ANDOVER – Selectmen decided Tuesday night to try to confirm who sent two letters to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that led to a $237,000 firetruck grant being held up.

Selectman Hope Peterson said by phone Wednesday afternoon that the board agreed to “investigate the Freedom of Information Act and consult with the town’s attorney regarding the allegations allegedly sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”

The decision followed a 30-minute executive session on a personnel issue at Tuesday night’s board meeting,

Prior to the session, Andover Fire Chief Ken Dixon told selectmen that a first set of allegations mailed to FEMA Director Bob Waters were acted on and found to be groundless.

“Since then, another letter was sent to Washington, D.C., and a phone call made, and now the grant is on hold,” Dixon said.

“I requested a copy of the contents of the letters through the Freedom of Information Act, but have not gotten anything yet. Because of a couple of individuals, the very fabric of this Fire Department is threatened and the fire chief has been threatened,” he said.

“We know who it is, but we can’t verify it until we get copies of the letters,” Peterson said Wednesday, referring to the author of the letters.

She said that’s why the board wants to get confirmation through the Freedom of Information Act and then press FEMA.

Awarded earlier this year, the $237,000 grant was to buy a new firetruck. The money is being held up until the matter is resolved by selectmen and FEMA.

In other business, selectmen decided to enforce the town’s junkyard ordinance, putting townspeople on notice.

Selectman Susan Merrow told about 70 people at Tuesday night’s meeting that the ordinance, which is stricter than the state’s, would be available in the town office.

“It’s important that people know what it is and get to cleaning up before enforcement takes place later this summer,” she said.

The board also accepted two petitions from resident Kelli Scotti, which establish dates and meeting times next month and into June for a public hearing and special town meeting on ambulance coverage.

The second petition also asks that all available service provider options gathered by the town’s ad-hoc Ambulance Committee be mailed to all town voters five days prior to the special town meeting vote.

The petitions pertain to last month’s Andover town meeting when a majority of voters rejected renewing a 10-year contract extension with Mexico-based Med-Care Ambulance Service. The current decade-long contract expires June 7. Voters agreed to pay for coverage up to then. For the interim, they also agreed to form a committee that would research the town’s coverage options through Med-Care and other ambulance service providers.

Selectmen’s Chairman Jeff Rainey then took questions from residents, one of whom, Wayne Delano, advised the board to exercise patience.

“We need to let things play out as necessary and set a vote for a special town meeting on June 4 or 5 to hear what the other towns have done,” Delano said.

“As long as we sign, or agree as a town to join Med-Care by June 7, that’s all that matters, but I’d hate to see us jump ahead of time. Personally, I don’t think there’s another option timewise or moneywise, but we don’t want to be anxious to set the special town meeting too early.”

The board then debated whether they could convene such a meeting, because some believed they first had to hold a special town meeting just to allow voters to either approve or disapprove of the petitions.

A decision was tabled until the Maine Municipal Association could be consulted.