By Rikki Cason<br><a href="mailto:rikki.cason@journal-register.com">E-mail Rikki</a>
After several weeks of discussion, Village of Medina board of trustees approved the purchase of a second ambulance.
In May, the Medina Fire Department got the go-ahead to purchase a new ambulance to replace one of their existing older models. That ambulance had a total cost of $140,000. Part of the funds came from money the department had set aside to purchase a used ambulance, and $100,000 was bonded out.
The fire department then was given the opportunity to acquire a demo ambulance from the same company. The demo was designed to be taken to trade shows.
According to Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich, the demo ambulance will cost significantly less and will be given to them straight from the factory, with only the mileage it will take to drive it to Medina. He said that it is a new model, and a certain number of demos are produced each year.
Because of the savings and the future need for a second ambulance, the board approved the purchase. The second ambulance will cost $99,700. From the fire department’s 2008 equipment fund, $7,500 — which was left over — will be taken, along with $2,200 from this year’s equipment fund budget to go toward the cost. The other $90,000 will be added to the bond.
According to board members, the new ambulances will bring the department completely current and the fire department will not need a new ambulance for more than 10 years. Each new ambulance will have the capability to be potentially remounted twice, meaning that the ambulance box could be placed on a new chassis. The vehicles will replace the current 1993 and 1997 ambulances and will arrive in late September.
In other board news:
• Zinkievich spoke to the board about a grant opportunity that could allow the fire department to build a new station. A fire station grant available through stimulus funds is offering $210 million in grants for add-ons. Zinkievich told the board that he would like to apply in hopes of receiving money to build a new station. He said that as the equipment gets larger, it is getting harder and harder to fit the vehicles in their current locations.
The fire department looked into possibly relocating to the old Jubilee site, so that they are still in the center of the village. The grant is a no-matching grant and if approved, the department would have three years to use the funds.
Zinkievich said that the Medina Fire Department meets a lot of the qualifications needed to be awarded the grant.
• A resident voiced his concern about the village’s brush pickup. With the Department of Public Works heavy agenda this year working on Gwinn Street, the promenade and other places around the village, workers didn’t have enough time or manpower to do monthly brush pickups. Because of this, the board voted to change its policy and only offer brush pickups once in the spring and once in the fall. However, the village’s Web site was not changed to reflect that. The resident told the board that many people around the village also had brush in front of their property.
Board members said that they would try to find a solution to this problem, but the only immediate solution is to prepare the brush to be collected for garbage pick-up. To be picked up, the brush must be no longer than 4 feet, weigh no more than 60 pounds and be bundled together.
