New London plans spending $164,000
By Robert Cloud
The city of New London’s Capital Equipment and Projects Committee recommended about $164,000 in expenditures at its July 8 meeting.
Its recommendations will be forwarded to city council for final approval.
The committee approved a pickup truck and a bucket truck for the Parks and Recreation Department.
The pickup is budgeted for $25,000 and will replace one that is about 17 years old.
The committee had already approved in 2019 a used bucket truck for $8,000.
However, closer inspection revealed repair costs would be about $17,000.
Interim City Administrator Chad Hoerth asked the committee to consider purchasing a different used truck for $30,000.
The two-man truck has a bucket that can reach 60 feet, making it more effective for trimming city trees.
Hoerth said the city needs to remove trees from last year’s July storm in order to qualify for FEMA reimbursement.
“Once we take those trees down, they’re the last piece to submit to FEMA for reimbursement,” Hoerth said.
The committee recommended the city spend $22,000 from its 2020 budget, while using the $8,000 already approved from the 2019 budget.
Other Parks and Rec projects
Park and Rec also requested and the committee approved $53,000 for five other pieces of equipment and projects.
The committee set aside $25,000 for remodeling the restrooms at Hatten Park to make them compliant with ADA requirements, as well as to fix plumbing issues.
There have been ongoing problems with the toilets plugging up.
Other projects include roof repairs at the municipal building ($7,000), ADA compliant paths at Hatten, Pfeifer and Franklin parks ($10,000), new cardio equipment at the city’s fitness room ($6,200) and two new port-a-potties ($5,000).
New equipment for fire department
The committee also recommended a $64,000 expenditure on new extrication tools for emergency response to crashes.
New London Fire Chief Mark Wilfuer said the department currently has a “Jaws of Life” that is nearly 30 years old.
He said the new extrication tools are faster, lighter and have more power.
The department does not plan to discard the old extrication tools.
Instead, firefighters will be able to work on two cars at the same time in the event of a multi-vehicle crash.
All capital spending recommendations were on the agenda for the city council’s July 14 meeting.