MINOT — Selectmen on Monday approved the purchase of a used emergency generator to deliver backup power for the town office and Central Fire Station.

Town Administrator Arlan Saunders told the board that resident Jim Cesare had located a used 30kw propane-fired generator that the town could have for $2,000.

That compared with new generators of similar capacity costing about $15,000 that town officials were considering.

“(The U.S. Department of) Homeland Security has designated the town office as an emergency operation center so we really do need the backup,” Saunders said.

The town has an emergency generator in use at the town garage to the rear of the town office and its primary function is to provide power for the town well. The well supplies water for the Minot Consolidated School.

Saunders estimates the emergency generator will be operational within 30 days.

Selectmen also tabled action requiring Darren Nichols to remove an old mobile home on his Old Woodman Hill Road property.

The mobile home was abandoned after Nichols built his new house farther onto his property. The building has become an eyesore and Code Enforcement Officer Ken Pratt had been asked to have it removed.

Pratt reported that Nichols intends to fix up the trailer and use it for storage. Selectmen agreed that Nichols should apply for a building permit to do just that. Nichols will have to provide Pratt with a sketch plan, showing what the building will look like once it has been rehabilitated.

Saunders also reported that the official closeout of the town’s recreational trail grants shows that the town can expect a reimbursement check for $17,730 from the Department of Conservation. Saunders said this is about $5,000 more than he had originally thought would be coming to the town.

Selectmen also approved Saunders’ employment contract and Town Treasurer Connie Taker’s letter of agreement for the next year.