Excepts from the nwherald.com:
With one engine not operational and one that recently sustained damage during a house fire, the Harvard Fire Protection District’s board decided Tuesday to secure a bank loan to fund a new pumper. Two bids were opened during a special meeting earlier in the day, but only one met specific requirements that the district is looking for.
At this point in the fiscal year, the district has spent in excess of its projected income by $35,000 and an additional $132,000 needs to be paid in payroll expenses before property tax dollars come in June, which quickly will exhaust reserve funding if this trend continues.
Of $37,654 in damage Engine 747 sustained after responding to a fire on Altenburg Road in November, insurance will cover all but a $1,000 deductible. The engine should be fully operational within the next two weeks.
While the engine has been under repair, Harvard has used engines from the Marengo Fire Protection District and the Lincolnwood Fire Department. As a form of repayment, staff are exploring the possibility of using the windshield from the decommissioned Engine 747 to replace a cracked windshield on Marengo’s engine.
