The New Ipswich Fire Department has requested use of American Rescue Plan Act funds for new communications equipment and a generator for the fire station.
During the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, Fire Chief Meredith Lund spoke about her priorities for use of the funds. The town was granted a total of $568,000 in relief funds, which can be used in a variety of ways. Select Board members have already voted to allocate some of those funds to benefit various town departments, including the Department of Public Works, Police Department, town pool and converting the former town highway garage into a community center.
The board has held off on allocating any funds to the Fire Department, as Lund had also applied for grants for some of the items on her list of possible uses for the funds. Lund said Tuesday that one of those grant requests is still outstanding, but she wished to make the board aware of her priorities so that money could be reserved if needed.
Her main priority, she said, was the communication station at the department. The current equipment does not belong to the town, but is on loan from Southwest Fire and Mutual Aid. Lund said a quote to replace the equipment, purchase a power pack and install it is about $7,761. It is still possible that the department will receive an Assistance to Firefighters Grant for the communications equipment, and it will find out in October.
Lund said her second priority was a generator for dedicated use at the department. The town has a small, portable generator the department can have access to during power outages, which gives enough power to open the side entrance and bay doors, but is not enough to run the entire station.
“Everything is run on electricity,” Lund said, including the exterior doors, the garage bays, the communications equipment and the equipment used to refill air tanks.
Lund said preliminary estimates for a gas generator capable of running the department are between $25,000 and $38,000, with a $5,000 to $6,000 installation cost. She said she has not requested any definitive estimates at this time.
Select Board Chair Shawn Talbot said a generator was definitely a need.
“Even if it’s not done under ARPA, it needs to be done,” said Select Board member Jason Somero.
Board membes told Lund they had put a pause on any further ARPA allocations earlier this summer, and had not revisited that decision. Talbot assured Lund that the Fire Department’s priorities would be considered when the board took up the issue again later in the year, though board members did not take any vote to officially reserve those funds.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.