BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER PURCHASING FIRE TRUCKS, BID FOR DRAINAGE PROJECT
The Brenham City Council will act Thursday on the purchase of two fire trucks and a bid for drainage and flood projects.
The city is looking to order two Pierce ladder trucks through the Houston-Galveston Area Council cooperative purchasing program to replace the Brenham Fire Department’s current ladder trucks from 2007.
The total price for both trucks if ordered before November 1st is $3.95 million. The purchase request is being made now due to a 7 percent price increase that will take place after November 1st, as well as an estimated lead time of 42 to 43 months for the trucks.
The council will also accept a bid for a drainage project through the General Land Office stemming from Hurricane Harvey. The city received a $5.01 million grant to help areas prone to flooding, but it was left with $4.03 million after engineering, grant management and environmental services costs. The low bid being considered is for $5.42 million.
Both the fire trucks and the leftover amount for the drainage project will come with accompanying items for the council to express official intent to reimburse certain costs from the future issuance of certificates of obligation. There will also be consideration of an interfund loan from the city’s electric fund to the drainage fund to cover the city portion of the drainage projects.
Also on Thursday, the council will consider:
- The purchase of a new irrigation pump station at Hohlt Park for $141,536.
- Purchasing a new shade structure at the Blue Bell Aquatic Center for $51,721.
- Approval of the Routine Airport Maintenance Program (RAMP) grant agreement with TxDOT for the 2025 Fiscal Year.
- The purchase of new outdoor holiday LED lighting along the rooflines of businesses and buildings in downtown Brenham for $57,590.
- A variance request that was recommended for approval by the Brenham Planning and Zoning Commission on September 23rd, concerning 6.64 acres at 1733 Burleson Street. The property owners, Garrett Salmans and Ronda Kilburn, wish to develop the vacant property with a single-family home. However, the subject property does not meet the minimum access requirements, as the city’s subdivision ordinance requires that lots be provided with adequate access to an existing or proposed public street by frontage on such street. The variance is to remove the requirement to have property frontage on a public right-of-way.
The council will meet Thursday at 1 p.m. at Brenham City Hall.
Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.
Two new Fire trucks? I thought the city just got a new one. This City waste more money on dumb stuff. No one cares about lighting downtown. Let the store owners do it themselves.
No the city leaders had been told by numerous growth studies going back to as far as chief Weiss days but have chosen to ignore the recommendations so here we are still with one station and talk of a second when we should have 3 talking about 4, was on the front page of the banner press when captain Hack presented the study to city council and requested the city look at building a second station.
Schools’ needs were also in those studies and there behind the 8ball still as well.
If the fire trucks do not comply then for sure not having more than fire station certainly does also. Hiring more paid fireman that are suppose to be housed in two locations and no second location even started yet. Future residential building should be halted until there is proper fire protection locations.
The Del Sol fire is an example of distance to a station. All these paid fireman for the city and rural aid was needed? Get moving on the second fire station.
The city just bought an engine, not a ladder. Bottom line is not only the city but surrounding counties need these ladder trucks to fight major residential/commercial fires. The current ladders are at the end of their life span according to the NFPA. So would you rather the city wait until they HAVE to replace those ladder trucks and pay 7% more? That would be wasteful spending….
Is the fire station big enough for two ladder trucks? New fire station is still in city’s imagination. Somebody needs to tell the city brain trust that you can’t park new truck in an imaginary fire station.
Well, spend spend spend, and rob Peter to pay Paul. No mention of how much the 2007 ladder truck should be worth when it is replaced. At this rate, the city will end up selling the electric department to another utility entity to pay for the new park since these planners and politicians can’t balance the budget to maintain existing parks and provide preventative maintenance for storm drainage. Planners now want a variance for a new subdivision because the developer doesn’t want to put in required neighborhood access streets. Really, looks like doing it the right way means that there will not be as many lots.
To sell. And the planners are obviously good with providing special exceptions to their preferred developers. Looks like a free for all with planners and politicians. Free for everyone except the taxpayers. And how much are the new downtown lights? That looks like another coverup too. I have no trust in the local government.
Unfortunately the current Ladder trucks will be over 20 years old when the replacements would be delivered which makes them not acceptable in the NFPA for front line service which suggests a 15year front line service followed by a refurbishment. So they won’t be worth much in the grand scheme of things. The FD is just trying to keep up to the national standards for your fire protection.
BS… I drive a 22 year old car that I maintain, nothing wrong with it! Daily driver.
Comparing your clapped out Toyota to a piece of state of the art rescue equipment is beyond insane. These trucks have to be within regulation to be in NFPA compliance and properly save lives when they are needed. Mind you when a ladder truck is toned out to a scene, it’s usually a serious situation… doesn’t just need to get from point A to B.
Pretty sure you know the planners are not the ones asking for the variance. Sounds like you may not be one of the “preferred” John.
jon, jon, i looked up brenham website. there is a planning department. If there is a planning department, that is where most city government subdivision s are reviewed. maybe brenham is different than my state of michigan. I know texas has less laws or nobody enforcing them.
And? The planning dept doesn’t ask for variances, special exceptions, subdivisions all of those things. Property owners do. You want those planners to deny people their rights? Ol’ boy up top can ask for them. Guy above probably way out of line from what the ordinances allow and it makes them mad.
Utility customers are already paying $3.75 a month for a drainage charge. And you have to borrow money from the electrical fund. Why?