Aldermen OK Fire Trucks

Department Chief Hopes To Build Station West Of Interstate 540

— Two pumper trucks and a ladder truck will give the Rogers Fire Department a solid front line and reserve fleet, said Tom Jenkins, fire chief.

Aldermen approved on Tuesday the $498,062 purchase of two pumper trucks and $759,102 for a ladder truck from Rosenbauer America.

“This just about completes revamping our fleets,” Jenkins said.

A pumper truck and the ladder truck will be going to station 5 and the other pumper truck to station 7.

At A Glance

Rogers City Council

What Passed:

• A $96,922 contract with Scurlock Industries for 78 reinforced concrete boxes for the Regional Sports Park. The boxes will be used to run the creek in the sports park under Dixieland Road.

• Authorizing a $170,650 contract with Jacobs Engineering for design of a Walnut Street relocation in front of Lake Atalanta. The relocation will straighten some of the curves and improve the water quality of the creek running into Lake Atalanta.

• An ordinance adopting changes in the schedule of uses in the city zoning ordinance.

• An ordinance adopting the 2012 drainage manual.

• A resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an interlocal cooperation agreement for hazardous material response service in Benton County.

• The appropriation of $20,572 from CMRS 911 Act 64 reserve to the communication equipment account.

• The appropriation of $10,000 from the general reserve to the building and grounds maintenance account at the Criminal Justice Center.

Source: Staff Report

“Eventually the pumper trucks will be moved to station 8, but that’s not going to happen for a couple of years,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins hopes to build a new station on the west side of Interstate 540 in 2014 or 2015.

“We have continuing growth on the west side. We have two stations on the west side of I-540, but we need another to keep our response times at the optimal,” Jenkins said.

City officials set aside $4.5 million in the 2011 bond issue for the Fire Department fleet.

The purchases this month will leave the department bond fund with $500,000, said Richard McComas, city treasurer and chief financial officer.

“The Fire Department spent approximately $2.7 million in previous truck purchases leaving about $1.7 million for additional purchases. The three trucks approved Tuesday, will cost $1,257,164, which will leave the department with about $500,000 in bond money,” McComas said.

The fire trucks will be ordered within the next couple of days, but delivery is not expected for several months. The trucks must be built, equipped and certified before delivery. The city will pay for the trucks when they are delivered, McComas said.

Aldermen also approved the extension of Oak Street from Second to First Street and redesign of the intersection of First Street, Monte Ne Road and Arkansas Street intersection into a roundabout.

McGoodwin, Williams & Yates was awarded the $220,000 contract for the redesign project.

Jodie Kelley, who owns property at the intersection of Fourth and Oak street spoke against the project.

“There are several historical homes on Oak Street and some mature 200-year-old oak tree that could be seriously impacted if Oak Street is widened in the future,” Kelley said.

“Extending Oak Street may improve traffic but it will damage the neighborhood,” she said.

“I ask you to consider that Oak Street is not an appropriate street for improvement.”

Before the vote was taken, Alderman Dan Brown asked Lance Jobe, a city engineer, if he could reassure Ms. Kelley there were no plans to improve Oak Street from Second Street to Eight Street.

“Oak is listed as a collector street on our master street plan. At this time there is no designs or plans for any widening of the street,” Jobe said.

A collector is a three-lane street, with the third lane acting as a left turn lane, according to definitions on the master street plan.

Widening First Street from New Hope Road to Arkansas Street and realigning and widening Monte Ne Road are two of the major street projects slated for construction within the next year.

A second roundabout at Monte Ne Road an Amis Road is already designed and will be part of the Monte Ne Road improvements.

The cost of a roundabout is about the same and traffic signals at an intersection, Jobe said.

“When you take in consideration the right of way, cost of signals and other factors signals at the intersection would cost $600,000. A roundabout cost approximately the same, but it has advantages,” Jobe said.

A roundabout doesn’t cause traffic problems if the electricity is out and it’s less expensive to maintain and safer for traffic control, Jobe added.

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