The town also hired Port City Architecture to produce a preliminary design report, which included the cost estimate - a figure whittled down from a $5.1 million total rebuild.

"We're still working out the specific details, but (the project) will add 6 cents to the mill rate, as presented here tonight," Town Manager Bill Shane said, noting that the numbers are preliminary, and could possibly decrease when the project goes out to bid.

Since Town Council authorization for the funding is allowed in Cumberland, the project is not required to go to referendum, Shane added.

The expansion would take place next to the station, replacing a house the town purchased more than 20 years ago and has since used for sleeping quarters for emergency personnel.

After the house and the station's administrative section are demolished, a two-story addition would be built, along with a lower level accessed off a new 27-space parking lot. An existing parking lot with 22 spaces would remain.

The city received $94,000 from its automobile insurance provider for the ambulance and stretcher. But that's well short of the $197,000 cost of buying a new ambulance, the lowest price offered in a competitive bidding process.

City Manager William Bridgeo has proposed to take money from the city's unassigned fund balance account, an account built up with money budgeted but unspent in previous years, to cover the difference between what insurance paid for the wrecked ambulance and the cost of a new one.

Councilors at their meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday are scheduled to consider appropriating $121,000 from the fund balance to supplement the $94,000 received from the insurance company to buy a new ambulance and stretcher to replace those wrecked in the crash.

Also, councilors will be asked to take an additional $17,000 from the same fund balance account to supplement the $180,000 already budgeted to purchase another new ambulance. Bridgeo said the ambulance it will replace was scheduled to be replaced this year. However, the $180,000 budgeted wouldn't be enough to cover the actual cost of a new ambulance.

Bridgeo said there is adequate money in the fund balance account to cover the additional funds needed for both new ambulances and still leave enough money in the fund to cover other unanticipated expenses should any come up and remain within auditors' recommendations.

In order to quell the rumors, San Andreas Fire Protection District Chief Don Young called the newspaper. The truth, he said, is that the district has received a $642,522 grant toward the cost of purchasing a new fire engine. Fancy engines plastered with the names of distant cities have been visiting because the district is shopping. Manufacturers drove them here to show off their models.

Still, there is a breakup ahead. Rules for the grant require that the district will have to get rid of the current No. 165. Its open air jump seats don’t meet modern standards. Now, type 1 engines are required to have space in their cabs for four firefighters.

The Hornell Fire Department's new ladder truck is back in service after having some mechanical issues addressed.

"When it was being put through it's initial tests, it had noisy cylinders in the hydraulic system," Mayor Shawn Hogan said.

Faulty hydraulic cylinders operating the ladder were causing otherwise stationary pins to move, according to Fire Chief Dan Smith.

The dealership in Churchville, N.Y. attempted to address the issues in-house, but could not.

"It wasn't a job they were able to undertake, so the truck was sent back to the factory in Wisconsin where they changed out all of the pins and cylinders before we got our truck back," Hogan said.

City Attorney Joe Pelych is negotiating with the company over possibly extending the life of the truck's warranty.