Select Board hears proposal to bond fire apparatus; asks for alternatives and inspection

Clarence Keller, who formed a seven-person Fire Truck Replacement Committee, presented the committee’s recommendation on Dec. 10 to ultimately reduce the department’s fleet from five apparatuses to four and to not replace the 1989 tanker when it becomes unserviceable.

Keller presented an itemized quote for a new 2023 custom-built International CV utility truck priced at $228,882.81 and asked the board to include the truck as a bond item for voters at a potential special town meeting in February. Keller outlined the Truck Replacement Fund balance ($56,330.47) and illustrative financing that would leave a bond balance in the mid-$168,000 range, with a proposed four-year note and first payment in July 2025.

Keller proposed an $11,030 repair option for Utility #3 — removing the rusted body and installing a flatbed and brush skid unit — that could be funded from the Fire Truck Repair/Maintenance Reserve Fund (reported balance $20,500) without a special town meeting.

Select Board members expressed caution about approving an expensive replacement immediately. Sarah Ann Smith, the member presiding at the meeting, said she favored moving forward with a new truck only if the board had clear justification, and Wayne Luce asked that Utility #3 be inspected by a non-interested third party at his shop before the next meeting. The board voted to have a third-party inspection of Utility #3; the motion passed 3-0-1 (the minutes note Charlie separately in the rollcall entry).

The board asked the truck committee to return with alternatives and clearer justification for a larger wheelbase and the proposed specifications before any bond is presented to voters.