WILTON — The Board of Selectpersons approved seeking bids for the replacement of a 1995 John Deere Wheel Loader Wednesday, April 16. The request was brought to the selectboard by Dale Roberts, Public Works foreman.

The bid specification includes a rear backup camera and optional plow and wing set up.

“The grader is getting real old; it’s 33, 34 years old,” Roberts said. “I’d like to put a plow and wing set up on the loader to save our grader for dirt roads. This will save us a lot of money in the long run.”

Replacing the grader would cost the town between $250,000 and $300,000, he added.

Chairperson Tiffany Maiuri asked how much life expectancy would be added to the grader if the money was spent to add a plow and wing to the loader.

“If we just use it for grading roads and grading shoulders, it will last a while,” Roberts said. “If we use it like we’ve been using it the last 10 years, it will last 10 or 15 more years.

“The camera is for safety. If a car gets right up behind the grader, you can’t see it unless they start laying on the horn.”

At Robert’s request, the board agreed to look into a parking issue on Main Street near Wilton Free Public Library bridge.

“There is that one parking spot by the wall that kicks out,” Roberts said. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me if we could take out that spot because it causes problems. If a car parks there, the rear end sticks out and it is narrow through there.”

It has been the location of several “close calls”, Roberts said when asked if any accidents could be attributed to the parking spot.

“It is a safety problem on our end, too,” said Fire Chief Sonny Dunham. “Our trucks have a hard time getting through.”

Dunham presented the Fire Department’s quarterly report, noting there were 23 firefighters on the roster, with one currently on personal leave.

“I had 79 calls since the last report,” he said.

The department responded to 12 mutual aid out-of-town calls, he added.

dmenear@thefranklinjournal.com