LIVERMORE FALLS – The Farmington ladder truck has passed the certification test and should be arriving in town by mid-April. It’s expected to be in operation in this town’s fleet by May 1.

Livermore Falls Fire Chief Ken Jones updated selectmen and Budget Committee members Monday on the aerial. The town bought Farmington’s 1988 ladder truck for $105,000.

Selectmen had requested that the truck be certified with Livermore Falls paying for the inspection before it arrives in town.

Jones said there were no significant repairs needed to the truck as shown in the report that was available for review.

The “Farmington boys” received compliments from the testing company over the condition and maintenance of the truck, Jones said.

One of the cables on the aerial needs some adjustment because it sags a little bit when it is retracted, Jones said.

Most of the 18 Class 3 repairs listed under comments on the report can be done in-house, Jones said.

Some of the Class 3, which means repairs needed, recommend the work be done soon or at the next maintenance. Both front outriggers have one bulb that doesn’t work on cover guards, the left rear bumper mounted drop-down step does not lock into its deployed position and both chassis batteries have loose hold down brackets.

The only thing that possibly may need outside labor is the cable adjustment, Jones said.

There were no Class 1 or Class 2 problems, which could have required immediate repair.

“This is a big step for us,” Jones said.

Jones also informed selectmen that there are two grants that fire departments can apply for this year through the Fire Act program and one grant for a regional purpose. Jones said he is meeting with chiefs from four other towns Thursday to discuss applying for a regional grant.

The chief updated the board on the progress on the pumper/tanker that is being bought with $188,100 in federal grant money and $9,900 from the town, not including additional accessories and equipment the department is paying for.

Jones said he is waiting to hear if he will get 25 percent of the grant to use for a down payment by next week so that the town will be eligible for a 3 percent discount or about $2,000 on the down payment, which is planned to be used to help offset costs for the additional equipment and accessories.

He is hoping to hear about the application soon.

“Dealing with the government is tough in some cases,” Jones said.

The town’s 1974 ladder truck will be repaired to get it certified to put it out for bid.