Monday evening’s Tyrone Borough Council meeting began on a sombre note with Mayor Bill Latchford asking those in attendance to remember the Mills family upon the death of Councilor Charlie Mills the previous weekend. Mills was present just last month at the August council meeting and remained active until his death. An article and obituary appeared in Wednesday’s issue.
During public comment, Chris Cherry of the Neptune Fire Department asked the board to consider submitting a grant application from the statewide Local Sharing Account Program for a new fire truck.
The LSA program allows for grant funding through the PA Horse Racing and Gaming Development Act (Act 2004-71). The law provides for distribution of gaming revenues through the Commonwealth Funding Authority (CFA) to support projects of public interest within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Chery said the money will be used to replace its 2001 engine, which is now 22 years old. The truck makes 60 to 70 calls a year, Cherry said. He said their main truck is a tanker from 2011. Cherry said in recent years they try to run that tanker more than a truck, because of safety and storage capacity.
“In 2001, this was the top of the line,” he said.
The new trucks are designed to provide more space for people and equipment on board as well as new technology. The local fire department also hopes to increase its pump capacity, Cherry said. Since Tyrone’s water system has been significantly upgraded, the fire department’s capabilities could increase as well, Cherry said.
Local fire departments rely heavily on grants in order to keep up with rising equipment and fire apparatus costs. Gone are the days when dinners and other local fundraising efforts were enough. Cherry said Neptune shopped around for a potential truck to meet their needs and learned that the stock price for just a basic model truck, with no fancy equipment, started at $875,000. He said that equipment prices rose by more than 20% after the Corona virus, and every year the prices of fire equipment continue to rise by 3-5%.
“I’m not sure why the federal government doesn’t step in and put a cap on something, because fire companies can’t keep buying equipment at $1 million apiece,” Cherry said.
Borough Manager Ardean Latchford said Tyrone Borough is not in a good position to receive grants due to the enrichment funds received each year (through the windmills). However, the grant can be requested through Neptune more than through the municipality. Latchford asked Cherry to email him links and information regarding the grant process.
Read more news from Tyrone Borough in upcoming editions of Daily Herald.
