Construction of a new Central Fire Station in Rumford, which was supposed to get underway this fall, has been delayed until the spring because of federal financing delays, SunJournal.com reported.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development said the city needed to take steps in order to secure the million dollar funding, a city official reported to the town council, the report said. Those federal requirements put the brakes on temporarily with that (construction) process.

The city official told selectmen what followed was a required environmental analysis of the site. There was no significant findings, according to the city official, but jumping through those federal hoops will cause delays, the report said.

At a special town meeting in January, residents approved a $5.4 million bond and acceptance of $1 million from the federal government to build a new Central Fire Station in the Falmouth Street area, according to the report.

The city official said with federal interest rates going up to try to curb inflation, hopefully it brings prices down, the report said.

The Central Fire Station on Congress Street, which was built in 1924, has cracks throughout because the floor cannot hold the weight of the five fire engines and two trailers, the report said. The floor was reinforced in 1991, but the cracks have continued to spread, officials said.

The Villages Public Safety Department is one step closer to constructing a new fire station near the Village of Fenney, TheVillagesDailySun.com reported.

The Wildwood City Commission on Monday morning heard the first reading to annex two parcels totaling .99 acres south of Warm Springs Avenue at the intersection of County Road 509 for the purpose of constructing a proposed new Station 46, the report said.

The new station will allow VPSD to once again have a permanent presence in the Fenney area after it turned over the station it previously operated to Sumter County Fire and EMS on October 1, according to the report. That change was part of a new service map drawn up after the Sumter County Commission approved keeping VPSD and Sumter County Fire and EMS as two separate entities within Sumter.

VPSD is hopeful a new fire station will be completed by October 2023, a fire official said. 

Sublette County Unified Fire (WY) bought a new structural fire engine for Battalion No. 2 in the amount of $974,484, just under the total budgeted amount of $1 million dollars, SubletteExaminer.com reported.

Although the county will pay for the apparatus now, a fire official said it will take 31 months to build the new truck. It is scheduled to arrive in Big Piney/Marbleton in 2023, the report said.

The apparatus is an all-wheel-drive Pierce Velocity Engine with EZ Trac, the report said. By ordering before October 31 the county saved $62,427 and by pre-paying the county saved an additional $45,954.

Shamong Township Committee has approved an ordinance after second reading and public hearing at its October 4 meeting to buy a new truck for the Indian Mills Volunteer Fire Company, TheSunPapers.com reported. 

According to a city official, the fire company will post a $100,000 down payment for the truck and related equipment; the township will be responsible for the remaining $677,379 cost over the next 10 years, the report said. The vehicle has long been sought by the company and discussions have gone on for about a year.

Delivery of the fire truck is not expected for about 18 months, according to the report.