Hallie Lauer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(MCT)
Pittsburgh City Council approved Tuesday the leasing of four new fire trucks, after an earlier order to purchase new trucks was canceled in May.
Under former Mayor Bill Peduto, a $1.8 million contract was awarded to Pierce Manufacturing for the city to buy three new trucks.
However, the purchase was canceled in May by Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration, after it was determined that Fire Chief Darryl Jones and the union representing the firefighters weren’t consulted on the purchase.
At the time Chief Jones told Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV that the trucks the city had agreed to purchase would not fit the needs of the department and potentially put firefighters at risk, which led to him asking for the cancellation.
Now City Council has given its approval for the leasing of four new trucks at a cost of about $3.8 million over seven years.
Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said during a meeting last week that she was “hesitant” to give her vote to this lease because of the previous controversy.
She ultimately gave her approval after verifying with Jennifer Olzinger, Chief Procurement Officer in the Office of Management and Budget, that this contract went through the proper channels and was the result of a Request for Proposals.
Despite Tuesday’s approval, the trucks will not be available for use by the fire department until 2024, because it takes about 550 days to build each one, according to Ms. Olzinger.
The Public Safety Department also was given the approval to spend about $9,000 to design and install a roof over the fireboat that is moored at the South Side Marina.
This will help protect the boat from sun and rain, which could damage some of the interior electronics, Chief Jones said during last week’s Council meeting. The fireboat will still have to be removed from the water during inclement weather and during the winter.
In other Council matters, the legislative body approved plans to begin exploring another form of affordable housing.
The accessory dwelling unit legislation asks that the city’s planning department along with the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections compile a list of how many of these units exist in the city.
They also have been asked to include clerical information about the units, such as the average price of rent and what type of regulations surround building a unit.
The report will be due back to Council by Nov. 23.
Hallie Lauer: hlauer@post-gazette.com
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