WILTON – The Selectboard unanimously nominated a new director for the Mt. Blue Regional School District board Tuesday evening, with the nominee to fill the vacant seat immediately.
The board nominated Cherieann Harrison to the board until June 2015, at which point residents will elect a director through the standard process. That director would then serve the remaining year of the three-year term that was vacated when Director James Black left earlier this year.
Selectman Thomas Saviello nominated Harrison, saying he wanted to get some new people into local government. There were two other candidates previously: Jan Collins and Betty Shibles, although Shibles later removed her name from consideration. Since the last meeting, when the board opted to table the issue for two weeks in order to give Shibles a chance to talk to the board about her candidacy, Town Manager Rhonda Irish said that two more individuals had come forward to be considered for the seat.
The board decided to go with Harrison. Saviello encouraged anyone who applied for the seat to take out nomination papers next year.
The board also signed a warrant to schedule a November special town meeting, as anticipated following their discussion at a meeting on Oct. 7. The special town meeting will be Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Academy Hill School cafeteria. The only article of substance appearing on the warrant will address the funding of an aerial-capable fire truck, asking residents if they wish to expend up to $500,000 for that purpose.
Wilton has been without in-town aerial coverage since August 2013, when the Wilton Fire Department’s 1973 Snorkel truck failed to pass inspection due to stress fractures in the vehicle’s frame and bucket that would have cost more than $15,000 to repair. That investment, given the age of the truck and likelihood of additional issues arising, was deemed by the department and town to be prohibitive and the truck was eventually sold for scrap.
A committee of town officials, residents and firefighters considered different options, including contracting with Jay and/or Farmington and purchasing a new or old aerial device. A quint, short for quintuple combination pumper, would include an aerial device and would likely replace Engine 7, as it includes a pump. The resale value of Engine 7 has been estimated at $30,000 to $35,000.
A used quint with a full, 100-foot aerial device would cost between $400,000 to $600,000, according to cost estimates previously collected by the committee. However, fire department officers had suggested buying an 85-foot aerial, matching the scrapped Snorkel, which would cost less.
The cost of the truck would likely by financed through a 10-year loan or bond, utilizing $300,000 to $350,000 from the Comfort Inn Tax Increment Financing District at an amount of $30,000 to $35,000 per year. The remaining $150,000 to $200,000 cost of the truck could be raised through the budget process over 10 years. Meanwhile, coming off the books is the $22,000 spent annually on the East Dixfield fire truck, an obligation that will end in November 2015.
