By Thomas Clapper
FPS Staff Writer
Carrollton Village Council discussed providing water to a potential new power plant and addressed the Fire Department’s recent purchase of trucks at its Feb. 24 meeting.
Carrollton Water Department Superintendent Derik Kaltenbaugh, who also serves as the Malvern village administrator, attended the meeting to inform council that he and Malvern Mayor Bob DeLong are meeting with Advanced Power, a company considering a power plant at the corner of state Route 171 and Route 9.
“They approached the village of Carrollton, and Village Administrator Mark Wells and I said no because of the water tank’s capacity. We are still running low from that drought,” Kaltenbaugh said. “We are not going to put the village in trouble. I don’t want people to think this is just something to get Malvern money. The plant would be running a water pipe from Malvern to the new plant and from the new plant to Carrollton. The plant will connect to both in case of an emergency at one of the plants.”
Kaltenbaugh explained that an emergency situation could include contamination in Malvern or Carrollton, allowing the plant to switch the water source to the clean supply.
“It is a win-win for Carrollton and Malvern,” Wells said. “There’s just no downside to it. The timeline for this is one to three years, and it may or may not happen.”
“This would be good for economic development, and the EPA looks favorably at this,” Kaltenbaugh said. “I want what is in the best interest of both villages, and this is good for everyone.”
Fire Department truck purchases
In an unrelated matter, Kaltenbaugh later addressed some of the negative responses he has heard regarding the Fire Department’s sale and purchase of fire trucks.
“Fire Chief Shane Thomas has been taking a beating around town and in the paper regarding the selling of old and purchasing of new vehicles,” Kaltenbaugh said. “People don’t understand that you have to get rid of vehicles while they still have value. We at the village are doing the same thing with the Vac truck. You have to get rid of things before they go bad. Anyone bashing him has no clue what they are talking about.”
“There is great wisdom in getting rid of things that hold their value,” Wells added.
Councilman Chris Barto emphasized that the trucks were purchased within Thomas’ fire budget.
“They were bought within his means because he had this in his budget, and it didn’t cost the village anything,” Barto said. “If anything, this speaks to Shane managing his budget well. Another thing is, I would rather the fire department have good equipment to bring to my house if I had a fire.”
Thomas said he is already in the process of selling some of the old trucks to surrounding area fire departments. In other business, council:
Heard – Thomas’ fire report, which included 29 incidents in approximately a month’s time. There were three fires and 14 medical rescues, including eight lift assists. He noted a downtick in false alarms, particularly at hotels. The new tanker is expected to be delivered Saturday, March 8, and Carrollton Fire Department decals are currently being completed.
Received – notice of 2025 rate changes regulated by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from Kimble Refuse. Wells said the village does not control garbage costs, as the contract requires acceptance of CPI-related changes. The contract ends in 2026, and the next garbage contract will have to go out to bid, he said. The village did not raise garbage prices; the CPI increase is reflected in the rates.
“It is in the contract to allow this to happen,” Wells said. “We control what the contract is, but we can’t predict what the CPI will do over the course of the contract.”
Approved – village bills of $89,649.42 and $63,834.04, as well as payment of bills without prior certification.