In Brief: Firefighters Unveil New Truck to Commissioners

The City Commission on Monday got its first look at a purchased in accordance with the city's .

After a breezy 30-minute regular meeting, commissioners headed to the conjoined downtown fire station for a peek at the truck.

The new truck, a Pierce Velocity Pumper, can hold 1,000 gallons of water and has an integrated foam system, said Brad Westfall, Northville's fire sergeant. This can help put out smaller fires without resorting to fire hoses and water, he said.

Approval for the truck's purchase came in April, and it cost $440,321.

Northville Fire Chief Jim Allen said he felt "great" to finally see the truck, which arrived Monday at the Plymouth station.

"We can soon start training people on it," he said.

Allen said the truck requires some extensive training for crew members.

Compared to the 20- and 30-year-old trucks that preceded the 2010 pumper, "You can't believe the changes," he said.

He said the truck features an enclosed cab, and all firefighters will wear seatbelts while traveling. 

The truck has other modern features, too, such as LED lighting in its storage compartments. 

In other business:

The City Commission unanimously voted to table a measure that would allow developers of the former Amoco gas station location at Ann Arbor Trail and South Main Street to offer payment in lieu of parking space until the city's 2011 parking study is completed.

Part of the study will review current and future parking demands in inventory, City Manager Paul J. Sincock said.

Property owner Omar Hamdan said he was surprised to learn about the study.

"We already ," he said. "We spent a lot of money doing the plans and everything. We were not aware that our project would be stopped due to a parking study."

The City Commission unanimously approved a measure to have its summer meetings outdoors at parks throughout the city, beginning with a June 6 meeting at . Subsequent meetings will be held at (June 20),  (July 5), (July 18), (Aug. 1) and (Aug. 15). 

"I think this is one of the coolest things we've ever come up with," Mayor Dan Dwyer said.