Unionville's new firetruck carries about twice as much water as the old one, enough to run a hose for about 10 minutes straight without running out of water.

CENTER TWP — A new firetruck served as cause for celebration Wednesday night when both elected officials and firefighters gathered to admire the machine.

Two weeks ago, Unionville Volunteer Fire Company’s new engine arrived, and it’s already gotten light use. As Chief Nathan Wulff showed the new truck to the township’s board of supervisors, a call for a grease fire came over emergency radios. Wulff and his team launched into action as the board settled into its regularly scheduled meeting, which is held in the fire hall.

“We work hard,” Wulff said, looking to the board members, “to maintain this relationship.”

The new truck cost about $641,000. Of that, the township’s fire tax covered about $275,000. The rest was covered by fire department fundraising efforts.

“We try to keep a vehicle rotation going,” Wulff said. “We are replacing older pieces with newer, more reliable equipment.”

In this case, the department is replacing a 1997 truck, which was sold to the Clintonville Fire Department for $60,000, Wulff said. The new truck was purchased from 4 Guys Fire Trucks in Meyersdale.

Unionville’s new truck carries about twice as much water as the old one, enough to run a hose for about 10 minutes straight without running out of water.

That improvement can be important, Wulff said, as smaller fire departments increasingly struggle to find staff. Departments can’t always afford to rely on other departments showing up with more water when push comes to shove.

The township has a long history of contributing to firefighting efforts, but an increase in funding that was enacted in 2010 is being pointed to as the key that allowed the truck purchase. Board Chairman Ron Flatt said the fund was built specifically for replacement efforts like this truck.

“This was exactly the reason we did it,” Flatt said. “It keeps the price manageable for the department.”

The company’s president, Ken Lawrence, said he’s happy to see their savings pay off.

“We’ve been saving for this truck since the last one came in,” Lawrence said.

That last truck arrived in 2013.

In action during the board’s meeting, the supervisors revealed what the last several months’ of closed session meetings had been about: a debate over who owns a bridge, an old span on Pinehurst Road crossing a Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad line. The bridge, Flatt said, is in good shape, but the old wooden bridge will eventually need repairs.

The board approved a settlement over the dispute, which essentially frees the railroad from the eventual repair costs by paying $45,000 to the township. “We still don’t know for certain who owns it,” Flatt said.

In a split vote, the board also opted to ban parking on a section of Henricks Road. Supervisor Ed Latuska suggested the matter for safety reasons, while supervisors Phil Wulff and Alan Smallwood voted against for fears of the township being unable to enforce such a move.