By Doug La Rocque
At Monday evening’s special meeting of the Grafton Town Board, Supervisor Ingrid Gundrum delivered news about the long anticipated ambulance grant that no one in the room wanted to hear. Gundrum said she had spoken with [private]the NYS Dormitory Authority, the agency charged with administering such grants, and was told the Town would not see the money until December of this year, and quite possibly even later. In fact, it might even get pushed back into 2017 state budget season, which means its viability might even come into question. The special meeting had been called to discuss the possibility of accepting one of the three bids for a new vehicle, but in light of the latest developments, none of the Board members was willing to commit to a purchase just yet.
Members of the Grafton Rescue Squad reiterated their concerns about the future of the current vehicle, purchased in 2001. One of the biggest problems deals with the electrical system, which even a manufacturer’s representative in attendance at the meeting, admits is beyond future repair. Squad members asked the Board what their plans were should it fail. Supervisor Gundrum indicated it would then become an emergency situation, where they would have to look at a loaned vehicle, rental or possibly a lease or purchase. The Rescue Squad is its own entity, but the ambulance is owned by the Town of Grafton.
Questions Raised About The Bid Process
Barry Bashkoff of the Cromwell Emergency Corporation, the company that made the current ambulance and submitted the low bid for the potential replacement, brought several concerns about the bidding to the board. He claims the first bid put out to manufacturers was completely proprietary and aimed toward one of his competitors. The Town Board did pull that first bid, labeling it as faulty. He contends the second bid lacked some of the specifications the Rescue Squad felt necessary and also lacked the option of a trade in, something he claims his two competitors appeared to know about. While the low bid, Cromwell’s did not contain some of these options the Rescue Squad identified. Supervisor Gundrum admitted that although the Board did agree at its regular July meeting to defer to the wishes of the Rescue Squad, that in light of some of the information brought forth by Mr. Bashkoff, she was not totally comfortable with the entire bid process. She suggested that they all step back in light of the news about the grant, and write a bid that was fair to all 17 ambulance
manufacturers in the county. She tasked Councilmembers Eric Buckley and Allison Kirschner to meet with the Rescue Squad’s management to make this happen. Gundrum, and Councilmembers Mike Crandall and Lisa Dooley will continue to work on the grant, with phone calls and any pressure they can bring to bear.
Bashkoff also suggested the Board look into the possibility of leasing versus an outright purchase. The Board considered the idea and decided to place that option into their future bid. There were concerns brought to light about the ability of these bidders to hold their current prices. Bashkoff admitted that they would face a price hike in the chassis of the vehicle by February. He also voiced his concerns about the seriousness of the bids in the eyes of some of these manufacturers, since this would be the third one in a relatively short time. Bashkoff’s firm’s bid as opened was for $153,180. AEV of North Carolina bid $156,596. The bid the Rescue Squad was pushing was from PL Custom brands of New Jersey at $162,790. The Squad told the Board at the last meeting, they had the funds to make up the difference between the bid price and $150,000 in grant money.[/private]