65°
SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. The Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees will decide next week whether to hire a consultant for the fire department at a cost of $6,500.
The Sleepy Hollow Fire Department says hiring a special consultant will help keep costs down and get it the equipment it's going to need when buying a new fire truck. The department asked for a new fire truck several months ago.
The consultant will provide a number of services, Fire Chief John Korzelius said, including reviewing the specifications that the fire department's truck committee will design. The consultant makes sure that they're open to more than one bidder, Korzelius said.
The consultant will also visit the manufacturer to check on the truck's process and go over it with a fine tooth comb to check for problems, Korzelius said.
Sleepy Hollow Mayor Ken Wray agreed that having the consultant review the truck specifications would be a good thing. If the truck was designed so that only one manufacturer could build it, the manufacturer would be inclined to increase the price, Wray said.
The review process would ensure that the village would be in a position where we can have serious bids from manufacturers, he said.
Korzelius cited issues with other fire departments when they bought new trucks, such as Tarrytown's Riverside Hose Company. Tarrytown's new fire truck could not fit in the firehouse. That truck is still not fully in service, having been sent back to the manufacturer for some time and preventing firefighters from training on it.
Korzelius said the consultant would also take into consideration the development that will arise on the former General Motors site and how the fire department will need to incorporate that into its plans.
I think this is going to be $6,500 well spent, Korzelius said. I need a truck so if GM does happen, I don't have to worry; the truck's ready to roll.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Tarrytown-SleepyHollow and receive free news updates.
