By GLYNIS HART
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NEWPORT – Four 100-gallon propane tanks on Green Mountain will be airlifted via helicopter and replaced with fresh tanks at a date yet to be determined. Sullivan County Sheriff John Simonds told the board of commissioners Monday that the sheriff’s office had only received one bid, as only one company in the area has a helicopter and the ability to do the job.
“Weather permitting, they’re waiting for a phone call from me,” said Simonds.
The commissioners awarded $10,000 to JBI Helicopter Services to move the propane tanks. The sheriff’s department is responsible for the communications tower on the mountain.
That being done, commissioner Ben Nelson questioned the cost. “For that money we could buy a generator and run a cable up there,” he said.
Simonds said he had looked into alternative ways of providing power up there. “We looked into solar, into piping propane. It’s a quarter-mile up through the woods.”
He said the tanks were set up by a previous sheriff. “I believe when he set this up, this was the most efficient way to provide power.”
Nelson also pointed out that the price had gone up.
“Last time it was $2,000,” said Simonds. “Insurance definitely skyrocketed.”
Commissioner Jeff Barrette said the bid didn’t seem unreasonable for what the job was, but in the future it would be better to budget a quarter of the cost every year: the tanks should be changed every four years.
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