HFD proposing major capital improvements

Renovations at two fire stations, creation of a new administration building and the purchase of a new pumper truck are all part of a major capital improvements plan the Hannibal Fire Department wants to undertake. The proposal outlined by Chief Tim Carter was given initial approval by the Hannibal City Council during its meeting Tuesday night at city hall.
“I was glad to see their (council’s) support,” said Carter following the meeting.
One key component of the proposal is major renovations to stations one and three, which are approximately 40 years old.
“It has come to the point where we can no longer patch and repair,” wrote Carter in a memo explaining the proposal. “Our roofs are leaking and need replaced. The exterior brickwork is cracking and separating from the foundations. Our heating and electrical systems are overworked and inefficient.”
According to a feasibility study conducted by Klingner & Associates, repairs to the two structures will cost approximately $490,000.
The current fire department budget includes $100,000 for station improvements. Carter would rather see that money applied to the repayment plan.
“Rather than piecemeal, it makes sense in the long run to get all the work done in one year,” said Carter.
The department’s administrative building would be located at 2333 Palmyra Road, the site of the KHQA’s Hannibal television studio. The Barrington Broadcasting-owned TV station has offered to donate that building to the fire department. Before the fire department could utilize the building it would need a new roof and be remodeled, according to Carter. The estimated cost of that work is $75,000.
Regarding the purchase of a new pumper, Carter says it makes fiscal sense to move now, rather than wait until next year in what would be the department’s normal replacement cycle. If the truck is ordered before September, it will be in advance of new EPA guidelines on diesel engine emissions and National Fire Protection Association construction guidelines, which will raise the cost of the truck by approximately $30,000. Carter also projects that inflation will hike the cost of the new truck, if purchased next year, from $350,000 to almost $400,000.
“By placing the order now we can purchase the most truck for the dollar,” said Carter.
The department would have to wait until January 2009 before going out to obtain a lease purchase agreement, since the city is not eligible to claim tax-exempt status until then. That exemption would save the city approximately 2 percent in interest. It is projected that under the lease purchase agreement the fire department would be making payments of approximately $185,000 for six years, based on a 4 percent fixed interest rate. Any improvements paid for prior to next January would come out of the department’s general fund which would then be reimbursed after the agreement is implemented.