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caption, page 2:
Taking a Vote
Putnam residents rejected a proposal to purchase property on May Street by a vote of 125-39. Linda Lemmon photo.
EMS needs
better digs;
how is the
question
Town meeting votes
down May St. purchase
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — It’s back to the drawing board to figure out a solution to the EMS/ambulance inadequate facilities — probably both short-term and long-term.
The proposal to spend up to $900,000 to purchase a building on May Street and build it out for Putnam’s EMS/ambulance department plus town and Region 4 Emergency Management assets was voted down 39 yes, 125 no in an Aug. 5 town meeting.
Around 200 residents attended with many speaking their minds. Every speaker agreed that the ems/ambulance crews are amazing and deserve proper quarters. One 70-year-old resident said he had been in the ambulance building when he was 25 and when he went in again recently, he thought to himself, it appears “the only thing that’s been done is the locks were changed.”
Most agreed conditions for the ambulance crew are “horrible” and need to be fixed. The crew serves Thompson and Putnam 24 hours a day. “These people are worthy of whatever we can give them,” said one resident.
The discussion centered on how to accomplish that goal.
All speakers, including selectmen, praised the work and dedication of the ems/ambulance crew and suggestions ranged from buying the May Street building to forming a building committee to take a step back and examine the whole first responder picture and what fills the needs best. “Make a plan and then get the job done,” said one resident.
Taxes also weighed heavy on some residents’ minds.
Some residents said the May Street idea doesn’t make sense and would take a $900,000 building off the tax rolls. Deputy Mayor Roy Simmons said spending more than $1 million (with the buildout needed) is not what EMS needs. “That is not the answer to this problem.” He believes the “biggest train coming down the tracks” is the reassessment next year. “Yes we can help EMS, but it can be done more cheaply.”
Mayor Barney Seney gave some background on the May Street building coming up on the town’s radar very recently. He also spoke about the ems/ambulance service adding Thompson a couple years ago. The service then went from an eight-hour service to a 24-hour service.
The crews have nowhere to sleep, decontaminate and more and the building is falling apart.
There was no discussion about what’s next during the 60-second selectman’s meeting that followed the vote. Selectmen anticipate discussing what’s next at a future meeting.
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