FOLEY — The Foley City Council took action on several equipment items at Monday’s regular meeting. The council approved awarding a bid for a front-end loader for the street department at a cost of $105,414.76 as well as $3,000 for an extended warranty. ($140,000 had been budgeted for the item.)

The council approved the low bid of $20,500 from Bay Fire for a brush truck for the fire department and $10,442.48 for other accessories.

The purchase of a 24-foot enclosed utility trailer for the Foley Police Department was also approved. The $5,000 price tag will be paid from the drug forfeiture fund and will cost the city nothing.

“We will continue to use the department’s larger utility trailer,” said Deputy Police Chief Randy Bishop, “but we can deploy this one more quickly.”

Wendell “Butch” Stokes, city engineer, presented a request for $12,000 to purchase pipe for a drainage project on Rose Avenue. “I feel this will be more than necessary,” Stokes said in explanation during the work session.

 Council approval was given to purchase a “coal car” for the Ebert Train that runs in Heritage Park at a cost of $1,815 plus shipping. It was noted that donations at the train museum were going well and the account currently contained $1,600. Councilman Charles Ebert III abstained.

The council voted to accept the donation of $5,000 from the Friends of the Foley Library. Foley Library Director Steve Horn acknowledged the gift at the work session.

“They had an outstanding book sale,” he said in explanation of the fund’s source. “This will enable us to have the biggest summer reading program we have ever had and certainly one of the largest in the county.”

He added that the library fund had some excess funds that will enable them to replace a very old CD/DVD copier.

AWARDS AND PRESENTATIONS

The meeting was also a night of awards. Three Revitalization awards were presented by Pat Davis, revitalization and beautification board awards subcommittee, to Tymelessly Modern, Murchison and Howard LLC and Fortis College.

Mayor John Koniar presented Foley Elementary, Intermediate, Middle and High schools as well as the Foley Library with the book of their choice. The respective entity librarians were given a list of books about trees from which to make their selection. These book donations are given annually by the revitalization and beautification advisory board to celebrate Arbor Day.

Although he was not present, Lloyd Wyatt Arp, student at St. Benedict Catholic School, was honored with a proclamation, read by the mayor, honoring Arp for his selection to the People to People Student Ambassador Program. Arp has been named an ambassador to the British Isles.

In other action, the Council:

•Approved the reappointment of Norman Moore for no more than two years to the industrial development board as well as the appointment to that board of Bob Jackson and Johnny Enzer in replacement of Paul Nygaard and Mike Werneth.

•Approved the April 15 use of the Civic Center by the Snook Youth Club for the 1st Annual “Men Who Cook” event.

•Approved the April 7 use of Heritage Park by Christian Life Church for Breakfast with the Bunny and communitywide Easter Egg Hunt.

•Approved the minutes of the Feb. 20 meeting.