JAY — Selectmen voted 4-1 Monday to buy a 2011 pumper/tanker truck for $230,000.
After factoring in $20,000 for the trade-in value for two firetrucks, the net price is $210,000.
Vice Chairman Warren Bryant opposed the motion, saying he would like to hear discussion on consolidation between Jay and Livermore Falls fire departments before making a decision. Bryant also said he thought the purchase should go before voters.
The remaining selectmen said they didn’t want to pass up such a good deal and if they waited, a new truck would cost much more.
The money for the International/E-One truck will come out of the department’s $240,000 capital reserve account.
The truck is a demonstrator with about 10,000 miles on it.
Where the money is in a reserve account, selectmen can authorize the purchase, Town Manager Ruth Cushman said.
The new truck will give the Fire Rescue Department five, Public Safety Director Larry White Sr. said.
Prior to their decision, selectmen discussed the purchase with White and firefighters.
The department will trade in a 1988 Ford tanker and a 1989 Pierce pumper engine, White said. The engine has an open cab and is out of compliance with current standards, White said. It is also very slow and is used very little, fire Capt. Justin Merrill said.
The tanker only carries 1,600 gallons of water. The new one would carry 1,800 gallons and also has a pump on it.
Selectman Tim DeMillo said he saw the truck and talked with the sales representative of Greenwood Emergency Vehicles Inc. in Brunswick.
He was told that open cab is an issue for resale value, DeMillo said.
Smaller towns would not be able to buy such a truck unless they have the cash ready, he said.
Many small towns bought new trucks using federal grants, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Booker said.
Towns are also buying tankers with larger tanks to carry more water and are buying combined pumper/tankers, Merrill said.
If the town buys this truck, it won’t replace another for eight years, White said.
The next replacement would be a utility truck, Booker said.
The company representative agreed to hold off on selling the truck to another buyer until after Monday’s meeting, White said.
“It’s a good deal,” he said.
Resident Ellen Levesque said she previously worked for someone who sold fire trucks.
“If you let a deal like that go, it will cost a lot more money in the future,” Levesque said.
A study of several town fire departments done about five years ago recommended that a pumper/tanker be bought to replace two of the trucks, Merrill said.
The town is looking at $350,000 to $400,000 for a new engine and about $300,000 for a new tanker, he said.
Selectman Bryant said he had a vision that Jay and Livermore Falls could have a combined fire department.
Both Levesque and White said Jay would end up probably paying 75 percent of the cost and would subsidize Livermore Falls due to Jay’s high valuation. And even if the departments combined, it wouldn’t be for years, White said.
Chairman Steve McCourt said he would have liked to see more estimates.
White and other firefighters said this is the only company that has a demo truck. White said he would have brought other numbers forward but just discussing the issue showed that a new pumper/tanker would cost a lot more.
The company would letter and stripe the truck at no additional cost and it would be ready for delivery in two to three weeks, White said.
“I hate to pass up a good deal,” McCourt said. The majority of selectmen agreed.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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