Public Safety Ultra-Terrain Vehicle
Barrington is fortunate to have an ever-growing number of trails and recreational opportunities. In recent years, the amount has grown dramatically with SELT’s Stonehouse Forest and the expansion of the Town’s Goodwill property. The Fire and Police Chiefs has regularly advised the Board and community about the increased demand these recreational spaces put on their departments. They have explained that the increasing calls for service will eventually require additional equipment for the departments to meet the needs of the community.
In 2022, the Town took delivery of the Ultra-Terrain Vehicle (UTV) which was approved by voters in March of 2021. Keep an eye out for the UTV responding to calls or at Town events.
August 9, 2021 (Select Board Meeting)
- Ultra-Terrain Vehicle Recommendation – Vote
- The process of acquiring an ultra-terrain vehicle for public safety purposes has been very thorough. The entire process is summarized in the Active and Ongoing Projects listing available here: https://www.barrington.nh.gov/town-administrator/pages/public-safety-ultra-terrain-vehicle.
- The Select Board authorized the advertisement of specifications at the June 28th meeting with a due date of July 20th. The bid specifications and responses can be found at: https://www.barrington.nh.gov/bids/UTV. A summary of the responses and recommendation is attached.
- See attached, UTV Bid Spreadsheet and Recommendation 20210804
- The review committee were pleased with the variety of responses and extend their sincere appreciation to each organization which prepared a proposal.
- All complete bids proposed a UTV manufactured by Can Am, except the apparent low-bidder (St. Hilaire) which bid a UTV manufactured by CF MOTO. The review committee researched the Can Am and CF MOTO manufacturers. Ultimately, there were concerns with the quality, serviceability, and longevity of the CF MOTO unit. The committee ultimately recommended the next-lowest bidder (Venture) for a total of $33,963.94.
- The Fire Association held a special meeting and voted to increase the donation from $16,000 to $17,963.94 which covers the additional cost of the recommended unit. The Town contribution would remain $16,000. If approved, the Select Board will hold a hearing on August 23, 2021 to accept the donation per RSA 31:95-b.
Make a motion to award the Ultra-Terrain Vehicle Bid to Venture Powersports for a total of $33,963.94.
June 29, 2021 to July 20, 2021
Advertisement of specifications.
Cover Sheet, Specifications, and Responses can be found at: www.barrington.nh.gov/bids/UTV.
June 28, 2021 (Select Board Meeting)
At the 2021 Town Meeting, voters appropriated up to $32,000 for purchasing and outfitting an ultra-terrain vehicle (UTV) to be used in Police and Fire/EMS operations. At the March 22nd meeting, the Select Board authorized the development of a specification by a team with Police and Fire representation. The Select Board asked the Vice-Chair Saccoccia to also review the specifications. The specification is complete and has been reviewed by the Vice-Chair.
See attached, Town of Barrington UTV Spec_V1
The specifications were broken into four components to ensure the most competitive process. For example, not all UTV distributers sell trailers that meet the proposed specifications; advertising this way makes sure we can achieve the best price.
The Police and Fire Departments are ready to advertise the specifications with a plan to make an award recommendation for the July 26th or August 9th Select Board meeting.
Motion to authorize the advertisement of the Ultra-Terrain Vehicle specifications by Selectperson Mannschreck, seconded by Vice-Chair Saccoccia. Roll call vote: Ayer – Aye, Mannschreck – Aye, Saccoccia – Aye, Knapp – No. The motion passed.
March 22, 2021 (Select Board Meeting)
Voters authorized the appropriation of funds to purchase a UTV and equipment. The Fire and Police Departments are interested in beginning the process and are seeking the blessing of the Select Board. The process would involve a two-person committee with one Firefighter and one Police Officer to develop a specification for the equipment. This specification would be presented to the Select Board prior to advertising for sealed bid. Concurrently, the committee would begin establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to guide the shared use and maintenance of the equipment.
March 9, 2021 (Ballot Session)
PASSED, by a vote of 525-430.
January 30, 2021 (Deliberative Session)
The warrant article was unchanged at Deliberative Session. Final language to appear on the ballot:
Article 7: Purchase of Ultra-Terrain Vehicle for Fire and Rescue Operations
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $32,000 for the purpose of purchasing an ultra-terrain vehicle and necessary equipment for fire and rescue operations. This special warrant article will be a non-lapsing appropriation pursuant to RSA 32:7, V and will not lapse until December 31, 2022. It is anticipated that $16,000 or 50% of the total cost will be donated from the Barrington Firefighter’s Association, with $16,000 to be raised by taxation. This article is contingent on the Town receiving the donation, if it is not received this article will be null and void. [Majority Vote Required]. Note: This appropriation is in addition to Warrant Article #2, the operating budget article. This article is recommended by the Select Board 4-1. This article is recommended by the Advisory Budget Committee 3-2. This article is projected to add 1.5 cents/1,000 to the 2021 tax rate or $4.50 to the tax bill on a $300,000 property.
December 14, 2020 (Select Board Meeting)
After the last meeting, the Firefighter’s Association announced their decision to contribute up to $16,000 in matching funds towards the project.
Should the Select Board support this warrant article, the following language would be used:
Article **: Purchase of Ultra-Terrain Vehicle for Fire and Rescue Operations
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $32,000 for the purpose of purchasing an ultra-terrain vehicle and necessary equipment for fire and rescue operations. This is a special warrant article per RSA 32:3 VI (d) and RSA 32:7 V. Up to $16,000 will be donated from the Barrington Firefighter’s Association. [Majority Vote Required]. Note: This appropriation is in addition to Warrant Article #2, the operating budget article. This article is/is not recommended by the Select Board #-#. This article is/is not recommended by the Advisory Budget Committee #-#. This article is projected to add 1.5 cents/1,000 to the tax rate or $4.50 to the tax bill on a $300,000 property.
Motion to place the UTV Warrant Article as proposed on the 2021 Warrant by Chairperson Hardekopf, seconded by Selectperson Bailey. Roll Call vote: Ayer – Aye, Bailey – Aye, Knapp – No, Saccoccia – Aye, Hardekopf – Aye. The motion passed.
November 30, 2020 (Select Board Meeting)
Just this past week, the Fire Department spent two days deep in the woods of Stonehouse Forest fighting a multiple-acre brush fire with mutual aid from Strafford, Rochester and Lee. This marks the third time this year that Barrington has relied on Strafford’s all-terrain vehicle in a fire or rescue operation. The growing calls for service include fire, injured hikers, and lost hikers.
The Fire Chief would like the Select Board to consider presenting voters with a warrant article (on the tax rate) to fund the cost to purchase and outfit an all-terrain vehicle.
The Select Board agreed by consensus to discuss at a future meeting, and requested Chief Walker provide additional research on equipment, funding sources, annual cost of insurance, cost of trailer, etc.