Brewton council tours new BFD truck

Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, May 23, 2023

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Brewton City Council members took a tour of the newest addition to the Brewton Fire Department fleet of vehicles following Monday’s meeting.
The $680,000 2023 Rosenbauer Commander pumper truck will provide enhanced fire protection for Brewton residents.
“We are always working to find ways to keep our fleet up to date and provide the best possible equipment for our firefighters and city residents,” said Mayor Yank Lovelace. “Fire trucks are used daily responding to emergencies of all kinds, so keeping them in top shape is one of our biggest responsibilities,” he said.
Fire Chief Jeff Salter said the new truck replaces a 25-year-old truck that will remain in service as needed for backup.
“This truck was needed to upgrade the fleet,” he said. “We were able to get it at 2022 pricing saving about $100,000. It is now fully outfitted with new jaws of life, medical response equipment and all the tools we need to perform our job.”
During the regular meeting, councilors heard from Broox Garrett, a member of the Brewton Development Board, on a request for tax abatement for Georgia-Pacific’s Brewton plant.
“We recommend a use tax abatement across the board for Georgia-Pacific,” Garrett told the council. “They are working on a $159 million progject to replace the white liquor plant here. The plant is more than 60 years old and is need of replacement to make it one of the most efficient plants in the world. The abatement would be about $3.2 million and will go toward this project. We think it will be worth it. I can’t tell you the economic impact this plant has on the community.”
In a unanimous vote, the council approved the abatement for the Brewton mill.
“Thank you for your investment in our community,” Mayor Lovelace said.
Mark Martin, plant manager and vice president at Brewton’s Georgia-Pacific thanked the council for their approval of the abatement.
“We don’t take lightly the responsibility to be a good community partner,” Martin told the council. “This investment will keep us moving that way for a long time.”