Yes or No to New Fire Truck?

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Created on Wednesday, 30 April 2014 18:16
Written by Matthew Drew

aafire truck revoteBRADFORD - You could find nearly the entire town of Bradford at the Bradford Academy yesterday evening, all for the sake of purchasing a new, very large piece of rescue equipment.

 

On town meeting day back in March, Bradford residents voted for a petition for the purchase of a new fire truck. The new truck would cost the town over 650-thousand dollars, paid for over the next five years.

"This is a curious vote in that voting to change the actions of town meeting, if you want to change them you vote yes which means that you are opposed to the expenditure," Said Bradford Town Moderator Peter Mallary. "In order to support what happened at town meeting you vote no which means you are in favor of the expenditure of the fire truck."

Many residents were vocal about the topic, asking questions like "Do we know how long this thing is going to last, approximately?" or "How does this mutual aid thing work, are we going to have to send this truck to every call outside of our town?"

Bradford resident Rodney Perry voiced his opinion on the matter.

"I believe it is necessary because the aerial lift vehicle they have now has been nothing but a lemon since they purchased it," Said Perry. "Something new that we don't have to maintain and that we know is gonna work and possibly save lives is a valuable asset for the community and surrounding communities with mutual aid."

Many community members believed that the new truck would be a great addition while others believed that it is just a waste of money.

Voters decided to rescind the petition. The fire truck purchase will have to wait until next years town meeting, where it will be voted on again.