Good news in Templeton!
Please thank the Highway Department and crew for all of their hard work in accomplishing so much in a very short period of time! In addition to the road projects, the highway department was instrumental in the moving of Town Offices to East Templeton.
Templeton is fortunate to have many dedicated employees! Please take a look at the Templeton Center playground! Thank you Alan Mayo!
Please thank the Fire Chief for all of his hard work on behalf of the Town.
Thank a Town Employee- today !
Despite small staff, late start, town closing in on Chapter 90 completion
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer
TEMPLETON - Highway Superintendent Bud Chase and his team has been working hard through September and into October to ensure the town’s road construction plans using Chapter 90 road repair funds are completed before autumn gives way to the winter months.
“It’s coming along lovely,” Mr. Chase said of the work his crew has completed so far, which includes repairs made to Route 101, supplemented by the state’s Pothole and Winter Recovery Program.
While the neighboring city of Gardner began its paving program in July, Mr. Chase said layoffs enacted earlier in the summer, along with an already-small staff and busy contractors led to this year’s delay.
“We got a real late start on this construction season,” Mr. Chase commented.
Despite the odds, Mr. Chase said his department has finished nine of the 11 targeted streets presented to the Board of Selectmen in April, along with constructing the parking lot and handicapped ramp behind Town Hall.
“We’ve done a lot of work this summer,” said Mr. Chase.
The remaining two streets, Winchester and Walnut, will be completed Wednesday, although Mr. Chase said there is a substantial amount of follow-up work around town that needs to be completed before the department can say it’s totally finished, including lawn repair and curbing.
Although there was some doubt as to whether streets would be paved this year at all, Mr. Chase commended his staff for putting their nose to the grindstone and dedicating themselves to the project.
“I tell them every single day they’ve done an outstanding job,” Mr. Chase stated. “They’re a great team.”
According to Mr. Chase’s calculations, the entire project should run just over $550,000, leaving about $20,000 in the town’s Chapter 90 account.
In the coming months, Mr. Chase said he hopes the inevitable winter snowstorms hold off long enough for his team to complete its clean-up work, although any unfinished business may need to be put off until spring.
“Everything we do is weather permitting,” Mr. Chase said.
“We will resume the work when weather allows.”
Templeton is fortunate to have many dedicated employees! Please take a look at the Templeton Center playground! Thank you Alan Mayo!
Please thank the Fire Chief for all of his hard work on behalf of the Town.
Thank a Town Employee- today !
Despite small staff, late start, town closing in on Chapter 90 completion
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer
TEMPLETON - Highway Superintendent Bud Chase and his team has been working hard through September and into October to ensure the town’s road construction plans using Chapter 90 road repair funds are completed before autumn gives way to the winter months.
“It’s coming along lovely,” Mr. Chase said of the work his crew has completed so far, which includes repairs made to Route 101, supplemented by the state’s Pothole and Winter Recovery Program.
While the neighboring city of Gardner began its paving program in July, Mr. Chase said layoffs enacted earlier in the summer, along with an already-small staff and busy contractors led to this year’s delay.
“We got a real late start on this construction season,” Mr. Chase commented.
Despite the odds, Mr. Chase said his department has finished nine of the 11 targeted streets presented to the Board of Selectmen in April, along with constructing the parking lot and handicapped ramp behind Town Hall.
“We’ve done a lot of work this summer,” said Mr. Chase.
The remaining two streets, Winchester and Walnut, will be completed Wednesday, although Mr. Chase said there is a substantial amount of follow-up work around town that needs to be completed before the department can say it’s totally finished, including lawn repair and curbing.
Although there was some doubt as to whether streets would be paved this year at all, Mr. Chase commended his staff for putting their nose to the grindstone and dedicating themselves to the project.
“I tell them every single day they’ve done an outstanding job,” Mr. Chase stated. “They’re a great team.”
According to Mr. Chase’s calculations, the entire project should run just over $550,000, leaving about $20,000 in the town’s Chapter 90 account.
In the coming months, Mr. Chase said he hopes the inevitable winter snowstorms hold off long enough for his team to complete its clean-up work, although any unfinished business may need to be put off until spring.
“Everything we do is weather permitting,” Mr. Chase said.
“We will resume the work when weather allows.”
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'It drives like a dream'
Fire Department's new ambulance on the road
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer
News Staff Writer
TEMPLETON - After months of anticipation, Templeton Fire Department’s new ambulance is on the road, representing the culmination of two years’ worth of hard work on the part of Fire Chief Raymond LaPorte and his staff as the department looks to transition to Advanced Life Support service in the near future.
“It feels awesome,” Chief LaPorte said of the new ambulance. “This has been a target goal from the time I got here.”
The ambulance will serve as a mobile emergency room, giving EMTs and paramedics ample workspace and tools to carry out life-saving procedures while preparing patients to be taken to the hospital.
“What we can do now on scene is almost everything they can do at the ER for the first 10 or 15 minutes,” Chief LaPorte said.
“It feels awesome,” Chief LaPorte said of the new ambulance. “This has been a target goal from the time I got here.”
The ambulance will serve as a mobile emergency room, giving EMTs and paramedics ample workspace and tools to carry out life-saving procedures while preparing patients to be taken to the hospital.
