LIVERMORE FALLS — The select board approved the purchase of a $128,956 Caterpillar excavator May 5 after hearing arguments that the machine would improve safety during culvert replacement work and replace aging equipment used by the highway department.

The excavator discussion was one of several capital spending items considered during the board’s first meeting following the annual town meeting, with members weighing equipment needs, reserve spending and long-term infrastructure maintenance.

Highway Foreman Bill Nichols recommended the excavator as a replacement for a 26-year-old Hyundai loader used at the transfer station. He said the machine would improve safety and efficiency during culvert replacement projects.

“We are the last town around that does not have an excavator, that is still doing it with a backhoe,” Nichols said. “It’s just a big safety issue. It’s going to make our jobs a lot safer and it’s going to save us a violation from when we replace culverts.”

An excavator is designed for digging and trench work, allowing crews to keep heavy material farther away from open trenches during culvert replacement projects.

Nichols said the excavator would allow crews to keep excavated material farther from trenches, reducing the risk of Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations tied to trench safety requirements. He also said the excavator could eventually be paired with a mulching attachment for roadside maintenance work.

Select board member Will Kenniston asked whether the quoted price included a mulching head discussed earlier in the meeting, to which Nichols said it did not. It does include a “cleanup bucket and a thumb,” he said, which is an attachment that allows an excavator to grip and move material such as rocks, brush and culverts.

Nichols said the purchase would be made with reserve funds set aside by the town and would not increase taxes.

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