Cookeville City Council will consider plans Thursday to purchase four new Public Works vehicles to modernize its fleet and replace equipment lost in recent fires.
Public Works Director Mary Beth Elrod said the department is seeking a Front Load Garbage Truck, a Grinder Truck, a Dumpster Truck and Street Sweeper. Elrod said the new streetsweeper will be smaller, but more effective.
“We had multiple (streetsweeper) trucks come to our office and we demoed them and just had to weigh our price options, our budget options,” Elrod said. This is a smaller truck, so we’ll be able to get it into smaller locations like on the West End around the square.”
Elrod said the four trucks totaling some $1.4 million would allow the city to surplus older models and maintain a seven-year fleet life cycle for commercial sanitation vehicles.
Elrod said they hope to receive the commercial garbage truck by December.
“It’s Christmas in May for Public Works,” City Manager James Mills said.
The city will consider purchasing the $134,877 street sweeper immediately using insurance proceeds from a 2021 model that was destroyed by fire. Additionally, Elrod said the smaller streetsweeper will not require a CDL to operate. Elrod also said two of the new vehicles also include fire suppression systems to help prevent accidents in the future.
Mills and other council members mulled over purchasing a second streetsweeper to add to the fleet.
“We’ve got a backup one that doesn’t work real well,” Mills said. “We’re basically in it for free, so is it worth asking if they’d sell us two for economic advantage?”
Mills said ordering the equipment now ensures the city receives a lower price and timely delivery before the vehicles are officially budgeted in the upcoming fiscal year. Mills also said the city is also looking to fund the most expensive vehicle, a $761,000 Horizontal Grinder, through a joint cost-sharing agreement with Putnam County.
“We got an insurance claim of $253,000, we bought back the old grinder from the insurance company for $1,500, so we plan on selling parts of that to get even more,” Mills said. “And the remainder, $250k insurance, $250k city and $250k county.”
Elrod said the new Horizontal Grinder features advanced safety technology to prevent future fires and mechanical damage. Elrod said the unit includes a metal detection system that automatically shuts down the machine and a plumbed-in fire suppression system that sprays the unit if it senses heat.
“The other one was on a like a low boy tractor trailer and it had to be pulled around site with a another an army truck,” Elrod said. “So this one’s tracked and it’s you drive it, it’s remote and you drive it, it’s tracked, it’s more movable around site for sure.”
The council also discussed the purchase of a $143,272.40 dumpster truck to replace a 2002 model. Elrod said the current truck can only lift and set dumpsters down, while the new model features a bed with full extension and 360-degree rotation for better placement on customer parking lots.