Mask Fit Testing Machine
The Moscow City Council unanimously voted to seek approval to utilize CARES Act funding to purchase a “mask fit testing machine.” The Quality Guard Mask Fit Machine, which costs roughly $20,000, will be used to test a mask’s fit on a person’s face. It will not test the effectiveness of the mask’s airflow control. The council unanimously voted to purchase the machine, if funding is approved, as well.
Brian Nickerson, the fire chief at the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department, advocated for the purchase of the machine for the fire station. He said the machine could be loaned to other stations if need be, as well.
Prior to this decision, the fire department had been borrowing a less capable machine from their Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) vendor, which has caused scheduling issues. If purchased, the machine could be used for any city officials or institutions which require its employees to wear fitted masks, like the police.
“It’s a dual-purpose machine,” Nickerson said. “It not only helps us with our testing annually for our SCBAs that we purchased several years ago, but with the current situation with masks and so forth. It will also fit N95 masks.”
It is unclear when the machine will be purchased and brought to Moscow.
Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee
The Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee has been actively looking into water supply alternatives to limit the stress on the local aquifers. Alternatives have been considered but were not clearly stated.
The committee requested administrative partners provide $60-86 million in assistance to help with the project. It partnered with Alta Science and Engineering of Moscow and was issued a Request for Proposal to the Idaho Water Resource Board.
The council unanimously voted to approve a financial agreement between the committee and the City of Moscow. The council also unanimously voted to approve a professional services agreement between Alta Science and Engineering and the City of Moscow.
Carter Kolpitcke can be reached at [email protected].