Residents may have noticed delays in road clearing this month, and it’s not because the Public Works department is trying to save money. After a significant accident during a freezing rain storm on Boxing Day, one of the main road maintenance vehicles in service, the 2005 Tandem Truck, rolled over and sustained major damage, so it is out of commission. The future of this vehicle remains in limbo while the insurance adjusters determine whether to repair or replace it, so the financial impact of the accident has not yet been established.
As a result of this accident, the current winter maintenance fleet is now short two vehicles as their 2008 Ford Truck is also permanently out of service and there remains many months of poor weather ahead in the busy road clearing season. The 2017 Draft Capital Budget includes provisions to replace the 2002 Tandem Truck as well as the Ford in the Public Works Fleet. At the January 16th Council meeting, staff requested the purchase of the Tandem vehicle be expedited to ensure there are adequate resources on hand during the remainder of the winter season. Because this would represent an emergency purchase, a tender process is not mandatory. After contacting several local suppliers, the only readily available replacement option was located at Winslow Gerolamy Motors, and a second, more expensive option was located with a delivery date of 12 to 16 weeks away.
Council approved the staff recommendation to purchase a 2017 Tandem Truck from Winslow Gerolamy for a net price of $236,777.20 plus a reserve of $2,000.00 for the installation of the township’s two-way radio system and licensing. KG
