The Pender Harbour volunteer fire department is looking at purchasing a new pump truck in order to maintain its level of service and retire one of its older vehicles.
Landowners in the Pender Harbour fire protection area are invited to attend an open house at the Garden Bay fire hall, This Saturday, Jan. 21, between 1 and 3 p.m.
As part of an alternative approval process legislated by the Local Government Act, residents will be asked if they support the purchase of a $364,000 pumper truck.
"The truck itself is around $285,000, so that figure includes all the taxation as well as about $35,000 worth of additional equipment that does not come with the truck," said Pender Harbour fire chief Don Murray.
The department currently has two pump vehicles, the newest of which is due to pass its service life as a first responder vehicle.
A new pumper would take the older vehicle's place as first responder and allow the department to maintain its quality of service.
Pumper trucks have a maximum life span of 30 years, Murray said.
"The Pender Harbour Fire Protection District has been working on proposed apparatus upgrades since 2004," he wrote in a letter to area landowners on Jan. 2. "The long-term planning committee recommended the purchase of a new apparatus similar to a 2006 unit currently in service."
Residents will have a chance to view the current vehicle during the open house.
Should 10 per cent of eligible voters decide not to support the initiative, provincial legislation requires that the plan either be cancelled or a referendum held.
The temporary borrowing bylaw will be used to pay for the initial building of the truck, after which the funds will be repaid using a low interest provincial loan.
The amortization period is expected to be 10 years, Murray said. "I think it's one of those issues that we don't really have any choice. We've ridden it out to the end and now's the time."
