Bourne Select Board Greenlights SAFER Grant Bid for Four New Firefighters

BOURNE -- June 9, 2026, Bourne Select Board authorizes SAFER grant application for four new firefighter positions as call volume hits record highs. The board voted 5-0 Tuesday to let Fire Chief Dave Palanzi pursue the FEMA SAFER grant, which would cover approximately $1.1 million of a $1.9 million total cost over three years, with a required local match of about $728,000. Palanzi told the board that emergency call volume has risen 54 percent over 20 years, that the department logged 1,575 overlapping-call incidents in the past 12 months, and that "once again, this year has been the busiest year in the history of law and fire." The board also approved a $4,553,000 bond anticipation note sale for the Southside Fire Station, awarded to Truist Securities at 3.75 percent with a $27,000 premium, and voted 5-0 to accept revised state legislative language for the Katama Fish non-transferable liquor license. A second liquor license petition, for H&J Convenience at 365 Barlow's Landing Road, was sent back to Town Counsel Brian Bertram for redrafting to add a three-year sunset clause consistent with the Katama Fish bill before returning to the board June 30.