Bessemer to purchase new dump truck

By CHARITY SMITH

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Bessemer — The city of Bessemer is purchasing a new dump truck. The city council approved the purchase for $128,000 during its meeting on Monday after some discussion on the two possible trucks, opting for the one that cost $4,000 more.

According to City Manager Charly Loper, the city’s department of public works lead-man Neal Nelson said that both trucks would meet the city’s needs. She said that Nelson said the more expensive truck would be able to be used for plowing, but would be a little long for regular plowing.

“Since I have a history of driving a dump truck, I drove for a couple years. I looked at the bid and I just had some concerns for how light the truck was and the spec out of what’s called the NV chassis,” said mayor Adam Zak. “The first truck that’s specked out for $4,000 less could never have a plow on it. Never. It’s actually even pushing its limits for hauling dirt from what the sales rep told me. It can, but it’s designed specifically for just snow. I would like to not tie our hands to what we can or cannot haul or do. I think we would be very stupid to go with the lighter one for $4,000 (savings), especially if we are going to keep the truck for 40 years.”

Council member Rob Coleman agreed, saying that he didn’t think there was such thing as “under-kill in this particular situation. There is overkill.” He said that by choosing the more expensive truck, the city would be able to haul dirt or whatever they want to. “In this day and age, $4,000 is really nothing,” he said of the price difference.

Council member Linda Nelson, whose husband is Neal Nelson, said her husband had concerns over buying the more expensive truck. She recommended that the council sit down with the DPW staff and decide what the city’s needs and wants are for the truck and list the pros and cons of both trucks.

“We need a good million dollars plus of equipment,” said councilman Terry Kryshak. “There’s no doubt about that. Anything we get is going to be better than some of the stuff we have, but I agree you have to prioritize it.”

Kryshak said that initially he thought that the additional $4,000 made the decision a “no brainer.” However, after looking at the city’s Paser study which shows that 40-50% of the roads are poor or shot, having something heavier to haul with makes more sense, he said, adding he does not want to delay awarding a bid as it is a 14-month turnaround.

“I do believe we have to gear towards being more versatile here. What Neal is great at is being able to make things work and being able to not overkill and be budget conscientious. What they specked out in his words were what they could get away with,” said Zak. “It shouldn’t be their concern if we want to give them more. We’re giving them more than what they need.”

The council voted 4-1, with Nelson the lone vote against, to purchase the more expensive truck. They also authorized Loper to speck out the price and decide whether or not to put hydraulic hook ups on the truck for approximately $200 additional cost so that they can add a plow at some point if they choose.