Wilkes-Barre City Council on Thursday unanimously approved the purchase of an $850,000 fire engine.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE– Several agenda items raised concerns and questions from residents during Thursday’s City Council meeting, including the purchase of an $850,000 fire engine and housing opportunities in the city.
The new engine, a 2024 Pierce Enforcer Custom 1500 GPM Pumper, will be contracted by Glick Fire Equipment Company, Inc. following council’s unanimous approval.
While she acknowledged that she thought the fire engine was a good move for the city, Wilkes-Barre resident Angel Mathis questioned where the funds for the purchase would come from.
According to Mayor George Brown, the funding will be provided through a short-term lease agreement, which he said will be paid off sooner rather than later thanks to expected revenue.
“We have revenue coming in at certain times this year and as that revenue comes in, we’ll pay the lease off, so whatever the interest we pay will be short-term lease interest,” Brown said. “The main thing is that we need this fire truck. This is the most fiscally responsible way for the city to do it,” he added.
Resident Sam Troy asked council if the benefit of the engine was worth the cost, to which Brown said the purchase price is actually a deal.
“Engines are in demand all over the country because of the COVID-19 situation. There’s a two-year waiting period in some cases and we were able to secure this truck that’s going to be going onto the assembly line shortly,” Brown said.
Troy also raised concerns about the advantages of the new equipment compared to the ones that the city already has in operation.
According to Brown, most of the city’s engines are in need of repair, and the new vehicle offers much-needed peace of mind.
“Some of the fire engines are in need of repair. At one time, we had three fire engines in the shop at the same time, so we were using an old truck to help subsidize fighting the fires with the other trucks that were left,” Brown said. “We have to upgrade our fleet of fire engines, and this is the best way to do that. We’ve had a lot of fires lately, and the trucks are getting a lot of use, and we want the best equipment for our firefighters — just like we want the best equipment for our police officers.”
According to Brown, the engine will be in operation by October.
Habitat for Humanity lot
Also during Thursday’s meeting, council approved forgiving taxes on the vacant properties at 38-46 Carey Ave., which were donated to Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity late last year.
Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity, which has served the area since 1992, builds simple, decent homes for Wyoming Valley families in need. The entirety of the home building (or restoration, depending on the property) process is completed with volunteer labor.
Troy, who agreed the transfer was positive for the city, questioned why it is not done more often — namely on buildings that are demolished, such as the building at 67 Prospect St, which council approved to tear down during Thursday’s meeting.
“I think the idea of the transferring of the properties to the Habitat for Humanity is a great thing, and hopefully those homes will be restored and sold at an affordable price to people who are struggling and who want to live the American dream of owning their own home — it makes it possible and it’s a good thing,” Troy said.
“But can the same thing be said about the demolition of the property? Does it always have to be that it’s torn down? What if there’s a possibility of salvaging and building something there — wouldn’t that be better to explore?” he asked council members.
City Attorney Tim Henry explained that the situations are not the same in that the city does not own the property on Prospect Street.
“We don’t acquire ownership of that before we demolish it. If we get a notice that a property is in bad shape, we will send a structural engineer out to the property and they will issue a report. If that report concludes that the best option for that property for the health, safety and welfare of the neighborhood is demolition, then we will take the steps necessary, but it remains privately owned by whoever the owner is when we take it down,” Henry said.
Other business
Also during the meeting, council approved:
• Authorizing the proper city officials to sign all necessary documents related to awarding the contract to the most qualified service, Franchelli Enterprises Inc., for the City of Wilkes-Barre One Call Service for a flat rate of $100 per hour.
• Authorizing the provisions of Section 20-4 of the Wilkes-Barre Code of Ordinances (open consumptions of alcoholic beverages) to be temporarily suspended and not enforced for the Fine Arts Fiesta from May 15-19.
• Appointing Ron Slusser to the Police Civil Service Commission.
• Appointing Jack Nolan to the Zoning Hearing Board.
• Repealing Article III of Chapter 26 entitled “Pave Cuts.”