Murray voters approve $900K for new fire truck and refurbished mini-pumper

Photo by Tom Rivers: This pumper-tanker was moved out of the Holley fire hall this evening for a special election. The fire truck is one of two that will be sold and replaced with one new pumper-tanker and a rescue truck that will be refurbished into a mini-pumper.

MURRAY – Voters in the Murray Joint Fire District approved spending up to $900,000 for a new pumper-tanker fire truck and a refurbished rescue truck that will serve as a mini-pumper.

There was a special election this evening from 6 to 9 p.m. and the expenditures were approved by a 66-45 vote.

The Murray Joint Fire District will be replacing two pumper-tankers that are each about 25 years old. One is based at the Holley fire hall and the other at the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray hall. They each can carry 1,000 gallons of water.

They will be replaced with a new pumper-tanker at a cost of $680,000. Fire district leaders also will convert a rescue truck into a mini-pumper at a cost of $220,000.

The district leaders opted to do the smaller mini-pumper rather than buy two new pumper-tankers to try to reduce the costs to the fire district, said Mark Porter, chairman of the commissioners.

Refurbishing the rescue truck into a mini-pumper also will be easier to get the vehicle into tight driveways and on laneways, Porter said.

The fire district will pursue financing through serial bonds or statutory installment bonds up to 20 years, and may utilize bond anticipation notes for up to five years for the $680,000. For the $220,000, the financing would be for up to 15 years.