Dexter sells fire truck to Aurora department
DEXTER — A more than 25-year-old Dexter engine truck will still be used to fight fires in the state of Maine. The Dexter Town Council accepted a bid of $26,519 from the Aurora Volunteer Fire Department for a 1997 Freightliner FL70 E-One Fire Engine during a Sept. 21 meeting.
Town Manager Trampas King said the vehicle was put out to bid at a minimum price of $25,000. He said a few parties expressed interest but the fire department based in rural Hancock County was the only bidder. The town manager said Dexter paid $500,000 for the vehicle a quarter century ago.
“It’s going to go to a good place, it’s a fire station that does an area not just Aurora,†King said as the department handles Unorganized Territories around the town that has Route 9 (also known as the Airline Road connecting Calais to the Bangor area) running through the middle of the community.
POLICE DEPARTMENT MURAL – A mural on the wall next to the Dexter Police Department and Route 7 was painted by Azariah Raesemann. The mural includes the town clock Nancy, “Heart of Maineâ€, “To Protect and Serve†and other details.
King said the Aurora Volunteer Fire Department was set to pick up its new truck the following day.
In other business, the council approved moving $15,000 from the general fund to the fire department building account to fix a door so the new fire truck can be parked inside.
King said the fire department had $19,000 left over in its 2023-23 budget, and these monies went into the general fund at the close of the fiscal year.
Councilors also accepted a $6,500 donation from Ted Bryant for the Dexter Municipal Golf Course.
King said the donation would go toward a putting green that is planned for a space near the pond, which now has dirt in place. “It won’t cover the labor part but it will cover all the materials,†he said.
A contract for telephone service with Spectrum was signed.
King said the rate would be about $29 for each of the 18 lines over the first three years of the contract, compared to the previous rate of $44 apiece with Consolidated Communications.
“We will probably be going through a lot of growing pains as we learn how to use it, but it’s a better system,†King said.
“Thank you for saving us that money,†Council Chairperson Andrew Bermudez said.