Council OKs second ambulance this year

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — In an ongoing effort to update the town’s ambulance fleet, Houlton Town Councilors approved Monday the purchase of a second “demo” ambulance. The need for another ambulance arose following an incident two weeks ago in which the town’s No. 3 ambulance blew a head gasket while transporting a patient to Bangor.
    According to Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone, the estimated cost to repair the existing 2006 Ford ambulance was a minimum of $7,000, but could have gone considerably higher. That ambulance had about 160,000 miles on it and also had a history of engine issues.
    “We took that ambulance to Autotronics in Bangor and it was going to be some serious repairs,” Cone said. “We just didn’t think it was viable option to repair because of other issues the engine could have.”
    The department was given a loaner ambulance from Autotronics to use until their new one is ready, Cone said.
    Town Manager Doug Hazlett said the new demo vehicle — a 2011 GMC with 16,000 miles — would cost the town $165,000 and would be financed over a four-year period, with a payment of $15,500 the first year and three payments of $50,500 following.
    A new vehicle would cost about $200,000, Hazlett said.
    Back on May 9, the council authorized the purchase of a similar “demo” ambulance at a cost of $171,755. That vehicle replaced a 2003 ambulance, which had more than 240,000 miles on it. That unit was purchased a full year ahead of schedule because of the extremely high mileage on the vehicle it replaced.
    That 2011 GMC went into service in June. At the time it was purchased, it had 5,000 miles on it, but now has nearly 25,000 miles on it. The town also has a 2009 Ford with 76,000 miles on it.
    Historically, the town maintains three ambulances, using a three-year rotation of replacing those vehicles. But with the amount of calls to transport patients to southern hospitals on the rise, the ambulance service is logging more and more miles on its fleet. They average about 3,400 miles per month per vehicle. The department takes patient transfers because it is a source of revenue for the town.
    Councilors unanimously supported the purchase of the unit.
Fireworks
    Councilors also learned that the town’s planning board has come up with a recommended ordinance to regulate fireworks. The proposed ordinance does not ban the sale, and allows fireworks to be used in large, open areas with some restrictions on the times they can be used.
    According to Hazlett, the planning board voted unanimously to send the ordinance to the council. Councilors did not discuss the ordinance during Monday night’s meeting, but will review it at the Dec. 12 meeting. A public hearing on the ordinance will be held on Dec. 27 and could be passed before the new state law goes into effect Jan. 1.
    If the town does not adopt a fireworks ordinance, there would be no regulations on their use starting Jan. 1. For example, without an ordinance, an individual could light off fireworks from anywhere in town starting at midnight on New Year’s Day.
Public works garage
    During councilor’s closing remarks, Councilor Mike Jenkins requested that the topic of asking SAD 29 to remove its busses from the town’s public works garage on Bangor Street be placed on the agenda for the next council meeting.
    “I would like to see us vote up or down whether to ask SAD 29 to move its busses out of the town garage,” he said.
    The town has a month-to-month lease with the school district to use a portion of the municipal garage to park some of its busses inside, and to also use a portion of the workspace.
    “How I left it with the school district was we wanted the space back, but we don’t want to leave them (SAD 29) out in the cold,” Hazlett said. “They are working on alternatives.”
    Jenkins said other districts store their busses outside, so that should not be an issue for the town. He also said the income gained from leasing the space did not cover the amount spent on electricity and heat for the building.
    “And besides, the Public Works Department has use for that space,” he said. “I think now is the time to give them their notice.”
    Hazlett said he would put the matter on the agenda for their next regular meeting.
    In other agenda items, councilors:
    • Voted 5-1, with councilor John White opposed, to accept the transfer of forfeited assets (a 2009 Polaris ATV) from the State of Maine Office of the District Attorney. The ATV was seized due to multiple Operating Under the Influence of alcohol convictions by the vehicle’s owner. The town intends to sell the ATV and keep the proceeds as revenue.
    • Authorized the transfer of $50,000 from ambulance revenues to be credited to the ambulance overtime account. Due to the increase in ambulance runs, especially out-of-town transfers, additional overtime costs have been incurred. The town is compensated for the runs, but must cover its expenses before being reimbursed.
    • Approved the transfer of fuel costs for November and December from the town’s Capital Reserve Account. Due to the high cost of diesel fuel in the first quarter of 2011, the town depleted much of its fuel account in the early stages of 2011, Hazlett said.
    • Appointed council chairman Paul Cleary to serve as the second municipal representative to the Northern Maine Development Commission.
    • Accepted a donation from Audrey York for a wall emblem at the Houlton Police Department.
    The next council meeting will be Monday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 p.m.