The board members of the Delphi Tri-Township Fire Protection Territory, township trustees Dwaine Ward, Joann Vianco and Doris McLeland and Delphi Mayor Randy Strasser voted in October to purchase property in Delphi for the fire department. The property being purchased was at one time a gas station and is located across the street from the city building

Negotiations with the property owner were then completed and a price was determined. Territory board members voted to approve an additional appropriation from one of the restricted accounts for the funds needed for the purchase, which was expected to happen at the end of last year.

It was learned at the public meeting Jan. 25 that, although the other board members signed a purchase agreement in December, Strasser refused to sign the document. The meeting turned contentious when Ward, Vianco and McLeland accused Strasser of trying to block the purchase.

The mayor explained he has learned as the city’s leader that whenever land is to be purchased, there should be research done to determine if there are any restrictions on the use of the land prior to a purchase by a public entity, such as the fire territory. He said he had no knowledge of what was contained in the purchase agreement until it was signed by the other three board members and then forwarded to him, which all happened after the December meeting. No research or comment about restrictions was mentioned in the agreement.

The other board members confronted Strasser about not discussing the matter in the past several meetings and waiting until the other board members and the seller believed the matter to be all but concluded.

“It seems that we’re just bickering back and forth all the time,” Ward, who is the president of the board, said during the discussion. “I’m getting damned tired of it.”

Ward said the environmental situation should have been known before the group voted to purchase the land. He said he expected the Mayor to advise the group about the need to research the matter due to his knowledge about land purchases by public entities, but to also work with the others to clear that hurdle earlier on in the purchasing process.

Strasser said he has forwarded the purchase agreement document to his attorney, Abby Huffer Diener, for review and that is where it remains. He also said that he would not sign the agreement until it was presented to the Delphi City Council.

Firefighter and county commissioner Pat Clawson said he asked the commissioners’ attorney, Nick McLeland, who also developed the purchase agreement for the fire territory board, to contact Sesco, the company that performed an environmental evaluation when the gas station was closed. Clawson said he learned that there are use restrictions for the land which are documented on the deed for the property. Clawson reported Sesco representatives advised there can be no residence or daycare on the property and there can be no deep excavations. He said the fire territory could build a building on the property with a permit issued by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).

“It’s not a wide-open deal,” Clawson said.

It was determined that the board would have to resolve any insurance issue associated with the contamination of the site prior to a purchase as well.

Clawson said it is his opinion that the former owner’s insurance company would possibly be responsible for any additional remediation required for the property. He agreed to research the insurance issue and report back to the group. Other business

Fire Chief Darrell Sterrett was granted permission to transfer money from other line items in the territory budget into equipment repair. He said that some of the department thermo-cams, which are used in smoldering buildings to detect hot spots, are not working. He said each camera costs roughly $9,000 and his plan is to save enough money from other line items to pay for the necessary equipment.

Strasser suggested the territory could borrow the funds needed for the purchase due to current low interest rates. There were no financial reports available to the group at the meeting and no decision was made about a purchase.

Sterrett also reported that he plans to purchase all new air packs by the end of 2012. He said a county-wide federal grant will pay for the equipment with a 10 percent match from the territory. No cost information was provided.

The next meeting will be Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.