ASHFIELD — The Selectboard has decided to purchase a Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicle over a hybrid Ford vehicle based, in part, on the performance of the Police Department’s current hybrid vehicle.
After a Special Town Meeting where the town decided to set aside $40,000 for a new police cruiser, adding to the $25,000 that was already allocated at Annual Town Meeting in May, the Selectboard was left with a choice of whether to purchase a hybrid car.
At the Selectboard’s meeting this week, Police Chief Beth Bezio said there have been multiple occasions when the department’s hybrid vehicle was unable to make it to emergencies.
Police Sgt. Fred Bezio also said at the meeting that he has used his truck multiple times for police business instead of responding with the hybrid police cruiser when West Road was impassable during spring mud season.
He explained when he needed to respond to an emergency situation for people who lived on top of a hill, he “almost didn’t make it up” because the hybrid car had low clearance.
There is a 4.5-inch clearance difference between the hybrid vehicle and the Tahoe chosen by the Selectboard. The current hybrid had larger wheels put on the vehicle, adding 1.5 inches of clearance for the rural terrain of Ashfield, but the chief said there were still difficulties with driving the car.
The hybrid vehicles are advertised to get 24 miles per gallon (MPG), but the police chief said at the meeting that it does not get more than 20.1 MPG. The Tahoe gets 18 MPG.
The Tahoe costs $1,000 more than the hybrid vehicle considered, but the police chief recommended it anyway. “Times where I can’t get there and a person’s life is in my hands, that’s what scares me,” she said, justifying her recommendation.
The town had planned to buy the cruiser next year, with residents voting to appropriate the money over the course of two years. However, due to supply chain shortages and price hikes, the town decided to buy the cruiser before the next Annual Town Meeting.
The town’s two cruisers are replaced in cycles on an eight-year basis, with one being replaced every four years. The newer vehicle of the two is a hybrid vehicle, so the town will have one electric and one gas-powered. The cruiser up for replacement has nearly 90,000 miles on it.
Buying a 2022 model slightly ahead of schedule would save the town around $14,000 compared to what it would likely pay next year, had the purchase remained on schedule.
“I’m all for hybrid, believe me, but this (Tahoe) is going to be more rugged and less problematic,” Bezio explained. “I will be able to respond and actually get there.”
Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.