The city of Kimberly is making strides in recovering from the April tornado, but it still needs help.

During the city’s council meeting Monday night, Mayor Bob Ellerbrock read aloud a letter that he will send to Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight. The city is asking Knight if the county can donate any playground equipment or other items to help restore Kimberly’s city park for public use.

The park was demolished when the storm toppled numerous big trees, crushing a pavilion and most of the playground equipment.

Also during the meeting, the council approved expenditures to protect the fire department’s equipment during the winter.

The April tornado also destroyed the fire station, so the city is outfitting an existing shop to house the fire engine during the winter; another truck and other equipment are being stored in a tent.

The council will spend $1,200 for a furnace to heat the shop and the tent; $500 for gas piping and a pressure test; and $2,355 to build a ceiling in the shop and insulate it.

In other business, the council:

• spend $55,702 for equipment for the fire department, but will get back $50,825 from a grant

• purchase a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe for $10,000 for the police department. The city will sell another vehicle to help pay for it

• spend $506.76 for parts needed for the fire engine

• agreed to pay half the cost of feeding the Mortimer Jordan High School football team next week as they travel to East Limestone High School for the second round of the playoffs; the cost will be $287

• agreed to accept the application of Brendt Wood as a Kimberly volunteer firefighter

• spend $290.62 to repair a police car

• spend $251.85 for grass and wheat straw at the city park

• renewed the city’s contract with the Municipal Workers’ Compensation Fund for 2015

• tabled a request from Waste Pro to increase trash pick-up rates by 2.07 percent