In July, Sheridan Firefighter Joel Szymczak addressed the Town Board to request help paying for a piece of equipment that the Fire Department could not afford on its own. The Town was hesitant to agree on the spot, but expressed a desire to help if any American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds were left over following renovations to the Town’s Community Center.

“We’re not opposed to it at all, definitely, if there is anything left,” Town Board member Colleen Yerico said at the time of the request.

At the final meeting of 2024, the Town Board made good on that statement. The Town Board passed a resolution to apply the remaining balance of ARPA funds, totaling $17,345.92, toward the purchase of a Stryker Auto-Load Ambulance Stretcher for use by the Sheridan Volunteer Fire Department.

The piece of equipment is a battery powered stretcher that will load patients into the ambulance, rather than members of the department needing to lift the patient manually. Szymczak said the equipment would reduce the risk of injury to both the patient and the emergency service personnel required to load the patient in the ambulance. The cost totals $30,000, which the Fire Department could not cover on its own. The Town’s allocation of funds covers more than half of the total bill.

Sheridan Town Supervisor Tom Wik, left, and Town Board member Joe White, right, are pictured listening to comments from Sheridan Firefighter Joel

The recent request was not the first time the Sheridan Fire Department asked for help from the Board. It previously requested funding to purchase a battery operated rescue tool for auto extraction on two separate occasions in the fall of 2022, but the Department was told the Town was unsure of how much ARPA funding would be made available.

Since that time, the Department purchased the piece of equipment, as well as a new ambulance to transport patients and a stretcher, purchased through grants and fundraisers.

With the need to renovate the Town’s Community Center, the Town Board held off on any other big ticket items with its available ARPA funds. The recent meeting, however, included the Town’s finalized plans for the building it had been working toward sprucing up for several years.

The Town Board awarded the bid for the Town Hall Project to renovate the Community Center to Pete Smith, owner of 3 Pete’s Masonry, of Forestville, in the amount of $77,800. The approval is contingent upon an agreement of specifications and a payment schedule, as well as insurance certificates and a surety bond. ARPA funds cover the entirety of the accepted bid.

The Town Board previously approved renovations in smaller portions, but the Board was later directed by Town Attorney Jeff Passafaro to include all aspects of the project in one bid to encompass all of the building’s needs. The project includes work to the exterior and interior of the building, as well as a renovation to the restrooms to become handicap accessible. The project was overseen by Architect Chris Cooke, who reviewed the bids and made the recommendation to accept the bid from 3 Pete’s Masonry.

The next meeting of the Sheridan Town Board will serve as the Town’s annual organizational meeting. It will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.