
MAINTAINING THE FLEET Fire Chief Cuyler Kepling left speaks at Mondays meeting of the Swanton Village Council The council approved his proposal to purchase a new fire engine to replace a tired 16 year old engine with extensive rust issues Also pictured are from left Finance Director Holden Benfield Village Administrator Shannon Shulters Mayor Neil Toeppe and Councilwoman Dianne Westhoven
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The Swanton Fire and Rescue Division will be getting a new fire engine after Fire Chief Cuyler Kepling addressed the Village Council during its meeting Monday evening.
The urgent need for the purchase was due to multiple factors including rapidly increasing prices and upcoming changes to EPA emissions rules, but the primary driver was the poor state of the engine it will be replacing.
The now 16-year-old engine is suffering from extensive rust on the frame and chassis, and Kepling said a third-party resale would not likely yield much due to its poor condition. It had previously been scheduled for replacement in 2027.
“There’s been significant price increases recently, and it sounds like the end of the first quarter, mid-second quarter, there’s [going to] be more price increases. We’re trying to beat the price increases. Those are somewhere in the tune of about $55,000 to $75,000 depending on the exact number of the increase,” Kepling said.
The $1.45 million engine will require a $260,000 down payment and a seven-year lease that would in a worst-case scenario cost $220,000 per year, according to Kepling.
He said that, through a cooperative purchasing agreement whereby the engine is purchased outright by a third party, the village can gain the benefit of a “cash discount” of nearly $100,000, and then lease it from the third party and retain ownership.
That cost compares to between $100,000 and $120,000 to repair the engine without extending its life, or roughly 80 percent of the cost of the new engine to refurbish the old one, and that would put the new date for planned replacement at the same time a water tender is already scheduled to be replaced.
The engine itself will come from The Sutphen Corporation of Amlin, Ohio. The council’s subsequent unanimous vote in favor of the purchase paves the way for a contract with Sutphen to be completed with delivery by October 2026.
Kepling also reported on a recent incident at the fire hall when they lost power and the backup generator failed to kick on, leaving them completely without power for two and a half hours.
There was a call for service during that time, and firefighters had to manually open the garage doors to get their vehicle out.
Council Member Dianne Westhoven said she believed the council had approved the purchase and expense, but Kepling said the electrician told him one was never ordered. Kepling is now working with a service company to see what repairs are necessary.
“It doesn’t sound like it’s to the point where it’s just not going to operate, it just needs a couple things to keep it happy for a short time and let us evaluate kind of how we want to proceed with a generator in the future,” Kepling said.
ROAD WORK AHEAD
Village Administrator Shannon Shulters brought an update on trench patching in a neighborhood on the northeast corner of town and whether it should be expanded into a full repaving for the sake of lifespan as well as overall cost of the road repairs.
Included in the repairs are the entirety of Elm Street, Oak Street, Hickory Street, St. Richard’s Court, Maple Street, and Birch Street.
Curious as to what it might cost to expand the project now versus redoing some of the work when it gets repaved later, Shulters requested a quote.
“If we wanted them completely resurfaced and repaved, it’s going to be an additional $492,000,” she reported at the council meeting.
While the council seemed generally in favor of the sentiment of paying more than expected now for a better, more long-term solution for the streets, the number of recent large expenses approved by the council gave them pause.
Westhoven shared her concern that, despite the good cause behind and often mandatory nature of the projects pursued by the village, it seemed like they had been “spending money left and right.”
Due to the urgent nature of the decision (the trench patching is set to begin soon), the council may hold a special meeting to discuss action on the matter.
OTHER BUSINESS
Shulters reported the new village trash pickup schedule is every Monday for all village residents, with recyclables pickup every other Monday depending on their location in the village. Residents can continue to use the same cans unless they request a new one.
The council gave final authorization on first reading to enter into an agreement with the Lucas County Solid Waste Management District’s Solid Waste Management Plan.
Toeppe read a proclamation declaring the village would observe Arbor Day on April 26.
The public portion of the meeting ended with the council going into executive session for the purpose of “preparing for, conducting, or reviewing negotiating sessions with any private, for-profit investment fund for the purpose of selecting a program administrator and entering into an agreement under section 150.05 of the Revised Code.” No action was expected as a result.
The next regular meeting of the council will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 8, at 219 Chestnut Street.