By Mark Wineka
mark.wineka@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — The town of Granite Quarry will be having a new fire truck delivered in May, but the town had to make room for it first.

It has led to the carving out a new “reserve engine garage” at the Town Hall building, which will free up a bay in the fire department.

“It hasn’t been a job,” Maintenance Supervisor Kim Cress told the Granite Quarry Board of Aldermen Monday night, “but it’s been an adventure.”

With the painting, striping and lighting, the newly created space is “the best looking room in the building,” Cress said.

But the changes also have robbed the Maintenance Department of a quarter to a third of its shop room floor. And overall, Cress said, “it has made us a whole lot slower going in and out.”

To alleviate some of the space crunch, Cress’ department has moved some of its equipment formerly stationed at Town Hall to a refurbished garage at Granite Lake. Some masonry work is scheduled for the Granite Lake garage this week, and it will be the finishing touch on that facility.

The town appropriated $15,000 toward all the changes necessary to make room for the new fire truck.

“We’re going to be real close,” Cress said.

The biggest cost proved to be new lumber and some bay lighting.

Fire Chief Dale Brown said he and an assistant chief will be going to the Pierce manufacturing plant in Appleton, Wisc., April 26-28 for a final inspection of the truck being made for the town.

Brown has been able to keep track of the fire truck’s progress through website photographs, posted about every week. he shared those photos with the board Monday night.

“It is nearing the final stages,” Brown said.

Brown and his department have asked Pierce to make what Brown calls “functional changes” to the original specifications. Overall, it has reduced the truck’s height by about 1 1/2 feet, its length by 2 feet and its wheelbase by 2 feet.

Brown said changes were made in things such as the height of the hose bed and water tank, the wheelbase, a tool compartment and how the ladders are stored on the truck. The ladders now will go inside the body of the truck instead of hanging on the outside.

Things such as the cab dimensions, engine size and transmission remain the same.

Brown said the finished truck should leave the factory in Wisconsin by April 30. It will be transported to Atlantic Emergency Solutions of Greensboro, the dealer through which Granite Quarry purchased the truck, and it will stay there about a week.

Brown predicted the earliest the truck will be delivered to Granite Quarry is May 7; the latest, May 15.

The Fire Department hopes to have an open house sometime in June so residents can see the new truck.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.