Dysart et al will be getting a new snow plow, eventually.
Andrea Roberts and her colleagues on council approved the idea of buying a new tandem axle snow plow for the municipality. The only catch is they won’t see the truck until 2020.
Rob Camelon, the Director of Public Works for Dysart, says the snow trucks typically have a lifespan of 10 years before needing to be replaced. He also says staff have noticed after eight years, the cost of maintenance for the trucks starts going up, which eats into the revenue generated by the use of the truck.
Camelon says if they don’t try to buy the truck now they could see a 10 per cent increase in the price, which currently comes in at $270,000. According to Camelon, even if Dysart were to pair with the other municipalities and buy multiple trucks, there is no reduction in cost, which Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy proposed to reduce the cost.
Now that the truck has gotten approval it will be included in the 2020 budget, which Camelon says they can recuperate some of the cost by selling the old truck.