MANCHESTER – The township recently approved the purchase of the Whiting First Aid Squad Building.
“That will be a very significant factor to the health and well being of our residents on the west side of town. Already our response times have been reduced to seven and a half minutes and that is with our ambulances stationed at various points not in the heart of Whiting,” Mayor Kenneth Palmer said during a recent Township Council meeting.
He added that once the Township’s Emergency Medical Service “gets its ambulances stationed at the Whiting First Aid I would expect those response times to get even less – as well as our police response times. We’ve had issues with not in-housing our police out there but basing them when they are taking a break. Having that facility in the center of Whiting is going to help all the residents there.”
Council President Craig Wallis said, “it will house our ambulances out there and our police. It will give them some office space and a couple of other functions. It is about a half million dollars for the building and the improvements we have to make.”
“We’re going to access more functions for the town on that side of town and make it a little easier,” Wallis added.
The purchase ordinance was passed unanimously.
“I appreciate the Council going along and buying the building. It is a tremendous addition to the township and I want to once again thank the folks at the Whiting First Aid for over 30 years of volunteering to the township and providing those services,” Mayor Palmer said.
The mayor added, “I think it may be closer to 40. By taking over the EMS services and basically putting them out of business, it was a difficult decision. It was the right decision but it was a hard one. It was nothing personal to them but times had changed and as a township we are able to pay employees at a more on-hand basis. I thank all those folks for their dedicated service and the Manchester First Aid Squad for their dedicated service.”
“The time had come to provide our emergency services in a different way,” he said. He explained the building would facilitate emergency services better and would also be used for other purposes as well.
Councilman Sam Fusaro noted that tax collection could be done there and water and sewer bill collection.
“We can provide seminars and other recreational activities from that building so it really is going to be put into the rotation of the township in providing services to the residents. I think it will be a huge addition to the town,” the mayor added.
During that same meeting the governing body moved to approve an ordinance for the sale of property on 1525 Fourth Avenue at a minimum bid cost of $10,000.
Councilman Robert Hudak said it was being sold to the adjacent property owner not as an individual lot. That ordinance was also unanimously adopted.
An ordinance was also adopted that revised the general ordinances of the township adding residential rental units, resales and re-occupancy.
The Council also approved on final notice an ordinance authorizing the sale of 2643 Ridgeway Road.
Three ordinances were introduced during the night. The first concerned a notice of applications which came as a recommendation of the Planning Board’s attorney. The second concerned storm water regulations which Wallis said “brings our ordinance in line with state storm water management changes.”
The last ordinance to be introduced concerned uniform construction codes and fire prevention which changes some of the fees. Township Clerk Sabina Martin said “this is just replacing those sections (applying to fees) and replacing them with the new fee schedule and there are a couple of additions that are in there.”
“There are a couple of raises of fees and we are probably well underpriced. I went through the whole thing and didn’t see anything that was abnormal to raise. We also added a few new sections in there for fees,” the Council President added.
On the consent agenda was the township’s annual Community Development Block Grant application. The project this year will be the rehabilitation of Tuskegee Park at $35,000.
Manchester will also apply for another grant for a law enforcement grant to help reduce motor vehicle crashes through the Sustained Enforcement Grant for $37,500. Martin said this was for 680 enforcement hours.
