By Mark Hofmann
The Daily Courier
DUNBAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Residents of the small Dunbar Township community of Monarch gathered at the local fire hall this week to hear some disappointing news — the volunteer fire department is having financial woes.
“We were invited to learn about the financial situation of the fire department,” said Dunbar Township Supervisor Larry Mayros.
Mayros told a small gathering of Monarch residents that supervisors were invited to Thursday’s community meeting after receiving a number of phone calls from businesses and banks looking for payments due from the Monarch VFD.
“They’re not paying their bills,” said Mayros.
Supervisors say it’s been occurring for several years.
Supervisors, like residents attending the meeting, were seeking answers as to the financial condition of the department.
Mayros said supervisors sent a registered letter to the fire department a year ago requesting an audit of the township’s annual $4,500 donation to the department. Supervisors received no reply and this year decided not to give the department the donation. Supervisors wanted to know where the money was going.
The meeting took a turn when Ken Parker of Laurel Mountain Leasing arrived to announce the fire department owed his company $37,000. If he did not receive payment he would have to take rescue equipment and multiple breathing apparatuses. Parker said legal action could be taken to seize assets to make up the difference and place a blanket lien on the building.
Mayros said other businesses that contacted supervisors have threatened legal action.
After the start of the meeting, Toni Grubbs, who said she recently resigned as president, told the community she would answer any questions. She insisted at first that all bills facing the department had been paid.
Grubbs insisted that the department never received the certified letter from the supervisors. She said the department is still awaiting relief money from the state to pay the leasing company.
Grubbs was also upset that she had not been informed about Thursday’s meeting.
Grubbs but did not bring financial records to the meeting. Upon request, she left and returned with a collection of loose receipts and other paperwork. According to the paperwork displayed, the department had a balance of $3,346.
At the start of Thursday’s meeting, only two members of the fire department were present — 1st Lt. Rich Breig, who’s a trustee, and his wife, Heather Breig, who’s a secretary with the department, but not the financial secretary. Later in the meeting several other firefighters appeared.
Heather Breig said a recent audit showed that the fire department had $27,000 that needed accounted.
Since the supervisors’ only power dealing with local fire departments is to make sure the township has fire coverage, they suggested the trustees get together, demand an audit and begin voting out and replacing officers.
But that may be a problem. Heather Breig feels the majority of the trustees are not on the same page. She feels members may not want to meet with the public or with the department’s ladies auxiliary, who are willing to help get the struggling department back on its feet.
Elections for new officers is set for the first Sunday in December.
Township supervisors suggested contacting a Greensburg attorney who deals exclusively with fire departments.
“If something isn’t done by this community, this department will shut down,” Mayros said.
Representatives from the department’s ladies auxiliary who attended this week’s meeting agreed to take the information presented by Grubbs and hire a CPA. However, Grubbs said she was unable to turn the records over without consulting her son, Steve Grubbs, who is the department treasurer and fire chief. Steve Grubbs did not attend this week’s meeting.
Dunbar Township Supervisor Ron Keller said supervisors will give the department a donation this year only if they are told where the money is going. Supervisors do not want to see the department close, he said.
Parker said he had to confiscate the rescue equipment and breathing apparatuses, but he will hold the items for 30 days to let the fire department begin to take the steps to cure their financial situation.
“We’ll try to negotiate for the benefit of the fire department,” Parker said.
Even though the department will be missing the equipment, Rich Breig said it should not hinder the department in its operations. The department has other rescue tools and breathing apparatuses to use.
In a worse-case scenario and Monarch VFD is shut down, Mayros said public safety would be covered in Monarch and the surrounding areas with the cooperation of departments from Morrell, Dunbar, West Leisenring and DL&V.
Copyright 2009 The Daily Courier