LIVERMORE FALLS – Selectmen authorized the wastewater-treatment plant superintendent to seek bids for a new work truck, while also keeping an eye out for a good, used truck for sale at a reasonable cost.
The superintendent, Kent Mitchell, went to the meeting Tuesday to discuss buying a used pickup to replace a truck that won’t pass state safety inspection.
The 1990 Ford F-150 with 103,000 miles on it was purchased used by the department 10 years ago, Mitchell said. Since then about 25,000 miles has been added.
It’s the truck, Mitchell said, that he uses for normal, everyday use, including getting the mail, checking the pump stations and running errands.
Inspection showed that the truck’s frame is rusting out, the spring shackles are gone, front brakes need work, the transmission slips and it needs tires, Mitchell said.
It’s “pretty much used up,” he said. Rather than sinking money into repairs, Mitchell believes the money would be better spent on buying a two-wheel-drive, used truck.
The department also has a General Motor Co. 1996 three-quarter-ton truck with a dump body and plow. It’s used to plow and to remove sand and grit from the wastewater system.
Mitchell said he’s checked around and a used truck would be $8,000 to $10,000, and there are a lot of them around.
The truth is “we could get by without it,” he said, “but it would be difficult.”
Selectman Bill Demaray said that rather than pay $8,000 or $10,000 it might be better to look for a new work truck.
The department has a $150,000 reserve account for capital-equipment purchases.
And Jay, which pays part of the cost of treatment plant operations, also shares in the cost of buying related items, Mitchell said.
In other business, selectmen:
• Asked for more clarification before acting on a proposal to discontinue Pasture Lane as a town road.
• Authorized Police Chief Ernest Steward Jr. to seek bids on two computers, costing up to $600 each, with the money coming from confiscated-drug funds.
• Commended the Highway Department crew for keeping the roads in good shape during recent storms.
• Set 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3, as workshop on personnel policy.
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