TURNER – After weeks of investigating possible replacements for an broken 1982 firetruck, Fire Chief Steve Fish and Assistant Chief Sean Arsenault are recommending the town buy a new truck.

Fish told selectmen Monday night that what’s available for used equipment “isn’t a whole lot better” than what the town has, and would come with its own set of mechanical problems.

A new truck would cost $221,000, without “a lot of bells and whistles,” Fish said. With $53,000 available in the Fire Department reserve account, that would leave a bill for the citizens of $168,000.

“That is a lot of money,” Fish said. “We really do know that, but we don’t see any alternatives.”

The current truck is valued at $8,000 to $10,000, and a minimum of $15,000 to $18,000 would be needed to get it in working order. But, Fish pointed out, that would get it working, not necessarily working well. He said that didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to him.

On Nov. 2 ballot?

Selectmen agreed with Fish’s assessment but also said they have to consider the impact of that amount of money on the taxpayers.

Charlie Mock, training officer for the Turner Rescue Department, asked Fish and Arsenault about grant money that might be available. The firefighters responded that they’ve submitted applications for the past three years, but have been unsuccessful.

They believe that is partly caused by the lack of debt the town carries. “We can’t show need,” Fish said.

Fish told selectmen that they also investigated lease-purchase agreements as the board had requested. There are several programs available with various levels of payments, lease lengths and interest rates. Town Manager Jim Catlin pointed out that the amount of money the Fire Department brings in for response billings annually would make a annual lease-purchase payment for a 10- to 12-year contract, without the large impact all at once.

Selectmen instructed Catlin to contact the Budget Committee and ask them to meet, discuss the alternatives and make a recommendation before the next selectmen’s meeting. If the matter can be handled in a timely fashion, there could be a ballot referendum included for the truck during the Nov. 2 election. If necessary steps cannot be accomplished in that time frame, the town would need to schedule a special town meeting.

In other business, Catlin said that work on refurbishing and strengthening the Pleasant Pond dam should be completed within the next few weeks. It should cost no more than the $19,700 that’s in a reserve account for that purpose. The plans are to reinforce the front of the dam, repair some damage on the top and to install more extensive rip-rapping to prevent erosion.