Southern Boone Voters will see a proposal on their ballot on June 2nd asking the question, “Shall Southern Boone County Fire Protection District issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $3,200,000 for the purpose of paying costs and acquiring fire trucks, apparatus and equipment and constructing, furnishing and equipping a fire station?” Jim Bullard, the Fire Chief of the Southern Boone County Fire Protection District, wants to ensure that all voters realize this will only be a continuation of the current tax, and not a new one. He says this continuation is much needed in order to continue to ensure excellent fire service for the district.
Bond Request & Justifications
From its beginning, the fire district administrators have made it a goal to locate fire stations within 5 miles of as many homes as possible. Three hundred thousand from the continuation of the bond has been allocated to building a new station on Route MM near Andrew Sapp Road. This amount will allow the district to build the facility and refurbish an existing vehicle to be located in that station. The property has already been purchased, so passing this bond in June will quickly allow the department to meet its safety goals for Southern Boone residents.
Additional needs by the department included in the bond measure:
• A new rescue squad vehicle at the cost of $700,000. This will replace a 25-year old rescue truck, which currently houses the “Jaws of Life” rescue tools. The current rescue vehicle has become more of a liability in terms of costs and reliability due to its age. The ” Jaws of Life” tools that are on this vehicle were manufactured prior to the current motor vehicle safety standards, which employ harder metal in their construction. This improves the possibility of removing victims rapidly from entrapment, and the district needs tools that match up to these new standards.
~ Get the rest of the story in today’s Journal ~
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