DRY RIDGE TOYOTA/SCION

24 - GRANT COUNTY NEWS, Thursday, May 3, 2012

FIRE

DRY RIDGE TOYOTA/SCION

9 Taft Highway, Dry Ridge, Ky., I-75 at Exit 159, 859-824-9200

“Where the people who Build ‘em, Buy ‘em.”

Schedule an appointment at www.dryridgetoyota.com

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Had a bump, bang or collision? Call Dry Ridge Collision Repair 859-824-0400

We service all makes and models Don’t have time to service your car?

We will come pick it up and drop it off!

TIRE ROTATION

INCLUDES: •Rotate all four tires •Check tire pressure

$ 14 95 plus tax

*Some vehicles slightly higher Toyotas only. Must present coupon when order is written. Plus tax & shop supplies. Not valid with any other offer.

Prior sales excluded. Valid only at Dry Ridge Toyota-Scion. Offer expires 5/31/12.

For maximum mileage, rotate your tires every 5,000 miles.

ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

A/C SPECIAL

INCLUDES: •Check belts & hoses •Check freon levels* •Check compressor operation

$ 49 95 plus tax

WITH COUPON *Freon extra if needed. Some vehicles slightly higher

Toyotas only. Must present coupon when order is written. Plus tax & shop supplies. Not valid with any other offer.


WITH COUPON

FRONT OR REAR BRAKE PAD REPLACEMENT

INCLUDES: •Replace front or rear brake pads or shoes •Inspect rotors & calipers •Check brake fluid level •Check rear brakes •Road test vehicle

$ 89 95 plus tax

WITH COUPON *Some vehicles slightly higher









*Some models higher. Synthetic oil additional.

*Some vehicles slightly higher *Some vehicles slightly higher

OIL & FILTER CHANGE INCLUDES: •Change oil filter & replace with Genuine Toyota filter •Change engine oil (up to 5 qts.)

$ 26 95 plus tax

WITH COUPON

COMPLIMENTARY EXPRESS BATTERY CHECK WIPER BLADE

INSERTS WITH ANY OTHER SERVICE

BENEFITS: •Quick & accurate diagnostic battery test •Results provided within minutes •Performed conveniently while your vehicle is in for service

GENUINE TOYOTA T RUE S TART BATTERY •84-month warranty

•24-month free replacement 60-month proration •Longer-lasting life •Increased heat resistance •Higher corrosion resistance •Quicker recharge capability

$ 109 95 plus tax

INSTALLED WITH COUPON *Most models SALE!

$ 14 95 plus tax

EACH WITH COUPON

included how much money the fire dues brought in and what that funding was used for.

The chiefs could ask the magistrates to increase the amount of the fees each year, if needed. However, any increase would be up to the discretion of the magistrates.

The fate of two other sepa-rate taxing districts are still up in the air.

The fiscal court initially was supposed to discuss and poten-tially vote on a second reading of an ambulance taxing district that would help create funding for more ambulance service throughout the county when magistrates met April 16.

However, the item was left off the agenda.

If passed, each magistrate would choose a member within their district to be part of a newly created ambulance tax-ing district board.

The board would have the responsibility to set the rate for the taxing district, but the ordi-nance states that the initial rate would be set at 1.5 cents per $100 assessed property or about $15 for a home valued at $100,000.

“The ambulance ordinance is tabled indefinitely, and only by majority vote of the magis-trates may it be placed on a future agenda, and even then, the second reading must be published in the newspaper,” said Grant County Judge-Executive Darrell Link.

The Grant County Fire Chiefs’ Association, who believe the ambulance tax pro-posed by the fiscal court will not provide sufficient funding, has proposed an emergency services tax to help generate revenue for both fire and ambu-lance services.

After initially proposing a tax rate of 11 cents per $100

assessed value, the association has discussed dropping the rate to 6.5 to 7.5 cents, which would cost taxpayers $65 to $75 on a $100,000 home.

Despite the fire dues pro-posal, Crittenden Fire Chief Lee Burton said the depart-ments are continuing their fight for the emergency services tax-ing district.

“The flat dues tax that the judge is imposing is, at best, a stop-gap measure,” he said. “It’s like a dam that everybody knows needs to be fixed. When you get a leak, somebody puts a finger in it and says that will do for right now. You still have to fix it. It’s just trying to get everybody to agree on how to fix it.”

The departments have been going door to door asking resi-dents to sign a petition to get the taxing district on the November ballot.

The departments have about 350 signatures, as of May 1.

If the fiscal court does not permit the group to only col-lect 100 signatures, the asso-ciation would be required to get the petition signed by 25 percent of the average number of registered voters in the tax-ing district who voted in the last four general elections.

“We’re hoping we’re look-ing at between 1,600 and 2,000 signatures,” Burton said.

Burton said the petition needs to be submitted 180 days from the time the chiefs received their first signature.

The fire chiefs’ association plans to present the petition to the fiscal court and the circuit clerk in June.

“The fiscal court has put together something (fire dues) that will tide us over until one way or the other we get this tax question answered by the populace,” Burton said.

Department Chief Tom Jump.

“It was a scary moment,” Conley said. “We got trapped on the roof and that was before we had a ladder truck. We had to wait one-by-one by the (city’s) electric truck to be taken down and when I touched the ground I tapped it and was happy to be off the roof. It was like walking on a sponge.”

Not a month later, another fire broke out in downtown Williamstown as the building that housed Tony’s Barbershop went up in flames on Dec. 25, 1983. Frigid temperatures caused the water to freeze almost on impact and make what Conley described as something seen out of a Disney movie.

The fire went on for 28 hours.

“I stayed the whole time,” Conley said.

After washing the ambu-lance, Conley headed back into the Dry Ridge Fire House and viewed a video of those

fires, as well as other fire and firefighters from the 1980s and early 1990s, including his

two sons, Chuck and Kevin.“This makes you feel

young watching this again and reliving the old days,” Conley said.

One of the hardest moments in Conley’s career was when his son, Chuck, died suddenly from an aneurism in his abdo-men on his way into work for the Pigeon Forge Fire Department in 2006.

“That was the longest four-hour drive I had ever been on,” Conley said. “As soon as we got there I wanted to go home. It was tough.”

The firefighters at DRFD have a sense of brotherhood and with all of the years built up, Conley receives jokes about his age, including being asked if he was on the depart-ment when they used horses and buggies.

“They think I was here when things were written in stone,” Conley said.

Jump, who has worked with Conley for 23 of the 33 years on the DRFD, said he sees the dedication that Conley

provides for the department.“Charlie puts all he has

into this job and he always has,” Jump said. “I have known him since he started here and this sounds cliché, but he puts his whole heart into this job.”

Assistant chief Joe Jamison wrote a letter for Conley to be nominated. In the letter he stated, “Charlie constantly gives of himself to the depart-ment, not just in answering calls, but in helping to train the younger firefighters, donating his time as a welder to fix whatever needs to be fixed, and never asks for a dime.”

Conley has received eight out of nine possible awards during his time with the department and displays them proudly at home along with his collection of toy fire trucks.

As for how long he will continue working for the DRFD, Conley didn’t have any thoughts of retiring.

“I’ll probably work till the day I die,” Conley said. “It’s a lot of fun and these guys are like family to me and they will do anything to help.”

Charlie Conley has been a volunteer with the Dry Ridge Fire Department for 30 years. He is the department’s chief safety officer.

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DRY RIDGE TOYOTA/SCION