Sumner to look into cost of generator

SUMNER — The Sumner Board of Selectmen decided last Tuesday night to look into the cost of purchasing an emergency generator.

The generator would allow the town office to serve as a central meeting point for residents in emergency situations. Should the town lose power for an extended period of time, the office could still run its furnace, refrigerator, coffee pots, and other appliances.

Tom Standard, the director of emergency management for the towns of Hartford, Sumner and Buckfield, proposed that the board have a 20-kilowatt generator installed. 

The cost, roughly $11,000, would need to be paid up front from the town's fund, but the majority would be reimbursed over the fiscal year by an Emergency Preparedness Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  By the end of the next fiscal year, the town would make back all but $1,215.79.

"If we buy it, and I recommend we do, it isn't going to cost us a whale of a lot of money," said Standard.

The board agreed with Standard that the generator was an important investment and that the grant would be helpful, but questioned the need for a 20-kilowatt generator.  They recommended that the town seek a second opinion in an effort to keep costs to a minimum.

"I would like to hear some conversation about the size of the generator," said Selectwoman Mary Ann Haxton. "If everything were on, we're still not [at 20 kilowatts]."

In addition, they agreed that the project must go to bid in accordance with a town policy that requires a bid process for any expenditure over $1,000.

"As a matter of course, when we spend that much money, we really need to go out to bid," said Selectman Mark Silber. "I think we owe it to the taxpayers."