Hill won't have another big truck. The 10-wheel fire truck that the selectmen recommended, which would have cost $286,000, was rejected.

"This truck is humongous," said John W. Lynch, who was elected as a selectman this week. "It's not going to be able to get into most houses.

"We need a six-wheeler that is not going to be able to carry as much water, but it will get there."

The fire chief, Matthew Desrochers, said that the department's 1977 truck is falling apart.

"It's underpowered," he said. "Its top speed up Murray Hill is about 5 miles per hour."

The last time the town financed a fire truck was in 1975, according to Hill Fire Lt. Bill Macahado Jr.

Desrochers said that a large new truck would serve the town for the next 30 years. Now, he said, the town usually runs out of water in 12 or 13 minutes - before mutual aid from Franklin or Bristol can arrive.

"Has something burned down we couldn't put out?" asked a resident, Randy White. "Has something lost value?"

"We ran out of water in April," Desrochers said. "More water would have saved value to that house. We had to pull out, and they lost their house."

"I wouldn't want all my life savings going down the tubes because we ran out of water," resident Dave Maloof said.

Voters asked about used trucks as well as smaller trucks. The chief said that if the new truck was bought, other equipment would have to be parked outside the garage.

Voters rejected the bond, which would have cost about $15,000 for each of 15 years, by a margin of 17 votes. Sixty-five people supported the bond, while 57 did not; 82 were needed for a two-thirds majority.

The operating budget was approved, with an increase of $80,000 over last year, or an increase of 80 cents per $1,000 in valuation.

The Borough Road Bridge over Smith River became much more expensive after Bristol's town meeting Wednesday.

"It's not an elaborate bridge," said Selectmen Chairman Steven Farris. "It's not what you would call a pretty bridge. It has a steel frame and guard rails. It's two lanes."

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