The Damariscotta Police Department plans to purchase a 2013 Ford Interceptor Sedan to replace a vehicle in need of repairs.
The Ford will replace a 2009 Dodge Charger with approximately 160,000 miles. The Dodge’s state inspection runs out at the end of the month and the car needs about $3,000 in repairs for a new sticker.
The Ford has all-wheel drive and “plenty of clearance” to navigate country lanes and winter roads, Damariscotta Police Chief Ron Young said.
The 2013 model comes with more options than a 2014 and is ready for pickup at Quirk Ford of Augusta in Hallowell, Young said.
The town will buy the vehicle for $22,483. The figure includes the trade-in value of the Charger.
The department will spend up to $5,000 to outfit the vehicle. The amount includes a new cage, center console and light bar brackets, lettering and the transfer of the light bar from the old vehicle.
Young estimated the actual cost at $4,362.
The chief plans to work with students at Great Salt Bay Community School to design the graphics on the police car, an idea from his days as police chief in Lincolnville.
“I had to stop them at flames and things like that,” Young said of the Lincolnville sixth-graders. “They really wanted (flames) on there, but we had to figure out a concept, something they had ownership in, and at the bottom I put ‘Designed by the class of 2013.'”
“I think that would be great, and the sky is the limit with the lettering,” Young said.
The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen approved the purchase 4-0 Dec. 4. Selectman Robin Mayer was absent.
The town has a balance of $24,400 in a capital reserve account for police vehicles. The town will withdraw from the reserve account for the purchase, and use savings from the police department budget to outfit the vehicle.
