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FOLLANSBEE -- On Monday Follansbee Council learned of a grant received for a new fire truck and tabled proposed plans for a new fire station for further discussion.
City Manager John DeStefano announced the Follansbee Fire Department has been awarded a $425,000 federal Fire Act grant to purchase a pumper/foam truck.
Fire Chief Larry Rea said the vehicle will replace a 1967 model donated to the city by the Follansbee Koppers plant after it eliminated its own fire department. Rea said in addition to being well used, the vehicle was damaged in last year's flood.
Rea said it's the third consecutive year he's applied for a Fire Act grant, noting recipients are determined through a series of computer programmed criteria and a board of fire officials from throughout the nation.
DeStefano said supporting the application were U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; and U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-Wheeling.
He said when the city wasn't able to secure federal flood relief money, the three pledged to help in some way.
Rea is expected to present to council the remainder of the truck's cost at a future meeting.
In related business, council tabled specifications for a proposed new fire station for discussion at a special meeting to be announced.
Prepared by Mayor David Velegol Jr., who is an engineer, the proposed specs include six bays for fire and emergency vehicles, a communications center, classroom with seating for up to 50, offices for the fire chief and others and such features as WiFi and LED lighting.
Velegol said the specifications will be presented to Lombardi Development, a local construction firm; and local developers Jim Joseph and Scott Ewusiak, who responded to an earlier request for qualifications advertised by the city.
Both parties have expressed interest in building the station on property they own, then leasing it to the city.
Paul Lombardi, owner of Lombardi Development, has suggested building the station at the site of the former Eagles Lodge on Main Street and an adjacent parking lot.
Joseph and Ewusiak have expressed interest in building on land along state Route 2 at the city's north end.
In other business:
• DeStefano announced the sole bid for street paving was received from Carl Kelly Paving of Rayland in the amount of $323,988, with individual bids submitted for several streets named by council.
The bids are in keeping with council's plan to select streets that will fall within this year's paving budget of $220,000.
Council earlier agreed the section of Marquette Avenue extending uphill to Parkview should be a top priority.
Other streets to be considered at the same special meeting set for the fire station are: Broad Street from Virginia Avenue to Main, the slip area of Lower Walnut Street, the 700, 800 and 1000 blocks of Virginia Avenue, Highland Street, including the turnaround; Strawberry and Raspberry alleys, the 200 block of Highland Hills Drive to Sherwood Boulevard and the 400 block of Heathermoor Drive.
• Heard from Norm Schwertfeger and Daniel Eades of the West Virginia University Extension Service, who answered questions about a citizens' survey proposed by 2nd Ward Councilwoman Angela Kocher.
The pair said, as suggested by Kocher, the survey could be tailored to gauge residents' satisfaction with present services and other needs the city may meet.
Kocher said the information could be used in seeking grants.
Schwertfeger said the cost for the city would be about $750 plus postage to mail the survey to each household.
• Agreed to pay $75 to each of three election clerks for their efforts with the recount requested by the city's mayoral candidates.
The move was supported by all of council except 5th Ward Councilman Scott McMahon, who said pay for the clerks should have come from bonds posted by the candidates that a majority of council agreed to waive.
(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)