Fire engine refurbishing plans may change as new deal discovered

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Plans to refurbish two fire engines may be changing as the Charles City Council was presented an alternate idea during its work session meeting on Wednesday, June 12.

In April the council approved a plan to refurbish two of the Fire Department’s aging fire engines, Engine 251 and Engine 252. Replacing the 27-year-old Engine 251 entirely was considered at the time, but it was decided that refurbishing would be the better option unless a good deal on a used engine came around.

During a recent trip to Michigan to look at a tanker, Fire Chief Sam Deverell may have found such a deal and came back with a quote for a 2006 Pierce Dash that would soon be for sale.

The cost would be about $32,000 more than the expected cost of refurbishing Engine 251 and would be available for the 2027 fiscal year.

In addition, Deverell reported that Chatfield Brothers Repair in Floyd is working on a competitive quote to refurbish Engine 252 that would both save roughly $90,000 and, because the work is being done locally, allow the engine to be returned to service between updates.

“I think we got a better plan here,” said Deverell. “The overall plan is going to save us some money.”

The council asked Deverell to look into warranty information and to make sure that the St. Charles Township, which shares ownership of the engines, is on board with the new plan ahead of bringing it back to the council for Monday’s meeting.

In other business, the council reviewed the fourth pay request from Kingland Construction for completed work on the City Hall/Police Department renovation project. Demolition of existing structures continues both inside and out as the contractors work on new plumbing and electrical work.

The total cost on the project thus far is $531,384.76 and while it’s still relatively early, City Engineer John Fallis reports that everything is looking on track for substantial completion by next March.

The council also discussed rezoning the city-owned parcel near the Shaw Avenue dump site. Following the recent five-year review from the EPA, the city is required to make sure that the city-owned property near the site is not zoned to allow residential dwellings.

A city-owned strip of land alongside Shaw Avenue is currently zoned as part of the R-2 General Residence District. The council will be recommending the zoning board to rezone the area into a manufacturing district instead.