City Council will be held on Tuesday this week, due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. At the meeting, Council is expected to discuss street closures for the Big House 5k Run, as well as resolutions to approve the Assistance to Firefighters Regional Grant and the purchase of a new track loader and trailer.
Big House 5k Run
Council will consider closing of select streets for the second annual Big House 5K run scheduled for April 12, 2015.
The race is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. The streets could close as early as 5:30 a.m. and remain shut down until 10:30 a.m.. The roadways up for consideration include a part of South State Street as well as streets around Central Campus and the Big House.
The Michigan Athletic Department and the Ann Arbor Track Club organize the run, which raised $96,000 last year for six local nonprofit beneficiaries. The University is working with another six nonprofit beneficiaries for this year’s event.
Assistance to Firefighters Regional Grant resolutions
Council will consider two resolutions to approve participation in Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Regional Grant.
Resolution 15-009 notes that the total value of the grant is expected to be $1,215,389.85, funded by federal and municipal resources.
To receive federal funding, Washtenaw County municipalities are responsible for providing 10 percent of the grant total. If approved, the Ann Arbor Fire Department would pay $22,164.50 to help fund the $121,538.98 contribution required from 15 Washtenaw County fire departments.
The funds would be used to train the Ann Arbor Fire Department in Rapid Intervention Team training, which is aimed at teaching departments how to capably deal with situations where firefighters are in adverse situations such as being lost, injured and trapped during an emergency scene or training routines.
The AAFD has not received Rapid Intervention Crew training in nine years. These funds will also pay for needed equipment.
Resolution 15-008 would cost Ann Arbor Fire Department $7,225, a 20 percent contribution to Washtenaw County’s $35,704 total contribution. The fund will be used to establish a mobile training facility.
Track Loader Purchase
City Council will hear resolution for the purchase of one John Deere compact track loader with multiple attachments and one trailer at an estimated price of $144,193. This skid steer will replace the city’s current one from 1994, which according to the proposed resolution is obsolete.
The proposed equipment will be used to control vegetation growth, especially over utility infrastructure. The resolution notes that city staff have faced issues with maintenance as brush has grown around storm drainage channels, sewer cross lots and roadways. The equipment would also be used during the summer for asphalt repairs in streets and parks.