City board discusses repairs on fire department’s ladder truck and new truck for public works

During the May 18 meeting of Sparta Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the board made the decision to authorize the city’s public works department to begin researching prices for the possible purchase of a new truck.

Mayor Jeff Young suggested they begin looking at bids for a new truck after public works director Dillard Quick informed the board the city’s truck was out of service because of a malfunction with the exhaust filter and bad ERG valve. (An ERG valve connects the exhaust manifold to the intake manifold and is controlled by either a vacuum or a built-in electric step motor. The function of the EGR valve is to control the flow of exhaust gas being recirculated depending on the engine load)

Quick said the truck would be back in service after a new turbo was installed.

After vice mayor Jim Floyd made a motion to approve the search for bids and alderman Hoyt Jones seconded it, Quick was asked if he felt a second truck would be beneficial to the city.

“If we have a storm it takes two to three months to get everything cleaned up, if the truck is working the entire time. If we have a second truck, we can get that completed faster and, at the very least, not get behind if one of the trucks goes down,” he explained. “I think this is a step in the right direction. I think it will be great.”

Fire Chief Kirk Young also informed the board the city’s ladder truck was out of service but hoped the repairs would be quick, and the truck would be back to the city by the following week.

“It’s having front-end issues and has been ruled unsafe,” Young said about the 1990 ladder truck the city owns. “We have called in for Statewide Mutual Aid, and Cookeville, Crossville, Livingston, and Smithville are all on standby. If we need a ladder truck, one of those departments will assist us.”

When asked, Young said he thought it would be a good idea to begin looking into the possibility of attaining grants to update the city’s fleet of fire trucks.

The board approved the early repayment of two Sanitation Department notes. One note was in the amount of $69,238.97, with the second note being for $73,128.30.

The board also approved an application for volunteer firefighter from Kaleb Fisher and approved a request to begin the solicitation for applications for the position of administrative clerk for Sparta City Hall.

Breaking briefly from their business as the board of mayor and aldermen and convening as the Beer Board, all members voted to approve a Special Event/Temporary Beer Permit for Don Sergio, Calfkiller Brewing Company. The  brewery will be present at Sparta Green Market, which takes place the third Friday of every month during the months of May, June, July, August, September, October, and November.

With no citizens’ comments, Mayor Jeff Young offered the board’s congratulations to Dani Auberger who recently earned eight gold medals at the European Championships.

“She does an amazing job of representing Sparta, so I want to offer our congratulations to her,” Young said.