New Woodlawn Fire Truck To Cost More Than $500,000

South Whitehall commissioners have approved spending $533,850 to purchase a new tanker/pumper for the Woodlawn Fire Department.

The commissioners approved the lowest bid, which was from Shellhamer Emergency Equipment, of Nebraska.  

The township will get an $8,088 discount, if it pays for the chassis (a sum of $267,253) within three days of its expected arrival at the factory in November, according to information provided to the commissioners at their April 20 meeting. That would reduce the cost to $525,762.

The new fire truck is expected to be built by May 2012.

Officials have said that new safety requirements have driven up the cost of new fire trucks. 

Although the township had initially budgeted just $380,000 for the fire truck, officials were able to come up with a plan to buy the fire truck using money already included in the budget's tanker, engine/pumper and aerial funds.

The township received four bids for the fire truck, with the highest bid at $676,917.