HUMBOLDT — Humboldt will seek a Community Development Block Grant to pay most of the cost of a new fire truck.
Council members voted at a special meeting Monday night to provide a required 25 percent match, $62,500, of the cost of a new truck, expected to be $250,000. Four respirators, which would increase city costs up to $90,000, may be included.
Kent Barfoot, chief of Humboldt’s volunteer fire department, pointed out the truck volunteers use to answer municipal and rural fires was purchased in 1992 and that its water tank, galvanized steel, had a life expectancy of 20 years when new. The new truck would be custom-built for Humboldt and include advances in fire-fighting technology.
A public hearing on the CDBG and fire truck purchase will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 6. Also then will be a hearing on closing a grant that paid about 25 percent of the cost of water distribution improvements just completed.
The deadline for grant application is Oct. 31.
In the run-up to the fire truck grant vote, City Administrator Larry Tucker said an architect soon would have thoughts on a new fire/ambulance station. If nothing were done, a new door with more vertical clearance would have to be installed at the existing station to accommodate a new truck, Barfoot said.
Water line project cost was $1.67 million, with $400,000 coming from a CDBG and $1.267 million from a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan.
Tucker said when all change orders and a refund for work and materials provided by the city were taken into consideration, $18,726.82 would remain to be paid. Council members voted to retire the overage with money from a dormant water tower maintenance fund that contains nearly $71,000.
Payment on the USDA loan will start in February. Tucker noted reserves and monthly income from water sales were expected to meet debt service without requiring any increase in water rates.
The water line contractor, Northern Gas Line, Phoenix, will complete the last of the project this week when it stains concrete in a new sidewalk along the north side of Bridge Street and for a half block west of Ninth Street.
Tucker said parts of the sidewalk were discolored when it came in contact with blankets used to protect freshly poured concrete last winter. Fluid used for the rectifying stain penetrates the concrete and should keep surface color consistent for several years, he said.
“It’s a cosmetic issue,” said Fred Works, city attorney.
The work is expected to be completed before the annual Biblesta event unfolds on Saturday.
All told, Tucker said he thought the city faired well in the project, which included 50 new fire hydrants and resulted in a leak-free, sound distribution system.
A third agenda item, an Americans with Disabilities Act agreement with the Department of Justice, was tabled until next month. The agreement includes timetables for notices, signage, training and repairs to public access that will be dealt with over the next 18 months.
New fire truck sought with help from state
