Coming soon to a fire hall near you: a new (used) 50-foot ladder truck.
Grand Marais city councilors approved the acquisition of a 1977 International truck from the City of Aitkin at their Jan. 21 meeting. Fire Chief Ben Silence and Aaron Mielke, representing the fire department, made the request for the $10,500 purchase, which was supported unanimously by council.
By comparison, Silence said a new ladder truck can cost anywhere between $600,000 and $1 million. A search of available used trucks found similar-aged trucks in the $12,000 to $15,000 range, and newer trucks between $20,000 and $35,000, he said. Because of the department’s relationship with Aitkin and its familiarity with the vehicle up for sale, Silence said there is a high “comfort level” in making the deal.
Silence explained that Grand Marais’s current fleet does not include any truck with an attached ladder or lift. Instead, the firefighters must use a 35-foot ladder that has to be manually placed against the building. The chief said there are a number of buildings in town where that ladder would be inadequate— or even dangerous—to use to access the roof in the event of a fire or rescue emergency. In addition, said Silence, the new truck is equipped with a remote nozzle, which will improve firefighting capabilities.
In order to finance the purchase, Silence said the department is planning to replace its existing back-up pumper, a 1984 Ford, with the ladder truck. Sale of the pumper is expected to bring about $10,000. Both trucks have similar capability to carry and pump water. The transaction will maintain the fleet at three “significant” trucks: a pumper which was purchased new in 2008; the ladder truck; and a tanker-tender.
Considering that the existing ladder was scheduled for replacement in the near future at a projected cost of $5,000, Councilor Bill Lenz called the decision to spend $10,500 for the Aitkin vehicle a “no-brainer.” After all, he said, Grand Marais will get a 34-year-old truck at a good price with all of the maintenance records, and the seller will pay for its inspection before the transaction is completed. Mielke agreed, and said the age of the truck isn’t very important—as long as it passes all of its required tests, which the Aitkin ladder truck has.
Delivery of the new truck is expected within two or three weeks.
Active Living
In other business, Kristin Wharton appeared before council, along with representatives from seven supporting groups, to request the city’s participation in the “Active Living” program. Wharton said the program is “a newer name for an old idea,” the gist of which is to incorporate active living into everyday life. She said these are basic things that every person can undertake, regardless of age or physical capabilities, and can include such simple things as installation of bike racks, making the sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly with improved snow removal, and slowing down traffic in the school zone and other high-risk areas. The city’s main commitment would be staff time in carrying out the improvements, Wharton said.
There was some discussion about the proposed resolution, most of it centering on the “harsh” language that some councilors feared might commit the city to projects or funding it didn’t want to get into. Mayor Bear Carlson cited such terms as “require,” “enforce,” “and “commit” as language that needed to be changed. “Everybody would support this concept,” said Carlson. “But there are problems with the wording, and I don’t want to get nailed down with something, not knowing what dollars are out there. I’m not ready to do that.”
City Administrator Mike Roth, too, said there were some “pretty strong commitments implied” by the resolution, but Councilor Tim Kennedy said participation in the program is “not anything different than we do today.” For instance, he said, past councils have consistently considered sidewalk and bicycle lane placement during road project planning, and have always placed importance on pedestrian safety through programs such as the “Safe Routes to School.”
Wharton said projects outlined in the Active Living resolution are only goals, not mandates, and stressed that it’s important for council to approve the resolution so there’s a formal statement on record, ensuring the program’s longterm future. Approval of the resolution would also help program administrators procure grants, she said.
Council then voted to approve the resolution affirming active living tenets, but deleted references to enforcement and changed other objectionable wording.
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Nancy Grabko of the Lake and Cook County Joint Housing Initiative gave an update of the program’s success and received council support for submission of a 2011 Small City Development Program application. Grabko said the 2011 application, if approved, will help rehabilitate eight income-eligible dwellings in the county, and renovate four downtown Grand Marais commercial structures that meet the federal definition of exhibiting “slum and blighted conditions.” Grabko said seven letters of interest have been received from downtown business owners. If the city’s grant application is approved, Grabko said it would be the first time Grand Marais has participated in the program; each business chosen could receive a maximum of $38,500 through the federal grant, plus $11,500 from Iron Range Resources.
Council appointed Olwe Bottorff to the library board, and Tracy Benson to the park board. The action fills the library board, but there still remains one vacancy on the park board, which now has six members. Interested residents are asked to contact City Hall for an application.
Roth and Carlson reported that the personnel committee met the prior week with union representatives, whose contract expired Dec. 31, 2010, and reached a tentative settlement that would continue the terms of the existing contract for 12 more months. That means there will be no cost-of-living pay raises this year, but step increases would be granted as scheduled. There is also a provision that pay rates may be re-opened for discussion in six months, but no commitment to do so, said Roth.
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