West Paris, Greenwood talk shared services

GREENWOOD — Schools everywhere may have been called off January 7, due to a snowstorm, but some area selectmen were hard at work, looking for ways to provide better services for fewer dollars.

Selectmen from Greenwood and West Paris braved the mid-morning weather for a joint meeting of selectboards from the two towns.

During a two-hour meeting with their respective town managers, selectmen covered a wide array of topics, including roads, public administration and fire services.

“We agreed to pursue joint purchasing of bulk goods to capitalize on economies of scale,” said Greenwood selectboard chairman Loretta Mikols, via email after the meeting.  “Items discussed included heating and diesel fuels, vehicle fluids, tires, office supplies, and personal gear and equipment.”

By pooling their bids, it is believed the towns can get a better price than they can separately.

“We also agreed to work together on joint grant applications, specifically within the fire department,” said Mikols.

Selectmen also debated ways to consolidate fire services.  All area departments struggle with staffing, finding few volunteers willing to put in the training time required by state and federal authorities.  With limited manpower, Oxford County fire departments are forced to rely on mutual aid from neighboring towns. 

According to West Paris Town Manager John White, that problem is exacerbated in small towns like his.  Because many members of the West Paris fire department also belong to the Greenwood department, a call for aid may go unanswered simply because all the available help already is on scene.

“We agreed to offer our towns' Fire Departments to be used as a case study within the ‘Save Our Fire Services’ effort currently being conducted by the Oxford County Municipal Officer's Association (OCMOA),” wrote Mikols, “and further agreed to aggressively pursue reforms and beta test configurations that fit into a potential overall County structure.”

Last year, town officials from across the county met for a series of brainstorming sessions dubbed  ‘Save Our Fire Services’ by the OCMOA.  White says a final report on the idea generated at those meetings, along with a possible action plan, will be unveiled at the February 25, OCMOA meeting, to be held at the Paris fire station.  

Mikols and White agree that while the joint talks between Greenwood and West Paris are in the primordial stages, it is hoped that any agreements reached will lead to similar cost-saving measures in other area towns.

“Our efforts are not self contained,” wrote Mikols.  “That is, our goal is not only to implement joint ventures between the  two towns and possibly beyond, it is also to create models that other towns can implement or use as baselines for their own efforts.”

Because Mikols, Greenwood Town Manager Kim Sparks and West Paris selectboard Chairman Wade Rainey are all OCMOA officers — the fourth is Paris selectman Ray Glover — any cooperative models developed will be disseminated through that organization.

Those efforts could be decidedly out of the box. 

One “secondary opportunity” on the table is to share transfer stations so that residents living near town lines are able to use the waste facility closest to their homes.

“Limited transfer station sharing will be brought to the G & W [Solid Waste] Board of Directors for discussion and concurrence or rejection,” says Mikols.

While West Paris operates its own transfer station, Greenwood shares its facility with the town of Woodstock.  White said it is hoped that Woodstock selectmen will be inclined to join in future joint meetings between Greenwood and Woodstock.

“This isn’t just about consolidating services,” said White.  “One thing we are talking about is taking a look at each other’s policies and ordinances.  That way, if there is something we are interested in doing, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

White says that before selectmen meet again, road foremen from the two towns will meet to compare highway operations, while town managers will examine administrative functions.

“Details of the fire department opportunities will be further developed by the core ‘Save Our Fire Services’ team within the Oxford County Municipal Officers Association effort,” wrote Mikols.

That group includes Paris Fire Chief Brad Frost, County EMA Director Scott Parker, Norway Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Yates, Oxford Fire Chief Scott Hunter, Greenwood Fire Chief Jim Owens, Sparks and Mikols.  West Paris Fire Chief Norm St. Pierre has been invited to join those talks.