Members of the administrative committee will leave it up to the city council to decide on how to dispose of an obsolete fire truck.
The fire truck is a 1984 L-T-I 100-foot aerial platform on twin rear axles and with a 49-foot overall length. The truck was taken out of service by the city because of difficulty in finding parts to keep it in service and pass ladder and pump tests. Currently, it’s housed in a hangar at the airport.
City Administrator Ron Urton told the committee he prefers to advertise the old fire truck for sale with the online website auction called “Purple Wave,” which can be done at no cost to the city. The fire truck specifics and photos would be listed for a period of time; then sold to the highest bidder.
The buyer then pays a sales commission to Purple Wave. Before the 34-year-old fire truck is advertised online, Urton was asked to check with scrap metal dealers of the area to see if they had any interest in buying the fire truck. Another option is to locally seek sealed bids but Urton doubts that would be effective.
The city of Trenton earlier this year purchased a new E-ONE; 75-foot single axle aerial quint. The 2018 fire truck arrived in April and is called Ladder 9.
Urton also told the administrative committee he’s requesting $55,000 as the first cash reimbursement from Missouri Department of Transportation which obligated up to $750,000 to help construct the new 17th street bridge.
Urton responded to questions about a user of an airport building who is described as “way behind” in paying rent to the city. It’s also noted city employees have been mowing and doing maintenance on behalf of the renter. Urton said the city departments may want to consider using that building for storage at some point in the future.
Members of the administrative committee are David Mlika, Glen Briggs, Lou Fisher, and Jen Hottes. All four were present at the meeting.
