At the November 26, 2007, Selectmen's Meeting, the 'interim' Fire Chief/Police Chief, just returned from vacation, presented a progress report and information prepared by Captain Wiksten.
Again, lengthy information was presented to the Board, at the public meeting, not allowing consideration or research, prohibiting informed questions from the media or audience.
The proposed cost of replacing the ladder truck was presented now as being $900,000, with sketchy details.
What was originally presented as cracks in the chassis of the ladder truck has now been identified as cracks in the welds of the frame, not an unusual situation.
Since none of the publicly reported problems with the ladder truck are unusual and all are repairable, maybe it might be helpful for the Board to consider an Equipment Planning Committee that parallels the Capital Planning Committee. The former Fire Chief indicated that refurbishing was required on 2 other fire trucks but subsequently reduced his budget. Those 2 repairs also need to be considered before the Town is asked to bond money for a new ladder truck.
The transparent willingness to assess blame without accompanying research was clearly unprofessional. When a number of petty items appeared on the building list, including a burned out light fixture, surely voters are entitled to expect better conduct. The original 'punch list' provided by the Building Committee is undoubtedly available to document some of the original building problems.
And the BOS had not yet requested a determination from Town Counsel about the legality of using the unexpended funds from the original building construction for REPAIRS on a 4 year old building.
What was originally reported as 'leaking windows,' has now been correctly identified as the large overhead doors failing to operate properly. From the description, it might require minor adjustments.
It does seem that ALL of the doors were replaced last spring. Has anyone thought to contact the Architect or the Installer? It is my understanding that no contact was initiated prior to the first newspaper articles in October.
The newly hired employees within the Fire Department were briefly discussed. It is unclear at this time how many new employees there are or even whether the Board of Selectmen were aware. It seems that other departments come before the BOS to fill vacant positions because there's a HIRING FREEZE that no one has quite figured out. Why is the Fire Department different? Since the BOS voted to eliminate Call Fire Department permits and in essence, eliminated the Call Fire Department, it would seem crucial to public safety to be informed.
It would seem that ALL of the above information should be available as public documents within the Selectmen's Meeting Minutes for your review. Why don't they want you to know?
1 comment:
It sounds like the overpaid firemen WANT a new truck and the Selectmen who were elected by town union employees are afraid to say NO. This won't change until voters attend town meetings.
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