“What we can do now on scene is almost everything they can do at the ER for the first 10 or 15 minutes,” Chief LaPorte said.
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| News Staff Photo by ERYN DION |
While the department is currently operating at a Basic Life Support level, Chief LaPorte noted that during his tenure he has been laying the groundwork for the department’s eventual transition to ALS service, acquiring the equipment and trained staff necessary to begin once the department is licensed.
“You can’t get the license until you’ve crossed off all the check boxes and we didn’t have anywhere close to check boxes crossed off when I got here,” he said. “We’ve been working pretty hard for two years solid to get all those check boxes crossed off and we’re about 99 percent of the way there.”
“We’ve developed the staff. We’ve invented the training. We’ve basically revamped the whole organization,” Chief LaPorte added.
Chief LaPorte also anticipates a significant revenue increase once the department begins providing ALS service which he said will be achieved through cutting back on the number of mutual aid calls and intercepts, or transfers to better equipped ambulances.
“Two years ago we spent almost $100,000 on ALS intercepts and that’s a lot of money,” Chief LaPorte explained.
“That’s money I personally believe we should keep in the Fire Department, improving the Fire Department and improving the services to the taxpayer.”
Money generated by the ambulance service goes into a revolving account, and the money is then appropriated at town meeting from that account to run the ambulance service for the next fiscal year — taking the expense of the new vehicle and equipment off the taxpayers.
Over the last two years, Chief LaPorte said the department’s call volume has increased to about 1,000 calls a year — 70 percent of which are medical service calls — and revenue has almost doubled from $185,000 to $242,000 providing only BLS service.
With a new ambulance as the keystone, the move to ALS will help the department generate more revenue and expand even further, allowing the chief to increase the quality and skill level of his staff.
It will also give the department a wider array of tools to work with while on calls, for example, granting them clearance to administer drugs and use life-saving equopment on patients.
“Bringing those skills to Templeton is a win for Templeton,” he stated.
The new ambulance was purchased on a five-year lease at $57,000 a year to come out of the ambulance receipts fund.
“You can’t get the license until you’ve crossed off all the check boxes and we didn’t have anywhere close to check boxes crossed off when I got here,” he said. “We’ve been working pretty hard for two years solid to get all those check boxes crossed off and we’re about 99 percent of the way there.”
“We’ve developed the staff. We’ve invented the training. We’ve basically revamped the whole organization,” Chief LaPorte added.
Chief LaPorte also anticipates a significant revenue increase once the department begins providing ALS service which he said will be achieved through cutting back on the number of mutual aid calls and intercepts, or transfers to better equipped ambulances.
“Two years ago we spent almost $100,000 on ALS intercepts and that’s a lot of money,” Chief LaPorte explained.
“That’s money I personally believe we should keep in the Fire Department, improving the Fire Department and improving the services to the taxpayer.”
Money generated by the ambulance service goes into a revolving account, and the money is then appropriated at town meeting from that account to run the ambulance service for the next fiscal year — taking the expense of the new vehicle and equipment off the taxpayers.
Over the last two years, Chief LaPorte said the department’s call volume has increased to about 1,000 calls a year — 70 percent of which are medical service calls — and revenue has almost doubled from $185,000 to $242,000 providing only BLS service.
With a new ambulance as the keystone, the move to ALS will help the department generate more revenue and expand even further, allowing the chief to increase the quality and skill level of his staff.
It will also give the department a wider array of tools to work with while on calls, for example, granting them clearance to administer drugs and use life-saving equopment on patients.
“Bringing those skills to Templeton is a win for Templeton,” he stated.
The new ambulance was purchased on a five-year lease at $57,000 a year to come out of the ambulance receipts fund.
The East Templeton offices are looking great along with Otter River Rd. and Rt. 101. Thanks for all you do Templeton workers!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like our hard working people on the rescue and highway have managed to get things done under the worse conditions. We are lucky to have these people who have stuck with us thru thick and thin. Do you know that Woods has a ambulance sitting in Cumberlands parking lot just waiting for something bad to happen !! No kidding.. I saw him when I was washing windows at our New Town Office Building. He was there the next day also, so I walked over to ask him what he was doing, and yes, just sitting there waiting. I hope the time will come when we do not need Woods any more. With out a doubt, having Chief LaPorte come to Templeton was Princeton's loss and our gain. I have heard bits and pieces about people looking at free cash to get things their departments need. There has to be a difference between a want and a need, and it is time for people to look long and hard at what they really have to have. Our new reality, is what I refer to the way we as a town have to do business. I am afraid that if their are too many overrides and debt exclusions on the ballot, people will vote them all down. The hole we are in is not going away anytime soon, and I really feel people need to learn to live differently, as far as the town goes. Having everyone under one roof is going to be a huge help. This is just my opinion, Bev.
ReplyDeleteThe Town is moving in the right direction. We really need to work to convince the voters about an override so we can pay our employees who have stuck with the town a decent wage. The override on the November ballot will be the opportunity to keep making progress.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mrs. Farrell on giving a raise to these people who have stuck it out with us, but other than that every request should be looked at closely. We can not go back to over loading the ship that is barely floating as it is. A new reality is a necessity, not a choice. Bev.
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