Sangerville officials looking at fire truck replacement options

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

Possibilities include making the necessary repairs to the 1993 model with 400,000 miles and a standard transmission or buying a replacement. 

Prior to a June 3 select board meeting, town officials 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, treasury officer on financing options for a potential new fire truck purchase.

“We have a fear that putting the $30,000 to $45,000 into repairing the current truck, which is nearly 30 years old, has 400,000 miles on it and only a few members can drive would be throwing good money after bad,” Town Manager Brian Mullis wrote on the Sangerville Facebook page the day after the meeting.

Problems include oil leaks, issues with the brakes and rot in the rear frame.

Mullis and Fire Chief Matt Blockler have reviewed used fire truck listings. Most vehicles they saw that meet the community’s needs are 10 to 20 years old and are selling for more than $200,000.

“Although we can depend on mutual aid in the short term for tanker assistance, we do need a more permanent solution,” Mullis wrote. “The select board, Matt and I are currently exploring all our options for solving this problem.”

Blockler is proposing to replace two trucks with one new pumper. Such a plan would be brought to a town meeting.

“Our goal now is to compile all the information we can on a range of potential solutions to the problem and present those to the citizens at a special town meeting later this summer,” Mullis wrote.

A Facebook commenter inquired about applying for grants to fund a fire truck.

“There are a number of grants out there and the Sangerville Fire Department has applied for every potential opportunity available to us in the last four years,” Blockler wrote. “Unfortunately many of these grants are only available for certain equipment, purposes and most important limited amounts. Almost all grants have a limit of $50,000. Over the last few years we have been extremely fortunate to get many grants to replace tons of safety equipment which eases the burden to the town allowing us to concentrate on the issue of our aging truck. The purchase of a new truck is a big deal and not a decision any of those involved have taken lightly but I certainly believe in order to set our town up for the next generation we owe it to ourselves to invest in new rather than the alternative.”

“Unfortunately there are very few grants out there that can be used on firetrucks,” Mullis wrote. “Matt tries every year but they are highly competitive and skewed towards large urban departments.”

In other business, the select board discussed creating an ordinance to address large marijuana grow houses. An ad hoc committee would assist the planning board in developing a draft ordinance. 

Any municipal legislation would be approved by the select board, reviewed by legal counsel and then brought to a town meeting.

Five to seven residents are being sought to work on an ordinance across a 90-day timeline. Those interested in serving are asked to contact the town office.

“We are only looking at the commercial large operations,” Mullis said. “The person that is only growing six plants and following the rules of the Office of Cannabis Policy and selling to medical, we don’t have an issue with those.”

Concerns are not with the product itself, but the devaluation to adjacent properties, the odor and potential risk to public safety.

Sangerville officials emphasized the ordinance will not refer to any specific nationalities.

“If you are going to have one of these you need to follow the rules no matter what your background is,” Mullis said.

The select also discussed the Center Pond boat launch after hearing concerns about the road and difficulties in maneuvering boat trailers there.

Mullis will look at the deed to determine where the exact property lines are. He will also get estimates for road work and tree removal.

A potential project for next year’s budget could be to replace the Center Pond docks.

“The dock’s in rough shape. It’s been there decades, I suspect, and it probably should be replaced sooner or later,” Mullis said.