POLAND – Selectmen voted unanimously this week to take the first step in filing a lawsuit against DCS Construction.

DCS Construction was hired by the town to build a handicap ramp at the town hall. The work was not completed, and what was done was deemed unsalvageable by an architectural firm a few weeks ago.

In order to recover what was lost on payment and what will have to be spent on repair, selectmen voted to let the town attorney file a suit.

This first step will cost around $1,800. DCS will have 20 days to remit payment. If they do not, selectmen will vote again on how to proceed. If they decide to pursue the lawsuit in court, the cost could run between $5,000 and $10,000.

George Sanborn notified the board that the state auditor has chosen James A. George P.C., the only bidder, to perform the audit of the town. State auditor Neria Douglass reviewed the proposal submitted by the firm and found it to be “qualified and competent.” The all-inclusive maximum price for the audit is $9,000. The contract will be prepared for signing by Dec. 12.

Also discussed at Tuesday’s meeting was the repair of the Fire Department’s pump truck.

The truck failed its pump test in early October. Since then, the problem has been diagnosed by Reliance Equipment in Vassalboro.

Other towns have been covering for Poland, since this truck being out of commission effectively cut their pump fleet in half. “That not only affects us, it affects the towns around us,” said Chief Wayne Cotterly.

Selectmen were notified at their last meeting that the cost of repairing the truck would be roughly $17,000. This is well above a limit set by the town requiring any non-budgeted items costing more than $5,000 to be put out to bid.

That decision was made at Poland’s last town meeting. However, due to the urgent nature of this repair, and the fact that there are few, if any, other qualified repair shops in the area, the selectmen felt that this repair should not go out to bid. Therefore, at their last meeting, they asked that the town attorney be contacted in order to decide if any other action could be taken.

After consulting with the attorney, the repair was completed and the bill will be paid with no bid. Cotterly informed selectmen that the truck was back in service as of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.