“We have 101 abandoned properties that we are aware of.”
Borough Council preliminarily approved the purchase of a new ladder truck for the fire department at the Oct. 2 meeting.
The current 1992 Ladder Truck reached 25 years of service this year, five years past the 20-year timeline when the department has typically replaced its ladders per department policy. The borough would finance the purchase over a term of approximately 15 years. In addition to an initial 5 percent cash down payment of $51,650, the cost to taxpayers would average approximately $88,240 annually, assuming a 4 percent interest rate.
“The fire department has reported costs of approximately $20,000 over the past two years for repairs to the current ladder truck, with parts becoming more difficult to obtain,” Borough Administrator John Gural said.
Final approval for the fire truck will take place at the Oct. 16 meeting.
At the Sept. 18 meeting, council passed an ordinance appropriating $1.889 million for various capital improvements and related expenses in the borough. The list of improvements was divided into four sections: general, police department, fire department and public works.
The highlighted item on the list was the ladder truck, which costs $1.066 million, and has been discussed at several other meetings this year.
Public Works will see approximately $420,000, with $350,000 of that going to general road improvements. Another $70,000 will go to the acquisition of public work trucks and equipment, while street signs will also be replaced.
Borough Hall and the Palmyra Community Center will see improvements to their physical stature, while a new four-wheel-drive vehicle will be purchased for the police department.
A full list of the capital improvements can be found at Borough Hall.
In other news:
• Council passed an ordinance on first reading that establishes an abandoned property list in the borough. Adoption is scheduled for the Oct. 16 meeting where a public hearing will be conducted.
“We have 101 abandoned properties that we are aware of,” Gural said.
The borough will also be seeking a full-time code enforcement officer to supplement its current part-time CEO.
“The CEO is responsible for enforcing property maintenance codes and proper administration of our vacant and abandoned property ordinances,” Gural said.
• Council passed a resolution appointing Howard Dreby, Kathleen Petitte and Amy Austin as part-time substitute crossing guards.
• Council passed a trio of resolutions appointing Michael Hynes and Michael Julia to the Palmyra Police Department as officers. Ella Graham was also appointed as a chaplain to the police department.
• Council passed a pair of resolutions authorizing the payment of bills for September, totaling $1,446,913.65.
The next council meeting will be Monday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m at Palmyra’s Borough Hall.
