Rosston moving forward on grant for fire truck

By Staff, 06/19/19 9:48 AM

ROSSTON – About 15 people gathered in the Rosston Fire Station for a public meeting concerning applying for a grant to purchase a new fire truck for the department.

Rosston Mayor Dale Quarles thanked everyone for attending and told them the city would be applying for a 90-10 grant to purchase a fire truck through the Arkansas Community and Economic Development Program. He also said the city had received $3,700 in Act 833 funds which can only be used for the fire department.

However, he began by telling the audience he’s been trying to find things beneficial to the community, saying he’s open to suggestions and opinions of the public. He talked about the changes made from the winter to the summer conference of the Arkansas Municipal League, adding Rosston is considerably behind the times and needs to catch up.

Those attending were reminded the council meetings are also open to the public, urging residents to attend so they’ll know what the council’s doing. He pointed out all city documents are available for public inspection with a reasonable request. This is under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and in most cases documents can be prepared within three days of receiving a written request, though the city can charge a reasonable rate for any copies made.

Quarles urged the community to get more involved and invest in Rosston.

One of the things he found out at the summer meeting of the AML was how the community could benefit with better communications by using the internet, such as having a web page built for Rosston with all the pertinent information.

In talking about the grant, he reminded those present the city would have to come up with 10 percent of the cost. He said the grant amount can be up to $75,000 and the city’s looking for a truck in the $50,000 to $60,000 range. Quarles added Act 833 funding can be used to as the city’s part of the grant, but with what Rosston’s paying for repairs on its current fire truck, those funds could easily cover the city’s portion of the grant and the 833 money could be used for other needs, such as new fire hydrants.

There was no real discussion on the issue of applying for the grant, which was taken as community approval. Quarles said a resolution would be brought before the council at its July meeting to apply for the grant.

He also suggested members of the Rosston Volunteer Fire Department set up email accounts so the public can contact them with questions.