Clarkson City Commission held a special-called meeting to discuss buying a new fire engine.

The truck, located in Colorado, was priced at $23,995 with an estimated $10,000 worth of equipment on board.

After much discussion, including where the new truck would be stored, the commission voted to fly David Strader and Ken Lashley to Colorado to look at the truck and make a decision on whether or not to buy the machine.

The two commissioners left the next day for the 1,300 mile trip. Friday, Dec. 5, the two returned to Clarkson around 2 a.m. driving the newest addition to the Clarkson Fire Department (CFD).

Several firefighters gathered at the station to look over the vehicle.

"It's well worth the money," said Carroll Klineline, CFD Chief. According to Klineline, the engine will need some fine tuning to adjust to the lower altitude. After the firefighters have had some hours training with the new piece of equipment, it will be ready for service to the community.

Clarkson Commissioners voted to pay for the vehicle with $5,000 in dues collected from residents and a moneymarket account held by the city.

Commission Henry Johnson said the residents of Clarkson helped make the acquisition possible by paying dues to the fire department.

Another engine is also being considered by the commission. The truck has a price tag of $24,950 including equipment and is located in Pennsylvania.

This truck has the option of being delivered for the fire department to look at and, if they decide they don't want it, will be returned at no cost to the city.

Commissioners voted to put a deposit on the vehicle which would be completely refundable.

The addition of both trucks could drop the CFD ISO rating by one or possible two classes.

The ISO rating affects the amount of insurance paid by residents of the city.

Currently, Clarkson is rated as a class 6. They are hoping to get to a class 5 in the city. The class rating in the area surrounding Clarkson will probably not drop because of lack of fire hydrants in Clarkson, said Ken Lashley.

The city commission agreed something would have to be done to house the new equipment.

Two suggestions were discussed: renovating the state garage building or adding on to the present fire house. No action was taken.