Select Board weighs $58,274 repair for 30-year ladder truck while planning for eventual replacement

Mike, a town fire department representative, told the Select Board the shop estimate to restore the department’s ladder truck is about $58,274 and that some line items — notably an engine control module priced at around $5,000–7,500 including labor — might be removable from the estimate.

Board members pressed him on whether the repair is a prudent investment given the truck’s age. Mike said preventive maintenance is now being scheduled routinely and that some prior urgent work (a rebuilt pump) was necessary for certification. He estimated that procuring a replacement vehicle would take years: “delivery times are like two years out at a minimum,” he said, and speculated a new dual-purpose pumper/ladder with a shorter 75-foot ladder could replace two aging vehicles and reduce maintenance costs going forward.

The Select Board discussed options for financing a replacement, including applying for federal Assistance to Firefighters grants with a town match of roughly 20–25 percent, and agreed that repairing the current truck and proposing a separate warrant article for replacement funds were both reasonable paths. A board member said they would support placing the repair request on the warrant so residents can vote on it.

The board did not take a final appropriation vote at the meeting. Members agreed to return the topic to a future meeting with a clearer, itemized estimate and to pursue grant possibilities, while noting the uncertainty of grant funding and long lead times for new apparatus.

Next steps: the department will seek a trimmed estimate (removing optional items such as the ECM), the Select Board will place a repair or replacement warrant article for a future town meeting if requested, and staff will explore grant applications that could reduce the town match.