By John Mott Coffey
NATCHEZ, Miss. – City officials formally dedicated Natchez’ new $1 million fire truck Tuesday that replaces the 27-year-old model that didn’t comply with current fire-rating standards.
In christening the new ladder-pumper truck, Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell noted “how important it is to the city and what it can do” to ensure the city can adequately fight fires and restrain property insurance costs for Natchez homeowners. The vehicle is a combined ladder and water-pump truck, which the old fire truck is not.
The Board of Aldermen last October ordered the purchase of the Louisiana-made, custom-built truck from Ferrara, a fire-truck maker based near Baton Rouge. With a price-tag of about $1 million, it was paid for with $750,000 the city borrowed from the Mississippi Development Authority and another $350,000 from Concordia Bank and Trust Co.