FARMINGTON – Wrapping up an ongoing discussion regarding two pieces of Farmington Fire Rescue’s equipment, selectmen approved an expenditure not to exceed $50,000 for repairs to Engine 2. The funds would be taken from the Fire Equipment Reserve Account which currently has a balance of $354,551.
The 1995 piece of equipment is in need of several immediate repairs in order to pass inspection, all of which can be done in-house, according to Chief Terry Bell. The remaining upgrades would ideally extend the life of the truck another five years.
“As it turns out, it’s not in bad shape for its age,” Bell reported, based on an evaluation done by Greenwood Emergency Vehicles of Attleboro, Mass.
The additional repairs would not need to happen immediately, but could take six to eight weeks whenever the department does decide to move forward with it. Going that long without Engine 2 would be worrisome, Capt. TD Hardy added. Town Manager Richard Davis suggested the possibility of partnering with a neighboring department for coverage during that time, or potentially leasing a truck.
The department will move forward with repairing Engine 2, while Engine 1, which was deemed a priority two months ago, will go to a referendum vote in November. Several problems with Engine 1, such as significant rust in the frame and electrical issues, made it a priority to replace over Engine 2 which was due to be replaced next year. The cost of replacement is estimated to be somewhere between $675,000 and $790,000 for Engine 1. Voters will weigh in on the issue in November.
Archie’s Inc. informed the town earlier this summer that their recycling service agreement would be canceled as of Jan. 31 2020. The company has been providing free recycling until now, which according to Davis is an anomaly these days. Archie’s offered a renewed contract at the annual rate of $40,250 which includes rent for containers. Taking the recyclables directly to Norridgewock for disposal in the landfill would cost an estimated $57,000 annually.
The board unanimously approved the new contract which will become active on April 1, 2020.
An interim seat on the Regional School Unit 9 Board of Directors is now available after the resignation of Isaac Raymond last month. The interim candidate will fill the role between now and the March town meeting. Applications can be found on the town’s website here and are due by the end of the business day on Sept. 23.
