Gilford selectmen award bids on fire boat, other equipment

By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, LACONIA DAILY SUN

GILFORD — A newly reorganized Board of Selectmen awarded bids on Wednesday evening for a new fire boat, an excavator for the Highway Department, and a truck for the recreation department.

Early in the meeting, selectmen rotated roles, selecting Gus Benavides as chairman, Richard Grenier as vice chairman, and Dale Channing Eddy as clerk. They retained their committee assignments except for reassigning Grenier from the Planning Board to the Budget Committee and Eddy from the Budget Committee to the Planning Board.

Eastern Boats of Milton won the bid to provide the town with a 27-foot fiberglass fire boat at a cost of $248,395, to be financed over five years.

Grenier questioned Fire Chief Stephen Carrier about how well a fiberglass boat would hold up if it responded to a rocky island.

Carrier said the fire boat primarily responds to docks. “We don’t beach the boat or go into the shore,” he said.

Acknowledging that fiberglass boats require more work when damaged and that the operators will have to be careful, Carrier said they have had propeller damage from travel in shallow waters, but have never had any hull damage with their old fire boat.

He noted that Eastern Boats has provided fire boats for other Lake Winnipesaukee communities.

Later in the meeting, the selectmen accepted two additional donations toward the cost of the fire boat, one for $75 and one for $1,000.

Selectmen also awarded a $50,000 bid to Chadwick Baross for acquisition of a 2005 Volvo excavator, also authorizing the payment of $8,300 to purchase a hydraulic thumb, or gripper, “conditioned upon $7,600 for sweeper rental not being spent ... in the current fiscal year.”

The other bid, for a Ford F-150 pickup truck at a cost of $25,491, went to Hillsboro Ford.

Ambulance fees

No resident offered an opinion during a public hearing on a proposal to raise ambulance rates.

Carrier said the department is “just trying to remain competitive in the market,” which prompted Grenier to comment, “You say it’s to remain competitive, but you’ve kind of got a monopoly here.”

Carrier said costs for equipment are rising and, while there is enough money in the ambulance fund to purchase a new ambulance next year, restocking other supplies is getting more expensive. He noted that a cardiac monitor costs $30,000, and it’s $50,000 for a power cot.

Benavides said, “It’s important to factor in the labor for manning it 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The fire chief also noted that the town is “very liberal in writing off hardship claims.” He said the department will forward the names of those who are unable to pay for legitimate reasons to the selectmen, who generally agree to cancel the bill.

Selectmen went on to adopt the new fee schedule, which raises the cost for basic life support calls from $561.90 to $746, a 30 percent increase. The ALS-1 charge for advanced life support would increase from $878.18 to $1,066, while ALS-2 calls would increase from $1,314.15 to $1,578. The mileage charge would remain unchanged at $15.23 per mile.

Other business

• Selectmen approved the two-year collective bargaining agreement with public works employees in Local 534, American Federal of State, County, and Municipal Employees, that voters had accepted at Town Meeting. The agreement calls for no increase in costs in either year.

• They also agreed to accept a contract amendment with the police union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 633, that would extend the current contract through this year with no additional cost. The proposed contract extension had not been expected, according to Town Administrator Scott Dunn, who said he had been pleased to receive the news.

• Selectmen also approved a request for the Two Roads Music Festival at Gunstock, sponsored by Two Roads Brewing. Carrier noted that it is more of a craft beer festival than a music festival, but will include music. The approval of the July 14-15 event includes a stipulation that all amplified music must end at 11 p.m.