The upcoming arrival of a new ladder truck is prompting a costly reinforcement to the Newton Fire Department’s engine bay floor. The department had a structural engineer inspect the floor before the new ladder truck’s arrival, because the new truck is much heavier than the existing ladder truck. The structural engineer determined an additional load-bearing wall needs to be constructed and the capacity of the existing joist and beams needs to be increased. 

Bids on the project were sought, and a contract has been approved for the low bid of $107,725 from Minturn Incorporated of Brooklyn, Iowa. The project is to be completed by the end of April. The new ladder truck is not expected to arrive until the summer of next year.