Woodstock selectmen Tuesday voted 2-1 to propose to voters the purchase of a new pumper truck for the Fire Department.
The $217,000 lease/purchase, if approved at a special Town Meeting, would cost approximately $30,000 a year over six years.
The current 1987 truck was recently found to have serious deterioration in its tank and water lines during a recent inspection, Town Manager Vern Maxfield said, and fixing it is not worth it.
‘The new truck has a life expectancy of 25 years, and per year that’s cheaper than buying older trucks,’ he said.
Fire Chief Kyle Hopps said if voters approve the purchase at a special Town Meeting (expected to be set for May 19), the truck could be ordered in May and delivered in late September.
Selectmen Steve Bies voted no on the issue, he said, not because he opposed a purchase but because he was not ready to commit to the decision this week. But Selectmen Mike Nadeau and Ron Deegan said they should not wait.
‘Time is wasting,’ said Nadeau.
‘We need the truck,’ said Deegan.
Last year the town bought a used ladder truck for $50,000 with funds from the Fire Truck Reserve Account. That account now stands at $124,000. The town typically adds $30,000 to it each year.
The selectmen said they were concerned about depleting the fund with a second truck purchase so soon.
But, said Nadeau, ‘This is about people’s safety.’
The board is expected to set the date for a special Town Meeting when they meet Tuesday.
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