NEWBURGH – In one of State Senator William Larkin’s last actions before his retirement in one month, he has secured $950,000 from the state for the City of Newburgh to purchase a new ladder truck.
The 90-year-old senator stood with Acting Fire Chief Terry Ahlers and several city firefighters to make the announcement on Monday.
“We don’t buy fancy, the latest and greatest of everything,” Ahlers said. “We buy a basic workhorse fire truck. The price tag on a basic workhorse fire truck is $950,000 and we couldn’t do it without you,” Ahlers said to Larkin.
Larkin said he went right to the top in Albany to secure the funding. “I wasn’t going to take a no or a maybe,” he said in his quest to secure the money. “I knew what this city needed. I’ve been here a long time, since 1967 when I retired from the military. I was a leader in the military and I have been a leader in the state legislature.”
Ahlers noted that Larkin has been an invaluable asset to the city and
its fire department, most recently getting funding to purchase new communications
radios so the city firefighters could communicate with firefighters in
other departments within Orange County, something they were unable to
do when they helped fight the Verla Cosmetics company fire in New Windsor
one year ago.
Once the paperwork has been completed in Albany, Ahlers said specifications will be drawn up and actual construction of the new ladder truck will take about 13 months. The new vehicle will replace two worn out trucks that have been patched repeatedly to be kept in service.
High school student killed in Hyde Park wreck
May 16, 2024
