RUMFORD – Town officials and the fire department union came to a three-year agreement at Thursday’s selectmen’s meeting.

The board also awarded the contract for the construction of a temporary building to house a soon-to-be-delivered ladder truck.

The town’s 12 or so firefighters will receive a 25-cent an hour increase for the first year of the three-year contract, followed by two years of 30-cent an hour increases. The most recent contract expired on June 30.

Another agreement in the contract provides an expanded wellness program for firefighters, including improved physical assessment and an increase in the number of annual testings.

Both sides seemed satisfied.

“Negotiations went very well,” said lawyer for the town, Jennifer Kreckel.

Not going so well was the discussion before selectmen agreed to award the contract for construction of a temporary building to house the new ladder truck at a cost of $20,000. The project will be a community volunteer effort, rather than an outright purchase of such a building.

Kreckel must confirm any town liability before the deal is signed; however, she said as long as volunteers sign a waiver stating they are not employees of the town while working on the building, they will be covered by the town’s liability insurance. Because they are volunteers, workers compensation will not have to be provided. Those volunteers will be members of the fire department who will work on the structure during their off time.

Keith Bickford, also a firefighter, as well as a self-employed building contractor on his off time, was awarded the contract. Kreckel said she will have to research any legal ramifications related to liability and workers compensation for him.

A beginning date for the project has not yet been determined. Members of the fire department decided to try to lower the cost of a temporary building by building it themselves. When the project went out to bid, the lowest price came in at more than $40,000.

While the subject for discussion was how to have a temporary building constructed, some residents objected to placing it at the rear of the municipal parking lot located behind the fire station. Others objected to buying a ladder truck that did not fit into the current fire station. While others took issue with a tentative plan to build an entirely new station.

Chief John Woulfe and a Fire Station Task Force plan to begin holding informational meetings on the need for a modern fire station sometime in the next few weeks. The current 1925 brick, historic building is too small to adequately house increasingly large pieces of fire fighting apparatus, and it also does not provide sufficient space for firefighter training. These are among the reasons given for the need for a new station.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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