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Monday, November 05, 2007

Tonight's City Council Work Session

How many of you want to spend $322,000.00 to repair Beaver Dam Bridge, AGAIN?

How many of you want to spend $375,000.00 to renovate Fire Station II?

How many of you want to spend $1,800,000.00 in additional ENGINEERING costs for the Paleo Water Plant? As if you haven't already spent enough at that WWTP!

How many of you want to bond out $500,000.00 for an animal quarantine facility at the Salisbury Zoo, even though they already said they could build the $1,500,000.00 building in stages? I'll add, the taxpayers are being asked FIRST to come up with 1/3 of a building that shouldn't cost anywhere near $700,000.00, let alone $1,500,000.00. I say, let eh Zoo, (RON ALESSI) prove they can raise the other $1,000,000.00 FIRST, before the Taxpayers bond themselves out of the market for no reason.

How many of you believe Truck 16 is no good any more and the City should bond out $950,000.00, even thought Fire Fighters even admit a new Truck wouldn't cost half that in today's market? What will they do with Truck 16, cut it in half and install it into Station II?

How many of you want to spend $500,000.00 in ENGINEERING Fees for a water tower, (NOT the water tower, just the engineering fees, like it's never been done before) at the North side of the City?

If you're an IDIOT, raise your hand!

Yeah, tonight will be loaded with more Barrie "I want to run for Mayor again" Tilghman spending. Taxes are going to go up again Ladies & Gentlemen and if you don't fight it, you're going to spend yourself right into bankruptcy.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

The City should definitely fund a new ladder truck A.S.A.P. The current ladder is 27 years old and has recently injured a firefighter who will not return until January. The average life of a piece of aerial apparatus is 20 years and as low as 10 in busier cities. I know first hand that the price of $ 950 K for a new Tower ladder is is the ball park.The department had planned to purchase a new ladder two years ago with approved and secured bond monies and elected to purchase two new engines. Part of the reason was two pumpers that were on their last legs. Another reason was the inability to house a piece of this size at Station 16.This apparatus will benefit the citizens of Salisbury for many years.

Anonymous said...

Anybody that thinks Truck16 is still of value to the City of Salisbury has completely lost their mind. Any firefighter that thinks it can be replaced for a penny under 900,000.00, you've lost your mind too. Joe, check with your source Larry, even he has sense enough to know that a piece of fire apparatus such as that comes with a price tag close to 1 million dollars.

No need to check though. You certainly don't want facts to get in the way of your stories.

joe albero said...

Thanks for sharing that info. The City is in desperate need of a larger tanker, that's for sure. Either that or two or three medium sized ones. The problem here is, Salisbury is spending millions upon millions of dollars on the SFD and yet the funny part is, SU offered to pay for almost all of the expense for this unit, why the $900,000.00+ for it then? This is supposed ot be the City's share? Then, bond out the money for it and get paid back for MOST of it from SU? Where's the accountability of that? Respectfully speaking.

joe albero said...

Now see, there's your problem. First of all, Larry isn't my source, as much as you'd like to think that. My source was actually someone from the SFD who commented here recently, ONE OF YOUR OWN! If it's not true, tell them to shut up then.

More importantly, how does it look legally when the City goes out and borrows almost a million dollars and then gets paid back let's say $750,000.00 from SU for that expense? I mean, accountability wise, the Mayoir could in fact screw with the books and allow the City to just make normal payments on ALL of that money and not apply 100% of SU's funds to pay it off in a few years. It hasn't happened, but it could.

Anonymous said...

The City should definitely fund a new ladder. A firefighter was recently injured while climbing it and wont return until January. The average life for an aerial device is 20 years and as low as 10 in busier cities. The price of $ 950K is in the average price range for aerial towers. The city had secured and approved bond money several years ago for a ladder. Instead they elected to purchase two new engines to replace two that were on their last legs. Another reason was the inability to house a rig of this size in the current Station 16. That will change in January. This Tower ladder will serve the citizens well for many years if purchased.Dont let another fireman get hurt.

Anonymous said...

If I remember correctly, SU pledged a certain dollar amount annually. Not a lump sum. It makes sense that the City would have to pony up the cost and utilized SU's contributions toward paying off the financing. 950K is going to be a fairly close estimate from what I've seen.

