Washington Council approves money for fire department upgrades
Washington council approved motions Thursday for fire department upgrades.
Council authorized the purchase of fixtures, equipment and furniture from the 2023 Office of the State Fire Commissioner PEMA grant award at a cost not to exceed $15,000.
Also approved was the purchase of replacement furnishings and appliances for the Tylerdale Fire Station at a cost not to exceed $2,500.
Richer said the Tylerdale Fire Station renovation project is about 70% complete. This marks the first time the station has been renovated in about 20 to 30 years.
The renovation includes new flooring, kitchen cabinets, windows, rubber roof and painting.
“These are homes for our firefighters,” Richer said. “It’s no different than furnishing our own homes. We have to furnish the fire station too.”
Each of the motions was approved by the three members in attendance – Mayor Scott Putnam and councilmen Joseph DeThomas and Andrew Callan.
Council also had the first reading of an amendment to the city’s alarm system ordinance. It will allow city businesses to choose a system other than the currently required Gamewell system.
Putnam said a recommendation from state officials during the city’s early intervention program was to get out of the alarm business.
“We’re phasing it out because business owners have put a lot of money into these systems,” Putnam said. “Businesses will be able to get their own system. We’re going to have approval power over it.”
Putnam also said a grant the police department received from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will come in at less than $300,000 after some state cuts. The grant was originally supposed to be for $442,000.
Police Chief Daniel Rush has said some of the purchases he would like to make with the money include additional body cameras, in-car cameras and in-car computers.
Council also approved the following appointments to the city’s planning commission:
- Fern Siebert, term ending Dec. 31, 2026;
- Larry Siefert, Dec. 31, 2024;
- Nicholas Dubina, Dec. 31, 2025;
- Angelo Musto, Dec. 31, 2023;
- Jason Kilgore, Dec. 31, 2026.