BIDDEFORD, Maine — Deputy Fire Chief Scott Gagne was sworn in as the city’s permanent fire chief Tuesday night following approval in a 6-2 vote by the City Council.
“Scott Gagne’s resume is exceptional. I find him to be an extremely talented individual, and I have been extremely impressed by what he’s been able to accomplish in a short period of time,” Mayor Alan Casavant told the council.
Gagne has been acting chief of the Biddeford Fire Department for the past 15 months, and was nominated for chief by the Fire Commission last fall.
“This is the first time that I’ve seen an acting department head take a bull by its horns,” Councilor Bob Mills said of Gagne. “It’s been phenomenal to see the transformation from when [Gagne] took over as active chief to where we are today.”
“Thank you for your support,” Gagne said after his swearing in. “I really feel honored to be given this opportunity. This is a wonderful city and a great department, and I’m lucky to have been given the position to lead this great department.”
There was disagreement among council members about whether hiring a fire chief was the right move.
Some councilors said they would prefer to work jointly with Saco in hiring a chief to oversee the fire departments of both cities. Another proposal to hire a public safety director who would have overseen joint fire, police and code enforcement departments was shot down by city officials last June.
“We need to decide if we’re serious about working with another community or that we’re going to provide the same services that these guys are providing now. Putting more equipment on the road won’t solve the labor-intensive requirements of the department,” Councilor Michael Ready said, referring to BFD’s desire to add a third ambulance to its emergency medical services fleet.
Ready said he took no issue in hiring a permanent fire chief out of the three existing deputy chiefs, but he voted no in favor of working with another community.
Councilor John McCurry also voted no. He said he believes the department is stretched thin, and that hiring one chief with only two deputy chiefs is not the right move.
“I won’t be supporting him just because of where we are at that point in time,” McCurry said.
Councilors also voiced opposition to the process by which the chief is selected. According to the city’s charter, a potential chief is brought forward by the Fire Commission to the mayor, who then takes the name to City Council for approval.
“It doesn’t make sense for me to hold back an appointment because one or more of us doesn’t like the process. The fact is, it’s just inconsistent,” said Councilor Stephen St. Cyr.
St. Cyr expressed his interest in working with other communities, even beyond Saco, on joint fire department efforts, but said he would still ultimately support Gagne.
“I don’t think we should be limiting ourselves to just Saco, but that’s not going to happen overnight,” he said.
The council also gave endorsement to a paving project on South Street from Southview Drive to Mt. Pleasant Street.
The council questioned a bid from the Maine Department of Transportation for additional night work to be conducted as part of the Main Street reconstruction project, funding for which the city would be responsible.
One bid calls for $275,000 for night work to reconstruct Main Street from Elm Street to Railroad Avenue and another for $50,000 to fund a “mill and fill” project to grate and pave Main Street from Elm to Alfred Streets.
City councilors expressed concern over the cost of the projects in addition to noise and traffic disruption caused by construction, but ultimately voiced their endorsement.
Construction on the eastern portion, from Elm to Alfred streets, is set to begin after Labor Day and conclude around Oct. 15. Construction on the western portion is expected to begin before winter.
The council also unanimously approved a liquor license for Cowbell Burger Bar, a restaurant opening downtown later this month, despite opposition from one member of the public.
Jim Albert, a representative from Cowbell Burger Bar who also owns Jimmy the Greek’s restaurant in Old Orchard Beach, expressed his satisfaction with the council’s decision.
“I’m proud to be part of the continued re-gentrification of downtown,” Albert said.