The Ways & Means Committee met on Monday night approving purchases for both of Crookston’s Emergency Service Agencies. First, they approved the purchase of a 2019 Chevy Tahoe with police package to replace a 2015 Chevy Tahoe squad car for the Crookston Police Department explained Chief Paul Biermaier. “They basically approved us purchasing a squad car,” said Biermaier. “Brost Chevrolet had the low bid for a 2019 Chevy Tahoe Police Package. We’ll be able to use a lot of the equipment. There are a few things that just don’t get replaced from one to another. It was good and exciting that we’ll be able to keep the business in town.”
It will be four to five months before the squad hits the streets according to Biermaier. “Timeline, it’s minimum six to eight weeks for when they hit the enter key and its ordered,” said Biermaier. “It will take another month to six weeks to get upfitted with all the equipment transferred from one to the other. I’d say we’re looking a May or June before this thing hits the streets, but sometimes it’s a little longer, sometimes a little less.”
The Crookston Fire Department’s Bob Magsam also made a presentation to the committee requesting that they find money to purchase one set of particulate hoods for the fire department. Magsam’s presentation included research data about the increased risk of cancer to firefighters and studies showing that thermal hoods while protecting against heat, don’t block smoke and carcinogens from reaching a firefighter’s skin, particularly around the head and neck area. Data shows that firefighters are up to 9 percent more likely to get cancer than the general public and that since 2002, 63 percent of the firefighters on the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Wall of Honor have died from cancer. “Cancer awareness has become huge within the last four years in the fire service,” said Magsam. “Along with that the personal protective equipment changes and how they can protect us from the carcinogens and cancer-causing agents we encounter at every fire. Smoke is cancer, and anywhere smoke can penetrate and get into our skin and bodies becomes a much higher risk for us to develop cancer. One of the most important things I tell folks is if you smell like smoke you’re contaminated. With these hoods that greatly reduces the risk for our hair, neck, and face which are the most dominated area as far as exposure to carcinogens.”
The Crookston Fire Department has two sets of firefighting gear, one set for their first call and a second set for a subsequent call should they have one while their first set is being cleaned. Magsam was requesting one set of particulate hoods, which keep 99.9 percent of smoke and carcinogens off the body, but Mayor Guy Martin said he didn’t think the City should buy one set, that it would be money well spent to buy for both the primary gear and second set so the firefighters all always protected. The rest of the committee agreed to approve the purchase of two sets of particulate hoods for the Crookston Fire Department. “A little bit to my surprise but I appreciate the council giving me the time to express my feelings this very important protective device for our firefighters,” said Magsam.
The committee also approved staff to go ahead with an application for loan funding from the USDA that the City of Crookston would use as gap financing explained Finance Director Angel Weasner. “In December the Development Policy and Review Committee recognized that we need some additional loan money available for businesses in town,” said Weasner. “Council has now given us the authority to apply for another loan from USDA to help businesses if they need a loan.”
Crookston applied for this same loan from USDA in 2014 and was unsuccessful in part because they had a high loan balance at the time. Currently, there is $184,000 available to businesses, the balance of what is left from the last time Crookston received this loan over twenty years ago.
The committee also elected to hold off on a conversation about a City Code of Conduct, wishing to bring that up during their strategy meeting in March. Public Works director Pat Kelly was questioned about the plowing schedule within the City after a storm, and he said crews generally start around 4:00 a.m. with plowing the downtown and then proceed to the residential areas around 8:00 a.m. He also added that they only have one crew, so they have to try to balance getting out early with not having any plowing available if the snow progresses into later in the day.
WAYS & MEANS APPROVES SQUAD PURCHASE FOR PD, PARTICULATE HOODS FOR FD
