Pine Haven summer projects wrapping up

It was business as usual at the Pine Haven Town Council meeting last Tuesday evening as completion of summer projects was planned by Public Works and ongoing acquisition plans were approved for the departments of Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

Project completions

The newly developed drainage on Spruce Street is completed, “other than a little tweaking here and there”, Public Works Director Sunny Schell assured the council. She said that when the spring rains come, they will be able to address any remaining issues.

Schell noted that Cedar Hills is also progressing well and residents “are on board with what’s going on”. Public Works and the council have received commendation from residents on both roadways for the outstanding work done, according to Councilwoman Karla Brandenburg.

As the town goes into fall, the next scheduled drainage upgrade will be on Boe Drive as the winter brings a pond and an ice rink there. She also plans to address an area on Pendleton Drive that is in need of rip rap before the winter.

Schell said of the upgrades, “In the spring, we’re going to do inspections, there are culverts to be cared for and we’ll work with the fire department [to clear debris] and do another inspection in the fall and we’ll keep them tended to like they should be. Once we get it on a maintenance program, they’ll last 20 or 30 years, until I retire.”

Public Works had several trucks spaying water throughout the latter part of the summer months to mitigate dust this year on Vista Grande Drive and Cedar Street; Schell reported a significant lessening of complaints due to this action.

Schell tended the cemetery last week, mowing and cutting weeds, and will carry on doing so while the governing body continues to work with the cemetery board to find a volunteer to maintain the town owned property. “Something needs to be resolved with that,” Schell noted of the extra work involved for her crew (which includes Randy Flowers and herself).

Fire department

The Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department is proceeding with their plan to purchase a 1995 International four wheel drive fire engine from a California based fire department as their secondary pump truck to fight structure fires and received approval from the governing body if the vehicle passes inspection.

The Bureau of Reclamation returned to Keyhole State Park along Pine Haven’s east boundary on Tuesday morning to complete the clean-up of ladder fuel. These volunteers are all over 18 years old and qualified to run chain saws and other more hazardous tools to finish the work.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

EMS president Dusty Downey asked the council and received approval for a resolution authorizing the application of a 50/50 grant from the SLIB Mineral Royalty Capital Construction Account to fund the long desired upgrade from the manual gurney loading system they are currently using to a power lift system. The ambulance service is holding $16,000 in an investment account specifically for this endeavor and the town has budgeted an additional $12,000 to match the requested $27,168.

Downey explained that the Pine Haven volunteers answer about 45 calls for help annually and while their department has not had an injury reported to the town’s liability insurance in 15 years, he admits that it is a concern as there are approximately 22,000 injuries a year associated with emergency medical assistance.

“Right now, there are about six or seven lifts we have to do every time we have a patient,” he said.

The hydraulic cot is attached to the ambulance and is larger and more stable than the cot they carry into the scene to retrieve the victim; however, for those two lifts with which the machine will assist (in and out of the ambulance), the motorized gurney will lift the majority of the patient’s weight, “which is when we are the most vulnerable to injury.”

He said, “It will expedite the process of moving our patients and [alleviate] the wear and tear on [our] people.”

The service is also hoping to replace three Automated External Defibrillators that have been recalled by the manufacturer with the funding.