Ice rink to open soon

Pine Haven’s town council had few issues to address at last Tuesday night’s meeting with only three notable reports. Sunny Schell reported on the status of the ice rink that will be at the basketball court east of Waters Park.

This is not the first ice rink to be used at this locale, but this winter, the town has purchased an actual liner for a cleaner, smoother ice skating experience and, while the liner has arrived, the corner seals have not. Schell anticipates the arrival of the last of the parts to arrive shortly and the rink to be filled within the next week, allowing fun to commence shortly thereafter.

EMS

The 50/50 grant sought by the town’s Emergency Medical Service for the hydraulic power gurney over the last several years has been recommended by SLIB and has subsequently been approved in the amount of $27,168. The matching 50 percent was raised by the town’s ambulance service through their many fundraising efforts, laying no burden on the town coffers to reach this goal, according to volunteer Barb Hardy.

The total amount acquired for the gurney is $54,336. Advertizing for bids will begin within the next couple of weeks.

Fire

The department has been equipping the newly acquired Engine 2 and conducted a familiarization and utilization class to acquaint the volunteer fire fighters with the truck’s features before they need to use it in an actual situation.

Ordinance review committee

Cris Bingham addressed the discrepancies between the building code and the permitting sections of the town ordinances regarding the underpinning and skirting of trailer houses. The committee is in the process of correcting said issues.

Too, the group is working with Fire chief Bob Rudichar and Crook County Emergency Manager Ed Robinson to protect firefighters. One issue is the size of the attic access openings; currently, when the fire crew attempts to ascend into the attic to check for embers or flames in the space, the size allowed by code “is so small that there is no way they can do it with their gear on”.

So, for the firemen to get through the opening, they must drop their apparatus and risk breathing smoke filled with toxic substances.