FARMINGTON – Selectmen agreed to purchase a new cruiser to the lowest bidder, gave the green light to the town’s plumbing inspector to take a construction company to court and elected officers for the board of selectmen at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Selectmen awarded the $25,600 bid to Quirk Ford of Augusta for a new 2015 Interceptor for the police department. The Interceptor, a police rated sport utility vehicle, will replace the department’s aging Tahoe.
Eight bids were sent out to car dealerships in Maine and one in Massachusetts. Higher bids at $26,098 was received from MHQ; $27,927 from Farmington Ford; $26,885 from Bailey Brothers and $32,899 from O’Connor for 2015 or 2016 new vehicles. Equipment from the old Tahoe will be transferred to the new vehicle by specialists with the town’s fire and highway department to save installment costs.
In other matters, the town’s plumbing inspector, Richard Marble, was given authorization by selectmen to take contractor Teague Adams of Winthrop to court over alleged violations that took place when a septic system was installed at a property on Voter Hill.
Marble said Adams didn’t get a permit or call, as required, for an inspection when he put the system in. The property owner was the person who called Marble to have the system inspected. Marble told selectmen he found numerous violations with the installation that included the septic tank not being installed according to the plans drawn up, the distribution box was too small for the system and put in backwards and the original tank was broken “and shows evidence of fresh teeth marks from a backhoe or excavator in the area” of the break, Marble said in a letter.
He found other problems with the installation and said the entire system will need to be replaced.
The property owner “is out about $11,000,” Marble said. “We want to take it to court, make him (Adams) get a permit, pay the fine and fix it or give back the money.” According to statute, a Superior Court justice can order fines from $100 up to $2,500 for each violation and the permit fee is doubled to total $530 in this case.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Matthew Smith was welcomed as the new board of selectmen member after town meeting last night. Elected as board chair was Selectman Joshua Bell, Selectman Stephan Bunker as vice chair and Selectman Andy Buckland as secretary.
Resident Robert Vallette was appointed by selectmen to serve on the town’s Board of Appeals as an alternate member.
good job Richard keep them honest
Imagine that ANOTHER police vehicle…UNBELIEVABLE. When will this town change.
break, not brake. I pondered over that for a second or two.
Corrected, thanks
Your right Frustrated citizen how dare they provide the people who keep the wolves at bay an updated vehicle in good repair to respond to emergencies and provide service for the good of the community. Absolutely absurd!! As I suppose you feel are decent wages, benefits and cost of living increases for these and all other employees of the Town. As well as updating vital equipment used by town employees to provide services that the citizens demand be provided immediately upon request regardless of the time of day or night or other relevant emrgencies. Hmmmm yet another reason for keeping older vehicles rotated out of the fleet and keeping response vehicles up to date, safe, and reliable for such responses.
I completely agree, when will this town change……when will citizens in this and other communities understand that the services provided cannot be maintained on a shoestring budget with bubble gum and duct tape. When will they understand that these people do something that most are unable and/or unwilling to do, and that is put their lives on the line at any given moment on any given day to protect people who constantly critisize the way they do their jobs and are constantly screaming that they are overpaid and underworked.
These people standup for those who cannot themselves.They protect with their life anyone in or out of their communities regardless of sex,race,economic status,politcal views, sexual preference or any other of a hundred reasons that other members of the community would refuse to give a cup of sugar.
Until you are willing walk a mile in the shoes of a Law enforcement, Fire department, Emergency Medical Service, or emergency communications worker and live on their salaries, deal with the stresses of their jobs and live with the decisions that these people have to make EVERY SINGLE DAY, then not only do you not have any call to second guess the decision by town fathers to approve the purchase of such a vital tool as a police cruiser furthermore you should thank one of these honorable and courageous people every time you see them for doing their jobs in such exemplary form that you may continue living in the safety and security that you have become accustomed to.
I think the town could contract police services from the county for a whole lot less money than we pay now. I willing to bet we could get 2 deputies 24 hours a day plus a dedicated detective for half of the current 1.2 million the town is currently paying.
Too bad for $285 difference they didn’t pick Bailey. Some good local people work there. Let’s keep the big boys in Augusta thriving…..
I agree with Mr. Citizen. WELL SAID.
Mr. Citizen: So in your world no one but a cop, fireman, emt can question the selectmen regarding the budget for these services? The only way we will ever regain control of our town’s runaway budget is to significantly cut these services. Yes, I know this is tabboo to even suggest in our post -911 hysteria. These people do an incredibly difficult job, i agree. We simply don’t need the amount of coverage and cost that comes with it in our town. In a separate thread Peter Tracy compared budget growth back to 1989. I wonder what the proportional growth of our Fire and Police departments has been? Of course I expect this post will be highly criticized and if a movement ever took hold to reduce these departments the town meetings would be stacked with the personnel from the departments and every relative and friend they have to fight such a development. We can continue to moan about our tax burdens (which are becoming crushing) and quibble about what services we might cut; all the while the answer is right in front of us.
BTW Mr. Citizen: what Wolves are you talking about?
