Aurora Council OKs ambulance, forklift purchases

It might take up to a couple of years, but the city will eventually get a 2023 Horton ambulance after Council authorized the purchase at its Feb. 27 meeting.

The ambulance will be built on a Ford F-550 chassis. Fire Chief Matthew McBirney said the build time could be up to two years. Total cost is $315,034 – $300,135 at state ambulance pricing and $14,899 for equipment not covered in the vehicle quote.

In addition, the city’s service department will get a Doosan G30E-7 2.4-liter, 6,000-pound capacity pneumatic tire forklift after Council approved that purchase.

The vehicle will be purchased from Doosan Industrial Vehicle America Corp. for $33,745. According to Service Director Harry Stark, three quotes were received, and the pricing is under a Sourcewell contract.

Stark said the estimated delivery time is 37 weeks, and a 2000 Yale model forklift will be transferred to the wastewater department for use.

In other action, Council forwarded legislation to the March 13 meeting for purchases of Itron ERT transmitters and parts and Kamstrup water meters and parts from two different companies.

Under a three-year plan, the transmitters and parts would come from United Systems & Software for not more than $80,000 per year, and the meters and parts would come from Everett J. Prescott Inc. for not more than $150,000 per year.

It was noted United Systems & Software is the only authorized Itron distributor in Ohio, while E.J. Prescott is the sole source distributor in several Ohio counties for products and services provided by Kamstrup Water Metering Inc.

Other business

Council approved joining Equalis Group, a cooperative purchasing organization that provides contracts competitively solicited by public agencies for a wide variety of products and services.

The dedication of roads and water/sanitary sewer lines in the right-of-way on Beljon and Scarlett lanes and William Court in Phases 2-3 of the Preserve at Beljon Farms was approved, as was authorizing the following banks to be recipients of city deposits from Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2027: BMO Harris, Fifth Third, First National of Pennsylvania, Huntington, JP Morgan Chase, TriState Capital, U.S. and Westfield.

Heading to third reading is legislation to allow the mayor to apply for a Clean Ohio Trail Fund grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to build a section of trail along the First Energy right-of-way between Chamberlain Road in Mantua Township and Route 82 in Aurora.

A comparable use conditional zoning certificate for a Goddard School at the Greens of Aurora on the east side of North Chillicothe Road across from Barrington Town Center also was moved to third reading.

Action again was postponed on an amendment to the codified ordinances dealing with prohibited parking on residential lots. Law Director Dean DePiero said city officials have worked long and hard to get issues with the legislation ironed out.

An amendment has been proposed to places where parking is prohibited, and that spot is the front yard of a residential lot under one acre.

The clause continues: “Unless [the vehicle] is entirely parked on an existing hard surface or an existing or approved driveway.” Parking would be OK if “permission is obtained in advance from the police chief or his designee if the parking would be for more than 24 hours.”

DePiero thanked Police Chief Brian Byard, Planning-Zoning-Building Director Denise Januska, Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin, Councilman Brad Duguay and his colleagues and citizens for providing input on the legislation.

“This would give the chief some leeway in enforcement,” he said. “We are not looking to hand out citations; it is more of a compliance thing. We want people to know where they can and can’t park.”

Finance Director Tim Clymer announced his department soon will participate with the Tax Incentive Review Committee to evaluate the performance of Community Reinvestment Area properties. Council then will consider the recommendations.

Clymer said he will update Council on the first quarter utility billing collections at its second meeting in March.

State Rep. Gail Pavliga (R-72) briefly addressed Council about issues she and the legislature are working on, including transportation, the next biennial budget, economic and workforce development and mental health.

Contact the newspaper at auroraadvocate@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Aurora will add new ambulance, forklift to city vehicle fleet