faster to obtain and less expensive in the near term. A municipal leasing quote shown to the board estimated a seven‑year lease payment of roughly $85,800 per year for a half‑million‑dollar truck; staff noted the lease would be subject to annual appropriation and the town would take title at the end of the term.

Board members and members of the capital improvement planning committee pushed back on moving such large-ticket items through the CIP without a broader funding plan. Francois Steiger, identified as a member of the Capital Improvement Planning Committee, said replacing a front-line engine has been on the CIP for years but that the town’s capital program cannot realistically absorb multiple multimillion-dollar projects without separate voter action.

The board discussed timing and trade-offs: moving a less-costly tanker forward would provide water-supply capability sooner but would not fully replace a front-line pumper and could reduce the town’s firefighting capability if an engine fails. Several members emphasized a strategic, multi-year approach to avoid repeating earlier patterns of deferring maintenance and equipment replacement.

On motions, the board voted several times on procedural items at the end of the session. The Select Board approved the consent agenda and authorized acceptance of a MEGA Insurance safety grant for $3,990 to buy office ergonomic items and a stretching class. The board then voted to table the CIP discussion and to schedule a joint meeting with the Capital Improvement Planning Committee at the board’s next available meeting; the motion to table passed. Finally, the board voted to postpone the remainder of the agenda (except the executive session), and that motion passed.

Staff said they will return with additional financing options, including longer lease terms, debt-exclusion scenarios and a debt schedule to show how large purchases would interact with other capital priorities such as the proposed public-safety building. Board members asked staff to develop options that could be acted on more quickly when public-safety risk is imminent.

No binding expenditure for the fire truck was approved on Dec. 16; the CIP remains under review and the board added a joint working session with the capital improvement planning committee to its schedule.