Following a presentation before the Board of Supervisors earlier in August, the Allen Township Board of Supervisors voted on August 24 to donate $1 million to the Allen Township Fire Company for the purchase of an elevated waterway vehicle.
This truck, according to Vice President of the Fire Company and Assistant Fire Chief Mark Kocher, will supply enough water and force to help firefighters battle potential warehouse and commercial fires.
“It is an extra level of protection that the township never had,” he said.
Two manufacturers were approached to make the vehicle. While the truck costs $1,020,000, the fire company can receive a substantial discount by paying in full, bringing the cost down to $985,000.
Funds will still be available in the fire company’s general fund if needed. In addition, Supervisor and Fire Chief Dale Hassler said the fire company recently applied for a $16,000 grant.
“We are taking advantage of any grants that are available,” he said.
The donation was unanimously approved by the board in a 4-0 vote, with Hassler abstaining.
In other news, supervisors voted to hold a joint meeting with the Planning Commission on September 20 (or September 27 as an alternate date) to draft an ordinance for the Willowbrook-Fuller development’s curative amendment. The meeting will be open to the public.
Also discussed during the meeting were plans to digitize township records. Township Manager Ilene Eckhart is preparing a Scantek Document Conversion Proposal that will outline the costs such a project will require.
This multi-year engagement will allow a third party to scan and catalog the township’s thousands of paper files, backing them up, protecting them from damage, and making them easily locatable through search features.
“The technology has really improved…[and] the price has come down,” said Eckhart.
A free-standing server will be installed in the township building to back up the files, in addition to a cloud backup.
Finally, it was announced that an electronic recycling event will be held on Saturday, September 11 at 9 a.m.
The next Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on September 14 at 7 p.m. at the Allen Township Fire Company.
