Bozrah first Selectman Glenn Pianka called to order a special town meeting July 20 to vote on two proposed major purchases not included in the annual budget, as required in the town bylaws. Dr. Michael Betten was elected to moderate the meeting.

After minutes for the last two town meetings were approved, the next item on the agenda was a motion to grant a request from the Bozrah Volunteer Fire Company for the purchase of a new 103-foot aerial rear mount ladder fire truck at a cost of $1,335,374. Although the fire company owns and maintains the building in which the fire equipment is housed, the town has provided the firefighting equipment since the organization’s founding in 1950.

Starting in 2019, the town also has paid the salaries of some part-time firefighters/emergency medical technicians to ensure that the fire house is always covered at times of day when there are not sufficient volunteers to respond to fire or medical emergencies.

Due to the high price tag of the truck, questions and discussion went on for 40 minutes. Technical questions were answered by Fire Chief Ryan Sholes, as well as several long-term members of the fire company.

The main question was why the town needs to replace the current aerial ladder truck with a new one. The answer was that not only has the current truck reached the end of its useful life, but also it is costing many thousands of dollars per year in repair and maintenance.

More important, the current ladder is below the current industry standard height of 100 feet and is too short to be used in a fire at several of the taller buildings in town. For example, it can only reach the third-story windows of the five-story Elmbrook Village, a residence for the elderly.

One person asked specifically about how the truck would be financed and what would be the impact on next year’s budget and mill rate. Financial questions were answered by Michael O’Connor, chair of the Board of Finance. In the end, the town meeting approved the purchase, 59-6.

The next business to come before the meeting was acceptance of a $300,000 grant from the State of Connecticut’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant program to be put toward the purchase of a 169-acre parcel of land, which includes wetlands, with the intention of preserving it as open space.

Nine acres of the parcel is actually in the Town of Montville, which is not involved in the purchase. Pianka explained that if the town accepts the grant, taxpayers would then be responsible for the additional $100,000 toward the purchase price. When asked where the money would come from, he said that the town has already accumulated $47,000 in the Town of Bozrah Open Space Fund and that the remaining $53,000 would be covered by the General Fund.

When the purchase is complete, the State of Connecticut would put an easement on the property to be sure that it is not developed and is used only for passive recreation, such as hiking, biking and horseback riding.

The Avalonia Land Conservancy has agreed to take over stewardship of the property. Residents approved the grant and the purchase by a vote of 53-6.