New equipment for Marion Fire Department

New equipment for Marion Fire Department

News & Notes from March council meeting

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion will buy all new helmets for the fire department and will let firefighters keep their current ones as a keepsake of their service.

Fire Chief Woody Wheeless said the old helmets were purchased in 2006 and are at the end of their lifespan and need to be replaced.

“You’ve got these NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) rules that say when they are ten years old we’re not supposed to be wearing them any more,” Wheeless told the city council.

The cost to replace the helmets will be about $11,000. Wheeless said he plans to pay for them using ACT 833 money. ACT 833 mandates that one half of one percent of all fire insurance premiums be turned back to the state to provide for firefighting needs to fire departments in Arkansas. The money is split equally among all active fire departments across the state. There are nine active fire departments in Crittenden County — Marion, West Memphis, Horseshoe Lake, Anthonyville, Edmondson, Crawfordsville, Turrell, Jenette, and Heafer.

In the past, each fire department received about $11,000. Wheeless said the law was changed though to allow any unclaimed money to be put back into the pool and reallocated. In 2014, fire departments got an additional $17,000 from that forfeiture disbursement.

“We have enough money in there to do that,” Wheeless said. “So the good news is that it is not coming out of city funds.”

Wheeless also got permission to let the firefighters keep their old helmets.

“They have no use,” Wheeless said. “We can’t give them to another department to use. It’s either that or they wind up getting thrown away. So I would rather they have them.”

In other business:

• The City Council approved a plan to spend $16,000 for the Water Department to install new valves and piping at the filter plant to allow the department to be able to switch pods from one filter to a second filter if needed.

The water department will buy the parts and do the installation work.

• The council approved spending $24,494 for a new Ford F150 half ton pick up truck for the water department from McLarty Ford in Little Rock. The money for the truck was included in the 2018 budget.

Councilman Kelly O’Neal asked Water Department manager Jim Shempert if he checked on the price with a local dealer.

“Will Ford of West Memphis meet the price?”

O’Neal asked.

Shempert said he would inquire, but the dealer hasn’t matched it in the past.

“I can ask,” Shempert said. “I ordered a truck one year and they didn’t do it.”

• The council gave Shempert the authorization to go ahead and spend up to $45,000 to upgrade the Marconi Street sewer pump station.

Shempert plans to buy and install a new pump package and enlarge the building.

The city budgeted $38,000 for the project but authorized him not to exceed $45,000. Any additional money above the $38,000 will be paid for using bond money.

• Building Inspector Jerry Kelley reported that the city had three new home permits, three commercial permits, and 12 miscellaneous permits issued in January. Year-to-date, there have been four new home permits, four commercial, and 25 miscellaneous permits.

• The council approved buying two new 2019 Freightliner knuckleboom trucks with a guaranteed buyback of $146,000. The trucks will take four to six months to arrive.

• There will be a special council meeting March 14 at 5:30 p.m. at city hall to discuss the demolition of an unsightly home located at 206 Shiloh.

By Mark Randall