By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
After receiving a report on challenges with some of the public works department’s fleet of vehicles, Whitewater officials have approved a plan to begin taking steps toward replacing aging equipment.
The Common Council on March 1 backed a plan to allocate $66,322 from an equipment replacement fund within the DPW budget and purchase three vehicles that were manufactured between 2011 and 2015.
In a memo to the council, Chuck Nass, streets, parks and forestry superintendent, said efforts to maintain some of the city’s existing fleet of vehicles have been an uphill climb.
“We have many old trucks that are causing us many extra hours of labor time,” Nass wrote in the memo.
In other recent business, the council:
- Gave the green light to a request by the city’s fire and rescue department to spend $25,000 toward the purchase of new equipment.
The purchase, which will be funded through a portion of the municipal budget known as the hospital fund, will go toward a technical device known as a cot loading mechanism. It will benefit patients who might have difficulty being loaded into an ambulance during a call.
- Extended the city’s contract with Madison-based engineering firm Strand Associates by one year. The company has provided consultation to the city in areas that fall outside the purview of in-house staffers.
- Approved a plan to increase Strand’s involvement in the upcoming George Street reconstruction project and increase the monetary threshold of compensation from $95,200 to $220,200.
As part of the proposal, Strand will provide the city with such services as contract administration, construction designs and observation services as the George Street work gets underway.
