Edgecomb Fire Chief Roy Potter and the Edgecomb School Committee have reached consensus on what to do with the Edgecomb Eddy School’s old tractor, currently in need of repairs. They jointly recommended the tractor be sold to offset the loan taken out for the new tractor at the Edgecomb Board of Selectmen meeting Monday, Dec. 15.
The agreement was reached after the true value of the broken-down tractor was determined. Hammond Tractor Company, of Union, appraised the tractor at $7,800 once the tractor was repaired. Hammond Tractor estimated the cost to repair the tractor would be approximately $450.
“The school committee is here tonight to say that we feel the tractor should be sold to offset the cost of the new tractor,” Sarah Clifford, chair of the school committee, said. “We thought about it. Edgecomb is a small town. If the fire department has a need for the new tractor, we feel that we could make that available to them rather than have two tractors.”
Potter agreed. “Once the smoke had settled,” Potter said, “it makes a whole lot of sense. When we found out what the value of the tractor was, it makes more sense to sell it and put it toward the loan than what the town would get out of it from the fire department using it.”
AOS 98 Facilities Maintenance Director David Benner determined the old tractor was unfixable due to a rusted front loader and hydraulic system. He recommended the purchase of a new tractor. The school committee approved a $20,577, five-year loan to purchase a new John Deere tractor this past spring.
Questions about what to do with the old tractor and which municipal body was responsible for disposing of it had previously placed the school committee, the Edgecomb Fire Department, and the selectmen at odds. The selectmen recommended transferring the tractor to the fire department. The school committee recommended the tractor be sold to offset the loan.
No one was sure who had the authority to make the final decision.
Clifford and Potter met independently to resolve the disagreement. “We now know what the tractor is worth,” Potter said. “It’s not a piece of junk. Let’s do the right thing and the responsible thing and get what we can for it.”
“That’s the exact spirit that we’re talking about,” Selectman Jack Sarmanian said, praising Potter and Clifford for their consensus. “It’s very appropriate,” he said, referring to the school committee’s willingness to share the Eddy School’s new tractor, if needed, with the fire department.
It was determined that the sale of the broken-down tractor would require a townwide vote because municipal property was being put to a new purpose. That vote will take place at the annual town meeting in May.
After some discussion, the school committee, fire chief, and selectmen agreed that, if approved by voters, selling the old tractor on consignment through Hammond Tractor would be the most cost-effective option.
(Editor’s Note: The Lincoln County News reported that the broken-down tractor had been sent to Union Farm Equipment for appraisal in the Dec. 4 edition. See “The fate of Edgecomb’s broken tractor still undetermined,” page 1. The tractor was sent to Hammond Tractor Company, which completed the appraisal.)
