Farmington approves vehicle purchase for police department, updates on Front Street

FARMINGTON – The Board of Selectmen approved the purchase of a new detective’s vehicle at Tuesday’s meeting, as well as receiving an update regarding the Front Street project.

The board approved trading in four vehicles to acquire a 2018 Ford Escape from Hight Chevrolet of Farmington. That vehicle will serve as the new detective’s vehicle, Police Chief Jack Peck said, replacing a 2006 Chevy Impala that will no longer pass inspection without significant repairs. The town would also trade in a 2004 Suburban that is currently used to haul equipment, as well as the de facto back-up detective’s car, and two other vehicles: a 2004 Mazda and a 2006 Honda. Those latter two vehicles were acquired via asset forfeiture proceedings.

After the $4,200 trade-in value, the Escape would cost $18,580. Peck recommended paying for half of that cost out of the department’s reserve, an account containing roughly $13,000, and half out of drug forfeiture money. Peck said that the department had $19,000 in that account.

The Escape from Hight Chevrolet was the lowest bid submitted by that business and Quirk Ford, except for a Ford Taurus submitted by Hight at the cost of $17,803 after trade ins. Peck said that the department preferred the slightly more expensive Escape as it could hold some of the equipment previously stored in the Suburban.

Selectman Michael Fogg suggested the board consider taking more money out of the drug forfeiture account and less out of the vehicle reserve. The reserve is replenished at the rate of $3,500 per year; Peck said that he didn’t foresee any immediate needs for replacement vehicles.

The board briefly discussed breaking out the Suburban from the trade in deal, as some members felt it may retain more value than the other vehicles, but in the end voted to trade in all four vehicles and pay $18,580 for the Escape. The vote was four to one, with Fogg opposed.

In related business, the board approved having the department receive $3,338 in funding through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program. Those funds would be used for two purposes: replacing an inoperative keypad entry system at the station with a key-less, swipe-through style system and funding software that would allow the department to manage updates to policies and training records. Currently, Peck said, those records were stored piecemeal. The software will cost roughly $1,200 annually in licensing fees.

The board also received an update from Town Manager Richard Davis regarding the road project at the end of Front Street. That project, undertaken by Ranger Contracting of Oakland, is designed to address the frequent flooding of the lower portion of that street by installing a larger culvert. The project was funded through a combination of a Maine Department of Environmental Protection grant, town funds out of the Public Works Department budget and Tax Increment Financing funds.

The road has been closed since early September, although there has been access to the University of Maine at Farmington parking lot and all Front Street businesses.

Despite the cold temperatures, paving went ahead Wednesday in an effort to close the street up before winter. According to Davis, that initial layer would be density tested in the spring to make certain it was holding. If the paving work did not suffice, Davis said, he believed that the town would not be financially responsible for replacing it.