CANTON — Selectmen on Thursday night scheduled a public hearing and a town meeting for Jan. 28 to vote on buying a new fire engine for $314,678.
Selectman Donald Hutchins said residents have been advised that the 1975 pumper was well past its scheduled replacement time and could not be expected to last much longer. However, in order to keep taxes low the town has not set aside money for its replacement, which was due 17 years ago.
The fire engine’s pump needs to be rebuilt, but parts are no longer available, and custom manufacturing them is cost prohibitive, John Woodead, chairman of the Firetruck Committee, said.
The consensus of the six-member committee was to recommend buying a fire engine from C & S Specialty Inc., of North Smithfield, R.I., for $314,678.
Fire Chief Shane Gallant, who is also a selectman, said a committee took six weeks to develop the specifications for proposals and talked with numerous sources to determine what was needed for the protection of the town.
The chief said the department plans to salvage generators, ladders and other equipment from the old truck, and specified the least expensive options for the new truck in order to save money but still meet town needs.
The C & S Specialty fire engine has a custom-built chassis that is stronger and safer than a commercial one, Gallant said. The six-passenger cab will further promote safety and economy by cutting down on the number of vehicles responding to a scene, he said.
Firetruck Committee member Paula Marsters maintained the town should consider a truck built on a commercial chassis.
While this would save about $50,000, Gallant and others said it would not have the six-passenger cab and would not be as satisfactory for fire service.
Hutchins proposed a motion for a hearing and town meeting Jan. 28 to vote on buying the truck. The board passed it.
If the article fails, officials will ask voters in another article how much they will authorize for a new fire engine.
When asked what would happen if both articles fail, Gallant recounted that when Hartford voters refused to pay for fire protection from Canton, Buckfield and Turner this year he was besieged by calls from Hartford residents saying their insurance companies were dropping coverage or drastically raising rates as a result. The town quickly called a special meeting to pay for fire service from neighboring town departments.
In other business Thursday night, selectmen voted that the town would not issue marriage licenses on Saturday, Dec. 29, the day Maine’s gay marriage law takes effect. Administrative Assistant Harry Childs said forms are complicated and time consuming, and he will be out of the office that day.
Selectmen gave permission for bicyclists in the annual Trek Across Maine to use property near the old town office. Several residents wanted something done about bikers needlessly blocking traffic and failing to share the road.
Resident Ray Hamilton said he spent $3,150 to prove his claim that the town did not own land on which it wanted to cut timber. Selectmen agreed the town was wrong.
Hamilton offered to accept a small piece of town land that adjoined his in lieu of reimbursement for his cost. He said the public was using this piece of town land to access his property.
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