Ridgewood March 21, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Village purchases ladder truck, also eyes pumper by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council voted last week to accept the lowest responsible bid for a new mid-mount platform ladder truck for the fire department. The bid for $962,106 from Pierce, a premier manufacture of fire engines in Appleton, Wisconsin, was accepted without comment. At the previous council work session, Ridgewood Fire Chief James Van Goor and the members of the council expressed elation that the project came in at a cost much less than anticipated. The council had also acted quickly to help Chief Van Goor’s department quality for a matching grant toward the eventual purchase of a separate fire engine, this one a pumper, at the previous work session. Chief Van Goor previously told the governing body he could get a $315,000 grant toward the purchase of a new pumper if the council authorized him to apply for it. The council, which is now organizing the budget, jumped at the opportunity and told him to go for the grant. The total cost of the new pumper is estimated at $380,000 to $390,000. Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Thomas Riche good-naturedly suggested that if Chief Van Goor acted quickly, they might be able to fund a second engine with the grant, and some surplus from a separate, but related, purchase. The purchase of the new mid-mount platform ladder truck had been discussed and approved at previous meetings. The accepted bid was $10,000 above the lower bid of $952,000, Ridgewood Village Manager Kenneth Gabbert said, but featured details of equipment and training not covered by the lower bid. The bid provides for three days of post-delivery training. The council agreed with Gabbert’s interpretation that the $962,000 was effectively the lowest responsible bid. Three bid packets had been picked up after advertising, but only two companies provided proposals. Now that the bid has been accepted and approved, Gabbert acknowledged that Ridgewood has $1.3 million on hand for the new mid-mount ladder truck, based on the “sinking fund” comprised of annual increments set aside for major purchases. Deputy Mayor Riche suggested the surplus from the $1.3 million, in addition to the new grant, ought to get Ridgewood a second fire engine at minimal expense. Ridgewood has the only paid fire department in Northwest Bergen County. The department is aided by village volunteers and is a member of the Northwest Bergen Mutual Aid consortium. Another bid of $57,228 for a work truck for the Parks Department was accepted from Ditschman/Flemington Ford in Flemington was also approved last week. Outreach opportunity Maggie Coakley, Lauren Monnerat, and Kelly Gibney joined other members of the Confirmation Class of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in a service project to gather food products to cook for people in need, and to donate food to the Father English Food Pantry in Paterson. The collection took place outside Kings Supermarket in Ridgewood.