Which is the higher priority, a plowed fire station or plowed roads? Westport Island officials pondered that question in selectmen’s UberConference call Monday night. The question stemmed from the Dec. 17 snowstorm, when, according to officials, snow was falling at two to three inches an hour and the town’s plowing contractor, G & D Cromwell, had some equipment problems.

Second Selectman Gerald Bodmer said the fire department tends to all emergencies and should be the first priority to keep clear of snow. “It is critical to have that open.”

“Yeah, you really can’t do that,” Third Selectman Ross Norton said. He said the fire trucks can get out of the station in over a foot of snow, but the department and the island need the roads cleared.

“I think we need to do both. But the roads were clear and the fire department wasn’t touched,” Jason Kates of the fire department said of last week’s storm. Members have to park there when the department is called out, he said.

Deputy Emergency Management Agency Director Gaye Wagner said she considers plowing an EMA issue also. And in an email earlier, she told selectmen the fire department’s “response readiness is a priority, as is the safety of responding firefighters, and this has come up before. There are always competing issues in storms, and while clearing town roads is the first priority, the WVFD would like to work with (selectmen) and the Cromwells to make the WVFD a priority as well. The fire department is generally busier during storms and storm aftermath.”

The board voted unanimously for First Selectman George Richardson to have Road Commissioner Garry Cromwell, co-owner of G & D, and Fire Chief Stacey Hutchison work out a plan, including if a two-inch snow limit for roads applies to the station, contacting selectmen if a problem arises and, if needed, possibly having a fire department member or a plowing contractor plow the station and get paid by G &D. Board members also said they want to know the plan.

Reached by phone Monday night, Cromwell said the station was probably plowed in the storm a couple of times and is usually plowed two or three times. The equipment issues were not the problem with keeping it cleared, the fast snowfall rate was, he explained. “Just so much snow so fast, I wasn’t concentrating on the fire department, I was concentrating on the town roads ... You’ve got to keep the roads open.”

“I do have a backup (for help plowing) and one of them is Ross Norton. I call him once in a while and he helps us out.” Cromwell added, storms can get heavy “and you’ve always got some people that are not completely satisfied.”

In the meeting, Norton said “If you guys really want to get a picture of what it’s like,” ask to ride along with Cromwell in a storm. “During a storm, I’m telling you, firsthand information, that you cannot keep up with that amount of snow ...”

Also Monday night, Jeff Tarbox said the history center would like to “be paying for its share” of Wright House’s electricity. Said Richardson, “That sounds to me like a very good suggestion.” He and Tarbox will plan a proposal for selectmen.

Selectmen noted a Monday email from Midcoast Parkview Health. The email read in part, “(It) will be some months before a vaccine becomes widely available, and in the meantime, your continued vigilance in the battle against COVID-19 is needed.”