Sangerville officials looking at how to replace fire truck

SANGERVILLE — With a Sangerville Fire Department 1993 model tanker truck off the road due to a failed inspection, town officials are exploring how to proceed.

Possibilities include repairing the 1993 vehicle with 400,000 miles and a standard transmission or buying a replacement. Funding for a new fire truck would need to be approved via a special town meeting vote, potentially sometime later this year.

Problems with the 1993 tanker include oil leaks, issues with the brakes and rot in the rear frame, Fire Chief Matt Blockler said during a June 17 select board meeting. He is not keen on spending more money for repairs.

The used market is not great, Blockler said. In a previous review of listings, most vehicles that meet Sangerville’s needs were 10 to 20 years old and selling for more than $200,000.

Blockler would like to replace the tanker and another pumper he said will need to be replaced in about eight years with one new pumper.

A new vehicle would cost close to $600,000 and would take 16-17 months for delivery if  ordered now. 

“The price isn’t going down, the timeframe isn’t going down,” Blockler said.

Town officials have met with Androscoggin Bank Senior Vice President of Government Banking John Simko — who is a former Sangerville town manager  — and Angie Snow, assistant vice president and treasury officer on financing options, for a potential new fire truck purchase. Payments could be $60,000 to $70,000 annually for roughly a decade.

Select Chair Jeff Peters said he does not feel he has information now to present a potential fire truck purchase to the public. 

The board considered putting a fire truck article on the warrant for a June 25 special town meeting.

Grant funding for new fire trucks may not be a realistic option for the town.

“The problem is they’re so competitive,” Town Manager Brian Mullis said.

About $200,000 in grants have been awarded to the Sangerville Fire Department in recent years, but the funds are all for gear and equipment and not vehicles.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grants are for trucks, but these have many stipulations and often go to very large city departments.

“Every time I get the same answer, not enough years of federal fire reporting,” Blockler said. 

The department has now been reporting for three years, but this is far less than the required 10 years.

The item will continue to appear on the select board agenda until a special town meeting is scheduled.

In other business, Mullis and Select Board Vice Chair Mike Gould looked into the Center Pond boat launch. They believe the town owns more land at the site than originally thought.

To make an exact determination, a surveyor would be brought in to determine the property lines. Mullis will get an estimate for the work, and money for the job could come out of the road committee account.

Town officials had heard concerns about the road and difficulties in maneuvering boat trailers by the launch. Work would need to be in compliance with shoreland zoning requirements and would probably not be done until 2027.

Mullis will look into potential grant funding to cover part of site improvements.

The park committee held a yard sale for new playground equipment at Veterans Memorial Park the previous Saturday and raised $409. Mullis said this cause is out there and people can make their own contributions.