Two nights, three overrides - Tuesday

Every town meeting has some controversial article or two, and this time around the spot light was focused on the three proposed overrides - and the associated tax implications - for the Department of Public Works (DPW), the Fire & Rescue Department (FFRD) and the high school. With emphasis on the latter.

The three articles were numbered 26, 27 & 29, respectively, and we heard the first two on Tuesday evening, after the Spring Special Town Meeting ended.

Article 26, "Fund - Department of Public Works Capital Improvement Plan": DPW superintendent Ray Jack is a straight shooter. He's quick to the point and doesn't mince his words. I know some folks who don't like Ray, but I much prefer his management style to that of Town Manager Robert Whritenhour.

Mr. Jack presented a request for $3.2 million, to be distributed over three years, in order to do road & sidewalk maintenance and construction, bikeway maintenance and construction, bridge maintenance, replace some vehicles and improve the waste management facilities. The Finance Committee the DPW return to the ballot box every year for three years with three, $1.1 million capital exclusions (essentially one year debt exclusions). However, the selectmen supported Mr. Jack's request for a three-year plan.

As with some of the other presentations we heard, there was some eye-opening information presented:

-- Falmouth has 270 miles of town-owned roads and 130 miles of private roads; if stretched out, they would reach from here to Delaware;

-- It costs $90,000/year to paint the stripes on the roads;

-- There is $237 million in town equipment in the DPW;

-- 1.6 billion gallons of water were pumped last year, 300 million gallons of which were unbilled, i.e., "lost." Mr. Jack explained that this was "lost" because of uncalibrated water meters. The estimated lost revenue was $500,000;

-- The reorganization study cost $30,000 and is 220 pages long;

-- Four of the eight frozen positions are in the DPW.

Aside from these facts, Mr. Jack presented a sober summary of the state of our roads and the work required to keep them in good condition. For example, he communicated that a road should last 25 years with regular maintenance, but will need to be completely repaved in 16 years if no maintenance is done. The concept of putting maintenance off for "just one year" can snowball and cost us more in the long run.

Perhaps the best part of the presentation was the volume of information he provided. He explained every need, the cost thereof and the logic behind them. He listed the vehicles to be replaced, their ages and expected life - and added that we've already extended the life of many a vehicle beyond its expected lifetime.

Mr. Jack's presentation was convincing, and even town meeting representatives who have been critical of him and/or the override request voted aye for the amendment (it passed) and the override (it, too, passed). I voted "Aye" for both.

That said; at least some of Ray Jack's tone was probably influenced by earlier decisions by the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee and Town Meeting not to support a Proposition 2-1/2 override for the DPW reorganization plan. There were times when his tone was clearly one of annoyance, and on occasion he would remind us that, "you didn't want to fund it," when talking about various projects and maintenance that have been postponed.

Article 27, "Fund - Fire Rescue Department Capital Improvement Plan": Unlike Ray Jack's somber tone, Chief Paul Brodeur's presentation was animated with (literally) bells and whistles and an occasional joke. Where as town meeting representatives were shaking their heads in disbelief over the state of Falmouth's roads, Chief Brodeur had us laughing.

During his explanation of the need for new monitor defibrillators, he shared a slide that showed an animated sinus rhythm (a normal heartbeat) and stated, "if you've got a straight line, you've got a problem."

The FFRD requested a $1.8 million, 10-year debt exclusion to purchase two Class A fire engines, a brush breaker, new monitor defibrillators, an electronic ambulance reporting system and a new ambulance.

The latter two requests are actually revenue-generating items for the town. Ambulance runs are billed - often to Medicare - and Falmouth gets $1.3 million in revenue from them. In 2007, 77 percent of the FFRD's work was in ambulance runs (4299 runs to be exact, with 1284 fire runs). Interestingly enough, 33 percent of all ambulance runs are from East Falmouth.

There are two fire engines to be replaced, 21 and 22 years old respectively, and the brush breaker to be replaced is 37 years old.

As with Ray Jack, Chief Brodeur's presentation was enough to convince even the skeptics. I voted "Aye" and it passed handily.