City cashes in on surplus military goods

CELINA - Several military vehicles no longer needed by the armed forces have been rolling into Celina over the last several weeks and will serve to enhance the city's emergency response abilities.

Celina Police Chief Tom Wale this year secured equipment and supplies originally valued at $931,193 through the Defense Logistics Agency, which, among other duties, oversees the transfer of excess Defense Department property to law enforcement agencies.

"This is a program that I think is such a tremendous benefit to smaller agencies that couldn't really dream of budgeting for things like this," mayor Jeff Hazel told the newspaper.

Only law enforcement agencies can apply for items, and Wale was able to acquire nearly 30 percent of the items he had requested, Hazel said. The sole expense to the city was for delivery, which city safety service director Tom Hitchcock said had cost $6,100.

The federal government will be able to recall any of the equipment within one year.

"We have to maintain these a minimum of a year before we get the title and then we can do as we please," Hazel said.

"Any of this equipment - whether it's a pay loader, a semi, a forklift, a bulldozer - any of that can be used for an emergency response," Hazel said. "There is not a certain percentage of police work that has to be done."

The city obtained a bulldozer, originally valued at $80,233; a construction forklift, $72,370; a pay loader, $58,890; Boston Whaler boat, $11,433; and semi tractor, $166,233.

"This has got less than 1,500 miles on it," Hazel said about the semi tractor, a 2008 Freightliner. "It was just put aside as backup. There are things that are still wrapped in plastic."

The tractor will transport the city's larger equipment, such as forklifts and tractors, to emergencies and worksites, Hazel said. Previously, the city had rented a tractor from a local contractor, he noted.

The bulldozer dates back to 1986 but contains a rebuilt engine and tracks.

"It only had fourth-tenths of an hour on the hour meter on this rebuilt engine," he said.

Potential uses for the the bulldozer include limb and brush removal.

"It's much more effective and useful than trying to use a backhoe with a front bucket," he said.

"Frankly, the city has wanted a dozer for years, but at an $80,000 price tag it wasn't going to happen," Hazel added.

The 1991 Boston Whaler boat, a 1991 model, will be used by the police and fire departments, which already work hand-in-hand with the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, for lake rescues. The boat, which also came with a $5,145 1996 Yamaha boat motor, is speedier than the fire department's Zodiac, Hazel pointed out.

Fire Chief Doug Wolters said the boat will help responders get to people in need more quickly.

The forklift could be used to move "super heavy" items, Hazel said. Also, instead of having to take an electric department bucket truck out of service to hang Christmas wreaths and lights, the forklift truck , when equipped with a bucket, will take on those tasks, Hazel said.

The city also obtained a field kitchen trailer, originally valued at $145,000.

"We actually have a field kitchen trailer that was never used," Hazel said.

Like some other items, the trailer, which can feed many people, would be used during an emergency, such as a natural disaster.

Other military surplus items delivered to the city include a 30-kilowatt generator on skids, originally valued at $26,705; a 30-kilowatt generator on a trailer; $16,256; two clamshell structures, each originally valued at $36,910; a heater on a trailer, $18,959; 100 sleeping bags; 90 blankets; 90 mats; and eight cots.

"This has certainly been a tremendous boost for Celina from a government standpoint," Hazel said.

Hazel said his administration actively looked at ways to enhance the city's emergency preparedness, first by buying the First Financial Bank on Main Street for $1.95 million to serve as the city's headquarters. The basement, Hazel said, qualifies as a shelter that could house city employees and displaced residents during a natural disaster.

"It would give people a safe harbor until we figured out what to do," he said. "If the fire department was wiped out over there ... we'd have a way to stage them out of here. One of the critical elements of city government is ... assuring the safety of people and your main infrastructure."

Some have said that Celina would never be hit by a tornado or heavy flooding but major storms in recent years have proved them wrong, Hazel said.

"We need to be prepared," Hazel said. "We can't just do that with a pickup truck ... and a bucket truck. We have to know that we're prepared."

"I think that we are so much closer to feeling like we could respond to almost anything," he continued.

Although the city had used Defense Logistics Agency's Reutilization, Transfer and Donation program in the past - the police department many years ago acquired a used Air Force van - Hazel said he was not aware of it until notified by one of the police officers.

The police department will continue to seek out items, he said.

Asked whether he would support acquiring armored vehicles, Hazel said he favors getting a lightly armored mobile unit capable of withstanding small arms fire while transporting officers to the scene of a shooting or hostage situation.

"I'm not opposed to having something like that, of tucking away and using in the case of a hostage situation," he said. "We're fools to think it can't happen here."

"It makes all the sense for us to look at the future of what could happen. We live in a very different world than what we did 30, 40 years ago," Hazel said, pointing out the Sandy Hook massacre.

However, Hazel opposes taking on any heavily armored vehicles that would give the impression of a police state.

In any situation that would require such vehicles, Hazel said he would ask the governor to send in the National Guard.