The Waldoboro Board of Selectmen authorized the Waldoboro Fire Department to purchase $11,546.60 in equipment to outfit a new fire truck purchased last year.
The money will come from the town’s capital reserve account and was already set aside for this purchase; the selectmen’s authorization was needed to expend the money.
At the recommendation of the dealer who sold Waldoboro the truck, Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer elected not to purchase the equipment – which includes tools, hoses and mounting hardware – from the dealer, hoping that purchasing the equipment separately would save the town money. Smeltzer did not have an estimate for what the equipment would have cost from the dealer, so could not specify how much the town saved.
The town received four bids for the equipment, ranging from $11,338.20 to $12.612. Smeltzer recommended Harrison Shrader Enterprises and the Selectmen agreed; they were the second lowest bid.
“Theirs most closely fits with the equipment and brands we already use,” Smeltzer told the board. Harrison Shrader’s sales representative is also the only company representative who comes to the Waldoboro Fire Station to meet with the department and review equipment needs, Smeltzer said.
