This week, buckle up for one very moving Buzz.

First up: It’s taco Tuesday and a new Twin Cities food truck.

Randy Smith, behind Pinky D’s Poutine Factory food truck and the eatery inside Side By Each Brewing Co., is rolling out the new L/A Taco in about a month.

Smith, who lives in Lisbon, said he landed on tacos pretty quickly after knowing he wanted a second food truck with a new concept and took an exploratory trek in December to California for inspiration.

He’s bringing back that look, feel and taste.

The truck exterior will be flat black and the body modified to sit lower on its wheels. Tacos will be deconstructed, with beef, chicken, pork, fish or a vegetarian option along with soft, warmed flour tortillas and sauce with a few sides for rolling, wrapping, dipping and eating.

“We’re trying to get the right feel of Southern California or South Central,” Smith said. “We want to make it as close to what you’re going to get up there. If we want to do a spin on it after the fact, fine, but the classic has to be the classic, same as with poutine. We make ours as close as you’re going to get it up in Quebec or Montreal.”

Portland has a few taco trucks and Smith said he’s not looking to compete with them. He anticipates sticking mostly to the Lewiston-Auburn area.

The new truck build has taken a little longer than hoped between difficulty finding parts due to COVID-19 and the poutine truck off to a slamming start to the season.

Smith said he’s having the same problem as everyone else finding more staff, so he may split time between the two trucks. Its first booking is in June.

He hopes it draws customers who might have shied away from poutine for calories.

“We don’t want to be a health food truck, but when you say tacos, people’s eyes light up,” said Smith.

ROLLING RIGHT ALONG

The Auburn Planning Board approved a $2.7 million maintenance garage and parking expansions for Western Maine Transportation Services at 76 Merrow Road last week.

The 5,100-square foot garage addition will add new service bays and a washing bay, according to WMTS’s application.

The parking expansion will bring it from 41 spaces to 114, with 54 standard-sized and the rest potentially larger to accommodate fleet vehicles.

The proposal first came to the board last month but was tabled after neighbors raised questions around noise. After two neighborhood meetings, a revised plan was approved removing 25 spaces allocated to fleet vehicles from the residentially zoned area of the parcel, according to City Planner II Megan Norwood.

BILL ME

Turned on the A.C. yet? You may want to sweat it out a bit longer.

Move.org calculated average utility costs by state and determined Maine had the seventh highest rates in the country with an average $392.56 spent each month on natural gas, electric, water, internet, streaming service and trash bills.

The U.S. average was $370.16

Should you be moved to relocate to the state with the lowest utility rates, that would be New Mexico at $288.54.

Connecticut had the highest in the country at $438.21.

Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.

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