Dec 18, 2019 3 min read

Washington officials are planning to use 2020 Community Development Block Grant money to purchase a new fire engine.

The city’s fire department needs to replace its tower truck, which is about 34 years old.

“I can’t say anything bad about that tower truck,” said fire Chief Gerald Coleman. “Over the years, it’s been a serviceable rig, and was certified up until a few years ago.”

The tower, purchased in 1985, is still in service, but needs quite a bit of work, Coleman said.

“It’s more work than it’s even worth,” Coleman said. “It’s not even worth trading in. I don’t know what we’ll do with it. I’m hoping we might be able to market it to a collector or even a museum.”

The city receives about $570,500 in CDBG funding each year, according to Rob Phillips, assistant community development director for the Redevelopment Authority of Washington County. The city will use $260,200 of that for the new engine.

“We’re meeting with manufacturers now to see what options we have,” Coleman said.

He said the engine will cost about $600,000, but they don’t yet have a quote. He said the city has yet to determine where the rest of the cost will come from.

“The budget is a big concern,” he said. “You want to get a piece of equipment that’s going to be beneficial and do everything we need it to do. We need a work engine – we don’t need all the frills.”

They haven’t placed an order yet, but delivery of the engine could take between eight and 16 months, Coleman said. The last two fire trucks the city purchased were done so with CDBG money and have been paid off, he said.

“My department is extremely thankful for those funds,” Coleman said.

The city’s substation in Tylerdale is expected to see some renovations as well, paid for with carryover 2019 CDBG funds – about $140,500. It needs a new roof, new windows and an emergency generator, Coleman said.

“The roof is leaking and in disrepair, and the windows and doors need replaced,” he said.

The fire department will also receive about $50,000 in carryover 2019 CDBG funds for equipment, for things like swift-water rescue and vehicle rescue.

Another $205,300 in 2020 CDBG funding will go toward the city’s bond payment from the downtown street improvements project, which was completed more than 10 years ago, Phillips said. That bond is expected to be paid off in 2022, he said.

The city’s code enforcement will use $50,000 of the CDBG funds as a match for the $300,000 Local Share Account grant that it was approved for this year. That money will all go toward demolishing blight.

According to Lynn Galluze, the city’s computer systems coordinator, $200,000 of that $350,000 will be used for the demolition of a commercial property. The property is still to be determined, she said. The rest of it will pay to demolish 15 residential properties.

Another $50,000 will help rehabilitate two homes in the city, through the redevelopment authority’s home rehabilitation program, Phillips said. Residents within a certain income level can apply for pieces of the funding to make home improvements, which typically cost about $25,000 per home, he said.

Phillips said the city has 10 residences on a waiting list for the program. Any residents looking for information on eligibility or assistance in filling out an application can contact the redevelopment authority at 724-228-6875.

The city plans to use the last $35,000 of the 2020 CDBG funds on recreation improvements, which are still to be determined.