Donor to pay difference for fire truck

The Belgium Fire Department won’t have to pay any of the additional costs of a new fire truck thanks to a donor, which is especially good news given what recently happened to the engine on another truck.

Fire Chief Dan Birenbaum said on Wednesday he wasn’t ready to announce the man’s name before the rest of the department is notified.

The department is replacing its 1993 grass fire truck with a new and improved version that costs $89,264. The village and town agreed to split the original projected cost of $75,000, with the fire department picking up the rest.

The department could use some of the money from the sale of the 1993 truck, but that won’t be enough to cover the $14,000 total.

Another truck is in need of work after a piston blew through an engine block on a 1995 pumper while it was on the way to a training session.

“It just happens. There was no warning signs or anything,” Birenbaum said.

He said he is getting bids to fix it.

The truck is slated to be replaced in 2025, according to the department’s schedule.

The town on Monday budgeted $12,000 for the engine. The village’s Finance and Personnel Committee will discuss the issue at 7 p.m.  Thursday, Nov. 8, and the Village Board could take action at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12.