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Selectboard approves purchase of larger waste‑oil burner for highway shop
Summary
After comparing three vendor quotes, the board approved purchase of a Clean Burn waste‑oil burner (CB‑5000) to replace an aging unit in the highway shop, authorizing up to $30,000 pending trustee paperwork; board members said the larger unit will recover heat faster and reduce purchased fuel use.
The New Ipswich Selectboard voted to approve purchase of a Clean Burn CB‑5000 waste‑oil burner system as the replacement for the highway garage heater. A board member moved "to approve buying the Clean Burn CB‑5,000 oil burner system for $29,008.86, not to exceed $30,000," and the chair called for and recorded the affirmative vote.
DPW staff said the town collects several 55‑gallon drums and roughly 325 gallons of waste oil at the transfer station and uses that oil to offset purchased heating fuel. The DPW director recommended the larger unit for faster recovery and greater efficiency: "Out of all of them... the middle price... and then for them, they will be doing all the work except for the electrical part," and staff identified the $26,772.71 and approximately $29,000 quotes among vendors before the board settled on the higher‑BTU option. Board members discussed pipe routing (through the wall vs. roof), required pipe diameter (8‑ vs. 10‑inch), filtration and the potential need for trustee approval if the purchase exceeded the trustees' $27,000 capital‑reserve authorization.
The board directed staff to record in the minutes which model and price were approved and confirmed the motion included not‑to‑exceed language to allow trustee coordination. DPW staff said the chosen unit would be installed by vendor crews and that the town would provide a forklift for the contractor as documented in the quote.
