Purchase of Fire Equipment Will Save Money for County

A decision was made at the Talbot County Commission meeting held on Monday, May 4 to purchase equipment will save the county money.
A 2005 fire truck has been assessed to determine what would be required to put the engine back into good shape and it was determined the engine would require costly engine and transmission repairs, along with extensive modifications. It was determined the cost for the repairs and modifications could cost between $100,000 and $300,000.
It was also determined that a viable alternative would be to purchase a 2005 Pierce Sabre apparatus in good condition for $59,625, which falls within the department’s allocated funding threshold.
The commissioners approved the acquisition of the Pierce vehicle utilizing SPLOST funding in the amount of $59,625. The county plans to retire or repurpose the unit in need of repair. The county will finalize the purchase and explore feasible options for disposing of or reusing parts from the existing truck.
It was brought to the attention of the board that the state allocated approximately $539,000 for local road and bridge assistance.
It was announced that a rough estimate of $290,000 had been determined for prioritized bridge repairs. That would leave approximately $249,000 for the improvement of two targeted roads in the county.
The county has listed priorities for pile headwalls for undermined structures at Venice Creek and Pile Church, columns for North Pikeville and other projects.
The board discussed using remaining funds toward a one- mile of road paving (which typical cost around $250,000 per mile). The paving project could require a small amount of local supplement funding.
The application deadline for the funds through the Department of Transportation is June 15.
The board decided to bundle multiple bridge projects for a combined bid to lower costs of the projects.
The staff is to bid projects and refine the exact figures for the projects. Engineers would bid the projects and help determine the final local match or funding needs.
After costs are determined the Board of Commissioners would either accept or deny the bids.