Swampscott Select Board extends VFW lease, moves to replace ambulance provider

SWAMPSCOTT -- November 5, 2014, Swampscott Select Board authorizes ambulance provider switch and bridges VFW lease gap. The board voted unanimously to extend the VFW Post 1240 lease at 8 Pine Street through March 31, 2015, buying time to resolve which procurement statute, Chapter 30B or Chapter 40, Section 9, governs a long-term renewal for veterans organizations, with attorney Paul Levinson warning that an expired lease could leave the town responsible for property maintenance costs. Fire Chief Breen recommended replacing Action Ambulance, the town's provider since 2010, with Atlantic Cataldo Ambulance, citing the loss of Action's backup coverage in neighboring Lynn, Marblehead, and Salem, all now served by Atlantic Cataldo, which stations more than 30 vehicles within five miles of Swampscott. "We are an island," Town Administrator Tom Younger said, urging the switch. No final contract vote was taken; the board directed Younger and Breen to draft an agreement for approval at the November 17 meeting, with a possible service transition as early as December.