Milo

Funding approved for fire rescue vehicle purchase

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    MILO — By a unanimous vote of the several dozen residents in attendance, an amount of up to $120,000 was approved to be borrowed for the possible purchase of a fire rescue vehicle for the Milo Fire Department during a special town meeting on Nov. 19. Several members of the department are scheduled to visit a dealership in Alabama to have a first-hand look at a promising truck for Milo.

    Town Clerk Robin Larson said the Milo Fire Department currently has a 1996 model fire rescue vehicle, which was purchased new over a decade and a half ago. “One of the issues they’re having is it’s not rated high enough for the equipment they have,” Larson said. She said the vehicle cannot handle the weight of all the equipment that may be needed on scene.
    As a result the Milo Fire Department is looking for a fire rescue vehicle that will fit the department’s needs. Several communities have expressed interest in the existing truck with a pair having visited already.
    Larson said the fire department is considering two options, with one fire rescue vehicle in Alabama for a price of about $80,000. “The company is very kind to fire departments and municipalities, this is all they do — dealing with fire and rescue,” Larson said. “They have pretty much told the fire department to make a reasonable offer and they will accept it,”
    “It’s a much heavier piece of equipment, it’s going to fit the needs they are looking for,” she added, saying she believes this truck is also a 1996 model.
    Larson said the second fire rescue vehicle being considered is in New York state. The price is $113,000, but this could be subject to negotiations.
    “I have reviewed this, we have extensive photographs that were sent up by e-mail as well as a list of equipment,” Town Manager David Maynard said about the fire rescue truck in Alabama. “I’m personally very impressed by the price.” He said four members of the Milo Fire Department will be heading south to look at the vehicle in person, each one being able to examine different components.
    “This truck that we are going to look at is designed to be a rescue truck,” said Robert Cook, one of the members of the fire department who will be traveling to Alabama.
    “The biggest problem with the truck we have now, which is a ’96, is the truck is too light for us,” Kevin Black said. “It’s safe enough, but you have to be careful when you drive it.”
    He said the truck that will be looked at has about 17,000 miles. “I think this truck will give us adequate room,” Black said, being able to transport a crew of five along with all of the fire rescue equipment. Black said the truck they are considering should serve the department for the long term. He said a brand new model could cost over $300,000, and a truck from the early 2000s could have a price in the $140,000-$180,000 range.
    “We are going down to look at this truck, we are not saying we are going down to buy this truck,” Black said, as a decision will be made once the four firefighters have a first-hand look. They will also be able to see what else the dealership has, as the establishment purchases and refurbishes hundreds of emergency responder vehicles. The company will be providing lodging and meals for the four from Milo, the town is only paying for their airfare.
    “The money is a preauthorization that allows the loan to be taken if it is appropriate,” Maynard said. If the four Milo firefighters feel the truck is what they want, the company will transport the vehicle north to Milo, taking a check back.
    “I will contact Linda Gilbert (of Camden National Bank) tomorrow for the financing on the rescue truck,” Larson said after the town meeting vote. She said once a price has been agreed upon the accompanying bank paperwork will be signed.
    The town meeting also authorized the disposal of the current fire rescue vehicle to the highest responsible offer. “We are working on proposals with other communities that haven’t yet made an offer,” Maynard said. He said this process would likely result in receiving more back for the fire rescue truck than if the vehicle was put out to bid.   
    During an ensuing selectmen’s meeting, the board voted to appoint Joe Legere to the budget committee and Izzy Warren as the committee chair. The budget committee is meeting about every two weeks to get the 2014-15 spending plan ready for the annual town meeting in March.
    The selectmen voted to have the Milo Water District fix a leak in the lines by the community hall in Derby, at a price of $1,000, before extended sub-freezing conditions set in.
     Last month the selectmen authorized Maynard to turn the community building in Derby back to either the Bangor & Aroostook (B&A) Railroad or Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railroad, depending on a review of the deed by the town attorney.
    The report said the building will likely be released to Milo but this will be done by the court during bankruptcy proceedings, at which point Milo officicals can decide what to do with the hall. “It probably will be released to the town at some point, but we need to take care of the water issue,” Maynard said.

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