MAYVILLE — Chautauqua County has agreed to purchase a specialized rescue vehicle that will be used should there be a snow emergency like the Buffalo area had last winter.

During the most recent meeting of the county Legislature, lawmakers agreed to purchase a UTV tracked emergency response vehicle for $50,000. The county will use American Rescue Plan Act funds, which originated from the federal government as a response to COVID-19.

The resolution was not discussed during the full legislature meeting on May 24, but details were shared during the Public Safety Committee meeting the week prior.

Noel Guttman, emergency services director, said the purchase was in response for the county to “look at ways to improve our readiness to storm response.”

Erie County was twice hit during the 2022-23 winter with several feet of snow. Guttman said the main vehicles that were used to rescue people in Buffalo was this type of vehicle.

“Conventional vehicles were essentially useless in that type of a storm,” he said.

Guttman said the vehicle will be available year-round to all fire and police departments.

It will be stored in Mayville. Guttman said they can move the rescue vehicle to a certain section of the county ahead of time if a storm is predicted to hit that specific area.

Guttman said the vehicle will have conventional wheels as well as tracks. “It will be a multi-use vehicle to support county functions and fire department functions,” he said.

The legislature unanimously approved the request.

There were other purchases approved using American Rescue Plan Act funds, including:

¯ $500,000 for a new roof for the county courthouse;

¯ $26,800 for new equipment for buildings and grounds, including a John Deere tractor with mower deck, John Deere ZTrak, and four Winsor Sensor vacuums;

¯ $57,000 for new foam for county fire departments;

¯ $75,000 for a dive truck vehicle;

¯ $30,000 for a Building Alert System app for county employees in high density population buildings.