Adams to Purchase Used Vacuum Truck
ADAMS, Mass. — The town will spend up to $40,000 to purchase a Vactor Vacuum truck.
The Board of Selectmen recently approved a reserve fund transfer of that amount after interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan had asked to consider the purchase of a used vacuum truck to work alongside the town's aging truck and help maintain MS4 Stormwater Management requirements.
"It is much larger and it has a much larger tank then the than the one we have now and I think for $40,000 it is a bargain," Cesan said.
The truck is a 2001 model and is currently owned by CN Wood out of Whatley. It is larger than the town's 2005 vacuum truck that is estimated to need between $25,000 and $30,000 in repairs. A new truck would cost over $300,000.
Cesan said the Department of Public Works supervisor and the chief mechanic spotted the deal and have conducted a full inspection of the vehicle.
"Obviously there is some risk although it has been inspected top to bottom but in my view, if we can get five years of out if for $40,000 we are way ahead of the game," she said.
Cesan added that the chief mechanic said that typically a vehicle in such good a shape would cost double.
Selectmen John Duval and James Bush also inspected the vehicle along with Finance Committee member John Cowie.
"This one looks good top to bottom I think it is a no-brainer and we are going to have no problem getting parts for it all and all it is a great deal," Bush said. "The town should be all over this."
Bush added that the current owner offered to come to town and train the DPW on how to use the new truck.
Cesan said the town will still be able to limp the old vacuum truck along but it will need repairs. She said without a second truck it could cost the town another $60,000 to rent one.
Selectman Joeseph Nowak asked if anyone asked if there was some sort of guarantee on the truck.
"What if all of the sudden we get it and the transmission goes?" Nowak said. "Is this buy it and hope for the best is there any kind of guarantee?"
Duval said that question was not asked but should be. He said the town should have some protection under lemon laws.
Nowak was also concerned that the truck was older than the one the town currently has but Cesan said it really comes down to usage.
"We used ours basically to death and with this one there is very little use so we are benefiting from that," she said. "Even though it is an older piece of equipment it has been well maintained and used infrequently."
She added that the new truck mostly vacuumed sewage, which is easier on it.
The Finance Committee still has to vote on the transfer and Cesan said she wants to move the purchase a long quickly.
"I feel like there is some urgency just because it is for sale and is advertised and they can't hold it for us," she said.
The town has $175,000 in its reserve account.
In other business, the selectmen ratified the appointment of Gerald Garner as the interim building commissioner.
"We need to have an interim building commissioner so we can continue to serve the regulated public," Cesan said.
Current Building Commissioner Don Torrico has resigned. Garner used to be the Adams building commissioner but now works in Pittsfield and Cheshire.
"His position in Pittsfield I think has been very challenging and he has been in that position for some time now," she said. "I enjoyed working with him when he was here and I think he has only become a better commissioner."
Cesan said Garner will work for the town in the evenings and on the weekend and will be aided by the town's local inspector. Garner will receive the $50 an hour interim rate for work rendered.
Tags: DPW equipment,
