POQUOSON, Va. (WVEC) -- The city of Poquoson has its eyes set on getting a new fire engine after a unanimous council vote Monday.
Councilman Thomas Cannella brought the idea to the rest of council in April. The 20-year-old said during his campaign last year for council, he examined where city dollars went.
"During the campaign, I studied our budget a lot," said Councilman Cannella.
He paired that with one of his key beliefs as a city councilor, keeping citizens safe, and he spearheaded the idea through to the rest of council.
They will take $125,000 allocated towards a Messet Point beach project and get the city the new fire engine.
"That engine we're replacing was manufactured in 1990, so it's approaching 30 years old," he said.
Replacing that 30 year old engine will cost about $300,000, but Councilman Cannella is confident they'll find money to cover the rest.
"The 125 is a substantial chunk of that and we can finance the rest and include that money in upcoming budgets," he said.
Council will now move forward and seek bids for the new engine and it should take closer to a year from that point before a new one arrives.
Out of numerous projects council could've used the money for, Councilman Cannella believed Poquoson put public safety first.
"At the end of the day, thankfully we decided this was the best option and the best way to spend this money," he said.