A state grant may help the town replace an aging wheelchair-accessible bus used for senior programming, though the absence of a state budget also means the town has a hold on purchases such as the bus proposal.

At the Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting on Aug. 21, the board considered a proposal from the Parks & Recreation Department to accept a grant to purchase the new bus without violating the town’s purchase freeze.

The grant in question to purchase the vehicle comes through the state Department of Transportation. Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard said the department needs this vehicle as heavy use has worn out the existing vehicle, which is now 11 years old.

“Our senior buses are used extensively,” he said. “The one we are scheduled to replace has 118,00 miles on it…In the old days when we use to lease the buses, the recommendation was to replace it after 75,000 miles or five years. You would trade it in and get a new one. That program doesn’t exist anymore—it is a different program—but based on that we are well over the years and well over the mileage.”

The grant covers 80 percent of the cost of the vehicle, with a 20 percent match from the town. The estimated coast of the vehicle is $68,000; the grant will cover $54,400, and then the town would have to put up the difference of $13,600.

First Selectman Joe Mazza said it sounds like a great way to replace the bus, but at the moment funding is going to be a problem.

“I think this is great, but we have a wrinkle,” he said. “We have a hold on capital expenditures out of the operating budget…We are not releasing any dollars from the capital fund with the exception of emergency services.”

With no clear consensus on when the state will have a budget or what municipal aid Guilford might receive, Mazza froze capital spending earlier this fiscal year in anticipation of a cut from the state. Having made that decision, proposals such as this one now require a bit more creativity when it comes to payment.

“You can fund or front the money out of your Park and Rec funds if you have to disperse the funds between now and when we can release the freeze,” he said. “Then we can reimburse your fund for you.”

With that caveat, the selectmen approved the purchase.

Maynard said he was open to that funding structure and said the purchase would likely take some time, but he wants to get the process going so as not to lose out on the grant.

The new vehicle is expected to arrive sometime next year.