BOLTON — Voters supported bonding for a new fire truck for the Bolton Volunteer Fire Department in a 51-3 vote during Tuesday’s special town meeting.
Tuesday’s vote essentially moved the item to referendum next month, so residents will get a chance to give final approval on the future purchase Nov. 2.
The approval authorizes the referendum on whether to spend up to $810,000 for the engine tanker and to approve the issuance of $630,000 bonds and notes to partially finance that appropriation.
The town has set aside some funds for the truck.
The new engine tanker will replace the town’s current main truck, the ET334, which is about 30 years old. The ET334 is the first tanker to respond to all type of fires, alarms, hazardous material incidents, motor vehicle accidents, and other emergencies, according to documents from the town. ET334 is a 1993 E-One Cyclone engine.
The make and model of the truck the town proposes to purchase was not available early today.
Compared to the ET334, the new truck will have an updated diesel engine with a better emission system, more computerized electronics, air bags, rollover protection, and other safety features, the town said. It would have a 1,000-gallon water tank and 1,500 gallons of water-per-minute fire pump. The hose-carrying bed has been redesigned on the newer truck to make it easier to pack hose and get the fire hose off the truck during an emergency, town officials said.
The new truck will also have more spacious compartments, an aluminum body to resist corrosion, and a cab designed to allow smooth mechanical transition by fire department operators.
Town officials said it’s been more than five years since the fire department requested new apparatus.
Bolton’s charter requires a few steps when bonding for capital projects. Following a recommendation from the Board of Selectmen and approval from the Board of Finance, an appropriation must then be approved via town meeting. Projects above a certain amount must be approved at referendum. The fire truck question is on the Nov. 2 ballot.
If it was rejected at the town meeting, the results of the upcoming referendum question would have been void.
Note: The headline was updated to clarify that the bonding still requires approval at referendum.
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