FROM THE NEWSROOM: The Putnam Board of Selectmen recently agreed to transfer the ownership of an old Northeast District Transit bus, which the town purchased years ago but has been sitting idle in the town garage, to the local fire and police departments for the price of $1. As reported, Putnam Police Chief Rick Hayes previously expressed interest using the bus as a command post for the stations; another possibility would be to use the bus as a warming station for emergency responders, including firefighters and police officers, during the cold winter season. But exactly how did the town of Putnam end up in a situation where it owned an unused transit bus in the first place? Selectman Scott Pempek explained that it all goes back to his days on the Board of Education, back when Bob Viens was Mayor. Pempek said Viens had a conversation with Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments Executive Director John Filchak about how transit buses going into retirement were being sold to area towns for one dollar a piece, and suggested the town purchase the bus for the schools. However, it was later learned that there were requirements regarding bus compartments that prevented the bus from being used to transport school children; Pempek said that after all this time, hes glad to finally see the bus being put to good use. Tune in for the full report.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 11:44:58 +0000