Melrose Council Approves New Ambulance, Authorizes Power-Load Cot Upgrades

MELROSE — May 16, 2019 — Melrose City Council authorized a new ambulance purchase and power-load cot upgrades at its May 16 meeting. Ambulance Services Director Jen presented a preliminary quote of approximately $195,000 from vendor Everest for a replacement of the department's 2003 diesel rig, against a capital plan set-aside of $180,000, with the overage driven largely by a Stryker power-load cot system intended to eliminate manual patient lifting. The director cited a worker back-injury liability exposure of at least $70,000 per incident and noted that Ford will discontinue the E-450 chassis after 2020, making this the final cycle to match the existing fleet. The council also unanimously approved four zoning changes, including rezoning of the Melrose Truck Repair parcels and Dufner Mini Storage to light industrial and both St. Mary's and St. Paul's Lutheran Church properties to public designation. A proposed phone system lease running roughly $3,000 per month was tabled for further research, and the hire of incoming City Administrator Ms. Winter was approved on negotiated terms.