City board considers fire truck loan bids

Feb. 26-- Feb. 26--The Terre Haute Fire Department is one step closer to obtaining a new ladder truck, to cost more than $1.4 million.

Five financial bid proposals for the fire fighting equipment were opened and taken under advisement Monday by the Terre Haute Board of Public Works and Safety.

Riddell National Bank, Community Leasing Partners, Terre Haute Savings Bank, Terre Haute First Financial Bank and PNC Financial Services each bid, offering loans for eigh-, nine- and 10-year terms, at varying interest rates.

The apparent low bidder is from Manhattan, Kansas-based Community Leasing Partners, with interest rates ranging from 3.54 percent interest to 3.64 percent, with annual payments ranging from $170,289 for a 10-year loan at 3.64 percent interest, $185,444 for a nine-year loan at 3.57 percent interest to $204,916 a year for an eight-year loan at 3.54 percent interest.

That bid brought a comment from Patrick Ralston, vice president of business and economic development and government relations for First Financial.

"They pay no local taxes and have no local employees," Ralston said. "It is unfair to the local banks to compete against somebody who has no overhead at all in the state of Indiana. I think the banks are the ones who support this through their tax dollars. We are taking money out of this community and putting nothing back in it."

First Financial was the apparent high bidder with the interest rate ranging from 4.5 percent to 4.6 percent, with annual payments ranging from a high of $213,676 per year for an eight-year loan to a low of $178,965 for a 10-year loan.

Glen Hall, deputy fire chief of operations for the city fire department, said funding for the new fire truck "has been built into the budget for the last 10 years to purchase a new ladder truck. The one we have now is 12 years old. This money comes from the EMS non-reverting fund, so money generated through our ambulance transports. It is not from the public safety tax," or from property taxes, Hall said.

The board also gave approval for the Terre Haute Fire Department to seek a six-year financial lease for $671,688 to purchase new protective clothing for firefighters. The bid will allow two new sets of gear per city firefighter.

The board in December opened five bids ranging from $504,388 to $697,858 for new protective clothing. Hall said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires firefighting clothing to be replaced every 10 years.

In other business, the board opened three financial bid proposals for the Terre Haute Police Department to obtain 17 new vehicles, of which 12 would be marked patrol vehicles and five unmarked police vehicles, at a cost of $365,124. Terre Haute First Financial Bank, Riddell National Bank and Terre Haute Savings Bank each submitted bids.

The banks bid on a four-year leasing term with semi-annual payments from the police department. The apparent low bidder was Terre Haute Savings Bank at 3.75 percent interest with semi-annual payments of $49,206. The board took the bids under advisement.

The board also approved a contract with Wabash Valley Asphalt, after the board was told its initial bid would be reduced.

The company was the only bidder earlier this month, submitting a bid of $598,812 on a project to repave Poplar Street and add a continuous left-turn lane for easier access to businesses such as Baesler's Market and The Meadows shopping center, as well as make turn-lane improvement to the Brown Avenue intersection.

That bid was about $200,000 over the engineering estimate. However, because only one bid was submitted, the city engineer's department, after consulting with the city legal department, was able to negotiate prices. Bradley Utz, director of inspection for the engineer's department, told the board "we re-evaluated how we will do traffic control.

"The original bid had traffic open both ways while working. What we have done is we obtained a separate price (from Wabash Valley Asphalt) to close whatever side they are working on at the time, to change it from three phases to two phases," Utz said. "If they are working on the south side, it will close east bound traffic and leave west bound traffic open," he said.

That will result in a net saving of $105,691 in a change order, Utz said. The board approved the original bid, with the understanding a change order would come before the board next month.

The city will get a 50 percent reimbursement from the Indiana Department of Transportation on the project, which is funded through the state's Community Crossing grant program, said Josey Daugherty, staff engineer for the city.

Wabash Valley was the sole bidder, Daugherty said, as more than 80 percent of the project is simple asphalt work. Additionally, bidders have to be certified as a Community Crossing grant contractor to bid, Daugherty said.

Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter@TribStarHoward.

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