Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 2, 1994 TAG: 9402020256
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
At issue was whether to spend around $60,000 apiece to renovate the older vehicles or buy another new pumper now. Fire Chief Martin "Jigger" Roberts made it clear that one of the older trucks wasn't worth fixing.
"The best thing you could do is strip it out and put it in the park for the kids to play on," he told council.
His tongue-in-cheek comment may have helped get the issue off the dime. Council agreed to spend $190,000 for a second new pumper, a 1993 model. Some equipment from the older vehicle will be installed on the new one.
Roberts has recommended the city buy a vehicle still on the same assembly line that produced the first new pumper. If it acts soon, the city could have the second truck, a factory demonstration model, by April 1, he said.
But some council members got cold feet over Councilman David Worrell's subsequent motion to declare the purchase an emergency and avoid the lengthy bid procedure.
Councilman Bob Nicholson worried the city might be excluding other manufacturers who could supply the same truck. Mayor Tom Starnes said the particular truck didn't matter to him. "I personally don't care that it's this truck," he said.
City Manager Robert Asbury took the hint. "The more you folks talk, the more uncomfortable I get," he said.
Asbury said his office would contact all potential fire truck suppliers to determine if they could provide an equivalent vehicle at the same price and delivery date.
Along with approving the truck purchase, council agreed to spend $11,000 to refurbish the better of the old pumpers, which Roberts estimated could last another five years. The city will sell the other dilapidated pumper.
The chief said Tuesday he was pleased with council's decision. "I think this is a much better move than to try to rebuild two old fire trucks," he said.
Although the two trucks were approaching the end of their useful lifetimes as fire vehicles, Roberts said postponing upkeep and repairs because of tight city budgets had hastened their demise.
Starnes said he and the other council members didn't realize maintenance was not being done. "Don't let us get in that position in the future," he said.
$20,000 of the money for the second new vehicle will come from the restricted Fire Department fund. Worrell expressed concern that the $3,369 left in the restricted fund could compromise the department's ability to equip new recruits.
The city has authorized up to 50 volunteers, but Roberts said there wouldn't be enough money left to equip them all right now. The department has 29 active volunteers and six paid, full-time members.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***