Lockhart to purchase new fire truck

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

One of the City of Lockhart”s major projected purchases for this fiscal year has been approved – and came in under budget, to boot.

The Lockhart Fire Department announced during a brief meeting of the Lockhart City Council on Tuesday evening that bids had been received for a new fire truck, a custom-cab-and-chassis pum

per truck equipped with a compressed air-foam system that will allow the department to more effectively fight structure fires.

Funding for the new apparatus was allocated from a certificate of obligation purchased by the council earlier this year. According to the committee appointed by Fire Chief Jerry Doyle, one of the two legal bids received for the truck was over that budget, while the other could be acquired for just over $371,000, under the allocated amount of $380,000.

Mayor James “Jimmy” Bertram expressed concern about the delivery date of the truck, which is expected in about 255 days. Apparently, the last time the city purchased an apparatus, the price increased between the approval of the contract and the delivery date of the truck.

Doyle said that would not be an issue this time, as the price is guaranteed until the date of delivery.

In other business, the council authorized City Manager Vance Rodgers to work with representatives of Caldwell County Christian Ministries to execute a lease on space in the old Lockhart Hospital.

Relocation of the food bank will allow CCCM to have a larger, indoor space for the local food bank, and will save the organization money on the rent they are paying at their current location at Park Plaza.

That savings in rent, representatives said, will allow CCCM to purchase more food and better serve the community.

In brief news:
The council approved a zoning change for property on East Market Street, in accordance with a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission.

They awarded a bid to Rockin” Q Construction, of San Marcos, in the amount of $141,160 for the replacement of water mains on North Church, Alex, Locust, Red River, Garcia and Perez Streets.

The city approved an affiliate agreement with the Kyle Fire Department Training Center for the training of first responders.

City employees were granted an additional holiday for 2009 when the council approved an employee holiday for Dec. 31.

The city council routinely meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Glosserman Conference Room of Lockhart City Hall. The meetings are open to the public, and broadcast for home viewing on Time Warner Cable Channel 10.