Two estimates varying by about $20,000 for paving at the Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District’s station two in Paint Township are being considered by the district board following Tuesday’s regular meeting.
According to Paint Creek Chief Bradley George, paving at the facility has always been a part of the project, but the “biggest reason” for not having it done before now was due to waiting on the ground to get “good and settled.”
Board president Dan Mathews echoed George’s thoughts on Wednesday.
An estimate from the Miller-Mason Paving with a price tag of $24,850 was discussed at the board’s last meeting. Another estimate was sought, and on Tuesday it was announced that Roberts Paving submitted an estimate for $43,485.
Mathews said the pricing difference in the estimates were likely due to Miller-Mason making its own asphalt, while Roberts has to buy asphalt.
But board members were not ready to take action at Tuesday’s meeting, instead opting to review the estimates further and, as Mathews said, “make sure everybody is on the same page” as far as the work needing done.
He explained that there is additional work that needs done at station two, like “dirt work” and a gravel road that would allow for better access to the rear of the building. Because of this, he said, both companies might come back with different numbers.
The final numbers on the estimates will determine if the job must be put out for bid. According to a general consensus among board members during previous discussions on the matter, a job like what is planned at station two gets put out for bid once it reaches $25,000.
Mathews said he anticipates the board taking action on the matter at its next meeting.
In other business, the board approved the purchase of furniture for all three Paint Creek stations. Twelve recliners and two couches will be purchased from a local retailer. The total amount approved was $6,557.
The matter of the furniture and the dilapidated state of most of the pieces, especially at the Greenfield station, has been a matter of discussion at previous meetings.
According to George, the board also approved the purchase of a pump upgrade for a tanker truck currently in production for the district. He said he believed that the pump currently planned for the truck was not sufficient for the needs of the district.
As previously reported, more than $270,000 in funds for the purchase of the tanker was through an AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grant). That left about $27,100 for the district’s share. The cost of the new pump will add an additional $5,607 to the district’s share. The truck is slated to be complete sometime this summer.
Assistant chief David Manning reported that the transition from the paper time-keeping system to the digital time system purchased earlier this year is complete. Since the digital system’s approval, the district has retained the paper method as a way to cross check the performance of the new system before going completely live.
In George’s monthly report presented to the board on Tuesday, for the month of March there were a total of 27 fire runs and a total of 307 EMS runs made by Paint Creek across its district.
The fire board meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at station one in Greenfield. The meetings are open to the public.
Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.
