Southwick Boards Weigh Four New Firefighters and a $1 Million Engine Replacement

SOUTHWICK — March 21, 2026 — Southwick's Select Board and Finance Committee heard requests Saturday for four new firefighters, a $960,000-to-$1.2-million fire engine, and a $150,000 residential property inspection overhaul, while school officials warned of a budget gap the town cannot yet close. Fire Chief Richard Spanos said Engine 1, a 2006 truck built on a dump truck chassis, is showing transmission wear, body rot, and frame fatigue, with parts sourced from a defunct manufacturer — a cracked windshield took seven months to replace and arrived from Germany. He said adding one firefighter per shift would let the town capture 81 annual ambulance calls now answered by mutual aid, representing roughly $62,000 in additional revenue against fiscal year 2025 ambulance billings of $665,611. Board of Assessors Director Randall Austin proposed spending $150,000 from the town's $1.3 million overlay account on a two-year door-to-door residential inspection after discovering that a recent state-mandated review adjusted more than 1,100 of 1,300 properties and added $52 million in assessed value. Superintendent of Schools Nick Menard said the district identified cuts of five teaching positions and one paraprofessional but could not present a finalized budget because the School Committee had not yet seen the revised proposal, with a vote expected March 30; the combined shortfall in state aid and fixed costs totals $292,000, and the town's total new levy capacity is approximately $760,000.