Plymouth Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt told the Board of Public Works and Safety that the truck they use to trim trees has been taken out of commission.
Marquardt said they took the truck to Bourbon to have the boom certified but the inspector said he couldn’t pass it because of its age. The boom on the truck is from 1966 and the inspector pointed out several cracks on the turntable.
Needing to find a replacement as soon as possible Marquardt said a new truck was out of the questions because they are over $280,000. He searched for a bucket truck and was able to locate an arborist’s truck that has protection for the cab in Illinois that was just under $60,000. Marquardt drove to Illinois with a mechanic and operator and they checked out the bucket truck. Determining it would work for his department, Marquardt moved funds around in his budget to purchase the truck and bring it back to Plymouth.
The bucket truck is now in service for the Plymouth Street Department.
The additional appropriations ordinance approved during Monday’s Common Council meeting had $60,000 for the Street Department to cover the cost of the new truck.
