Park's fire truck repairs are more costly than expected

By Nathan R. Huff

Shocked by the $29,000 estimate for the renovation and restoration of the old fire truck in Oak Meadow Park, Town Council members on Nov. 22 asked staff to consider other options for saving the antiquated piece of playground equipment.

Among suggestions: Enlist the assistance of the California Corrections Department. In other words, use discount prison labor.

The fire truck sits fenced off in Oak Meadow Park, awaiting the repairs necessary to bring the old vehicle up to current safety and disability standards.

The Public Works Department previously sought to remove the truck from the park because of safety hazards and liability issues, but the Town Council rejected the idea at its Oct. 4 meeting. Council members then instructed Scott Baker, director of public works, to provide estimates for bringing the truck into compliance with standards.

The estimate presented to the council from a local body shop was $9,000 higher than the initial figure. Surprised by the high cost, former Mayor Jan Hutchins teased newly elected Mayor Steve Blanton, who has led the effort to save the truck, saying, "This is really kind of your fire truck."

Blanton supported the idea of using a body shop to do the work, and encouraged Baker to look at making the truck as historically accurate as possible. However, Blanton also noted that the truck would be a children's toy, not a car show exhibit, and he agreed with the council that the estimate could probably be brought down with that in mind.

Newly elected Vice Mayor Joe Pirzynski introduced the idea of using prison labor, as Milpitas recently did to restore an old city truck. "They had a number of good mechanics," Pirzynski said, adding that the restoration did take some time. "They had to wait until some [mechanics] 'came on board,'" he explained.

Other cost-saving restoration options include obtaining estimates for a less glamorous renovation and soliciting community help in the form of labor or materials. Staff will report back at the council's Jan. 18 meeting.

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