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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes CC - 12/09/2013 - MINS 12 09 13 WS (Migrated from Optiview)Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, December 9, 2013 at 6:00 pm Page I of7 This summary is provided as a convenience and service to the public, media, and staff. It is not the intent to transcribe proceedings verbatim. Any reproduction of this summary must include this notice. Public comments are noted and heard by Council, but not quoted. This document includes limited presentation by Council and invited speakers in summary form . This is an official record of the Milton City Council Meeting proceedings. Official Meetings are audio and video recorded. The Work Session of the Mayor and Council of the City of Milton was held on December 9,2013 at 6:00 PM. Councilmembers Present: Councilmember Karen ThUlman, Councilmember Matt Kunz, Councilmember Bill Lusk, Councilmember Burt Hewitt, Councilmember Joe Longoria. Mayor Joe Lockwood: • Work Sessions are an informal setting to update Council on business items. • No votes will be taken during these sessions. • There is one (1) item on our Agenda tonight. • Public comment is allowed that is germane to an Agenda Item. • If you wish to speak you are required to fill out a comment card and tum it into the City Clerk staff. • Public comment will be allowed for a total of 10 minutes per agenda item and no more than 2 minutes per person. • Public comment will be heard at the beginning of each Item . • Once the item is called, no other comment cards will be accepted. Agenda Item #1 was read. 1. Discussion of Acquisition of Fire Ladder Truck. (Presented by ChiefBob Edgar, City ofMilton Fire Department) Bob Edgar, Fire Chief We are here tonight to talk about purchasing a new fire truck. Deputy Chief Stephens will give you a presentation outlining all the aspects of this purchase. Battalion Chief Roth Hutchenson and Captain Tyler Nicholson have also been a part of the committee that has worked for over a year researching this purchase. Mark Stephens, Deputy Fire Chief Truck 1 is the only aerial apparatus that we own. It is a 2007, made by Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisconsin. It is a 75 foot straight stick aerial. It is part of the original fleet that we had when we deployed. In the past three years, Truck 1 has been the most frequently dispatched unit in our fleet: Truck 1 -2670 responses Engine 41 -1542 responses Engine 42 -1843 responses Engine 43 -931 responses Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, October 14,2013 at 6 :00 pm Page 2 of7 Truck 1 has been out of service for mechanical issues more than any other apparatus in the fleet since 2011 : Truck 1 -47 Repairs 3 Radiator Replacements 2 Turbo Replacements 2 Injector Replacements ] Aerial Turntable Main Drive Gear Replacement 4 Critical Suspension Repairs Truck 1 is 6+ years old. The average life expectancy of a front-line aerial apparatus is 10 years before rotating into reserve status. Truck 1 has the highest maintenance cost of the current fleet. It has been out of warranty since 2011, which has resulted in $42 ,317 in unexpected repairs. Truck 1 is the heaviest apparatus (50,750 lbs.) in the fleet. It carries significantly more equipment and ladders than the engines (37,380 lbs.), yet: It is Underpowered: • Same diesel motor as the engines • Sits on a single axle chassis as do the engines • Places tremendous stress on the power train, brakes, and tires. All these factors contribute to the frequency of mechanical failures. Milton Fire-Rescue has a reserve engine that is available when an apparatus is out of service for repair or preventative maintenance. This is not the case when Truck 1 is out of service. Milton Fire-Rescue is currently dependent on the availability of the only reserve aerial owned by the City of Alpharetta. Truck 1 has a 75' aerial ladder that has proven to be ineffective for rescue and firefighting operations. Recent examples of this include the Kings Ridge School roof fire and the White Columns Court house fire. Truck 1 is a "straight stick" 75 foot ladder. This configuration can make rescue and firefighting operations more difficult and inherently more dangerous. We would like to replace Truck 1 with an aerial that is: • More reliable • Less expensive to own • Safer • Better meets the needs of the community and department. In November 2012 , we fOlmed an Apparatus Selection Committee consisting of: • Battalion Chief Roth Hutcheson -Chairman • Captain Tyler Nicholson -responsible for fleet maintenance • A cross-section of Milton Firefighters In 2007, before any of us were hired , a group was formed to select the fire truck that we would use. They essentially ordered the same type of truck that Sandy Springs used. Therefore, we did not have any input in the type of fire truck we needed. Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, October 14,2013 at 6:00 pm Page 3 of7 The Apparatus Selection Committee identified our needs, identified manufacturers, visited neighboring departments to investigate apparatus made by the manufacturers, and then made recommendations. The committee narrowed the selection to four fire truck manufacturers. Those manufacturers presented their products to the committee. Demo apparatus was inspected and operated by committee members. Committee members traveled to Indianapolis to attend the largest fire apparatus trade show in the nation. We then selected two manufacturers: E-One and Sutphen Corporation. Two committee members toured the manufacturing facilities of E-One in Ocala, Florida. Two committee members toured the Sutphen Corporation manufacturing plant in Amlin, Ohio. The committee recommends the following for the City of Milton: • A 100' mid-mount platform aerial provides the needed reach and provides for increased safety. • The mid-mount configuration provides greater maneuverability. • Set-up options for our tight driveways and access challenges. Consequently, the Sutphen SPH 100 is the apparatus that best meets Milton's needs. The SPH 100 is the lightest mid-mount on the market. The lighter weight provides superior fuel economy, better acceleration and braking, longer tire life, and safer passage over bridges and culverts. The box beam aircraft style construction of the aerial device, which is unique to Sutphen, makes the truck 15,000 to 20,000 pounds lighter than the competition. The Sutphen Corporation specializes in mid-mount aerial apparatus and has been building them longer than any other manufacturer. Williams Fire Apparatus is the local Sutphen Dealer having a reputation for responsive field service and highly trained technicians. Williams has a mobile service truck in the Atlanta Metro area. Sutphen Corporation offers a unique ladder harvesting program at the end of the trucks serviceable life. This allows for the recycling of the old aerial components saving the owner approximately $200,000 dollars on a new apparatus. It is the lowest cost of ownership of similar size apparatus. This fact is consistent with Milton's strategy of providing responsible and responsive government. The following information indicates the tire data/comparison: Steer Tires (Approximate mileage per set) Truck 1 8,000 SPH 100 30,000 Rear Axle # 1 (Approximate mileage per set) Truck 1 16,000 SPH 100 20,000 Rear Axle#2 (Approximate mileage per set) Truck 1 N/A SPH 100 10,000 The following information indicates the fuel consumption comparison: Miles per gallon on the Sutphen: 7.73 mpg 62,000 miles -7-7.73 = 8,021 8,021 gallons multiplied by $3.50 per gallon = $28,073. Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, October 14,2013 at 6:00 pm Page 4 of7 Miles per gallon on Truck 1: 2.50 mpg 62,000 miles -+-2.50 = 24,800 24,800 gallons multiplied by $3.50 per gallon = $62,000. Miles per gallon on the E-One Bronto: 1.85 mpg 62,000 miles -+-1.85 = 33,514 33 ,514 gallons multiplied by $3.50 per gallon = $117,299. The addition of a new aerial apparatus will allow Truck 1 to serve as a reserve apparatus based at Station 41 in the Crabapple Community. This strategy will provide the opportunity to capture additional ISO points at our next review. Mayor Lockwood Is the 100 foot standard? Deputy Chief Stephens If we got more than 100 feet, then the apparatus would be too tall and heavy to meet our needs. The 100 foot is a good compromise. They make longer ones but 100 feet is the standard. Mayor Lockwood How much will this new truck cost and how will we pay for it? Deputy Chief Stephens The cost is $1.2 million. Chris Lagerbloom, City Manager If we choose to purchase this truck , we have the funds in the Fire Department's Capital Reserve Replacement Program. We funded it to the point that we could make a cash purchase but that doesn't mean we have to. Interest rates are low and we may choose to lease purchase. We could choose either option. The price that has been quoted is a "ready-to-go" fire truck. It will not need a lot of additional items added to it. Mayor Lockwood How to we purchase a fire truck in a competitive bid market? Deputy Chief Stephens We looked into the best way to get the best price on the truck we wanted. We found a contract in Florida that worked off the base price of the vehicle. Finance did not feel comfortable with an out-of­ state contract. We then found an in-state contract in Cobb County. They did a sealed bid process to buy three of these trucks. That contract, as part of the sealed bid, required anyone bidding on it to obtain a three year price so that contract is still valid based on the three year stipulation. This would be the best price that we can get on this truck. Councilmember Bill Lusk So, would we be taking advantage of a contract piggybacking purchase? Deputy Chief Stephens That is our intention. Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, October 14,2013 at 6:00 pm Page 5 of7 Mayor Lockwood Whenever we are spending your tax dollars, we always make sure we get the best price we can. So, we either competitively bid the project ourselves or if there has already been a competitive bid, then we can piggyback on that price. Deputy Chief Stephens When we compared the price of the Florida Sheriffs Association contract, it was built on the base price of the fire truck, in other words, a striped down truck without any extra equipment. We took that price and added the options that we needed and ended up at the exact same price as the Cobb County bid that we are going to piggyback on. When we did a change order to remove all the options from the Cobb County fire truck that we don't need and added the things that we need, the price remained the same. Councilmember Thurman Since the truck will be built specifically for the City of Milton, how long will it take? Deputy Chief Stephens Once a purchase order is placed for the truck, it will be a minimum of nine months before we will get it. The purchase order consists of a 99 page document that details every aspect of the truck that will be built to our exact specifications. Councilmember Kunz What will happen to Truck 1? Deputy Chief Stephens Our plan is