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Wednesday, May 6, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
O
P
I N I O
N
Cloverdale Fire District
responds to critics
Jerry B. Johnson, President
Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District
Letters to the Editor…
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address and phone
number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not neces-
sarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters
submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or
returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.
To the Editor:
Rob Malone cares about fiscal responsi-
bility. The Cloverdale Fire District recently
passed a large bond measure and it is impor-
tant that we have the right people in place to
manage it wisely.
I am grateful to the existing board for their
years of service and dedication to the district,
but can’t help thinking that the time is right for
renewed attention to district oversight.
Rob Malone is a strong leader both in
business and community. His ideas are well-
thought-out, and he is interested in driving
toward solutions not merely arguing and pos-
turing to make a point. I have worked with
him on an SPRD committee as well as in his
professional life at the golf course and can say
through both experiences that he makes solid
arguments and participates in vivid discussion
as the situation prescribes and freely admits
when ideas contrary to his own have merit.
I feel strongly that Rob can add value to
the Cloverdale Fire District and will serve this
community well with his strong fiscal and
management background. Please join me in
casting a vote for Rob Malone.
Jeff Campbell
s
s
s
To the Editor:
After last week’s letters regarding the
Cloverdale Fire District election, I felt com-
pelled to write and clarify a few things. I
was one of the founding members of the
Cloverdale Fire Department in 1963 and have
served as both a volunteer and board member
at various times since then.
The chief and volunteers are doing an
excellent job, and our exceptional insurance
ratings are proof of that. Over the past few
years we have spent hundreds of thousands
of dollars and upgraded three water tenders,
bought two new light brush engines, bought an
interface engine, and installed new office and
See leTTerS on page 15
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In response to last
week’s letters from Rob
Malone and Todd Williver
concerning Cloverdale
Rural Fire Protection
District, the following
information is available as
public record:
• Foundation for the
new sleeping quarters
While digging the foun-
dation for the new build-
ing, a large vein of rock
was encountered. The cost
to hammer the rock and
break it up to dig out the
foundation was an extra
cost in the contract. The
contractor handling the
excavation could not quote
a cost or time for this extra
work. The cost would be
figured based on actual
time needed to excavate
the rock. Estimates for
time from the contrac-
tor ran to several days of
hammering.
At this point alter-
natives were studied to
determine the best, most
cost-effective solution
to the problem. After
consultations with the
county building inspec-
tors and the contractor,
the District decided that
installing the foundation
on top of the rock would
be the most cost-effective
solution.
After the foundation
was poured and prior to the
building being installed,
the contractor told the Fire
Chief that the cost of the
building would increase
due to the need for a lon-
ger ADA ramp.
The Cyrus family
volunteered to come in
on their own time and
expense, with larger
equipment than the con-
tractor had available, and
hammer out the founda-
tion and rock.
The cost of the ADA
ramp was slightly more
than it would cost to tear
out the foundation and re-
pour it.
The building’s current
expenditures are under the
budgeted amount.
• Moving of apparatus
building
The existing apparatus
building at the fire sta-
tion on Cloverdale Road
does not meet the needs
of the district. The doors
are too small for modern
fire engines to fit through
due to their narrow width.
The layout of the build-
ing requires that trucks
be stacked one behind
the other. This presents a
safety hazard to firefight-
ers if one of the trucks
should move when some-
one is between them, and
slows response time for
the trucks that are parked
in the rear. The Sisters
Rodeo Association has
offered to remove the
building at no cost to the
District. Without this offer
the District would have
to pay for the demoli-
tion and removal of the
building, an estimated
cost of several thousand
dollars.
• Surplus of Engine 644
644,
the
1998
International Fire Engine,
w a s pur c ha se d a s a
replacement for a 2003
Ford Type 6 brush truck
that was lost as a result
of an electrical fire. The
International Pumper was
purchased as an upgrade
to the Type 6 brush truck,
as the International quali-
fies as a Type 2 pumper.
The upgrade facilitated
a safer vehicle than our
then-current pumpers,
as it has an enclosed cab
and three-point restraints
for all seating positions.
Additionally it provided
four-wheel-drive capabil-
ity for response to a struc-
ture fire.
The purchase price
for the used vehicle was
$99,050. Insurance cov-
ered $75,603 and the dif-
ference was provided by
the District’s reserve fund.
The current “fair market
value” is $89,000.
• Management of
District Funds
The fire district’s recent
Moody’s bond rating of
AAA+ is a testament to
the excellent fiscal man-
agement of the taxpayers’
money.
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.