JAY — Selectmen will consider the purchase of a new firetruck at 6 p.m. Monday, May 13, at the Town Office.
The cost would be $281,531, after factoring in a combined trade-in value of $165,000 for two older trucks. The actual cost estimate from Greenwood in Brunswick is $446,531.
If the town gives a prepayment of $281,531, there would be an additional $5,000 in savings.
The department has about $462,000 in a capital reserve account, with an additional $70,000 approved for July 1, according to Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere.
Firefighters have expressed concerns about Engine One, which responds to fires and automobile accidents, for nearly three years. The truck has acceleration issues, among other problems, especially when climbing hills, according to a letter firefighters gave to selectmen earlier this year.
In one case, according to the letter, the firetruck was heading to an automobile accident in which people might have been trapped inside a vehicle.
“While attempting to climb Woodman Hill Road, the truck continued to downshift from first gear in an attempt to further gain speed to climb the hill,” according to the letter. “The truck was going 7 mph when reaching the top of the hill.”
Numerous attempts have been made to fix the problems.
In March, selectpersons asked the fire chief to explore options for a new truck. After review by a subcommittee, including town officials and fire officers, the recommendation is to buy a new pumper-tanker truck from Greenwood, according to LaFreniere.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
