Madison trustees OK purchase of refurbished fire department vehicles
The Madison Township trustees have approved the first step of Fire Chief Ken Justus’ plan to obtain two refurbished squad units for less than the price of a new vehicle. The board voted at its regular meeting Tuesday to pay $44,000 to a vendor in New Jersey for a used ambulance that will serve as a backup while the department gets other squads where they need.
According to a plan Justus presented last month, he is looking to buy an ambulance that currently is on GovDeals.com and put the “box” on a new frame at a cost of $110,000 to $130,000. Once that vehicle is ready, the same will be done to Medic 73, probably in 2024, which will result in one relatively new ambulance at each of the department’s two fire stations.
Justus said that once Medic 73 comes back, the department will sell the one that is being bought as a backup to get some money out of it. As a result, Madison will have two squads with a total price tag of about $130,000 to $140,000 compared to $300,000 for one new ambulance that could take 500 to 600 days to be delivered.
Springfield Twp. to buy Medic 71
Trustees voted last month to put down a $1,000 retainer on the used ambulance.
Justus told the board Monday that Springfield Township Fire Department will buy Medic 71, which is a larger vehicle that has problems fitting into bays at either fire station. A Warren, Ohio, company earlier had an interest in that unit, which Madison is seeking to sell for $175,000.
Trustees also agreed to spend $7,725 to buy three sets of turnout gear as part of the fire department’s capital improvement schedule. Trustees agreed to reallocate money between funds for the ambulance and the gear as well as to add $6,000 to a training fund to send some of the firefighters to needed training before the end of the year.
Old road department gear to be sold
Trustees also discussed putting several pieces of old road department equipment for sale on GovDeals including a Massey-Ferguson mower and an old dump truck. They noted that items that do not sell on the internet site could be sold at an auction.
Trustee Tom Craft reported that he looked at a number of roads that were done as part of this year’s resurfacing program and said they looked “great, really beautiful.” He also said he met with the county engineer to discuss some guardrail that still needs to be installed as part of an Ohio Public Works Commission project.
Trustee Jim Houser reported that two people applied for the vacant zoning inspector position and reminded anyone interested in the fiscal officer assistant position that applications are due by Sept, 19. Houser also said Madison Township still is looking for people to serve on the township zoning commission and zoning board of appeals.
He also reminded residents in the Eastview allotment that a special meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 to discuss the possibility of forming a street lighting district.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison trustees OK replacing some fire department equipment
