View Royal has ordered a new fire engine to replace one of its aging trucks.
The $550,000 apparatus will take nearly a year to build in an Abbotsford factory and will come into operation by the end of 2012.
The Town also budgeted $100,000 for loose firefighting equipment for the truck, which will be paid for separately.
The purchases will be paid for in the 2012 budget year, with $112,000 from the fire department equipment reserve fund, $100,000 from casino revenue and the remainder will come from a short-term loan to be paid back over five years.
A strong Canadian dollar worked to the Town’s advantage for the purchase, which is paid for in U.S. dollars. Anticipating the expenditure, financial staff bought $600,000 USD when the Canadian dollar was above parity early last year.
At the current exchange rate, buying that amount of currency would have cost $32,000 more.
“It was a prudent move by the Town’s financial department,” said fire Chief Paul Hurst of the cost saving. “We’re getting good value on this purchase.”
The contract to build the track was awarded to Safetek Fire Apparatus, which was the lowest of two Mainland firms that bid on the job. The new vehicle will replace a 25-year-old engine.