Saturday, October 12, 2024
By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
SUAMICO – To meet the village’s future snow removal needs, the Suamico village board recently authorized the purchase of two new trucks at a combined estimated cost of more than $400,000.
The board’s motion states no funds would be expended until 2022 when the village receives the vehicles.
The motion authorizes the purchase of a new single-axle plow truck not to exceed $215,000 with funds coming from the village’s equipment replacement reserve, along with a tandem haul/future pretreatment truck not to exceed $195,000.
Public Works Director Andy Smits said approving the trucks at this time was necessary because of the lead time for the manufacturer to have the trucks available before the 2022-23 snow season.
Smits said the Public Works Department needs to replace its 2003 International plow truck.
“We have in 2022 budgeted for $250,000 to replace a plow truck, and we were going to replace it with a tandem axle plow truck,” he said. “After further thought, the single-axle (truck has) definitely been working better over the years. They’re a little more maneuverable. You can put an 11-foot box on a single-axle truck now, as opposed to a 14-foot body on a tandem.”
Smits said a pre-treating system could be built on an insert to slide into the back of the new tandem truck for pre-treating roads prior to a weather event.
“It cuts down your granular salt usage over the course of winter, and it pre-treats your roadways before those storm events,” he said.
To offset the cost of both trucks, Smits said $60,000 budgeted in 2022 for a wide-area mower could instead go toward the purchase of the tandem truck.
In addition, he said the sale of the single-axle truck being replaced could bring in $30,000, with the sale of an old tandem truck possibly generating another $10,000.
Water tower rehab
In other action, the board approved moving forward with the design and colors featuring the Village of Suamico logo for the water tower rehabilitation project.
Smits said staff has been working with Ayers Associates and Viking Industrial Painting on the rehabilitation project, which will take the village’s water tower offline for more than a month.
Smits said the village will use a temporary pressure system while the water tower rehabilitation work is in progress.
