PERU – The Board of Selectmen voted Monday evening to table discussion on developing a formal guide for soliciting bids for future projects.

The issue will be addressed at the board’s April 10 meeting.

Chairwoman Carol Roach said she wanted the board to develop a formal Request For Proposal guide for “consistency.” She said she decided to pursue it while waiting for Fire Chief Bill Hussey to compete a form for bid specifications for the new Worthley Pond fire station.

“We need to develop a formal process so we know how to ask the Friends of Peru Elementary School, or (Town Clerk) Vera Parent, or the board itself to move forward with Requests for Proposals,” Roach said. “That way, we won’t get an excuse for not getting work done. The bones and structures for how to complete them will be there.”

Selectman Raquel Welch said she recently spoke with Hussey, who said he had not completed the form yet. She said she’s concerned it hadn’t been written up and filed, despite Hussey being provided with documents that show how to fill out the form.

In 2016, residents voted to raise and appropriate $50,000 and authorize the selectmen and treasurer to secure financing of up to $80,000 to replace the fire station. However, Hussey later requested another $15,000 for the project.

Voters will decide on that request at the June referendum.

Selectman John Witherell said that he thinks the request for proposals for the fire station should “go out for the amount of money that the town has (already) appropriated … not for something that he hasn’t gotten yet.”

“I thought the idea was to make the fire station fit the budget that the voters decided on,” Witherell said.

“That was the directive,” Roach said.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

Peru Selectmen Raquel Welch, left, and Wendy Henderson listen to Chairwoman Carol Roach explain why she is seeking a guide for bid specifications for projects at Monday evening’s board meeting at the Town Office.

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