New equipment, including a street sweeper will soon be in P.A. after city council approved a number of tenders. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

By Charlene Tebbutt

New equipment

City council approves new equipment tenders

Feb 27, 2019 | 8:17 PM

Local residents will soon see some new equipment on the streets of Prince Albert after city council approved the purchase of several new items.

City crews will be getting new equipment for grass cutting, street sweeping and the airport. Also included in the new purchases is a new aerial truck, sanitation truck and ice resurfacer.

Wes Hicks, director of public works with the city said the equipment is needed in Prince Albert and will make the job of city staff more efficient, and in some cases, safer. The aerial truck in particular will mean staff will no longer have to balance a ladder on the back of a truck to reach traffic lights or parking lot lights, or use a truck from a different department, which can lead to delays.

The new aerial truck is expected to last 10 to 12 years and has a reach of 39 feet. The cost for the new purchase is $115,082, lower than the budgeted amount of $122,500.

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“In essence, the city of prince albert does have a lot of uses for these vehicles and to have one additional unit is going to be very helpful so that staff can do their maintenance,” Hicks said.

The city will take $129,681 out of its equipment replacement reserve fund for a new, larger grass mower. The cost is below the 2019 budgeted amount of $135,000 and can cover 7.5 acres at 5.5 miles per hour, a city report said. The mower will replace an older 2008 model that will be sold at an upcoming city auction.

“Being a large mower, these mowers tend to not bounce over as many curb and mow smoother terrain than the Grasshoppers thus helping them live a couple years longer,” the report said.

The cost of a new sanitation truck for the public works department is also below the budgeted amount. The city has awarded the tender to Superior Truck for $327,608, several thousand dollars less than the budgeted amount of $385,000. The truck should last eight to 10 years.

The tender for a new street sweeper was approved for Raymax Equipment at a cost of $295,900. City council had approved $400,000 for the purchase in the 2019 capital budget. City administration said the city already uses similar sweepers and have found them to be dependable and reliable pieces of equipment.

A new ice resurfacer was approved by council at a cost of $115,985, below the budgeted estimate of $135,000. The new ice resurfacer will be used at the Art Hauser Centre to comply with Western Hockey League guidelines of having two resurfacers.

Hicks said the purchases are the first in a while for the city.

“So, we did go an entire year without any new purchases,” Hicks said. “They’re required equipment for operating the city, graders and street sweepers are an integral part of maintaining the streets.”

The city will also be getting a new grader at the airport, thanks to funding from the federal government. The tender has been awarded to Finning Canada, with the entire cost of the grader, plus taxes, paid for by the federal airport capital assistance program.

The total price is $322,751.74. The new grader will replace the current grader, a 1981 model.

Administration had also recommended the purchase of a new cold air blower to clear snow from airport runway lights, but councillors voted against it Monday night. With a cost of $112,700 for the blower, council said it was not a necessary purchase at this time, especially since winter will soon be over.

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charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt