Northern Mich~Mash Preserve
~ SRE/ARFF ~
SRE/ARFF = Snow Removal Equipment/Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting
At the Pellston Regional Airport
~ PUBLICLY SPEAKING ~
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ECBOC = Emmet County Board of Commissioners
ECBOC Ad-Min = Emmet County Board of Commissioners Administrative
ECBOC = Emmet County Board of Commissioners
ECBOC Ad-Min = Emmet County Board of Commissioners Administrative
Guest Commentary Below: The cost to Emmet County for the proposed SRE/ARFF building certainly changed somehow from the $770,000.00 in the above minutes to $189,000.00 in the commentary below.
Whatever the monetary cost, one life was lost during the construction phase.
Whatever the monetary cost, one life was lost during the construction phase.
Below: ECBOC Chairman Tamlyn stated,
"the additional County money needed for the completion of this project will come from
the Emmet County Delinquent Tax Fund."
"the additional County money needed for the completion of this project will come from
the Emmet County Delinquent Tax Fund."
Pellston Airport building to head to design phase
13 January 2010 ~ Petoskey News Review
13 January 2010 ~ Petoskey News Review
A part of the article titled above stated: "Last month the commissioners approved $700,000 in delinquent county tax revenues for the next two years to match federal grant money from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA provides Pellston Regional Airport with a grant for more than $1 million annually, which will be saved for three years to help fund the hefty bill for the new building."
Millions toward ARFF Building
20 August 2010
20 August 2010
6 October 2010
ARFF Building Ground Breaking Ceremony
ARFF Building Ground Breaking Ceremony
Slideshow below: The Emmet County commissioners, airport administrators, representatives from DeVere Construction (general contractor) and Mead & Hunt (architectural firm) and other officials broke ground for an $8 million, 33,000 square foot, building project at Pellston Regional Airport on 6 October 2010. The building will be the new snow removal equipment and aircraft rescue/recovery center for the airport. The structure (at the time in 2010) will house the fleet of snow blowers, trucks and three 22-foot snowblowers, along with a bay for the airport's T-1500 fire truck and all fire equipment, two large front end loaders, about 20 smaller vehicles (de-icing vehicles to pick-up trucks), offices, overnight barracks, a gym and a kitchen.
2020 >
The ECBOC meeting of 19 November 2020 provided access by clicking HERE to the following three items:
ARFF Services Contract 2021-2025
Summary of Changes in ARFF Contract
ARFF Contract with Red Highlights
ARFF Services Contract 2021-2025
Summary of Changes in ARFF Contract
ARFF Contract with Red Highlights
Below: Contract agreement requires ARFF to maintain airport landscaped area, which includes the mowing of grass.
Below: Section of a Petoskey News Review article posted in-full farther above, regarding lawn care equipment...
Below: Village of Pellston Council Minutes December 14, 2020
Not to say what is written in green below is factual; but in light of the factual meeting minutes documenting the sale of an ARFF mower above to the Village of Pellston, AND in light of the accessible factual county records of the ARFF Contract with Red Highlights farther below, any taxpayer might be interested in the "pondering points" written in green below connecting these two factual items ... POINTS TO PONDER
How does it happen that ARFF would have a one year old mower to sell to the Village of Pellston for $12,000.00???
Perhaps a newer one-year old mower is not needed by ARFF to fulfill its contract agreement for services with County of Emmet. ARFF might find it to ARFF's advantage to sell a one year old mower to the Village of Pellston which obviously because of mower ownership name of, ARFF (the contracted company by the Pellston Regional Air Port services) certainly has another mower to use to fulfill ARFF's airport agreement, no matter the condition of any remaining mower.
OR:
As noted farther below in a 21 February 2021 newspaper, Gaylord's Otsego Airport will no longer be contracting with Gaylord ARFF (also Bricker's Business). Perhaps the sold mower to Village of Pellston had been used at the Otsego Airport and no longer needed there. OR, did both businesses access both Gaylord and Pellston's ARFF, owned by Bricker?
Perhaps with the sale of the $12,000.00 mower, ARFF has two alternatives as backup to fulfilling its Emmet County contract:
1) ARFF perhaps owns another mower, perhaps in not as new/good shape as the one-year old mower already sold. The contract agreement states, "A.R.F.F. shall, at its sole expense, furnish all equipment and supplies necessary to accomplish the designated tasks..." No matter, however, because ARFF could ask to use a county mower.
OR:
2) Then, if ARFF perhaps uses a county mower the contract agreement again kicks in, "It is agreed to by the parties that any major repairs to equipment at the Airport owned by the County will either be paid by the County upon receipt of a proper invoice from the entity making the major repairs, or A.R.F.F. will be reimbursed for the costs of the major repairs upon receipt of a proper invoice from the entity making the major repairs and documentation that A.R.F.F. has paid the same. A.R.F.F. will immediately report in writing to the Airport Manager the need for any major repairs to County-owned equipment so that the County can make a determination of whether to authorized the major repairs or not authorize in case of looking for replacement equipment."
[This quoted part of the contract is shown below and was included in the Administrator's packet titled ARFF Contract with Red Highlights]
Any way the sale of this ARFF lawn mower is viewed by a pondering taxpayer, the county could be looking at extra money going to ARFF for repairs of another older mower, or the county needing to purchase another mower, at probably a higher price than the $12,000.00 mower that was sold by ARFF... just pondering.
What is a pondering taxpayer to think when presented with factual documents? Please contact the web master to offer any additional factual information to add to the Points to Ponder by clicking HERE.
Perhaps a newer one-year old mower is not needed by ARFF to fulfill its contract agreement for services with County of Emmet. ARFF might find it to ARFF's advantage to sell a one year old mower to the Village of Pellston which obviously because of mower ownership name of, ARFF (the contracted company by the Pellston Regional Air Port services) certainly has another mower to use to fulfill ARFF's airport agreement, no matter the condition of any remaining mower.
OR:
As noted farther below in a 21 February 2021 newspaper, Gaylord's Otsego Airport will no longer be contracting with Gaylord ARFF (also Bricker's Business). Perhaps the sold mower to Village of Pellston had been used at the Otsego Airport and no longer needed there. OR, did both businesses access both Gaylord and Pellston's ARFF, owned by Bricker?
Perhaps with the sale of the $12,000.00 mower, ARFF has two alternatives as backup to fulfilling its Emmet County contract:
1) ARFF perhaps owns another mower, perhaps in not as new/good shape as the one-year old mower already sold. The contract agreement states, "A.R.F.F. shall, at its sole expense, furnish all equipment and supplies necessary to accomplish the designated tasks..." No matter, however, because ARFF could ask to use a county mower.
OR:
2) Then, if ARFF perhaps uses a county mower the contract agreement again kicks in, "It is agreed to by the parties that any major repairs to equipment at the Airport owned by the County will either be paid by the County upon receipt of a proper invoice from the entity making the major repairs, or A.R.F.F. will be reimbursed for the costs of the major repairs upon receipt of a proper invoice from the entity making the major repairs and documentation that A.R.F.F. has paid the same. A.R.F.F. will immediately report in writing to the Airport Manager the need for any major repairs to County-owned equipment so that the County can make a determination of whether to authorized the major repairs or not authorize in case of looking for replacement equipment."
[This quoted part of the contract is shown below and was included in the Administrator's packet titled ARFF Contract with Red Highlights]
Any way the sale of this ARFF lawn mower is viewed by a pondering taxpayer, the county could be looking at extra money going to ARFF for repairs of another older mower, or the county needing to purchase another mower, at probably a higher price than the $12,000.00 mower that was sold by ARFF... just pondering.
What is a pondering taxpayer to think when presented with factual documents? Please contact the web master to offer any additional factual information to add to the Points to Ponder by clicking HERE.
It must be reiterated here what Interim Administrator Mary Mitchell stated during years-previous negotiation with ARFF, and continues to be true in 2021: "The service that ARFF provides is top-notch. We are analyzing cost to ensure we are paying the right amount for that service. This isn't personal or political for me. We just need to make sure that the money entrusted to us by Emmet county taxpayers is being spent responsibly."
Administrator Reaves made the following announcement
at the 21 January 2021 Emmet County Board of Commissioners meeting...
at the 21 January 2021 Emmet County Board of Commissioners meeting...
Article Below: Shortly after Emmet County approved a new contract with ARFF (Randy Bricker's company), Otsego County's Gaylord Regional Airport and Otsego County buildings announced it would be eliminating "Gaylord ARFF" thus taking "a more cost effective approach, and bringing the airport services back into the Otsego County government's fold."
2015 Agreement for Maintenance and Professional Services (County of Otsego & ARFF, Inc.)
may be accessed by clicking HERE.
may be accessed by clicking HERE.
2015 ARFF Training Costs > 2021