Southwick Capital Panel Reviews $1 Million Fire Engine Replacement Request

Capital Planning · Meeting of March 4, 2026

Southwick Capital Planning Committee fields over $1 million in requests, led by fire engine replacement. The committee met Wednesday to hear presentations from the fire department, police department, and buildings and grounds ahead of a scheduled vote at the March 11 meeting. The fire chief, identified in the meeting as Rick Manley, told the panel that Engine 1, a 2006 apparatus built on a dump truck chassis, is failing and consuming a large share of the maintenance budget, with replacement now estimated at approximately $1 million against an original 2026 projection of $800,000.

The chief cited a 32-to-35-month production lead time, meaning authorization at a coming town meeting is urgent. Police capital requests include $42,500 for garage floor resurfacing, roughly $100,000 for camera servers and door lock upgrades, and two cruisers plus a possible replacement pickup truck at approximately $51,000. A town hall boiler replacement, estimated between $95,000 and $150,000 and flagged as a safety hazard by the town's insurer, may be funded through leftover bond proceeds from a prior town hall renovation.

The committee faces a March 15 bylaw deadline to submit recommendations to the Select Board and Finance Committee.

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Source: the Capital Planning meeting of March 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.