The Renfrew Fire Department was able to check some items off their shopping list at the last Town Council meeting for the term.
At their meeting on Tuesday, November 8th, Fire Chief Mike Guest brought forward a pair of recommendations to fix the Fire Hall’s roof as well as to add a new truck to their fleet.
First, Chief Guest explained to council that that fixing the roof of the Fire Departments building has been a long time coming.
There were three bids placed to take on the job, as Council approved Chief Guest’s recommended tender from We Got it Covered Roofing worth $64,108.80. The cost for the project falls below the $80,000 set aside for the project in Renfrew’s 2022 annual budget.
Next, Chief Guest told council that just one bid was submitted to replace a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab truck in the Fire Department’s fleet. Guest says he believes that dealerships are hesitant to take on too many orders due to low supply.
He adds the new 2022 Ford F150 Supercab will replace an important vehicle in their emergency response fleet for calls both in town and for neighbouring municipalities.
Council approved the purchase of the new truck, which came in at $70,586.69, around $600 over budget. A note from Treasurer Erin Broome suggests that the small overage will be covered by the town’s rolling stock reserve fund.
Meanwhile, the current truck will stay in the municipal fleet for corporate travel.
(written by Kasey Egan)