The Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue board has authorized staff to study the possibility of seeking a voter-approved bond to replace aging equipment and do upkeep to the main fire station.
A preliminary list of possible apparatus replacements and station upkeep projects totaled about $3.2 million, but MCFR Chief Bob Palmer stressed it was early days and the list could well change.
The bond would not be sought until after a current bond that paid for constructing the main fire station retires in December 2017.
The board authorized the study of the issue at its Sept. 21 meeting.
About half the fire district’s roughly 20 apparatus will need replacing in the next five to 10 years. The district has been unable to put enough money into capital reserves to replace the apparatus, Palmer said.
He said staff will get more precise figures for new vehicles and a handful of improvement projects at the main station, plus learn the cost of hiring bond counsel and putting the bond on the ballot. He anticipates coming back to the board with firmer numbers in a few months.
The rough breakdown is about $3 million in apparatus and $250,000 in upkeep projects.
“If we could fund it any other way we would but there’s not another way we could see to fund the projects that we need to deal with,” Palmer said.
He said the goal is to keep a new bond amount at the same level or lower than the current bond.
A proposal Palmer brought before the fire board Monday included – in rough numbers — replacing two structural pumpers for $1 million, two new wildland fire pumpers for $500,000, and a new ladder truck for $1 million.
It would also buy two new command vehicles at $100,000, buy two new ambulances for $275,000 and remount one ambulance for $110,000.
Palmer reiterated that these were just suggestions for replacement and the numbers could change.
The structural fire engines are 31 and 14 years old, the ladder truck is 16 years old, and the wildland pumpers are 16 and 20 years old.
The ambulances targeted for replacement are 11 and 12 years old, but they get more miles put on them than fire apparatus. The ambulance that would be remounted is nine years old.
The two command vehicles are 12 and nine years old. As for the roughly $255,000 in projects at station one, as the main station is called, those include spending about $20,000 to replace a deteriorating wood locker storage unit for turnout gear; replacing the building’s 17-year-old heating and air conditioning system for about $50,000.
About $10,000 would be spent to incorporate a visual and audio system in the training room. The parking/training area would be resurfaced and restriped the parkat an approximate cost of $75,000; and another $50,000 would be spent to upgrade windows installed 17 years ago to a more energy efficient design.
In addition, station one would be repainted, and there would be roof maintenance and landscaping upgrades, for approximately $50,000.
Palmer stressed all the numbers are preliminary.
To partially offset those costs, staff has proposed selling two fire pumpers for an estimated $80,000 and selling the aerial platform fire apparatus for $400,000.
Aerial platforms are ladder trucks with a bucket on top for firefighters to stand in as they fight fire.
Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.