A downpayment of $77,000 was paid to Northern Fire Equipment on Oct.18, 2022.
DALTON, Mass.—The Select Board voted to explore how to reclaim the remaining American Rescue Plan funds allocated for the Fire Districts Ladder truck due to delays.
The ordered ladder truck has faced many production delays, and it is unclear when the town will receive it.
Despite earlier reports from the district that the ladder truck had entered the paint booth in August, it was disclosed in a board meeting in October that the truck was far from completion.
In 2022, the Select Board approved the transfer of $119,500 in ARPA funds to the Fire District for the purchase of the refurbished ladder truck.
Members of the Fire District visited Northern Fire Equipment, located in Buffalo, N.Y., and discovered the true state of its "new" ladder truck.
The board asked legal council to review whether the town can reclaim the remaining $42,500 of ARPA funds to ensure that the funds are used correctly.
"We want to make sure that [the funds] are applied correctly and that there's not a situation of fraud in this purchase," Select Board chair Joe Diver said.
The Select Board also voted to report Northern Fire Equipment to the Massachusetts District Attorney General’s office for fraud. The select board asked legal council to review Northern Fire Equipment’s contract to see if there were any violations that would lead to its cancellation.
Although the ladder truck is the Fire District’s responsibility, the board stepped in and investigated because town funds are involved in the truck. The Fire District and town are two separate governing bodies.
A downpayment of $77,000 was paid to Northern Fire Equipment on Oct.18, 2022. The district is holding the remaining funds in a separate account, Town Manager Tom Hutcheson said.
"I do think the district recognizes that that particular process is broken, and I think now they have engaged legal counsel and tried to help fix it," Hutcheson said.
"Given the amount of time that the vendor has had to repair the truck and the apparent lack of progress, I can't say that I have confidence that by the time we're required to have committed that money next year that we'll be able to continue our commitment to that project."
The town must spend its ARPA funds by the end of fiscal year 2024 or they lose the money.
iBerkshires reached out to Dalton Fire District for comment but has not received a response at the time of publishing.
Diver attended the monthly Board Of Water Commissioners meeting to discuss the situation but was unable to talk. The commissioners quickly closed the meeting since the chair was out sick. There were enough commissioners for a quorum.
The department had to sideline its 32-year-old ladder truck in 2022 due to mechanical and safety concerns.
In other news:
The Select Board also discussed the possibility of adding the dissolution of the Fire District to a future town meeting warrant.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Dalton Green Committee Navigates Adding Fire District to Green Communities Division
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee considering including the Fire District under the town’s Green Communities Division.
During the Green Committee's last week, member Thomas Irwin broached the subject with his fellow members.
The town is part of the state Green Communities Division, which aids local municipalities in lowering lower energy use, through clean energy projects in buildings, facilities, and schools, by providing grants, technical assistance.
Irwin and Committee Chair David Wasielewski will look into this information to determine if incorporating the district is possible.
The Fire District and town are two separate governing bodies. The Fire and Water departments are the Fire District's responsibility. The Board of Water Commissioners and the Prudential Committee govern the district.
There are a number of steps that would have to be undertaken. One easy step is having the district approve a zero emission vehicle policy for the Fire Department, Irwin said.
Irwin informed the committee that Fire Chief Christian Tobin said he sees no barriers in approving a policy and that they are in the process of getting a policy approved.
The game-winning rally started when Pittsfield junior Jack Abel led off by crushing a 1-1 pitch to left-center and racing all the way to third base, sliding in just ahead of the tag to give the Generals a sterling scoring opportunity. click for more
The Pittsfield baseball team Saturday rallied for five runs in the top of the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie and went on to a 12-5 win over Clinton in the quarter-finals of the Division 4 State Tournament. click for more
Amanda Pou was named the most valuable player of the regional final after striking out four and walking none in a complete-game effort in the circle. She also ripped a two-run double in Pittsfield’s four-run fourth-inning rally to break open a scoreless game. click for more