The Bristol Board of Selectmen, at its Nov. 13 meeting, agreed to sell a half-acre property at 687 Benner Rd. to Dean Russell for $1000.
The selectmen attempted to dispose of the property at public sale, but did not receive any bids. The town foreclosed on the uninhabited property after the previous owner did not pay property taxes or respond to communications from the town for multiple years.
Chairman Chad Hanna said the sale would allow the town to recoup the $651.44 in back taxes and interest, as well as any expenses associated with the foreclosure process.
A garage currently stands on the property. The size of the lot would likely prevent any effort to add a house, Bristol Town Administrator Kristine Poland said.
In other business, the selectmen plan to schedule a meeting with the officers of the Bristol Fire Department to discuss the possibility of a contract with South Bristol to respond to non-mutual aid calls in the neighboring town.
Hanna said the selectmen contacted an attorney about the matter after the leadership of the fire department expressed concern about Bristol’s role in South Bristol going “beyond a mutual aid situation.”
Local fire departments automatically respond to major emergencies in neighboring towns, such as structure fires, to provide support known as mutual aid. The fire departments usually handle relatively minor calls, like fire alarms and motor vehicle accidents, without mutual aid.
Hanna said the selectmen do not know whether Bristol firefighters will want to take on the responsibility or whether the South Bristol Board of Selectmen and Fire Department would have any interest in such an arrangement.
The selectmen said the attorney recommended an interlocal agreement that would require South Bristol to provide liability insurance for Bristol firefighters, among other things.
