November 23, 1992 (~estimated)

Princeton council OKs bonding for fire truck

By Laurie Lynn Strasser

Staff Writer

Princeton Borough Council Tuesday introduced two bond ordinances to jointly provide with the township $486,000 in firefighting expenses.

The Township Committee Monday unanimously introduced a parallel ordinance.

If approved, the money will be used to fund a $420,000 telesquirt fire truck and $66,000 in repairs to two fire stations – Hook and Ladder and Engine Co. No. 1.

Harrison Street resident Lawrence Dupraz objected to the expenditure, claiming the defunct Chambers Street firehouse sold for half its value.

“We lost $500,000 on the sale of the old firehouse,” he complained. “Now we’re going to spend close to another $500,000 on a new fire truck. We’re now close to a million dollars in debt.”

The township and borough shares are calculated on the basis of their respective ratables. The borough would appropriate $165,200 to issue $155,960 in bonds, covering about 34 percent of the overall costs, and the township would pay for the rest.

The two municipalities discussed the new truck in June with West Windsor, which also was shopping for a truck. During that consultation, James Yates, West Windsor’s director of emergency services, said a telesquirter is safer for firefighters and easier to operate than the aerial tower the Princeton Fire Department presently uses.

The telesquirter would be needed three to four times a year, though it could be used as a 500-gallons pumper more often, Mr. Yates said. With a hydraulic boom, a telesquirter reaches farther than ladder trucks, so it can service taller building and fight hard-to-reach fires from above.