Board green-lights purchase of dump trucks
Town officials are gearing up for winter.
At a Town Board meeting Tuesday, the board approved two resolutions authorizing the highway department to purchase two dump trucks that will be used for snow removal.
The department will purchase a 2019 Kenworth dump truck for $175,000 and a smaller 2019 Ford F-550 for $67,547, according to Highway Superintendent George “Gio” Woodson.
The Town Board agenda incorrectly listed the Kenworth vehicle as a 2014, he said.
According to Mr. Woodson, the larger, more expensive vehicle comes equipped with a sander and plow and the smaller vehicle has a plow.
He said the purchase was necessary to replace aging vehicles purchased at an auction several years ago. “I bought pickup trucks [at an auction] to hold me over until I could afford new trucks,” Mr. Woodson said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
But the pickups are too small to take on heavy plowing during serious storms and, through a recent inspection, Mr. Woodson learned one of the trucks was rotting from its frame. “I didn’t anticipate that. The pickup trucks, they’re tired. But through careful spending of my budget, I can start upgrading my fleet,” he added.
The trucks will be purchased within the next few weeks, he said.