to put Truck 1 at our Station 41 in Crabapple and keep it operable as a reserve truck. Any fire truck is going to need routine maintenance. We will have Truck 1 as a reserve truck so we will not have to depend on Alpharetta to provide us a truck when our truck is in service. In addition, we have a 5-year warranty as part of the contract for the new truck. Once the warranty expired on Truck 1, we really started seeing the deep pocket repair costs. Councilmember Longoria You mentioned sheering of the rear axle on Truck 1. Are we past the point of being able to talk to the manufacturer about that kind of failure? It sounds like it is a habitual failure based on the weight of the truck and the inadequacy of the rear axle to support the weight of the truck. It seems like a manufacturing problem that should be covered or retrofitted. Deputy Chief Stephens We brought that issue to their attention but they deferred to driver error; we hit a speed bump too hard, took a curve too hard, or ran over a curb, etc. We couldn't prove those things did not happen. We approached them with the three radiator failures and they finally admitted that there was a manufacturing problem with the radiators. Our last radiator was covered under warranty even though the truck is out of warranty. We have also had similar problems with the engine and they are now covering that as a manufacturjng defect. However, we were not successful in getting them to admit there was a problem with the pins that were holding the lead spring on the rear. Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, October 14,2013 at 6:00 pm Page 6 of7 Councilmember Hewitt What type of engine will be put in the new truck? Deputy Chief Stephens It will be a Cummings engine. It will be powered properly and will have dual axels to support the weight. It will have an Allison transmission. Councilmember Lusk Did you check the performance records on this vehicle throughout the state? Deputy Chief Stephens Yes, we interviewed other fire fighters that have this same apparatus and they are all very satisfied. spoke to Chief Spencer in Roswell and their entire fleet is Sutphen. I asked him about the service and the entire experience and he said that as long as he is the Roswell Fire Chief, he will only buy Sutphen products. The Sutphen truck has received outstanding reviews. When we were in Indianapolis, we only heard great things about the Sutphen. Mayor Lockwood How does the price of this truck compare to the other trucks that you researched? Deputy Chief Stephens It is probably $200,000 more than the cheapest and $100,000 more than the next one. In addition, Sutphen is the only company that guarantees at least $200,000 on the re-harvesting of the aerial device itself and placing it on a new chasse. Councilmember Thurman How much did we originally pay for Truck 1? City Manager Lagerbloom We paid about $850,000. It wasn't designed for its deployment. It was designed only in case Milton needed a ladder truck we would have one. It was not designed to be a front line truck and the most driven truck in the fleet. Councilmember Longoria What was the expected useful life of Truck 1? City Manager Lagerbloom We would have expected 7-10 years out of it. It is paid for so there is not any debt remaining on it that is still being amortized in the future. It will be nice to have it as a reserve truck. In addition, this will help with our ISO rating. The 3-story brownstones in Crabapple negatively affect our ISO because there is not a ladder truck within 5 miles. We will eventually get a better ISO rating now that Truck 1 will be located at Station 41 in Crabapple. Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, October 14,2013 at 6:00 pm Page 7 of7 Mayor Lockwood The City Manager would like to update us on the Radio Authority discussions. City Manager Lagerbloom Through an assortment of plans, Milton found a location near Cherokee County on Mountain Road for our radio system that would have very little impact to our citizens. Fulton County has expressed their desire to move forward with a Fulton County system and they contemplated putting a tower at the Freemanville Road water tank site. They initially said they were going to put a 400 foot tower at that location. Obviously, we objected and they came back a second time and said the tower would only be 250 feet tall. We said that was still too tall. The third time they approached us, they were willing to lower the tower to 195 feet. They want our support of their tower. The main concern I had was that the tower be at or below the height that it would need to be lit. We told them that we would not support it or object to it but just get out of their way. They came back and said they did not want to look like the bad guy in this decision so they said they would go back to the 400 foot tower and keep the revenue that it will generate. For a point of reference, the water tank is 150 feet. I told them that I would ask Council for support of a tower not to exceed 195 feet with the agreement that the generator for the facility would be enclosed to minimize the sound of it. Fulton County is asking for a letter from us indicating that we support the tower and are willing to work with them to find the correct area to put the tower on that site. The Radio Authority would exchange space on that tower with a tower that will be built at the Hembree Road site which is the Roswell Public Works site. After no further discussion, the Work Session adjourned at 6:49 p.m. Date Approved: December 16,2013. Sudie AM Gordon, City Clerk No Text