This week the County Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Plymouth for a fire hydrant.
Speaking on behalf of Plymouth Fire Chief Steve Holm, City Attorney Jeff Houin explained that the fire department operates a training facility on the county jail property. He said the fire department received grant funding to provide a fire hydrant at the training facility so they can expand the types of training offered.
The city’s utility department determined that the most economical way to put the hydrant is to connect to the current waterline that provides fire suppression to the jail rather than running an entirely new waterline all the way out to the service lines in the street.
The MOU was prepared by Houin and details that a water meter will be installed on the new line to the training facility and a city department will pay for the water usage and not the jail. Houin said there will be no charge to the county for the project and included assurances that if there happens to be an issue with the fire suppression at the county jail due to the new line, the city will cover all remediation costs to fix the issue.
County Attorney Jim Clevenger said the project is all at the expense of the city and they have given assurance that the county’s system won’t be negatively affected. He was supportive of the proposed MOU.
Commissioner Kevin Overmyer asked if other fire departments use the training facility and Houin said, “There are other departments that use it for training and the state is using it as a central hub for regional training activities.” He said he expects the uses to expand with additional training opportunities.
The Marshall County Commissioners unanimously approved the MOU with the City of Plymouth for the new fire hydrant at the training facility on the jail property.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety will consider the MOU at their meeting on Monday, February 26th.
