WOODSTOCK — The Board of Selectmen voted Tuesday evening to allow fire Chief Kyle Hopps to check out a used ladder truck in Canton, Mass., Town Manager Vern Maxfield said Wednesday.
Discussion on the Fire Department’s ladder truck began in early August, after Hopps told selectmen repairs were needed to the turntable gears which allow the ladder’s platform to rotate. Selectmen agreed that no more than $10,000 would be spent in repairs, though Hopps said he was skeptical about repairing a truck that was over 30 years old.
On Aug. 19, residents overwhelmingly voted against appropriating $10,000 to repair the truck.
Hopps said Tuesday that several fire departments had reached out to Woodstock to offer used ladder trucks.
“Right now, the deal that’s looking the best is from the fire department in Canton, Mass.,” Hopps said. “There are no known issues with the truck itself, but they said they wouldn’t do a full inspection of the truck until we tell them we’re committed to pursuing it.”
Selectman Ron Deegan asked Hopps if it would cost the town any money for the inspection.
“No, they’re going to take care of that,” Hopps said. “They just don’t want to do it if we’re not committed to pursuing the truck.”
Hopps said the truck would cost $49,900, which he considered “a good deal.”
“Some of the other offers we were getting were over $100,000,” Hopps said. “From what I can tell, the truck is in good shape, barring anything popping up during the inspection.”
The board voted to allow Hopps to tell the Canton Fire Department they were officially interested in the ladder truck.
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