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FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS MAKE PRIORITIES

By Erin France/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, May 22, 2009 11:18 PM CDT

The city of Pine Bluff seeks to fund specific projects for the fire and police departments from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds.

FINAL CHECK — CDR S.C. Jones, call sign ‘Spider,’ makes a final check of his gauges before shutting down his U.S. Navy FA-18 Hornet Friday evening at Grider Field. Pine Bluff Commercial/Ralph Fitzgerald

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Donald Sampson, the director of the economic and community development department, handed out a table listing the grants that the fire and police departments would be applying for in the upcoming months, and the proposed amount of funding.

The city also passed a budget adjustment Monday giving Finnegan and Company Inc., a grant writing firm, $30,000 for their help in writing, researching and attaining such grants.

“They will be working grants from a variety of avenues,” said Mayor Carl A. Redus Jr.

Finance department director Steve Miller said that if the company does not produce at least $30,000 worth of grants in one year, with an additional grace period, the contract allows the city to take back the $30,000 paid to the firm.

He also assured council members that the city would have to give notice before Finnegan and Company could begin working on a grant.

“They won’t work on a grant until we give them approval to work on it,” Miller said.

In some cases, funding has not been released and deadlines for applications are not yet set.

Personnel requests

Both departments have requested stimulus funding to hire additional personnel.

Pine Bluff Police Department is requesting more than $1 million to hire 13 police officers and $500,000 to hire civilians in staff positions.

Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services Department is requesting $763,000 through the Department of Homeland Security and/or the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund 18 firefighter positions.

Structures

Some of the listed projects have been mentioned by city leaders before, such as a fire substation at the Pine Bluff Municipal Airport, estimated at $2.5 million.

There are also project applications to relocate Fire Stations No. 3 and No. 6, with each at an estimated $2.5 million.

“That $2.5 million is just an ideal figure to try to secure the land and erect a building,” said Lt. Ernest Jones, project leader and assistant fire marshal.

Those two stations are the oldest with Station No. 3 being 52 years old and Station No. 6 at 44 years old, according to a fire department memo given to council members November 2008.

Besides age, Jones said Station No. 3’s engines can have trouble exiting and entering.

“It’s a tight situation getting in and out,” he said.

There’s also a $6.2 million request for a public safety operations center, an idea that has been discussed by residents and council members.

Vehicles

The council contracted Monday with Finnegan and Co. so a grant to replace the Ladder No. 1 truck could be submitted by the May 20 deadline.

Although the department could replace several of its vehicles, Jones said it had prioritized the 20-year-old ladder truck.

“We feel that it would be in our best interest to apply for only one vehicle,” he said.

But the department could look into funding options for other vehicles, Jones said.

“We should explore other options of funding those items,” he said. “We’re trying to improve our equipment without trying to seem like we’re being overzealous.”

Appearance matters, Jones said.

“We don’t want to seem like we’re just being greedy.”

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