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KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- Monday was an educational day for the Kirksville City Council as the group took its regular study session on the road.

The council members met at the Kirksville Fire Department Monday afternoon so they could get an up close and personal look at the city's new $595,000 fire truck.

"It's ready. It's completely equipped. Everybody's trained on it, and I think it can handle…any emergency that may come up that the Kirksville Fire Department needs to handle," Mayor Richard Detweiler said.

The department's new wheels arrived in Kirksville three weeks ago, and it's been in use now for about two weeks.

It was custom designed for KFD, and it has all the bells and whistles.

Detweiler said he was impressed by what he saw.

"It's an amazing piece of equipment. I'll put it up against any other fire engine in the whole country. It's got a thousand different things I never even thought about a fire engine needing," said Detweiler.

The council also got a briefing from the Kirksville Police Department about its new computers.

Deputy Chief Tim King said all of KPD's patrol cars have the new laptops.

They are used for all kinds of tasks, including running license numbers, entering crash reports and communicating between officers.

The new computers were paid for by a grant from the Missouri Police Chiefs Association.    

They cost approximately $2,500 each.

The grant also paid for new laptops for the Adair County Sheriff’s Office and Truman State University’s Department of Public Safety.

Altogether the grant paid for 15 computers for the three agencies.

During Monday night’s city council meeting, the council unanimously approved the execution of a so-called “Quit Claim Deed” that will give a small strip of land along the west end of the Traveler’s Hotel Apartments to A.T. Still University.

The parcel is about 3/10ths of an acre and will be used for parking for ATSU’s new dental school that is scheduled to be built starting later this month.

The council vote 2-1 not to approve an ordinance vacating the alley between 407 and 415 S. Franklin Street.

The council unanimously approved the purchase of a new John Deere utility tractor with a 60” mowing deck for the price of $12,236. The only bid came from Sydenstricker Farm and Lawn in Kirksville. City crews will use the tractor to mow Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery in Kirksville.