CLEARFIELD – A new fire truck for Hyde and appraisals for tax appeals topped the Lawrence Township supervisors’ meeting Tuesday night.
The supervisors have discussed the need for a new truck at the Hyde station in the past. The station needs to replace its 1993 Pierce truck, and members have been looking at another Pierce truck currently located in Texas.
It is one of 12 trucks built at the same time and the last one left that hasn’t been purchased yet. It has an 1,800-gallon capacity and a 1,250 pump, which is 1,250 gallons per minute.
The company had the truck in the area a few months ago, but at the time, no one was able to look at it.
The supervisors and fire company have asked the company, Glick, to bring the truck back to Pennsylvania for them to look at, but the company hasn’t wanted to do that and has instead offered to fly anyone who wants to come and look at it in Texas. None of the supervisors have been able to make such a trip.
Supervisor Jeremy Ruffner said he doesn’t want to purchase a truck without looking at it and questioned the need for this brand of truck.
“In the land of fire trucks, a Pierce is a Cadillac,” he said, adding that he didn’t think they needed one with all the particular “bells and whistles” that come with the truck.
Supervisor Randy Powell agreed that he didn’t want to purchase without physically looking at the truck and said if the company really wanted to sell it, they should be willing to return to Pennsylvania or at least meet them halfway.
After additional discussion, the board agreed to contact the company again and ask them to bring the truck to Lawrence Township. Then the supervisors will make a decision. If the company won’t agree to bring the truck, they will look elsewhere.
Solicitor James Naddeo updated the supervisors on ongoing tax appeals from six commercial properties in the county. Two affect the township, Lowe’s and Wal-Mart.
He said he talked with the solicitors from the county and Clearfield Area School District and it was agreed they at least need to have their own appraisals of the properties done, which would cost $8,000 for the two properties, or $4,000 each.
The cost would be shared among the three entities based on tax millage. Because the school district has the highest millage, it will pay the greatest share of the appraisal cost, while the township will pay the least, having the lowest millage of the three.
The supervisors approved moving forward with having the properties appraised.
During public comment, Wendy Barnett spoke to the supervisors about handicapped parking at Wal-Mart and the Clearfield Mall.
She said there are not enough handicapped parking spots at either Wal-Mart or the mall, and the mall has the additional problem of many of the painted lines being worn away.
She asked if anything could be done and was told that the state Department of Labor and Industry determines the number of handicapped parking spaces.
The township will contact the department and ask them to review the spaces.
Barnett said she was recently involved in an incident where she was backing out and another driver pulled in beside her without giving her time to adequately move her own vehicle.
She was upset at the response of the police and being questioned about whether she had been drinking or on drugs. Ruffner explained that the question is standard procedure and that the officers are often very direct and appear rude without intending to.