Following news that plans for the center fire station project came in at $4 million more than what was appropriated at last year's annual Town Meeting, the Board of Selectmen has asked the Permanent Town Building Committee and architects from Dore & Whittier Inc., find ways to further cut costs and prove their credibility to taxpayers.

Upon realizing that the cost of the facility had risen to more than $16 million, the PTBC and Dore & Whittier presented a list of cost-saving measures to selectmen Tuesday night, identifying nearly 40 places to cut costs. Last year, voters appropriated $12.7 million for the project.

The high cost estimate was attributed to an addition to the size of the building, as well as an increase in construction costs, said Don Walter of Dore & Whittier.

In addition to those issues, about $200,000 in funds is needed for arsenic and lead abatement on the project site.

To help cut the price, reductions by Dore & Whittier include bringing the station back down to its original size of about 22,000 square feet, making some parts of the roof flat rather than sloped, and reducing by 30 percent the amount of brick exterior.

Reducing the square-footage of the building would save $650,000, making parts of the roof flat, about $200,000. However, even with the cuts proposed by Dore & Whittier, the project was still expected to cost more than $15 million.

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A fire truck collided with a car while responding to a burn complaint in Stoney Creek Wednesday.

A woman was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following the crash in the intersection of Highway 8 and Glover Road, just after 11 a.m., police said.

Two fire trucks were responding to the complaint when one of them became involved in the collision, fire spokesperson Claudio Mostacci said.

Gary Bernard, a technician working at Precise Car Service on the northwest corner of Highway 8 and Glover Road, said he stepped outside of the shop shortly after the crash.

The car involved appeared to be travelling east on Highway 8, while the fire truck appeared to be heading south on Glover Road, he said. While the fire truck sustained minor damage to the front bumper, the black Toyota Corolla sustained significant damage to the entire length of the driver's side of the vehicle, Bernard said.

Bernard said emergency crews extracted the woman from the car, which had ended up in a ditch on the east side of the intersection.

The intersection is a four-way stop, with traffic lights, in a transitioning rural area of Stoney Creek.

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White Lake Volunteer Fire Department got a much-needed 2015 E-One custom pumper that will replace a worn-out 1987 pumper truck. 

The vehicle, built in Ocala (FL) was purchased for $366,902 from Fire Connections, Inc. in Rocky Mount.

According to Brenda Clark, White Lake town clerk, the money came from the White Lake Fire District, the Town of White Lake and a grant from the Office of State Fire Marshals. The rest is being financed.

The department had been trying for four years to get a grant through AFG's Assistance for Firefighter's Grant, but had been denied. The approved grant is offered every year through the Office of State Fire Marshals.

Dale Brennan, White Lake fire chief, says departments can, through the grant, apply for equipment, such as turnout gear or safety equipment.. Departments can also apply for a vehicle or apply to add on to their building. The maximum that departments can apply for is $30,000, and they have to be able to match that figure.

The need for the new fire truck was dire. The White Lake Fire Department is required by the Office of State Fire Marshals in Raleigh to have two rated engines, or pumper trucks. That number is determined by needed fire flow, what equipment a department has, how it's maintained, and what kind of training its members have.

"Due to (the 1987 pumper) being 30 years old, the last three years, the tank was leaking and it was time to upgrade," Brennan explained. "This is a project that we at the town board and fire department have been working on the last three years. It's not like we got a new truck just because we wanted one. The old truck was worn out and leaking water. It was time to replace it."

In addition to plumbing issues, there were safety concerns with the old truck.

"It used to be that firefighters could sit or stand on back of trucks like you see in the movies," Brennan added. "Now they have to be enclosed in the cab with seat belts and air bags."

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A crash between an ambulance and fire truck in Reynolds County sent three people to the hospital Tuesday morning. 

At around 8 a.m., the fire truck rear-ended the ambulance on Highway 21 near Centerville in Reynolds County.

The fire truck, a volunteer fire department tanker, rear-ended the ambulance while both vehicles were responding to a service call.

For more information, view stlouis.suntimes.com