Arnold facing deadline to spend money for fire truck without enough to cover full cost

Arnold will set more money aside to pay for a new fire engine as it faces a deadline to spend some of the money it already has marked for the major purchase.

After two public hearings, council voted to mark $50,000 of its about $304,000 federal grant funding for the fire department in 2024, toward the cost of replacing the 30-year-old vehicle.

Most of the money available from the Community Development Block Grant Program, about $200,000, would go toward resurfacing Third Avenue and paying for wheelchair-accessible ramps at intersections. Designating $80,000 for recreation was eliminated so the street and ramp work could be done at one time.

Money previously allocated for a spray park instead will be used for improvements at Roosevelt Park, including pickleball and basketball courts and a pavilion, said Rick Rayburg, community development director.

The city is pursuing a nearly $142,000 state grant to pave the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Third Avenue. It is expecting to also need money from its 2025 federal grant, meaning the work would not be done until 2026.

The fire engine used by Arnold Volunteer Engine Company No. 2, Arnold’s only fire department, is owned by the city. The 1994 HME engine is one of the department’s three vehicles. It cost $275,000.

A new engine is expected to cost between $575,000 and $700,000, fire company spokesman Chris O’Leath said.

According to O’Leath, the city set aside $75,000 toward the truck last year and $115,000 in 2022.

The allocation from 2022 is at risk of being lost if it’s not spent within three years, with that deadline coming in March, he said. That means the city must move forward with seeking bids despite not having the truck’s entire cost covered.

“We have to in order to not lose that money,” O’Leath said.

The city has options to pay for the truck, he said. That includes a 2% loan program through the state and leasing, where, at the end, the city would own it.

They also have applied to the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program, which they hope to hear back about by the end of August, he said.

O’Leath said the fire company has been meeting with manufacturers and working on specifications for the truck. He anticipates getting bids in October and a decision in November, with the money that needs to be spent used toward a down payment.

How long it will take for the new engine to arrive in the city depends on the manufacturer selected, O’Leath said. It could be anywhere from one to three years, he said.

The city’s aerial truck, purchased in 2010, is the most recent new fire vehicle the city has purchased, O’Leath said. The engine, while maintained and upgraded over time, is running well but is past its recommended 20-year useful life.

Some of the truck’s lights have been upgraded from halogen to LED. While the truck has low mileage and appears in overall good condition, signs of age and wear are apparent, such as part of the windshield becoming cloudy because the glass is delaminating.

Once the new truck is in service, the 1994 HME will go into reserve status, O’Leath said.