By Max Sullivan
Portsmouth Herald
HAMPTON, N.H. — Selectmen are contemplating court action against a state agency after state park officials gave no response to their request for assistance in funding an ambulance service at Hampton Beach.
Two selectmen said Monday they believed court action against the Department of Resources and Economic Development, which oversees New Hampshire State Parks, will be a necessary step in acquiring more than $44,000 sought by the board from the state to pay for ambulance coverage.
The board sent a bill to DRED at their June 5 meeting asking the agency to pay $44,230.68 to help fund the ambulance coverage. Selectman Phil Bean said during Monday’s meeting he hasn’t spoken with DRED Commissioner Jeff Rose since June 5 and was told Rose had no comment or opinion on the letter. Bean also said Rose would provide no timeframe as to when DRED would respond to the letter.
Selectman Rick Griffin said in the discussion that followed, “Maybe this is the time that we need to go to court about this.” Bean said, “We have a town attorney for this. Use him.”
The board took no vote on whether to take legal action Monday, but they voted 5-0 to allow Town Attorney Mark Gearreald to research costs incurred to the town by ambulance calls this year for which bills have not been paid by patients. Gearreald also recommended the board give DRED an Aug. 1 deadline to respond to the letter.
Currently, there is no ambulance at Hampton fire’s beach station due to a lack of manpower. The $44,230.68 sought by selectmen would cover the cost of staffing an ambulance at the beach station 12 hours per day for 65 days from July 1 through Sept. 3 this year, town officials have said. The figure would pay for firefighter/paramedic overtime wages required to staff the ambulance during that time, as well as an additional 30 percent cost increase to cover benefits.
Selectmen are arguing the original 1933 agreement that established the transfer of the land east of Ocean Boulevard to the state’s ownership does not require the town provide ambulance services at the beach.
The push for ambulance funding comes after calls by the selectmen for more money collected by the state each year to be returned to the town and the state park. The state collects thousands of dollars from the state park meters, as well as through the rooms and meals tax from beach businesses.
DRED declined a request for comment earlier this month from Seacoast Media Group regarding the bill for ambulance coverage.
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