ST. PAUL – Replacement of County trucks was again on the agenda during the County of St. Paul Public Works meeting on Oct. 24. A request for a decision to move forward with purchasing a front load waste truck was put before council.
“We were approached by a vendor who has some trucks coming in. His message to us was if you want to get on the list, you need to get on the list now before these trucks are sold,” said Jason Storch, Director of Community Service, adding that replacement of the County’s waste trucks is something that needs to be addressed at some point.
One of the current waste trucks is scheduled to be replaced in 2025 – a 2016 Peterbilt front load waste truck with 10,000 hours. Storch said that front load waste trucks may not be the number one priority for replacement, “But if we don’t replace it now, we don’t know when the next trucks will come in.”
The best-case scenario would be that a year from now, the County could put itself on another build slot. But by delaying, it could mean the replacement would come beyond 2025, advised Storch.
The truck the Administration is looking to purchase is quoted at $497,980. Purchasing refurbishment is another option, which would cost approximately $200,000.
The other waste truck administration is advising council replace is a 2008 Western Star roll-off truck with over 15,000 hours, scheduled for replacement in 2024.
Council could purchase a new roll-off truck for $300,000 or a refurbished one for $150,000.
Currently, the County has $610,000 in solid waste equipment reserves, and with an annual contribution of $120,000, will have $730,000 in reserves at the end of the year. Purchasing brand new trucks would cost approximately $800,000 in total.
During discussions it was noted that the roll off truck burns 40 per cent more fuel than the main truck, and it is used as a secondary truck.
“I do have concerns that if that truck goes down, we could be in more of a pickle than we originally thought,” said Storch.
Coun. Maxine Fodness made a motion to secure the County’s position on the build list for a front load waste truck. The motion passed.
Younghans then made a motion to spec out and tender a roll-off truck as per administration’s recommendation. The motion also passed.
