Dec. 27—GROVE CITY — Some residents are urging their elected officials to help out Superior Ambulance as the company tries to figure out how make ends meet.

At the most recent Grove City borough council meeting on Dec. 19, resident and former emergency medical technician Willie Caldwell said that it's not an easy job, and that the folks at Superior are good people.

"And they really care about what's going on," he said.

Doug Dick, EMS chief of Superior Ambulance Service and Education Institute in Pine Township, has been sounding the alarm for months that the company is struggling to respond to calls and dealing with lack of manpower, funds and other resources.

He asked the 22 municipalities served by Superior to consider levying a half-mill property tax to help buy the company some time.

Some elected officials have said it was too late to include it in the 2023 budget, while a handful did pass the tax or showed interested in considering it.

Grove City officials agreed to form a committee to discuss the issue further.

Caldwell talked about how the EMS field has changed over the years. In the 1960s, emergency vehicles were equipped with basic first aid.

"Now we literally have an ER on four wheels," he said.

It's expensive to operate an ambulance in Pennsylvania, and the rigs are inspected very closed, he said.

The cost of classes and training have increased; he's heard of some folks who have to pay about $10,000 to complete the necessary training to become a paramedic.

"That's a lot of money for some people," he said, adding that the cost can be discouraging for some.

Caldwell told council he can't see why they can't "pick up a few bucks" for Superior. The half-mill tax would mean an extra $3 payment for the household, he said.

He was glad to hear that council has taken the issue to committee.

In other business at the meeting, council members:

—Held an executive session for about an hour before the meeting to discuss a personnel matter.

—Adopted resolution 2022-21 supporting the Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. They heard from Ann Coleman, who is representing Mercer County for the country's 250th celebration in 2026.

—Approved a request from the Citizens Environmental Association of the Slippery Rock Area Inc. for a $12,000 donation from the borough. It will help cover legal costs in the organization's appeal of the landfill that Tri-County Industries Inc. wants to reopen on property it owns in Liberty and Pine townships.

—Approved meeting dates for 2023. Meetings will be at 7 p.m. at the borough building on the third Monday with the exception of January, when it will be Thursday, Jan. 19.

—Promoted patrolman Stephen "Ross" Phipps from probationary full-time to permanent full-time.

—Learned that ModWash withdrew its application to build a car wash at the site of the former Perkins restaurant, 915 W. Main St.

—Heard from Borough Manager Vance Oakes that some of the ball fields at the park were vandalized by someone driving a vehicle around the property.