Committee OKs aerial truck purchase
Mar. 2—DANVILLE — It was a little more expensive than expected, but the Danville City Council's Public Works Department recommended approving purchasing a new 100-foot aerial ladder fire truck.
The purchase cost is $1.686 million from dealer A.E.C. Fire & Safety. The low bid was $1.758 million for the Ferrara fire apparatus, but the city will be receiving a lower cost demonstration model of a similarly manufactured vehicle that would be made available this summer.
The full city council will act on the purchase next week.
The $1.637 million price includes a pre-build estimate of 3 percent factored for $49,111.
In the city's ARPA spending plan from May 2022, the estimated aerial truck cost was $1.4 million.
City officials are trying to work out the overage on the aerial to pay for a pumper.
Fire Chief Aaron Marcott said they have bids for the pumper and it likely will have a 650-day wait to receive it.
Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said the demonstraiton aerial truck hasn't been used or showcased. It was ordered by another company which ended up not needing it, he said.
He said the city can receive it this summer instead of waiting two more years.
The city then would have a little less ARPA money to purchase the pumper truck, Williams added.
City officials are looking at selling some old equipment to help pay for the pumper.
The committee also discussed, but didn't act on, the SAFER grant application for six additional firefighters.
Marcott and Williams said the SAFER grant would pay for 100 percent salary and benefits for three years, with the city required to pay for equipment and training. The city also has the opportunity for some equipment cost reimbursement through another grant.
Marcott said the SAFER grant will eliminate fire department overtime expenses. He reminded the aldermen the fire department has about a dozen firefighters at or near retirement age in the next three years. The SAFER grant would put two additional firefighters on each shift.
Williams said the grant would save the city $500,000 to $700,000 a year in overtime for the next three years, primarily due to minimum manning requirements. These also don't have to be permanent positions to lock the department into having 51 firefighters. The city can assess how the casino and additional businesses will be affecting the fire service in the next few years, he said.
Williams said the city could lay off firefighters through attrition.
"I think this is the best way to control overtime until that time," Marcott said of the SAFER grant, adding that the city also could again apply for another grant in a few more years.
In other fire department reports, since the city changed residency requirements for city employees, aldermen learned that four of the newest probationary firefighters live outside of Danville: Justin Moore of Covington, Ind., Nathan Michael and Jaren West of Hoopeston, Jeffrey Christison of Oakwood.
Also Tuesday, the committee recommended approving:
* Creating a liquor license classification for the casino.
* A $138,082 professional services agreement with GHR Engineers and Associates Inc. of Champaign for HVAC replacement at the public works facility on Voorhees Street.
* Increasing the fire department overtime budget by another $200,000 due to understaffing with retirements and injuries.
* Disposal of self-contained breathing apparatus no longer useful to the fire department.
* Authorizing an intergovernmental agreement for participation in the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS).
* Distributing $80,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the David S. Palmer Arena and $20,000 in ARPA funds to the Danville Area Convention and Visitors' Bureau due to lost hotel/motel revenue during COVID-19.
* Authorizing a $6,197 budget amendment to the finance budget for Azavar sales tax contingency payment.
