Selectmen withdraw support for fire truck but voters will have last word

GILFORD — Selectmen voted unanimously last night not to support the purchase of a new fire engine this year, reversing their previous endorsement of what is now Warrant Article 8.

Selectmen could have removed the article from the warrant, altogether, but chose to allow voters to have the final say.

Although each selectman articulated his own reasons for changing his mind, the consensus was the input from some of the members of the Budget Committee plus new information provided to them Wednesday by Fire Chief Steve Carrier about repairing Engine 4 weighed heavily.

"I am cautiously optimistic that Chief Carrier's numbers are in line," said Selectman Kevin Hayes, referring to a recent estimate provided by Carrier that Engine 4 could be fixed up for about $40,000.

Hayes also said he "had a hard time" with rotating Engine 1 to a "spare" unit when it is only 8-years old.

Engine 1 is the front-line pumper and is the primary "attack" truck at a fire. Replacing Engine 4 would move Engine 1 back in the response order.  Typically and hopefully, a fire truck spends 15 years in the first position and the rest of its useful life in a backup position.

The Board of Fire Engineers hope to replace Engine 4, the department's secondary fire "attack" truck. It responds as a back-up at a fire and is the primary attack vehicle if there are multiple calls. It is 25 years old.

Fire Engineers and Chief Steve Carrier have concerns about the viability of Engine 4's pumping and electrical systems and have said with 80-percent of Gilford without fire hydrants, having a dependable back-up pumper is paramount.

Four members of the Budget Committee, including Chair Richard Hickok, Vice Chair David "Skip" Murphy, Sue Greene, and Kevin Leandro, who led the charge against the new fire truck,  asked selectmen to reverse their endorsement in light of the new information provided by Leandro, Pat LaBonte and, more recently, Carrier.

Both Leandro and LaBonte believe with proper maintenance and some repairs, the department could run Engine 4 for another four or five years.

Speaking for the new fire truck was Fire Engineer Board Chair Bill Akerley.

"As far as I know, the vote has been that you do support it," he said to the board, noting that its role was more than just a "blocker."

He said he hoped the voters  supported it and said he really wanted the taxpayers to have the opportunity to vote on it.

Selectmen's Chair John O'Brien agreed with letting the taxpayer have their say. He ultimated voted not to endorse the new fire truck warrant article but was adamant the voters get their say.

Technically, the Board of Selectmen were the entity that included the $450,000 fire truck warrant article on the draft warrant and, since there had been no final vote the Board on the warrant until last night, it could have removed the article from the warrant if it wanted.

At the request of the Board of Fire Engineers, selectmen met publicly Tuesday morning and chose not to put an article on the warrant that would have give voters the option to vote for refurbishing Engine 4 for the first estimate of $150,000.

After the meeting, Ekerley said he believes there is sufficient money in the 2012 Fire Department budget line to keep Engine 4 in service for this upcoming year — something he will have to do whether or not the warrant article passes or fails because it takes about nine to 12 months to get a fire truck once the order is placed.

A "yes" vote on Article 8 means support for the town to raise through a bond sale and appropriate up to $450,000 for a new fire engine. According to state law, it must pass by a 3/5 majority of those voting, as is the case with all articles that call for long-term borrowing.

The Budget Committee previously voted not to recommend the purchase in a 6-6 tie vote.