Building renovations and construction are not in the plans for the Plainville Fire District.
In the May 25 Messenger, a legal publication appearing on page 21 suggested the PFD was considering making improvements to the district’s three fire station buildings.
The legal read “a special election to be held on Tuesday June 28 . . . for the purpose of voting upon . . . accumulating monies to finance the construction or reconstruction of improvements or additions to the fire district’s existing buildings.”
According to Andy Reeves, one of the PFD fire commissioners, the legal was a misprint (on behalf of the district’s attorney) and should have referred to a vote proposing the purchase of a new fire truck for the district.
“The notice is wrong in the Messenger,” Reeves said, adding the vote was postponed until July 19 due to the error. The district doesn’t have any construction or reconstruction plans because of the current study being conducted on Lysander fire companies, he said.
Once the legal is reworded, residents within the PFD will be asked to vote on the proposition to purchase a new truck, a tanker and pumper, which costs $395,000. The plan is to bond for $150,000 towards the purchase of the tanker pumper and utilize reserves for the balance.
The PFD covers the area stretching from Jack’s Reef on the south side to Church Road on the north side, the county line on the west side to the western outskirts of the village of Baldwinsville. This includes the following developments: Indian Springs, Giddings Crest, Whispering Oaks, Seneca Estates and River Mist.
Reeves said there are several reasons why the district is seeking purchase of a new tanker pumper, one being the current equipment is outdated.
“We have three trucks, one for each station. The newest one is 21 years old,” he said.
Another reason for the purchase is the truck can carry 1,500 gallons of water. Considering water issues in various areas of the coverage district, problems with hookups and lack of volume to sustain a pumper truck, having the 1,500-gallon capacity resolves a safety issue, Reeves said.
“We [don’t] feel we [are] properly equipped to provide emergency services that residents need [with the existing trucks],” Reeves said.
The pumper tanker also qualifies for use in Engine 91, a fire/emergency program operating through the cooperation of all Lysander fire departments and companies to provide protection to residents.
“It’s a great all purpose truck,” Reeves said.
The plan is to station the truck at Fire Station No. 3 along Emerick Road, which Reeves said is considered the centralized hub station for all Lysander fire districts. In addition, PFD and Baldwinsville Volunteer Fire Company recently worked out an agreement for joint access at Fire Station No. 3, which will allow both entities to share equipment and volunteers. PFD has 22 active volunteers including four who were added in the last four months.
“They have more bodies, we have more equipment. We figure it’s a wash,” Reeves said.
Calls from 911 will go to volunteers on both sides of the river. “There’s nothing like people working together for the greater good.”
The current tax rate for PFD residents is 93 cents per $1,000 per of assessed value. When asked, Reeves wasn’t certain what impact the purchase would have on the tax rate, and said it depended on the length of time the obtained bond assumed. Another legal will appear in the Messenger detailing the vote to be held July 19.
