WOODSTOCK — The Board of Selectmen tasked Woodstock fire Chief Kyle Hopps with making a list of items that need to be repaired on the town’s 1948 firetruck during Tuesday evening’s meeting at the Town Office.
Town Manager Vern Maxfield said the town was hoping to include the 1948 Ford firetruck in the town’s bicentennial parade on Saturday, June 20.
The truck has been out of commission for “at least 25 years,” Maxfield said. “It hasn’t been used as long as I’ve been here.”
Hopps told the selectmen that the truck needed “a lot of work,” and that he was hesitant to use money from the Fire Department’s budget to fix a truck that was over 50 years old.
“It needs a bunch of brake work, carburetor work, needs a new right window and needs electrical work,” Hopps said. “The last time we actually drove the truck, back in 2001, we drove it from here to Rumford, and we had to keep stop and refill the radiator. I don’t want to be using money from our budget to fix that. It would be a waste of our budget.”
Board of Selectmen Chairman Ron Deegan said that he thought the 1948 firetruck was “an important piece of town history,” and that he didn’t want to see it go.
“I think you should get a laundry list of stuff that needs work on the truck,” Deegan said. “Start with the major things, and figure out the cost. We can figure it out from there.”
Selectman Stephen Bies said, “It wouldn’t bother me at all to just tow the truck around, instead of getting it running.”
“The best way we could get it around is if we put it on a trailer,” Hopps said.
Maxfield suggested that the town pull the firetruck outside of the old town garage and leave it on display for people at the bicentennial event.
In other business, Hopps told the selectmen that residents could now apply for burn permits on the town website.
“There’s a website called wardensreport.com,” Hopps said. “It basically allows residents of a town to apply for free burn permits online. It also keeps local fire chiefs and fire wardens up to date on where fire permits have been issued.”
Hopps said he’s trying to let the public know that they can go to the town website, which contains a link to the online fire permit website.
“It’s a really helpful and effective way to get burn permits,” Hopps said. “The next big step is letting people know it exists.”
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