Ironwood to purchase new fire truck

By LARRY HOLCOMBE

[email protected]

Ironwood – The Ironwood City Commission approved the purchase of a new Pierce pumper fire engine at its meeting Monday evening.

The price tag is $874,920, and now the city needs to find a way to pay for it. Delivery of the yet unbuilt truck is expected in three years, and the city has 30 months to come up with the first payment, said Public Safety Director Andrew DiGiorgio.

The process of buying a new fire truck started before the COVID-19 pandemic and then it came to a halt, said DiGiorgio.

“There is a life expectancy on a fire truck and our engine is bumping up against that time line, so it was necessary to start up the process of buying a new fire truck,” he said, adding they’ve found the prices have increased.

“Another reason for the quick action on this is due to a change in EPA standards that will add $65,000 to the price of any truck order after March 1,” said DiGiorgio.

Delivery will be in 34 to 36 months, with the final payment due on delivery.

DiGiorgio said he will work with the city manager and finance director on budgeting for the purchase. “We’ll pursue every grant possible.”

In a letter to the commission, DiGiorgio said funding will come from multiple sources, including general fund dollars, USDA loans and grants, and ARPA funds.

“This is definitely something we’ve found out, that COVID has, with everything, increased the prices,” said Mayor Kim Corcoran.

The commission also awarded bids to replace the two boilers and control system in the Memorial Building, as well as the roof top unit. The boilers and controls bid was awarded to Automated Comfort Control for $229,838. The roof top unit bid went to Mukavitz Heating of Ironwood for $18,700.

City Manager Paul Anderson said while the bids had come in over budget, the boilers need replacing. He said he talked to Finance Director Paul Linn about finding money in the budget and they will “shift around funds from multiple projects that are not moving forward at this time.”

The commission also approved a resolution in support of the Human Relations and Equity Committee’s spark plan being used as “a guiding document” as the city begins the revision of its Comprehensive Plan.

According to the Comprehensive Plan’s Appendix, a spark plan is a “mini action plan” that elaborates on strategies described in the Comprehensive Plan, “providing additional details about the ‘who, what, where and why’ of a strategy and the key steps necessary to move toward implementation.”

The resolution states among other things, the HREC’s spark plan promotes “the city as a diverse, unique and welcoming place that prioritizes quality of life for all people.”

Committee members Carol Erickson and Gerry Gripper spoke about the HREC’s work before the resolution’s approval. Gripper asked for the commission members to join the committee’s monthly book club, even for just one month, as they read and then discuss a book relating to diversity. He said it would be a good model for other citizens. The book for March is “Conundrum” by Jan Morris, which deals with transgender issues, according to Erickson, the committee’s chair.

The commission also:

—Approved a six-year Capital Improvement Plan that will help guide future budgeting decisions, according to Community Development Director Tom Bergman.

—Called a public hearing for March 27 regarding a proposed Downtown Development Plan and Tax Increment Financing Plan.

—Approved an annual street pavement marking contract with P.K. Contracting for $36,038.

—Approved a letter to be sent to 15 commercial business owners granting them 9 months to disconnect their roof drains from the sanitary sewer system, instead of the 60 days allowed by ordinance.

—On a 2-2 vote, with commission Rick Semo absent, failed to approve a motion to reduce from $200 to $50 a bill sent to one downtown property owner for sidewalk snow removal. The commission heard that three volleys of bills have been sent out after separate snow events this winter — seven the first time, five the second, and three the third time.

—Approved calling for bids for reconstruction of 65 feet of sidewalk along Lowell Street west of the Historic Ironwood Theatre.

—Approved a $9,800 proposal by Coleman Engineering to apply for $14 million in funding through EGLE’s State Revolving Fund for Phase 5 of a water and sewer project to be centered on Albany and Frederick streets.

—Approved a request from the Department of Public Works to purchase spare plow wing parts for $5,503.

—Approved a DPW request for $7,535 to purchase and install an emission sensor in a loader.

—Approved a utility pole license agreement with Xcel Energy in advance of its work to run a new electric line to near the North Ironwood Water Pump Station and Spring Creek well fields.

—Approved Corcoran’s recommendation to appoint Stephanie Peterson to the Pat O’Donnell Civic Center board for a three-year term ending October 2025. Corcoran said she has several applications for openings on other boards and is still accepting applications from interested people, with hopes of making more recommendations at the next meeting.

As part of Anderson’s manager report, the commission heard:

—Anderson praise the Public Safety Department’s quick response to last week’s fire at the Krist gas station on U.S. 2. He also thanked the DPW for its assistance at the scene. DiGiorgio said they were on the scene in 3 minutes, adding the city is well served by having its public safety officers trained as firefighters and “the report of a fire at a gas station will get your heart pumping.”

—Bids for Phase 1 of the water plant project are due Thursday (today) and funding applications will go out this spring for Phase 2 of the project.

—A Hemlock Street construction project is planned for this summer between Broadway and U.S. 2; and a neighborhood meeting will be held in May.

—A project to line sewers downtown is also planned for this summer, and while digging will be minimal, there will be some interruption of service. A meeting of affected businesses will be held.

—The city awarded its Forestry Stewardship Plan to Green Timber Consulting of Pelkie for $4,600.