The Lake City Council is currently working on a grant application that could potentially significantly reduce the cost of purchasing a new firefighting vehicle for the Lake City Fire Department. Administrator and department treasurer, Eric Wood, says they have a tanker-pumper that has been in service for more than five decades and needs to be replaced.
Wood says if they are approved for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Community Facilities grant, the council will have several options on how that funding can be used.
City officials are in the process of soliciting bids for the new tanker-pumper, so a solid figure is not yet available. According to Wood, this sort of vehicle usually comes in it at around $100,000 with most of the pricing variability coming from the type of equipment fitted to it. He expects the city will be awarded approximately $50,000 if they are chosen with the remaining amount sourced through local funds. Turnaround on ordering a new truck is generally around a year, and Wood is hopeful the department will have a new vehicle in their fleet by this time next summer.