Now as far as tankers go....I don't know. Most of the City's first due is served by the municipal water system. 3 Tankers sounds like overkill.

Anonymous said...

Salisbury University has agreed to fund $200K Over four years. My math tells me thats $50K per year. This has been done around the state with Frostburg, University of Maryland and UMES locally. How do you think a department like Princess Anne could afford such a piece.

Anonymous said...

Since joe knows it all , maybe he could spec out the next ladder truck to SFD standards and see how much the tower ladder would cost. Perhaphs he could even help with the funding, since he does own property that SFD protects. Or better yet , he could take the current truck 16 and pack it up his ass sideways.

joe albero said...

No, that's OK. This Mayor has shoved enough taxes up our a$$es, I'm not going to volunteer more money to the City.

Besides, you're probably a County resident and not a City tax payer.

Let's NOT forget the drecent donation I have offered to the City to pay out of my own pocket for the Digital Recording Equipment Brenda Colegrove needs so desperately and the Mayor refuses to fund.

How's that bottled water receipts coming along there Barrie? You'll pay for bottled water but not the equipment to catch you making false statements like you did two weeks ago at the City Council Meeting where these donations are concerned. You do recall stating everyone gets a copy of the Gift Policy whenever they offer to make a donation, dont you?

Anonymous said...

"How many of you believe Truck 16 is no good any more and the City should bond out $950,000.00, even thought Fire Fighters even admit a new Truck wouldn't cost half that in today's market? What will they do with Truck 16, cut it in half and install it into Station II?"

Joe who in their whacked out mind told you that a "new Truck wouldn't cost half that in today's market?"

Todays market is 900,000 ballpark. If they wait much longer, it's going to cost upwards of One Million.

Anonymous said...

Well blame PINKY for that one, he bought that piece of crap. Talk about a waste of Fire Chief... Buy a used ladder that was already broken. In my opinion it was a piece of crap the day they bought it.

joe albero said...

I must correct a statement I made above. I meant that SU would pay $200,000.00 towards the Fire Truck, not $750,000.00. Forgive me for misleading any of you? Joe

Anonymous said...

Well, the SFD wouldn't be in such bad shape appartus wise if weren't for old Pinky. We could have saved money years ago by purchasing a Demo ladder truck from Potomac Fire Equipment, but Chief Pinky said it was a "kick stand" like Delmars ladder truck and then we ended up with the current yellow piece of crap Truck 16.

Thanks Pinky. Your service to the City of Salisbury won't soon be (maybe ever!) forgotten.

Joe, if you think you're having a field day with See, you shoulda been around when Higgins was piloting the ship. DEE DEEEE DEEEEE

MV

Tim Chaney said...

It's hard to fathom that the bridge is that much in disrepair.

Crap the old bridge was there for decades. $375,000? What do they want there a drawbridge? ROFLMFAO

Funding the old fire station would depend on what they were going to do with it. If they are going to use it for offices instead of spending on another whole building probably named after you know who, I might support it just to avoid the later.

Anonymous said...

Station 2 is in desparate need of a renovation.. The building may not be able to be saved.. This should be fun for Albero.

Im not too big of a fan of TK16 but it has served us well. 27 years.. But it hurt someone and now it's time to lay her in greener pastures.

Anonymous said...

TANKERS! According to the cheif and deputy chief salisbury does not have a need for tankers that is why they are taking engine tanker 1-1 away from station 1 even though more than half of their first due does not have hydrants.

Anonymous said...

It's too bad this turned into a p-ing contest about "old No. 16" even if it is over the hill now. Other items on the list are real absurd, starting with that zoo structure. The City needs to get out of the zoo business if it can't take care of its core infrastructure, which is the case, without the huge tax increases of the past few years.

And things are not looking good for the next few years with the real estate business going bust.

The City better begin cutting spending and borrowing to pay for things like a drunken sailor.

Anonymous said...

Drunken sailor? I knew I remembered the mayor from someplace, I swear she was or had a twin working Granby St.

Anonymous said...

Fight over firetrucka all you want, fact is if a MAJOR fire broke out their wouldn't be enough water to put it out anyhow!