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SPENCER – On December 3 at 7 p.m., Selectmen will continue the process to contract with a provider of emergency medical services.
At its last meeting, board members heard from Town Administrator Jeff Bridges that two vendors responded to a Request for Proposals (RFP): Cataldo Ambulance and Action Ambulance.
Both bids came in higher than what Spencer has historically paid for this level of services, Bridges said.
The town administrator noted, “Each one recognizes your desire for an a la carte type service level – so there are choices for (this) board to make in addition to the rating of the proposals.”
He said the next step in the process would be to sit down with the fire chief and lieutenant who are collaborating with the ratings and review and ask questions concerning the proposals.
Bridges said on a separate night (later scheduled at the regular meeting on December 8 at 6.m.), selectmen will interview the two applicants “steps on the path to come to a recommendation.”
He also reminded selectmen that they had expressed an interest in visiting the applicants’ current locations.
Fire Chief Robert Parsons would also be given the opportunity to visit with the Spencer Rescue Squad to “quantify our opportunity to make this a municipal operation.”
Bridges said, “Those two paths will go in tandem, parallel.”
He noted it is important to move the process along because if a new company is chosen, it will have to establish headquarters in the town.
Bridges said the bidders had identified possible sites in the RFP but had made no commitments yet.
“I kind of agree with that because they don’t know if they will have a contract but they need to prep, prepare and (get) licensure if it is necessary with the Commonwealth,” the town administrator noted.
The two applicants and possible change in status for the Spencer Rescue Squad opens “challenging but exciting,” options for the town, he added.
Selectmen chair Jared Grigg said making the Spencer Rescue Squad a town entity presents a “significant opportunity to advance the town from where it has been.” He urged selectmen to take that possibility into consideration “to see if it is plausible.”
Also at the meeting, Parsons introduced two new firefighters to the board. They are Jake Samaha and Brandon Taylor, both of Oakham. Parsons said Samaha was a per diem firefighter for Spencer and Taylor was an Oakham call firefighter as well.
The hiring reflects two out of three positions being filled to replace personnel who left the department.
Police Chief Mike Befford also discussed plans for the upcoming Christmas parade in order to make it “safe and enjoyable for all.”
Befford noted the parade will end on West Main Street between Bixby and South Spencer Roads and there will be details limiting the traffic that comes in and out.
Once the parade units finish, they will enter South Spencer Road “as normal traffic,” he said, go out Meadow Road and “break free.”
Vehicles can follow the detour signs to go back to the high school and Wire Village Road where they started. He described the way as follows: up Wire Village, Hastings to Wilson, down Paxton Road and back onto route 9.
Because many of the fire trucks come from the west, they can continue to head west on route 9 and get out as quickly as possible, the police chief said.
