By Dan Magazu
The Sentinel & Enterprise
LEOMINSTER, Mass. — The City Council on Monday unanimously approved $25,000 to pay for new equipment for seven firefighters expected to be hired between now and June.
Acting Fire Chief Daniel Kiroauc said his department is short seven firefighters due to retirements that have occurred since September.
“Not one of those retired members has been replaced,” Kiroauc said. “We’re running seven down from where we were. If we don’t replace these seven, we’re going to be seriously short.”
Kiroauc said there could be as many as three more retirements by year’s end. He said Mayor Dean Mazzarella has told him to proceed with purchasing equipment for new firefighters, even though they are not yet on board.
Councilor Richard Marchand said he has no problem approving money for the new equipment as long as the council recognizes that it’s committing to filling the seven vacant positions.
“To me, this isn’t really about $25,000, it’s a commitment for seven firefighters,” Marchand said. “My greatest concern is we go through with this, bring the firefighters on, and at the end of the year we have to lay firefighters off.”
The money will pay for uniforms, equipment, drug testing, background checks and physical testing for the new firefighters, as well as a uniform allowance for four promoted officers.
In other business, the council approved a $563,000 budget for the federally funded Community Development grant program, despite one member questioning how the money is spent.
Councilor David Rowlands said in this economic climate he would rather see the money spent directly on programs that help low- and medium-income residents rather than on staffed positions in City Hall.
“This is money geared toward low- and moderate-income residents and part of it is being spent on a position that spends a tremendous amount of time running a public relations campaign for the city,” Rowlands said. “I have a fundamental problem with that.”
Rowlands was referring to jobs in the Economic Development Office that are funded in part by the federal money.
But other councilors said they still supported the appropriation because they don’t want the federal government taking the money back.
Also Monday, the council approved rezoning a 12.8-acre parcel located at the western end of Marcello Avenue from a mix of residential and industrial to entirely residential.
The change clears the way for owner Fernand Arsenault to develop single-family homes.
A previous rezoning proposal by Arsenault, which would have allowed multifamily homes, met with resistance last year from more than a dozen Marcello Avenue residents who worried about the addition of more traffic.
Marchand applauded engineer Frank Preston of Whitman & Bingham Monday for coming back with a new plan that fit better with the neighborhood.
“There was a lot of opposition to the first project,” Marchand said. “To go back to the drawing board and come in with a new plan that’s really a win-win situation for the neighborhood is not only commendable, it’s remarkable. I’m very pleased with the new proposal before us.”
The property is located off Route 13 and backs up to Kinsman Avenue.
Finally, the council approved an additional $60,000 to respond to the recent oil leak from a city-owned property on Seventh Street.
Oil leaked from a demolition site at 208 Seventh St. and was carried by heavy rain into neighbors’ yards and through the area.
Councilors previously approved spending $100,000 to respond to the emergency and stop the flow of oil.
Copyright 2010 MediaNews Group, Inc. and Mid-States Newspapers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved