Darby gets new police cars
by JOHN CRAMER - Ravalli Republic
Come Tuesday, Darby Town Marshal Larry Rose will be moving in a new direction - backward.
Or at least he’ll have the option of going in reverse, which he hasn’t been able to do since his patrol car’s transmission went south six months ago.
“It’s not been too bad,” he said. “You just have to be careful where you park.”
That won’t be a problem as of Tuesday morning when the town unveils its two new patrol cars, which will be outfitted with new radios, video systems and other state-of-the-art equipment.
The $85,000 project is being funded by three sources: $11,000 in private donations; $25,000 from the town council; and a $20,000 low-interest loan and $29,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
The Rural Development’s portion is part of the federal stimulus package, or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Rural Development officials will present the two sport utility vehicles at a public ceremony at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the Darby Town Park along Main Street.
Rural Development also will present the town with a $59,000 check to cover additional costs in Darby’s water system upgrading project.
The new patrol cars - a 2009 Chevy Traverse and a 2009 Chevy Trailblazer - will replace the town’s two current vehicles.
One is Rose’s transmission-troubled Chevy Impala.
The other is Deputy Shawn Woods’ Ford Crown Victoria, which the town bought years ago from the Montana Highway Patrol.
Each vehicle will have new radios, sirens and other equipment, including five video cameras.
They will also each have two oxygen tanks and three fire extinguishers because Rose and Woods often are the first responders to medical calls and fires.
Mayor Rick Scheele said the town’s two lawmen are pleased at the prospect of riding in style.
“Larry and Shawn are like two kids in a candy shop,” Scheele said.
Rose agreed.
“I like these new vehicles,” he said. “They’re real nice. They’re comfortable and dependable, and the video system is state of the art.”
Scheele said the new patrol cars will draw a lot of attention, but replacing the town’s aging water system will also boost Darby’s quality of life.
Water problems include widespread leaks - wasting about 60 percent of pumped water - and contamination from fecal coliform.
The nearly $3.2 million project includes a new well, a treatment plant, a larger water tank and replacing leaky and undersized pipelines.
The project is being paid for with loans and grants from Rural Development. Kadrmas, Lee and Jackson in Helena is the project engineer.
Construction is slated to last from July to October.
The town is raising its water rates, but Scheele said the additional $59,000 from Rural Development means the rate hikes can go toward operations and maintenance rather than paying back debt.
Reporter John Cramer can be reached at 363-3300 or jcramer@ravallirepublic.com.
|
|
|
Reader's Comments >>
farmerziffel wrote on Jul 1, 2009 3:07 PM: