Gulf Shores approves purchase of police command vehicle

By: Crystal Cole/ Islander Editor
Posted 1/22/19

The Gulf Shores City Council recently approved the purchase of a command vehicle for the police department to be paid entirely with federal asset forfeiture funds.

Police Chief Eddie Delmore said …

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Gulf Shores approves purchase of police command vehicle

Posted

The Gulf Shores City Council recently approved the purchase of a command vehicle for the police department to be paid entirely with federal asset forfeiture funds.

Police Chief Eddie Delmore said the current command vehicle, a 20-foot tow behind trailer, has served adequately since 2012 but the department needs are growing.

“We’ve outgrown that vehicle, and we’ve been searching for something more self-contained, larger and more appropriate for the many events we host and operate here in the city,” Delmore said. “We’ve located a vehicle that is used, just like our first one was.”

Delmore said the original owners of the vehicle, a police department out of Texas, was originally asking in the neighborhood of $195,000, but the price was negotiated down to $181,000.

The GSPD will retain the current, tow-behind command vehicle to be used by the dive team and/or the special response team. Because the money for the new vehicle will come out of the federal asset forfeiture funds, it will not be a cost to the taxpayers.

Councilman Dr. Jason Dyken, who chairs the finance committee, said the new command vehicle was a much-needed piece of equipment utilized with all the various events the city hosts.

“We have used that trailer to the extent that there’s not much life in it,” Dyken said. “Although we’re still going to continue to use it in certain situations.”

Also approved at the meeting were:

-A professional services agreements with Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects, Inc. and Volkert, Inc. Some of the primary areas of focus for the City of Gulf Shores and its school board include making improvements to campus safety, vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow, additional teacher and guest parking, addressing deferred maintenance and prioritizing capital projects which could include significant renovations and/or facility expansions. It is the intent of both parties to complete some of the improvement projects in advance of the start of the 2019-20 school year in order to address critical need areas and provide immediate enhancements to our school campuses. Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects, Inc. will provide professional services including the following: architectural, civil, mechanical and electrical analysis of existing school facilities; boundary and topographic survey of existing school property; capital needs assessment; and architectural design services. Volkert, Inc. will provide professional program management services related to the development, design and construction of school-related capital improvement projects. The contracts together represent more than $1,000,000 in funds.

-Ratification of Airport Authority lease agreements with Magniflight, Resicum International and Intensive Air Care Charter Air. Magniflight will sublease facilities from Gulf Air Center, Inc. to provide flight instruction and aircraft sales. Resicum will also sublease facilities from Gulf Air Center to use to provide aircraft maintenance and flight instruction. Resicum’s long-term plan is to construct a 22,000 square feet complex on the airport’s eastern ramp area. Intensive Air Care Charter Air will sublease facilities from Gulf Air Center to provide air ambulance and air charter services. The company will be utilizing one aircraft initially and will pay the airport landing fees.