GILL — The Selectboard discussed ideas for using excess American Rescue Plan Act funding to buy a new police cruiser and mini pumper for the Fire Department during its Aug. 16 meeting, but did not reach a decision.
A joint letter from the Gill Police and Fire departments detailing cost estimates, technical specifics of the proposed vehicles and rationale for the concept’s necessity was presented to the board. Both departments hope to use federal funding left over from a flooring project at Gill Elementary School that used roughly $300,000 of the $428,658 the town received through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The Police Department, which has three Ford Interceptor police cruisers, is looking to replace its oldest model, a 2013 semi-marked cruiser with more than 116,000 miles on it and several parts needing replacement. According to the Police Department’s letter to the Selectboard, the department hopes to replace it with “a new hybrid cruiser that would match the remaining fleet with updated equipment and uniform fully-marked graphics.” The letter states this new cruiser would decrease gas usage and allow officers to serve the community safely.
The estimated cost to replace the 2013 Ford Interceptor is around $57,750, with the estimated procurement time for acquiring the cruiser being two to four weeks following approval, the letter continues.
Meanwhile, the Fire Department, which has two full-size pumper trucks, a full-size tanker, and a small fleet with a rescue and brush truck, hopes to replace its 1987 open-cab pumper with a new mini-pumper. According to the Fire Department’s letter, the mini-pumper is equipped with a 300-gallon tank, “a full-size pump and compliment of equipment to support structural firefighting.”
The new vehicle would allow firefighters more flexibility along rural riverside roads that only the minimally equipped brush truck can access, the letter continues. The 1,000-foot supply line and four-wheel drive (which none of the existing large fire suppression apparatuses have) would improve the department’s versatility.
In addition, the Fire Department wrote that the mini-pumper would be safer than the current pumper, which “does not meet any NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards and is lacking in safety features.” The current pumper lacks doors in the rear seating area and has lap-only seatbelts, whereas the mini pumper would have a fully enclosed cab and proper seatbelts, the letter states.
The estimated cost for the mini pumper is $315,000, not including the cost of accompanying electric tools.
Although the potential purchases were discussed Monday, no decisions have been made by the Selectboard regarding buying either vehicle.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.