Instead, Police Chief Tim DeLuca requested at a Jan. 9, 2017 meeting that the council waive the bid process and approve a $26,300 black 2016 Ford Explorer SUV from Quirk of Augusta.
The chief said the model, which has 300 miles on it, was being recommended because it would be available immediately at the state bid price. If they accepted the $28,664 second bid from York’s of Houlton, the chief said, the unit would not be ready until sometime between March and May.
The value of the 2015 Ford 4×4 F150 that was destroyed was calculated at $27,738 for insurance purposes, according to DeLuca. Less the $1,000 deductible, the town will be receiving a payout of $26,736.46, according to town officials. The town paid $30,737 to York’s of Houlton for the truck last March.
Councilors voted 4-0-1, with Sue Waite-York abstaining, to approve the chief’s request.
DeLuca also received permission to change the color scheme of the cruisers from blue and white to black and white. The chief said that the new color scheme with black would give the vehicles more visibility against the snowbanks in the winter months. No official vote was taken on the matter, but the council, by consensus, agreed with the move.
The chief said that the $28,664 quote from York’s did not include that color scheme, and it would bring the cost up to $29,364 to get it.
DeLuca said that as the vehicles in the fleet age, he will replace them with newer, black and white vehicles. Current vehicles will not be repainted.
Some equipment from the damaged pick-up truck will be removed and re-installed on the new SUV, according to the chief. The town will receive cash for any equipment that cannot be retrofitted.
The accident that totaled the truck occurred on Dec. 2 near Hilltop Lanes Bowling Alley. Houlton Police Officer Jasmine Cyr, 27, of Oakfield was on routine patrol traveling south when she pulled into a business parking lot to turn around and head back north, according to Maine State Police Sgt. Chad Fuller.
Cyr didn’t see an oncoming 2006 Chevrolet Equinox SUV when she drove back onto U.S. Route 1 from the parking lot and the two vehicles collided head on, Fuller said. The SUV’s operator, Monica Jones, 42, of Amity and two juvenile passengers were taken to Houlton Regional Hospital with injuries that were not suspected to be life-threatening, the sergeant said. Cyr also was taken to Houlton Regional Hospital with suspected head injuries but has since returned to work. Jones and the juvenile passengers were treated and released from the hospital.
Prior to that accident, former police chief Joe McKenna was driving the truck when it was involved in a collision with a 2001 Honda, causing significant damage to both vehicles. The first accident occurred when another Houlton Police officer was driving and it hit a deer, causing $1,600 in damage to the truck, according to Town Manager Butch Asselin.
