Finance Director Ron West said Wednesday the city may sue to recoup what it can for an aerial ladder truck that Fire Chief Frank Tidwell described as a "lemon."
Tidwell raised the issue in May 6 budget talks and said he told the administration about it two months ago. Council President Bridget Rivers criticized the administration for not responding, asking, "What are we waiting for, a fatality"?
As West explained to the council and Citizens' Budget Advisory Committee Wednesday, the $808,000 vehicle was ordered in 2006 and finally arrived late and "with eight major defects" in 2009. The manufacturer had declared bankruptcy, he said.
"We got less than four years' use out of that vehicle," West said.
Now the administration is exploring possible "legal recourse" before committing city funds to a replacement.
After pointing a finger at the current administration on May 6, Tidwell said he had told the prior administration about the problem in 2013.
Rivers said a new vehicle was ordered in the 2013 Capital Improvement Plan but was taken out and replaced by another type of vehicle. West said the CIP as approved by the Planning Board is only a request. (The six-year CIP is a projection and is subject to modification.)
"We have $18 million worth of CIP requests," West said.
In further explanation, he said the administration looked into repairs, but drawings of the faulty suspension system cannot be found. It appeared doubtful that any company would attempt repairs for fear of liability.
Tidwell said on May 6 the aerial platform truck was built by American LaFrance, which several online sites describe as legendary in the field of fire apparatus. See a history of American LaFrance from its roots in 1832 through closing of a spin-off fire truck division in 2008.
--Bernice
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Has anyone notified the National Highway Safety Administration?
ReplyDeleteLegal action? How does anyone sue a bankrupt company? This innane comment certifies that our political leaders are an unsophisticated bunch. When you buy price, absent due diligence, or extended Bonded warranties, you get lemon trucks and roads that unravel before the asphalt is dry. Performing the work without proper fulltime on site inspection is an invitation to disaster. By engaging a financially sound reputable engineering firm to perform the inspection, should a failure occur, there are then two channels for redress, the Contractor and the Engineer.
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