I agree the sheriffs dept needs to update their vehicles…but for a few extra bucks..what 500 why wouldn’t u buy local? It’s gonna cost to go back to augusta for warranty work? Why not keep it local and give Bailey bro the business. They are honest ! Oh well…
Captain Planet….
My math makes it a larger difference than yours, but either way there are some good local folks working at Quirk as well. I’m not sure what you see for a difference, both dealerships are not in Franklin County and from most parts of Farmington you can get to one about as quick as the other. Both have good local folks working there and both are trying to make a buck. Evidently Quirk is trying a bit harder.
A lot of money may get wasted but a new cruiser is not a luxury. In some cases those vehicles can run three shifts ,24 hours a day and with above the average hard use. They don’t last long.
Sue… Why is Bailey Brothers in Androscoggin County any more local than Quirk in Kennebec?
And what makes you think that the people at Quirk are not honest??
Thank goodness the people making the decision are not as short-sighted as you and Captain Planet.
everyone wants to save a buck, but when the selectmen try to, you people come up with this nonsense! If they want to sell a truck, they should put out the best price, the selectmen, working in your interest, are looking for the best deal. If Bailey Brothers had provided the best deal, they would have had the sale.
Doesn’t matter they will do what they are gonna do. Too bad it wasn’t 1989 again. Life was so much simpler then. I guess we either move or join the “wolves”..
Walter, You make excellent points about wanting to reduce spending. None of us are exactly happy about our taxes ‘going north’ year-after-year. Having said that, there are realities that do not go away. Would you be so kind as to be SPECIFIC in terms of EXACTLY what services you want reduced in terms re the police department, fire department, and EMT/rescue areas. Your exact words were “signiificantly cut these services” and “the realities are right in front of us”. You need to step up and get specific as opposed to throwing around accusations to these departments as being wasteful.
What specific ‘services’ would you like the police department to cut? Say it rather than just be mad and fling your frustration! We ALL want speed traps cut so let’s do away with those. (Certainly works for me!!!) But what do we do with the on-duty police in the meantime. Tell us?? I suppose we can use that time to have them sweep and clean the ‘city jail’ and local P.D., allowing the maintenance people to be laid off.
What ‘services’ would you like the fire department to cut? Kindly specify. We could get rid of the ‘per diem’ people who are on duty and respond immediately to your emergency. So, cut them and just simply go back to the old system that allowed for when/if/how many people arrive to come to your house when/if/how they can arrive at the firehouse after received a ‘tone’, get their gear, get on a truck, and drive to The Problem. Your insurance company may frown on that; I don’t know really know. But, it’s a question to ask along with how much more your Homeowner’s Insurance will be based on the response time. (I kinda think it will ‘take a while’……. )
Maybe the citizens in Farmington would be willing to go back to that; it might lower your taxes a few bucks a year.
It’s possible that you might want to get rid of the FFD ladder trucks along with the other accoutrements, bells, and whistles, and just say “oh well” when something tragic happens because the fire department doesn’t have the equipment to deal with the problem. Perhaps it is a suggestion you should make and discuss at the next town meeting. You could also stop the training programs they utilize—in-house and with other Franklin County departments…………. Should it simply be that they tell all the newbies (and the vets as things change) “Read the Manual, Boys!! It will tell you all you need to know!!!!”……..
Another avenue might be to get rid of updated equipment which allows a deputy chief on-site to send FD staff where it needs to go to be most effective at fighting a fire and also monitor the location of each firefighter. So we lose a couple who haven’t been adequately trained or have good equipment and ‘get lost’ in the building…….oh well! Lower taxes!!
What Emergency services would you specifically like them to cut in Farmington? We could marry the police, fire, and EMT phones into something less expensive and incorporative that the current 911 system and hope the folks who man the phones will ‘sort it out’ and call or tone ‘whoever” to get ‘whatever’ help you require to your home/problem ‘sometime’……
I am NOT unsympathetic with your frustration, Walter. I’m no more happy with paying taxes than you are and am no less frustrated that they keep going up; doesn’t matter whether you live in Farmington, Industry, or Florida. It just keeps ‘happening’!!!! I have read your post, understand you frustration, but am simply suggesting that instead of making a flame-thrower comment that includes your wish to “significantly cut services” and anticipates criticism (as it will come because those services are needed!), educate yourself………….!! Go by those facilities and ask your legitimate questions about their equipment, how they operate, what services they work to provide, WHO does what. Ask the questions. You can ALWAYS agree to disagree. Knowledge is power; if you do that you will be much equipped to, perhaps, make some suggestions that address The Issues and work toward Solving The Problem.
Walter, I am NOT picking on YOU; I am simply saying that the technology and staffing required for these services come with a price. No local cop, no local EMT/rescue personnel, and no per diem or volunteer fireman is getting rich off the Town of Farmington. Equipment is expensive—-and gets ever-more-so. Salaries/benefits for a living wage for local employees are never going down. Before you get angry with good people who are there to serve you and assure your safety as well as your family’s, please educate yourself about the realities of ‘the cost’.
Walter: I do appreciate your interest in my statements however in your final question you have only supported the very base of my previously stated opinion. The very fact that you ask “what Wolves are you talking about ? ” only further reinforces that the level of service you are receiving is of such caliber that the crime and emergencies that occur around you everyday however violent,perverse, or horrific are not only not impacting you, but that you are unaware that they exist. Also it is difficult for a statement like”we simply don’t need the amount of coverage and cost that comes with it in our town” to bear weight if you do not know the proportional growth of your fire and police let alone that figure in comparison to the sheer volume increase in calls for service. That is to say nothing of the range of diversity of these calls ever expanding or the public’s ever increasing need for these services to be provided instantaneously and at their convenience regardless of what the real world cost is. You can not expect to maintain the one call does it all coverage that you are receiving in the 911 system today and receive the instant gratification that today’s society demands without a willingness to fund these services proportionally. Uneducated and desperate cuts to these services to pacify the cries of an increasing movement to maintain quality for less money will only result in a reduction in the service provided therefore increasing the perception of a poor quality of service and increased waiting when then demand for the service increases. I do feel a common ground can be found in the budget struggle but that conversation must include the people that provide the service as they are the only ones who can accurately answer that difficult question between what is wanted and what is needed . We as a community should hold their answers to these questions in high regard if we are to maintain the quality of service we have grown a custom to while retaining the people providing it.
Mr Citizen, law enforcement have a grueling tasks I agree, but makes me wonder how all the other departments state wide can hold up such a tough task with used police interceptors? Maybe Farmington is the only one who truly needs new everything all the time. If the town ever decides it needs a budget cut I’d start with spending TOP dollar on law enforcement vehicles. There is proof that the job can be done with out purchasing brand new SUVs. Just look around outside Franklin County. I don’t want my post to target or law enforcement officers who do a fabulous job. This is strictly about our budget that seems to be one sided.
Aging Tahoe? They should keep it and make it off road capeable rescue vehicle,we own it outright
What people fail to accept is that when a federal, state, or local government issues a bid contract with the terms “lowest bidder” then they are legally bound to that contract and must award it to the lowest bidder reguardless of location.
But what is there to complain about, people complain when cops do their job and complain even more when they don’t. The least we can do as tax payers is see that they have safe and reliable tools so that they can do the best possible job that they can do.
The Farmington Police Department could make several cuts in the budget. Lets look at the statistics they have on their website. It says they are responding to roughly 11,500 calls for service a year. Now lets break down this number into all the different categories. Oh wait we can’t because they didn’t post that information on the website. You see the reason for this is because they are including the traffic stops into this figure along with other routine calls. I would almost be willing to bet that if you were to remove the traffic stops from those numbers it would be far less. Now having said that, I must also include that traffic stops are important. However shouldn’t be included in the “calls for service/incident” report the department gives to the town. As this is just a ploy used by almost every department, to inflate the numbers to help justify spending. The first place that any other business makes cuts is in payroll, now we as a town really need to start asking legitimate questions of our local agencies. Do we really need to have as many full time officers as we currently have? Is this really justified when we look at the accurate numbers for calls of service and not the inflated numbers they produce to us? I also know that post 911 has made everyone skirmish and everyone else knows this as well. Including the chief of the police and the chief of the fire department. Lets look back and get accurate information on all the things these 2 departments alone have asked for since 911 and see what the town selectmen have denied. We all already know the answer to this. I agree with the other citizens that have written on here stating that its time to say no. You guys go on saying knowledge is power. Have you got the answers to the questions above? I have gone onto the police departments website and they are still saying to wait for the 2013 statistics. Apparently they are so busy they couldn’t even get those numbers.
Farmington Police Department doesn’t need to have so many full time officers. We are a small town not a big city. I would compare Farmington to the Town of Jay. They don’t have so many full time officers and they surely don’t have a college police department that also patrols the streets and handles calls with them (Farmington PD does). We are also comparable to Livermore Falls area in size, again they don’t have as many officers or as many departments locally to assist.
Now lets talk county budgets. They seem to be raising taxes all the time as well. The Franklin County Sheriff Office is a great place to start there. Why is it that the county deputies all have a cruiser to take home? Why is it that they don’t have to drive to work like every other police department and citizen in the county. Instead we hand them a cruiser and its theirs. I’m not sure why we should have to be paying for the extra vehicles needed to support all the officers plus pay for the fuel they are using to “drive to work”. If I was to put in a fuel request to the county commissioners for my fuel costs to go to work will I get reimbursed? No, I am responsible to get myself to work, as they should be too. Vehicles and fuel are expensive and for us to be paying for it in this manner is ridiculous. We realistically don’t need more then 3 to 4 vehicles and that would include the sheriff having his own. Use your own vehicles to drive to and from work, let us keep our money for our own gas.
I know these departments are important and needed but these departments have several opportunities in cutting their budgets. Stand up for your rights and don’t let these departments continue to raise your taxes every year. I have given just a couple of areas for cuts, as I am sure that others have more ideas. Maybe they would actually like to write responses on here without a fear of being ridiculed for his/her opinion.